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No. 89,699
The dormancy and extinction provisions of K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-2403(d) as they apply to restitution orders are analyzed and applied.
Appeal from Leavenworth District Court; FREDERICK N. STEWART, judge. Opinion filed November 7, 2003. Affirmed.
Patrick H. Dunn, assistant appellate defender, for the appellant.
Frank E. Kohl, county attorney, and Phill Kline, attorney general, for the appellee.
Before PIERRON, P.J., MALONE and GREENE, JJ.
PIERRON, J.: Wayman C. Robards appeals the district court's adverse decision on his motion to void restitution. The district court held: "[T]he defendant is on parole and the restitution order became part of parole plan. The Court has no jurisdiction over the matter."
Whether jurisdiction exists is a question of law over which this court's scope of review is unlimited. State v. Stough, 273 Kan. 113, 116, 41 P.3d 281 (2002).
In 1985, Robards pled guilty to aggravated battery. The journal entry of sentencing, dated February 13, 1985, states with regard to restitution: "IT IS FURTHER CONSIDERED, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Defendant shall make restitution in the amount of Eighteen Thousand Dollars ($18,000.00) to be paid through the Leavenworth Court Services Office, as a condition of early release or parole pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 22-3717(j)." A report from the Reception and Diagnostic Center of the Kansas Department of Corrections was filed on May 8, 1985. There was no action in this case until November 14, 2000, when Robards filed an unrelated motion to correct sentence and then July 31, 2001, when he filed the current motion to void restitution.
Robards argues the district court erred in finding it had no jurisdiction to consider the matter. He argues the sentencing court entered an order on February 13, 1985, requiring him to pay $18,000 in restitution. He states it is undisputed that the State has not taken any action concerning the restitution order since its imposition in 1985. Therefore, Robards claims the order is dormant and became extinguishable and unenforceable on February 13, 1997.
The State responds that the district court correctly held it had no jurisdiction over the matter because the authority to order or excuse restitution passed to the Kansas Parole Board as a condition of Robards' early release or parole pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 1984 Supp. 22-3717(j).
K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-2403(d) provides that a renewal affidavit must be filed or an execution must be issued within 10 years of a restitution order, otherwise the order will become dormant. If dormant for 2 years, then the order shall be released.
The State cites the language in K.S.A. 1984 Supp. 22-3717(j) in effect in 1985 which is now for the most part found in K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3717(n):
"If the court which sentenced an inmate specified at the time of sentencing the amount and the recipient of any restitution ordered as a condition of parole or postrelease supervision, the Kansas parole board shall order as a condition of parole or postrelease supervision that the inmate pay restitution in the amount and manner provided in the journal entry unless the board finds compelling circumstances which would render a plan of restitution unworkable."
In State v. Morrison, 28 Kan. App. 2d 249, 14 P.3d 1189 (2000), the court addressed the issue as one of first impression and found a dormant restitution order was unenforceable. Morrison was convicted in 1985, and the court ordered him to pay $63,737 in restitution as a condition of early release or parole. Morrison received parole in 1986 and was placed on probation for 5 years with the condition that he pay the restitution. In 1987, the district court entered a restitution order for $63,737 and provided a payment schedule.
Morrison made several restitution payments and then in 1999 he requested release of the restitution order since the State had not filed a revivor of judgment and the restitution order had been dormant for more than 2 years. The district court granted the release, but then set its decision aside because Morrison had made regular monthly restitution payments as ordered by the court.
The Morrison court discussed the 1995 amendments to K.S.A. 60-2403(d) and K.S.A. 21-4603d(a) which converted all criminal restitution orders into civil judgments. The court explained the impetus of the amendments as making restitutions orders more meaningful, enforceable, and collectable, but at the same time, setting outer boundaries for collecting restitution orders by making them subject to dormancy and release. 28 Kan. App. 2d at 251-53. The Morrison court held:
"Under K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 60-2403(d), if a renewal affidavit is not filed or if execution is not issued within 10 years from the date of the entry of any judgment of restitution in any court of record in this state, the judgment, including costs and fees therein, shall become dormant." 28 Kan. App. 2d 241 Syl. ¶ 1.
The Morrison court reversed the district court's decision on the motion to set aside and found the court's initial ruling was correct. The court found the restitution order was entered in 1987, became dormant in 1999, remained dormant for more than 2 years, and had to be released. 28 Kan. App. 2d at 250, 254-55.
The critical distinguishing factor in Morrison is that the defendant was paroled and placed on probation for 5 years and the district court entered an actual restitution order 2 years after sentencing. Here, a virtually identical sentencing event occurred, but at the time of oral argument there was no evidence in the record of when Robards was paroled. Unlike Morrison where the court ordered the defendant to pay restitution while on probation and detailed a specific restitution payment schedule, the only evidence in the record of post-incarceration events is the district court's journal entry stating that Robards was on parole and the restitution order became part of the parole plan. Following oral argument, Robards submitted a certificate of conditional release indicating he was released on October 21, 1994
The Morrison court found the district court properly computed the 10-year period from the date the restitution order was entered, not the date Morrison was sentenced, and ordered him to pay restitution as a condition of early release or parole. Here, if Robards was given conditional release on October 21, 1994, the 10-year time period for the state to file a renewal affidavit has not even passed. K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-2403(d).
It would be improper to begin the calculation of any dormancy period using the date a defendant is incarcerated even though the court computes the amount of restitution in the event a defendant receives early release or parole. A trial court may not sentence a defendant to imprisonment and also require the defendant to pay restitution. Restitution may only be ordered in conjunction with probation or a suspended sentence. See K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 21-4603(b); cf. K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 21-4603d(a)(8); Puckett v. Bruce, 276 Kan. ___, 73 P.3d 736 (2003) (The law is well settled that court costs are not restitution and may be imposed along with incarceration.); State v. DeHerrera, 251 Kan. 143, Syl. ¶ 5, 834 P.2d 918 (1992); State v. Chilcote, 7 Kan. App. 2d 685, 691-92, 647 P.2d 1349, rev. denied 231 Kan. 801 (1982).
The ruling that the district court did not have jurisdiction may not have been technically correct. However, Robards' request to void the restitution is clearly without merit based on the evidence provided that he was not given conditional release until October 21, 1994. We affirm the court's rejection of the motion to void the restitution order. See Drake v. Kansas Dept. of Revenue, 272 Kan. 231, 239, 32 P.3d 705 (2001) (reason given by trial court for its ruling is immaterial if result is correct for any reason).


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Athiest hedonism: Their poster campaign on London buses in 2009 was supported by Richard Dawkins (right). Its fatuous slogan gets to the heart of why people have turned away from biblical religion — not because it is irrational but because it puts constraints on their behaviour
To judge from what we are reading and hearing almost every day at the moment, it would seem Britain is in the throes of a war of religion. A war, that is, between religion and atheism. Professor Richard Dawkins, the Savanarola of atheism, regularly hurls his thunderbolts at believers. Christianity, says the church, is under siege. Christians are being prevented from wearing the crucifix at work, being barred from adoption panels. Even Delia Smith has now brought her rolling pin to the fight to defend the faith.
At the heart of this great argument lies the assumption on the part of the anti-religion camp that this is a battle between reason and obscurantism, between rationality on the one hand and knuckle-dragging ignorance and prejudice on the other. And of course, that anti-religion camp is on the side of reason, and thus of intelligence, science, progress and freedom; whereas religious believers would undo the Enlightenment and take us all back to the dark ages of credulity, superstition and the shackling of the mind.
This assumption is based on a further given: that in the West this is the age of reason. And we think this, in large measure, because we have put religion, or faith, in a box labelled in very large letters, "Un-reason". Faith and reason, religion and science are supposedly inimical to each other. There is no overlap. They knock each other out.
So it follows that people who are intelligent can have no religious faith; those who are religious are either imbeciles or insane. Not only that, religious people are narrow, dogmatic, intolerant and unpleasant. Those with no religious faith are broad-minded, open, liberal and thoroughly splendid people whom you'd be delighted to meet at a dinner party. Little casts a chill over a fashionable table more than the disclosure that a guest believes in God.
I have a rather different take on this great division of our age. My view is that while we may be in a post-biblical — and post-moral — age, we have not disposed of belief. Far from it. We have just changed what we believe in. Our society may have junked the Judaeo-Christian foundations of the West for secularism. But this has given rise to a set of other religions. Secular religions. Anti-religion religions.
These are also based on a set of dogmas. They proselytise. They involve faith. But unlike the Judaeo-Christian thinking they usurp, these secular anti-religions suspend truth and reason. What's more, I would say that it was the Judaic foundations of the West which, far from denying reason, gave the world both reason and science in the first place.
God has been pronounced dead, and in his place have come man-made ideologies — in which people worship not a divine presence but an idea.
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- Arthur Koestler
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- Corbyn waves the flag of anti-Semitism
- Ghost Dancers
- Unpublished poems by Robert Conquest
- Patriotism, cosmopolitanism and democracy
- Bachelor
- The Royal Academy in Burlington Gardens
- The righteous and the Right
- Five poems
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- Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke: a new translation
- The End of the Lazars
- Self-Deception
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- Cultural Climate Change
- The Fate Of The West
- Monks, Magi and Mosques: Religion on the Silk Road
- The Rest Is Silence

subset: commoncrawl


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When you're a leader, you may be approached by and put in situations that you didn't prepare yourself for.
When facing these situations, it's easy to panic or get upset about it, but that won't solve any of your problems. The best thing you can do in any situation is to think rationally and make compromises.
So someone comes to you and blames you and your club for something you didn't know about. What do you do? You may have the urge to get angry and annoyed, blame someone else, and storm out of the room. RESIST.
The following steps are some suggestions for handling surprises:
Take responsibility for what may have been the fault of your club, even if you are not personally responsible for it.
Apologize for the confusion/disorganization/mistake/etc.
Rationally think about what options you have to fix the problem. Think about what is best for EVERYONE involved, not just for your side.
Discuss options with the opposing side of the conflict. What are they looking for in a resolution? What kind of compromise is okay with them?
Decide on a compromise and follow through.
Apologize again.
Make a note to yourself and your officers of what happened and why so that it can be avoided in the future.


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NCSF Newsletter
Spring: May 2010
In this issue
- Annual Meeting
- Board of Directors
- Volunteer of the Year
- New Papers
Annual Coalition Partner's Meeting
The Annual Coalition Partner's Meeting was held in Seattle this year. It was the NCSF's first time in the city of Seattle and this could not have been done without the efforts of the Seattle community - particularly Jim Duvall and Allena Gabosch. We would like to thank them as well as all of the community of Seattle and surrounding area for making this year's meeting such a success. It is nice to come into a city and feel welcome from the moment you arrive.
We have been working on moving the annual meeting to the first quarter of each year and it has taken two years to accomplish this. In 2008, it was in October. In 2009, it was in June. This year we have reached our target goal of the first quarter of each year. Moving forward we should be able to hold the meeting in either February or March of each year. Why would we want to do this? To quote our Chairperson, Leigha Fleming, "We're trying to move the meeting up to make our reports and information to you more consistent and timely. It's hard to make you feel informed about our prior year's activities when we're halfway into the next year already!"
From NCSF Chairperson Leigha Fleming
In September 2008, I started my term out with several goals:
· Improve the NCSF communication both internally among the board and volunteers, to our Coalition Partners, to our communities in general and the public as a whole.
· We are well on our way to accomplishing this. In years prior to Sept 08, we published 3 quarterly newsletters - two in 03 and one in 06. The newsletter has made it out every quarter since I became chair.
· We have published the minutes to the CP list every month.
· I have written notices/letters to the membership monthly.
· Kicked up frequency of the press and media alerts, using Constant Contact to make our mail outs more professional.
· Since Sept 08, had more than 156 "official communications" to the Coalition Partners on the CP list. Seven times more than in the entire 2 years prior.
· Improve the Structural Integrity of the Organization, setting up processes and procedures for our most important functions and programs.
· Using SalesForce, we are well on our way to regularizing how we accomplish our programs and projects. SalesForce allows those directly involved with our projects to see at a moment's notice what is going on. We can also update information simply and efficiently, keeping all in the loop in a more timely manner.
· New literature and programs - NCSF's "Value Proposition"
· The "Value Proposition is a guide to keep NCSF focused on what our core programs and values are. From this we have developed new handouts on child custody, child protective services, event insurance, and many more. Two new formal handouts - one for therapists about Polyamory and one dealing with how to find a Kink Aware Therapist.
· The DSM and Consent Counts Projects
· We are the only organization in the country working on these issues. With the help of Susan Wright, in particular working on the DSM, has led the way for some major successes for us. Judy Guerin is taking the lead in our Consent Counts project.
· A new website and website integration should be accomplished before summer's end.
· Don't forget about the Twittering and Blogging going on - Media Updates are posted daily.
Kink Aware Professionals Report, by Kevin Carlson
We have been working on purging the data base of dead links and information that is no longer valid. Over all we have had a net increase of 108 listings since May 09. Interest is growing on a day-to-day basis for this program.
I worked very closely with Keely Kolmes Psy.D. and Geri Weitzman Ph.D to produce the white paper on how to choose a Kink Aware Therapist. It is a new and powerful resource for all members of the kink community to use when seeking out a Therapist.
Media Outreach Project, by Susan Wright
This year the project created "NCSF in the News!" listing over 50 articles since 2000 that include quotes from NCSF staff members. Check it out on our site:
We assisted in 34 media incidents. A sample of those incidents include: a swing conference threatened on Grand Island, crack-down on venues in Albuquerque, a NJ store closed because of zoning issues over party space in the basement, and attacks by religious extremists because Creating Change gave Graylin Thornton their Leather Leadership Award.
Some of the bigger incidents of 2009 included:
Professional Dominantrices raided and arrested in NYC. The NCSF has been working this since 2008. Susan has met with Manhattan DA's office in order to clarify what sort of "for-pay" BDSM activities are considered legal in New York State. Susan also worked with NY Times reporter Jennifer Mascio on an article about the false arrests of professional Dominatrices for prostitution.
The NCSF responded when Peter LaBarbara with Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (www.aftah.org) attacked the Fort Troff party taking place in Washington DC during Mid-Atlantic Leather, by responding with a statement about respecting the rights of minority groups.
AFTAH also attacked Winter Wickedness, a pansexual weekend conference in Ohio, produced by one of our Coalition Partners, Adventures in Sexuality. NCSF forked closely with Barak to ensure the event was successful; NCSF volunteer Robin Specter was on site and acted as spokesperson for Winter Wickedness as well as hotel liaison. Susan provided advice, media interviews and organized a call-in campaign to InterContinental Hotels which successfully fought back the attempts to the corporate headquarters to make the hotel cancel the conference.
The Atlanta Eagle raids are also a big concern for our community. The NCSF has been working on this since September 10, 2009. The NCSF created an action alert urging patrons who were there to file a complaint with the police department and to join in the Federal civil lawsuit. The city's case citing the Atlanta Eagle for illegal adult entertainment activities was dismissed in early 2010.
25 Media Interviews were given, including Esquire, Contemporary Sexuality Magazine about the DSM Project, Boston Times about the persecution of the BDSM community in Boston, Playboy requested a letter to the editor from NCSF about their Top 55 most important people in Sex, New York Times on the pro-Domme arrests in NCY and many more.
Projects Susan is working on: Stop the Arrests Coalition, The Smarter Sex NYC project, and the Espoir Conference developing guidelines and outreach strategies for the Leather Archives & Museum.
Along with all the above, Susan on behalf of the NCSF has done website reviews, acted as a PR Liaison for the Folsom Street Fair, and gave the State of the Union address at the NELA Kink Awareness Conference in Boston.
Membership Report
This year we have implemented a temporary system to send out digital Membership cards, working towards full integration with SalesForce, and imported the membership database into SalesForce. These two items have reduced costs and allowed a better tracking of membership.
SalesForce will allow us to import and manage membership data, quicker updating of who has become a member and at what level, letting us get the needed information out to them in a more timely manner such as sending out membership cards and acknowledgment of membership by SalesForce. In the future, SalesForce will send out reminders to the membership before the expiration date of the membership and automate the membership acknowledgements.
At the time of the meeting we had 64 Coalition Partners and in the past month have signed up several more.
Other Major Projects
The two major projects that we will continue to work on are the DSM Revision Project and the Consent Counts Project. Both of these projects are long term and will require the use of our assets of volunteers and funds to promote and continue to make major strides towards accomplishing these goals.
For the DSM we have made it all the way through public commentary period with the majority of the changes we suggested being supported. We are now awaiting finale approval from the American Psychiatric Association for inclusion in the publication of the DSM-V. These changes though not finale are already having an impact of a positive nature in the court system regarding criminal and child custody incidents.
The Consent Counts Project is also well on its way. We have started pulling the legal information at a state level and are making plans to work on the volunteer system to acquire local and regional information as well. Short term, the DSM Revision Project is going to work closely with the Consent Counts Project to ensure maximum outreach and visibility.
Incident Response, by Leigha Fleming
NCSF received 482 distinct inquiries/requests for assistance. 337 required more than one contact/response to resolve, often requiring multiple contacts. It is difficult to categorize many incident requests as clearly falling into one camp or another because many overlap in categories. For example, many of our custody/divorce related issues involve at least 2 of our core constituent groups (i.e. BDSM/leather/fetish and poly for example). In trying to do a statistical breakdown of the requests, we placed it in the category it most clearly matched.
11% were requests regarding SM/abuse/domestic violence issues
36% were regarding criminal complaint issues
3% were regarding employment discrimination
27.5% were regarding child custody/divorce issues
17.5% were related to SM/leather/fetish group issues
1% were classed as non-employment discrimination
3% were related to swing community issues
.5% were regarding online obscenity issues
3.5% were classed as "other"
Of the inquiries, 95.5% were driven by BDSM/leather/fetish issues, 3% by swing, 1% by poly, 0.5% by other.
The Board of Directors
Leigha Fleming (Board Chair)
Howie Zusel (Vice Chair)
Laura Carlson (Secretary)
Vivienne Kramer (Treasurer)
Jim Fleckenstein (Foundation Liaison)
Ron Zimmerman (Coalition Partner Stewardship Chair)
Kevin Carlson (KAP Director)
Chuck Renslow
Susan Wright (Media Relatiuons)
Ed Mogul (Legal)
Steven Johnson (SalesForce)
Thanks to those above for all you do to keep the NCSF moving forward.
Volunteer of the Year
The NCSF would like to congratulate Vicki Ballinger, our Volunteer of the Year. Vicki heads up our outreach program. Her service and dedication to this position is a shinning example of how we all should strive to be.
Congratulations and thank you Vicki!!!!
New Papers
The NCSF and the Foundation is proud to introduce two new papers, "A Guide to Choosing a Kink-Aware Therapist" and the "Therapists Guide to Polyamory". The full press release may be read on our website, or you can go directly to the individual papers;
A Guide to Choosing a Kink-Aware Therapists
Therapists Guide to Polyamory
Coalition Partners as of May 2010
phone: 410-539-4824


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Reviewed by Steven P. (age 7)
My favorite part of the story was when Blossom and Beany found a picnic and started to eat the food. My favorite character is Blossom because he has short legs and he is cool. It relates to my life by making friends and never being mean to people. This story does have some pictures and does help to see the characters situations.
I think you will like this story because it?s about friendship and having.


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Urubamba, Sacred Valley Of The Incas
The largest town in the Sacred Valley Of The Incas, Urubamba is only an hour away from Cusco and makes a great stopping point in acclimating yourself to the area. Miles and miles of scenic pastures, blue and purple mountains, and sun and fog illuminate the ancient valley, which is nothing short of breathtaking. There's not much to do here other than marvel at the views and visit with Urubamba's locals, and that's fine with me. However, we were lucky enough to stay at a new property run by Peru's small boutique hotel group Inkaterra called the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. Built in the style of a traditional Hacienda, the main lodge has a few rooms with larger casitas nestled at the foot of the mountains out back. Having just opened this summer, we didn't have a chance to visit the casitas but the elegantly tranquil lobby and restaurant and bar were absolutely perfect. It was a perfect place to rest once the altitude sickness took over. And it did.
Located on the outskirts of the city center of Cusco, this Citadel dates back to the 1100s when it was started by the Killke culture and subsequently taken over by the Inca in the 13th century. Jaw-dropping stones of ungodly weight and shape rest in delicate grooves that make up the walls of the citadel, and yet know one know exactly how the large monoliths were fit together so precisely. A quarry in the area answers the question of where the stones came from, but the rest is a mystery that will leave you scratching your head. I can't tell you how many "aliens from outer space" jokes were made. Definitely worthy of a visit.
Plaza De Armas
Located in the middle of heart of Cusco, the plaza is surrounded by cathedrals, historic buildings, shops and restaurants, and is a vital center of Cusco. It's a great stroll and apparently I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take a photo of it with my camera! At least I have my iphone. Trust me, it's gorgeous.
Mercado Central de San Pedro
I've been told to expect the unexpected at Cusco's largest market, and I wasn't let down! This open-air market seems to go on forever, filled with produce stands, baked goods, home items, soup counters, colorful varieties of corn, all sorts of quinoa, toys, souvenirs and potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes! You can also find a variety of other things in the streets and alleyways outside of the market, and it just seems to go on forever. Colorful and lively, it's easy to spend a chunk of time wandering around, and stop by the juice bars at the front for a Beer Smoothie. That's right, fruit juice and beer, called Especial Con Malta. Delicious!
Inkaterra La Casona
Located a few blocks from the main square in Cusco, you'll find Inkaterra La Casona, a 16th century mansion that has been restored and outfitted with 11 suites done all done in traditional Peruvian style with modern touches. Quiet and elegant, the salon, dining room and guest rooms all surround a beautiful courtyard that makes this hotel feel open yet private. Hands-down one of the best properties I haven't ever rested my weary traveling head on, and it easily makes my top five favorite hotels in the world.
Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun)
There are Incan temples, then there's Temple Of The Sun, which was the richest of all temples built. Covered in gold which represented the sun, this site was eventually looted and destroyed by the invading Spaniards who then proceeded to built a church and convent on top. Some of the Incan stonework remains, but no sign of gold is to be found, unfortunately. However, looking at Incan masonry up close and touching it leaves you with a sense of awe as to how such artistic precision was even possible without modern-day tools. I was told their work at this site specifically is studied by builders and architects and I can see why. My mind was blown.
If the altitude introduced us to the consumption of coca leaf tea, then Peruvian culture introduced us to a whole variety of other types of tea for us to enjoy. So many different types of mint, fresh chamomile, lemon verbena and other plants were steeped in warm water, sweetened and sipped while enjoying the view, and trying to replicate it at home just isn't the same.
Train to Machu Picchu
There are a few different ways to get to Machu Picchu, and luckily for us we took the scenic route with Perurail. With curved glass windows, Perurail affords you with a phenomenal view of the passing scenery which includes rivers, snowcapped mountains and an on-board fashion show. That's right, a fashion show featuring local Alpaca wool apparel modeled by the crew. You can't miss it. There are a few other surprises too.
What, you didn't think I'd visit Peru and not catch a glimpse of these beauties, did you?
My entire trip to Peru would have been worth it if the only photograph I took was of Luciana. While walking around the market I instantly saw her from across the aisle, and spent most of my time at her stall while she graciously sampled juices and answered questions. "I would have worn earrings today had I known you were taking my picture!" she said, but if you ask me, nothing more was needed from such a beautiful woman like her. My heart be still!


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The start of something new — FlakPhoto Digest.
We're developing a new project, a weekly newsletter focused on photography + visual culture recommendations carefully curated from across the Web. You know, the good stuff that deserves a closer look. FlakPhoto Digest is currently in closed beta and will be available to the public later this year. You can request an invite by subscribing below.
Kampala, Uganda East Africa, 2006
Daniel Ramos graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in Photography and studied for an M.F.A at California College of the Arts for one year in 2007. Ramos primarily shoots portraits with a large 4x5 view camera. His photographs have been published in the Center for Documentary Studies' 25 under 25: Up-And -Coming American Photographers and his East of the Nile project was exhibited at Skylight Gallery, Brooklyn in 2011. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Posted on Monday, February 13, 2012.
Editor's Note: This photo appears in Introducing Flak Photo Stories »
Apodidae, 2011
Chuparosa, 2010
Untitled, 2000
Are you promoting a photography project? Share it with Flak Photo's global audience by placing a graphic advertisement in this space. For details about banner ads, media partnerships or other inquiries, contact editor Andy Adams »


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The story is about a shipping company which conducts cruiseferry traffic on the Baltic Sea between Stockholm in Sweden and Turku in Finland. It takes place on board MS Freja, the exterior of which was portrayed in the series by the Finnish registered MS Birka Princess. In the series the ship has different funnel colours from the ones in real life; in reality they were blue, yellow and red but in the series they were retouched to appear as different shades of blue. The show follows life on board the ship, mostly focusing on the crew and captain, but also on some of the passengers. The plot often involves love, breakups, accidents, deaths, murders, smuggling, theft, arson, rape, drugs, and insanity.
Another part of the story takes place on land, following the life of the Dahléns, the capitalist family who owns and runs the shipping company. There are also rival capitalists who try to gain control over the company, which leads to a constant struggle for power.
Add this episode to your queue to receive more information about
Snaran dras åt and we will let you know when it becomes available.


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Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles
These are not your everyday Oreo truffles. Remember this Oreo Peanut Butter dip? Yeah, me too. I've been thinking about it for awhile now. I decided to try to make a bite size treat based off that recipe.
You're welcome. These are so tasty. Michael brought them to work (because I can't stop eating them) and they were gobbled up quickly. So I'm told.
If you like Buckeyes you will LOVE these. They taste a lot like a peanut butter buckeye with the crunch of an Oreo. Mmmmm.
Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles
- 1 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 11 oz white chocolate morsels, melted
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 30 Oreos, crushed
- 1 1/2 lb white chocolate candy coating, melted
- In mixer, blend cream cheese with peanut butter, nutella, melted white chocolate morsels and powdered sugar. Add in crushed Oreos.
- Using hands (mixture will be crumbly), roll into one inch balls. Place all the balls on a cookie sheet, freeze for one hour.
- Using a toothpick, dip each truffle into melted white candy coating. Allow excess to drip off, place on cookie sheet to set (about 15 minutes). Enjoy!
**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**


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- Code Commit - http://www.codecommit.com/blog -
Scala for Java Refugees Part 1: main(String[])
Posted By Daniel Spiewak On January 7, 2008 @ 1:00 am In Scala | 46 Comments
This article is also available in Spanish [1] and Bulgarian [2].
You know who you are. You're the developer who picked up Java years ago, maybe as a second language and better alternative to C++, maybe as your first language coming into the industry. You're comfortable with Java, you know its ins and outs, its moods. It's like an old girlfriend; you may not feel the vibe anymore, but you know just how to rub it so it smiles. In short, you're a craftsman, and Java is your workhorse tool.
You're starting to to become a bit pragmatic about your language choice though. To put it mildly, the Java honeymoon is over. While you can hardly find enough fault with the language to just walk away, you're certainly open-minded enough to consider alternatives. You've heard of this new-fangled thing called Ruby – how could you not have heard, given the sheer noise level produced by its followers. You're impressed by the succinctness of its constructs and the power of its syntax, but you're not sold on the idea of using a scripting language to build your enterprise app. Dynamic typing and TextMate are all well and good, but for the real-world iron horse you're going to need something with a bit more backbone. As a good pragmatist, you stick with the tool that works: Java.
The good news is that there's light at the end of the tunnel. There's a new language on the scene that's taking the developer world by storm. Scala seems to offer everything you've been looking for in a language: static typing, compiled to bytecode (so you can run it on all those ancient Java-capable servers), a succinct and expressive syntax. You've seen a few examples which have really caught your eye. It looks the spitting image of Java, except with half the useless constructs thrown out. No semi-colons, no public static void method qualifiers; it even seems to have some sort of static type inference mechanism.
The only problem you have now is figuring out where to start. You've tried looking on the Scala website, but what you found stopped you in your tracks. Everything's so…functional. Lamdas, high-order functions, immutable state, recursion out the wazoo. Suddenly things are looking less promising.
Have no fear, ye refugee of Java EE grid iron, all is not lost. True, Scala is a functional language, but it's also imperative and highly object oriented. What does this mean? It means that you don't have to write code with the sole purpose of pleasing Haskell Curry [3]. You can write code that you can actually read a week from now. You may even be able to show this code to your Java-loving coworkers and they just might understand it. You don't have to curry every function and avoid loops at all costs. You can write your Java applications in Scala. You just need the right introduction.
If you're like me and can identify with the above, then this series is for you. I've read a lot of articles and tutorials on Scala (Alex Blewitt's series [4] is highly recommended, especially if you're interested in the more functional side of life), but few of these tutorials have even attempted to make things easier for the run-of-the-mill Java developer to make the transition. I personally have very little FP (Functional Programming) experience, so I don't think I could write an article about porting Scheme code to Scala even if I wanted to. Instead, this series will focus on how Scala is just like Java, except better.
Did I mention Alex's Scala introduction series [4]? Seriously, this is great reading, and not a bad introduction to Scala in and of itself. Once you're done reading my ramblings, you should run over and read some of his more coherent stuff. The more the merrier!
object HelloWorld extends Application { println("Hello, World!") }
Nothing like getting things rolling with a little code. Notice the refreshing lack of mandatory semicolons. We can use them anyway, but they aren't required unless we need multiple statements on a single line. This code sample does exactly what it looks like, it defines an application which (when run using the scala interpreter) will print "Hello, World!" to stdout. If you put this code into a file with a .scala extension, you can then compile it using the scalac compiler. The result will be a single .class file. You could technically run the .class using the java interpreter, but you would have to mess with the classpath a bit. The easiest thing to do is just use the scala command like so:
scalac hello.scala scala HelloWorld
Notice the name of the file in question? Unlike Java, Scala doesn't force you to define all public classes individually in files of the same name. Scala actually lets you define as many classes as you want per file (think C++ or Ruby). It's still good practice to follow the Java naming convention though, so being good programmers we'll save our HelloWorld example in a file called "HelloWorld.scala".
Just a brief note on your first few moments with Scala: using the right editor is key. As you must have learned from your many years in the Java world, IDEs are your friend. Scala, being a much younger language doesn't have very good IDE support yet. It is a static, general purpose language like Java, so IDE support will be forthcoming. For the moment however, you're stuck with a very limited set of options.
There are a few other options available, but these are the biggies (to see a full list, look in the misc/scala-tool-support/ directory under the Scala installation root). My personal recommendation is that you use jEdit or TextMate, though if you're feeling adventurous you're free to try one of the Eclipse plugins too. Scala support in Eclipse has the advantage (at least with the beta plugin [5]) of features like semantic highlighting, code completion (of both Scala and imported Java classes) and other IDE-like features. In my experience though, both Eclipse plugins were unstable to the point of unusable and as such, not worth the trouble. Scala is a much cleaner language than Java, so it really does have less of a need for a super powerful IDE. It would be nice, no question about that, but not essential [6].
object HelloWorld2 { def main(args:Array[String]) = { var greeting = "" for (i <- 0 until args.length) { greeting += (args(i) + " ") } if (args.length > 0) greeting = greeting.substring(0, greeting.length - 1) println(greeting) } }
Save this in a new file (we'll call it "HelloWorld2.scala"), compile and run using the following commands:
scalac HelloWorld2.scala scala HelloWorld2 Hello, World!
Once again, this prints "Hello, World!" to stdout. This time we did things a little differently though. Now we've got command line arguments coming into our app. We define a variable of type String, iterate over an array and then call a bit of string manipulation. Fairly straightforward, but definitely more complex than the first example. (Note: Scala mavens will no doubt suggest the use of Array#deepMkString(String) (similar to Ruby's Array::join method) instead of iterating over the array. This is the correct approach, but I wanted to illustrate a bit more of the language than just an obscure API feature).
The first thing to notice about this example is that we actually define a main method. In the first example, we just extended Application and declared everything in the default constructor. This is nice and succinct, but it has two problems. First, we can't parse command line args that way. Second, such examples are extremely confusing to Scala newbies since it looks more than slightly magical. Don't worry, I'll explain the magic behind our first example in time, but for now just take it on faith.
In the example, we define a main method that looks something like our old Java friend, public static void main. In fact, this is almost exactly the Scala analog of just that method signature in Java. With this in mind, an experienced developer will be able to pick out a few things about the language just by inspection.
First off, it looks like all methods are implicitly public. This is somewhat correct. Scala methods are public by default, which means there's no public method modifier (private and protected are both defined). It also looks like Scala methods are static by default. This however, is not entirely correct.
Scala doesn't really have statics. The sooner you recognize that, the easier the language will be for you. Instead, it has a special syntax which allows you to easily define and use singleton classes (that's what object means). What we've really declared is a singleton class with an instance method, main. I'll cover this in more detail later, but for now just think of object as a class with only static members.
Upon deeper inspection of our sample, we gain a bit of insight into both Scala array syntax, as well as an idea of how one can explicitly specify variable types. Specifically, let's focus on the method declaration line.
def main(args:Array[String]) = {
In this case, args is a method parameter of type Array[String]. That is to say, args is a string array. In Scala, Array is actually a class (a real class, not like Java arrays) that takes a type parameter defining the type of its elements. The equivalent Java syntax (assuming Java had an Array class) would be something like this:
public static void main(Array<String> args) {
In Scala, variable type is specified using the variable:Type syntax. Thus, if I wanted to declare a variable that was explicitly of type Int, it would be done like this:
var myInteger:Int
If you look at the sample, we actually do declare a variable of type String. However, we don't explicitly specify any type. This is because we're taking advantage of Scala's type inference mechanism. These two statements are semanticly equivalent:
var greeting = ""
var greeting:String = ""
In the first declaration, it's obvious to us that greeting is a String, thus the compiler is able to infer it for us. Both greetings are staticly type checked, the second one is just 7 characters shorter.
Observant coders will also notice that we haven't declared a return type for our main method. That's because Scala can infer this for us as well. If we really did want to say something explicitly, we could declare things like this:
def main(args:Array[String]):Unit = {
Once again, the type antecedes the element, delimited by a colon. As an aside, Unit is the Scala type for I-really-don't-care-what-I-return situations. Think of it like Java's Object and void types rolled into one.
var greeting = "" for (i <- 0 until args.length) { greeting += (args(i) + " ") }
By the way, it's worth noting at this juncture that the convention for Scala indentation is in fact two spaces, rather than the tabs or the four space convention that's so common in Java. Indentation isn't significant, so you can really do things however you want, but the other four billion, nine hundred, ninety-nine million, nine hundred, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine people in the world use the two space convention, so it's probably worth getting used to it. The logic behind the convention is that deeply nested structure isn't a bad sign in Scala like it is in Java, thus the indentation can be more subtle.
This sample of code is a bit less intuitively obvious than the ones we've previously examined. We start out by declaring a variable, greeting of inferred type String. No hardship there. The second line is using the rarely-seen Scala for loop, a little more type inference, method invocation on a "primitive" literal and a Range instance. Developers with Ruby experience will probably recognize this equivalent syntax:
for i in 0..(args.size - 1) greeting += args[i] + " " end
The crux of the Scala for loop is the Range instance created in the RichInt#until method. We can break this syntax into separate statements like so:
val range = 0.until(args.length) for (i <- range) {
Oh, that's not a typo there declaring range using val instead of var. Using val, we're declaring a variable range as a constant (in the Java sense, not like C/C++ const). Think of it like a shorter form of Java's final modifier.
Scala makes it possible to invoke methods using several different syntaxes. In this case, we're seeing the value methodName param syntax, which is literally equivalent to the value.methodName(param) syntax. Another important action which is taking place here is the implicit conversion of an Int literal (0) to an instance of scala.runtime.RichInt [7]. How this takes place isn't important right now, only that RichInt is actually the class declaring the until method, which returns an instance of Range.
Once we have our Range instance (regardless of how it is created), we pass the value into the magic for syntax. In the for loop declaration, we're defining a new variable i of inferred type Int. This variable contains the current value as we walk through the range [0, args.length) - including the lower bound but not the upper.
In short, the for loop given is almost, but not quite equivalent to the following bit of Java:
for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
Obviously the Java syntax is explicitly defining the range tests, rather than using some sort of Range object, but the point remains. Fortunately, you almost never have to use this loop syntax in Scala, as we'll see in a bit.
The body of the loop is the one final bit of interesting code in our sample. Obviously we're appending a value to our greeting String. What I'm sure struck you funny (I know it did me) is the fact that Scala array access is done with parentheses, not square brackets. I suppose this makes some sense since Scala type parameters are specified using square brackets (rather than greater-than/less-than symbols), but it still looks a little odd.
To summarize, the upper sample in Scala is logically equivalent to the lower sample in Java:
var greeting = "" for (i <- 0 until args.length) { greeting += (args(i) + " ") }
String greeting = ""; for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++) { greeting += args[i] + " "; }
In Java 5, we saw the introduction of the so-called for/each iterator syntax. Thus, in Java we can do something like this:
for (String arg : args) { greeting += arg + " "; }
Much more concise. Scala has a similar syntax defined as a high-order function - a function which takes another function as a parameter. I'll touch on these more later, but for the moment you can take it as more magic fairie dust:
args.foreach { arg => greeting += (arg + " ") }
Here we see that foreach is a method of class Array that takes a closure (anonymous function) as a parameter. The foreach method then calls that closure once for each element, passing the element as a parameter to the closure (arg). The arg parameter has an inferred type of String because we're iterating over an array of strings.
Now as we saw earlier, Scala methods can be called in different ways. In this case we're calling foreach omitting the parentheses for clarity. We also could have written the sample like this:
args.foreach(arg => { greeting += (arg + " ") })
Scala actually defines an even more concise way to define single-line closures. We can omit the curly-braces altogether by moving the instruction into the method invocation:
args.foreach(arg => greeting += (arg + " "))
Not bad! So our fully rewritten sample looks like this:
object HelloWorld2 { def main(args:Array[String]) = { var greeting = "" args.foreach(arg => greeting += (arg + " ")) if (args.length > 0) greeting = greeting.substring(0, greeting.length - 1) println(greeting) } }
The syntax looks great, but what is it actually doing? I don't know about you, but I hate having to use APIs that I don't know how to replicate myself. With a bit of work, we can recreate the gist of the Scala foreach method in pure Java. Let's assume for a moment that Java had an Array class. In that Array class, let's pretend there was a foreach method which took a single instance as a parameter. Defined in code, it might look like this:
public interface Callback<T> { public void operate(T element); } public class Array<T> { // ... public void foreach(Callback<T> callback) { for (T e : contents) { // our data structure is called "contents" callback.operate(e); } } }
I could have defined foreach recursively (as it is defined in Scala), but remember I'm trying to keep these explanations clear of the tangled morass that is FP.
Sticking with our goal to see an analog to the Scala foreach, here's how we would use the above API in Java:
public class HelloWorld2 { public static void main(Array<String> args) { final StringBuilder greeting = new StringBuilder(); args.foreach(new Callback<String>() { public void operate(String element) { greeting.append(element).append(' '); } }); if (args.length() > 0) { greeting.setLength(greeting.length() - 1); } System.out.println(greeting.toString()); } }
Starting to see why Scala is legitimately appealing? If you're like me, you just want Scala to be a more concise Java. In this case, that's exactly what we've got. No strange functional cruft, no immutable state. Just solid, hard-working code.
Because Scala is built on the JVM, it inherits a lot of its core API directly from Java. This means you can interact with Java APIs. More than that, it means that any code you write in Scala is using Java APIs and functions. For example, our sample HelloWorld2 is using a string variable greeting. This variable is literally of type java.lang.String. When you declare an integer variable (type Int) the compiler converts this to the Java primitive type int.
It's also worth noting that there are a number of built-in implicit conversions (just like the Int to RichInt we saw earlier with the Range creation). For example, Scala's Array[String] will be implicitly converted to a Java String[] when passed to a method which accepts such values. Even Scala type parameters are available and interoperable with Java generics (in the current development version of Scala and slated for inclusion in 2.6.2). In short, when you use Scala you're really using Java, just with a different syntax.
Scala doesn't have to be complex, needlessly academic or require a master's degree in CompSci. Scala can be the language for the common man, the 9-5 developer who's working on that next enterprise web application. It has real potential to provide the clear syntax Java never had without forsaking the power and stability of a trusted, first-class language. Convinced?
Up next, classes, methods and properties: everything you need to know to get rolling with object-oriented programming in Scala [8].
Article printed from Code Commit: http://www.codecommit.com/blog
URL to article: http://www.codecommit.com/blog/scala/scala-for-java-refugees-part-1
URLs in this post:
[1] Spanish: http://blog.santiagobasulto.com.ar/2011/11/22/scala-para-refugiados-de-java-parte-1/
[2] Bulgarian: http://www.fatcow.com/edu/codecommit-java-bl/
[3] Haskell Curry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haskell_Curry
[4] Alex Blewitt's series: http://alblue.blogspot.com/2007/10/scala-introduction-to-scala-interpreter.html
[5] beta plugin: http://osdir.com/ml/lang.scala/2006-02/msg00002.html
[6] not essential: http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-12-2007/jw-12-outside-the-ide.html
[7] scala.runtime.RichInt: http://www.scala-lang.org/docu/files/api/scala/runtime/RichInt.html
[8] object-oriented programming in Scala: http://www.codecommit.com/blog/scala/scala-for-java-refugees-part-2
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All content copyright © 2010 Daniel Spiewak. Distributed under Creative Commons.
All code (unless otherwise stated) is licensed under the BSD License.


text: Diagnoses in Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Immunology and Ophthalmology - How They Overlap Immunology is the branch of medicine that is concerned with the body's natural systems that regulate control of disease processes. The body's immune system, which generally protects us from germs and cancer cells, can become deranged and deregulated, which results in an immune attack on part of one's own body. This state is termed autoimmunity, or an immune attack against oneself. Autoimmune diseases result from the existence of autoimmunity. The best known autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In RA, the white blood cells of the immune system become deregulated or "confused" and begin to attack the individual's joints. A number of autoimmune diseases can occur when the eye, or various parts of the eye, is attacked by white blood cells. Often, the autoimmune disease is systemic, i.e., a variety of organs throughout the body system are being attacked. Examples of such diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis nodosa, scleroderma, relapsing polychondritis, and inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease). All of these diseases can affect the eye, causing corneal ulcers, sclerosis, uveitis, or other inflammation. Uveitis Technically, uveitis is the term for a range of inflammatory diseases that affect the uvea, which is the collection of pigmented structures in the middle of the eye including the iris, ciliary body and choroid. Because uveal tissues contain many blood vessels, they are susceptible to inflammation from a variety of eye disorders. The definition of uveitis has been broadened to include inflammation of any internal eye structure, including the retina. If the inflammation involves only one or two structures of the eye, a more specific name is given (iritis, cyclitis, choroiditis, iridocyclitis, chorioretinitis, episcleritis). Inflammation of the entire eye is called panuveitis. If the cause of uveitis is an infection, it is possible that you may "catch" that infectious agent from somebody, some thing, or some animal, including your household pets. Infectious agents that cause ocular inflammation in the eye include viruses, fungi, parasites, bacteria and other infectious agents. If the uveitis occurs on the basis of autoimmunity (the most common form of uveitis), then the uveitis is the sign that your own immune system is inappropriately "attacking" part of your own body. In such cases, you do not "catch" it from anything, but it develops from other systemic disease processes including sarcoidosis, some arthritis syndromes and chronic intestinal diseases. It can also result from trauma to the eye. Altogether, approximately 60 different entities, infectious and non-infectious, can cause uveitis. Uveitis occurs most commonly during young adulthood and middle life, but it can occur at any age. The eye generally tolerates mild degrees of inflammation without serious consequences. Severe, prolonged intraocular inflammation, however, can lead to serious complications that cause impaired vision or even blindness. Symptoms Patients with uveitis or immune disease may not be aware of their illness or its effect on their eyes until it has progressed. Severe uveitis with sudden onset may cause any of the following: blurring of vision, redness, sensitivity to light, and aching in the affected eye or eyes. It is important to have regular eye examinations, and to monitor eye health closely in patients with immunologic disease. Make An Appointment Today! 617-573-3202


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Posts Taggedslender: the arrival
Back in the summer of 2012, Slender: The Eight Pages was released on the PC and Mac, and in a short amount of time, this free, short and experimental horror game became an instant hit. With big franchises like Resident Evil and Dead Space going heavy on action rather than horror, Slender revitalized the horror genre by taking things back to basics; the simple task of walking through a creepy forest trying to find clues while being chased by an ominous figure was, and still very much is, a frightening experience.
Fast forwarding to more recent weeks, Slender's new iteration, Slender: The Arrival, comes packed with everything that made the original so spooky while adding in a handful of new things. Unfortunately, these new things add deadweight to an otherwise impeccable experimental gaming experience.


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Brand: Serpentigena Publications
Product Code: Artwork
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Product Code: Artwork
Availability: In Stock
Price: £30.00
This is an excellent chance to own an original ink drawing by the author Pierre Sabak. This illustration has appeared in his renowned and well publicised book 'The Murder of Reality, Hidden Symbolism of the Dragon'.
As this is an original works, once it has been sold, it will not be available to the general public – so hurry this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Sought after by collectors, each drawing is an original piece of art work and is exceptional value for money.
Stylish, this illustration is an excellent complement to the book commissioned on A4 paper 21cm – 30 cm aprox, signed by the author and comes with a transparent sleeve.
An ideal present, this exclusive and rare drawings are a superb investment.
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Homes across the region are currently being invaded by giant house spiders looking for a mate.
The huge creepy crawlies have been popping up at homes around across Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley.
We asked you to send us your photos of the eight-legged beasts.
Watch our picture slideshow by clicking the play button.
GIANT HOUSE SPIDERS: 6 top tips on how to remove the eight-legged beasts from your home
Giant spiders invading South Yorkshire homes in mating frenzy


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A year ago a small team of former Google engineers came together and, with funding, built a search engine. They called the company Cuil.
Tour Cuil's Menlo Park office →
Soon, the hype-happy tech press labeled the startup as the "Google-killer."
But as quick as the hype around the $33 million venture-backed company began, it just as quickly turned sour.
On launch day so many users came to see the new search engine, that they crashed Cuil's servers throughout the week. Even when it was working, people weren't satisfied with search results.
And everyone hated the name.
One year later, we visited Cuil to see how the laughing-stock survives to keep on fighting.
What we found was small startup of 25 employees trying to scour the Internet faster, cheaper, and more comprehensively than Google. Cuil now claims to have the largest search index in the world -- over seven petabytes of information.
We found that hard to believe. But walk through of their operations side of their office in Menlo Park, California and all you can see is the massive scale of walls of servers stuffed with hard disks.
Cuil says it puts all that data to use by presenting users with search results that are both typical and atypical. Rather than just returning the most popular websites that are linked to by other sites, they mix it up by showing webpages that aren't as polished or optimized but still have relevant information.
Cuil CEO Tom Costello's analogy is that Google or Bing are the airport bookstores stocking only the New York Times bestsellers while he's working on making Cuil the neighborhood store stocking the hard to find antique and offbeat books.
We'll be honest: the search results still need improving and if Cuil is ever going to make it as a business, it needs to drastically grow its userbase. In September it attracted 73,000 US unique visitors according to Compete -- down from 400,000 in September 2008.
Tom knows it and he's looking to add players to the team who can help. With $33 million in funding from Greylock in the bank, Cuil continues to add to its team slowly, interviewing older candidates that are often overlooked in the Logan's Run environments of Facebook and Web 2.0 startups.


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Family: Zingiberaceae
Extraction: Distilled from unpeeled, ground rhizome. Absolute, concrete and CO2. The fragrance is spicy, warm and sharp.
Medicinal Action: Ginger oil treats colds, fevers, appetite loss, indigestion, nausea, and genital, urinary and lung infections, and is anti-inflammatory. It makes a warming liniment. It destroys many types of intestinal parasites. Studies show it increases drug and herb absorption, normalizes blood pressure and helps protect the liver.
Emotional Attribute: Ginger is a stimulant and aphrodisiac.
Associated Oil:
Galanga (Alpina officinalis) --This native of China has actions similar to ginger. It is often confused with "false-ginger" (Kaemferia galanga) oil.


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WASHINGTON – Beyond the Air Force's embarrassing suspension of 17 nuclear missile launch officers lie two broader questions.
Do those entrusted with the world's most destructive weapons feel stuck in a dead-end career field, given the momentum toward more nuclear arms reductions? And is there a morale crisis among these officers?
This matters because the missiles – 450 of them standing in below-ground silos, ready for launch at a moment's notice – form a critical part of America's nuclear defenses. There is little room for error. Although none has ever been fired in anger, the risk of accidental launch or unauthorized intrusion is real.
In a rare look inside the secretive world of nuclear missiles, The Associated Press reported this past week that the deputy commander of operations for the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., complained to his officers about "rot" within their ranks.
In a confidential email obtained by the AP, Lt. Col. Jay Folds wrote of 17 launch officers, 10 percent of his force, being removed from duty for what he likened to incompetence. They are being given remedial training, with the goal of being back on duty within two months.
"If you have this many officers who failed, then how do you explain that and who should be held accountable for their failure?" Robert Gates, a former defense secretary, said Friday. "I think those questions clearly need to be answered."
When faced with similar questions during his Pentagon tenure, Gates fired the top two Air Force leaders in 2008. That followed a series of nuclear embarrassments, including the inadvertent transport of six nuclear-tipped missiles on a B-52 bomber, whose pilot did not know they were aboard when he flew from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Gates said in an interview Friday before addressing graduates of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., that he was disappointed by the latest revelations but confident that Minot's weapons were not in jeopardy.
The Minot missile wing is responsible for 150 Minuteman 3 missiles, one-third of the Air Force's entire ICBM force.
Inside the missile launch capsules, so called because of their pill-like shape, two officers stand watch, authorized to turn the keys enabled by secret launch codes if the presidential order ever comes. They are 60 feet underground, electronically linked to 10 silos, each with one armed Minuteman 3.
That is a lot of responsibility for the young lieutenants and captains that the Air Force puts in these jobs. It's also an enormous challenge for their commanders to keep them on track – a challenge not always met.
In a March inspection the 91st wing was rated "marginal," the equivalent of a "D'' grade, when tested on launch skills.
Folds described a deeper problem, citing willful rule violations such as leaving open the multi-ton blast door to their launch compartment while one of the two crew members was asleep. Sleep breaks are authorized, but the open door is not, given the risk of losing control of the capsule to an unauthorized intruder.
Publicly, the Air Force insists that its missileers, as they are known within the service, are capable, trustworthy and committed. But Air Force Secretary Michael Donley also acknowledged in congressional testimony that he worries that talk of further shrinking the nation's nuclear force is having a "corrosive effect" on his troops.
Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, said at the same congressional hearing that it's understandable that young missile officers may be demoralized by the realization that theirs is a shrinking field.
"You say, 'My goodness, there's only three (missile wings in the entire Air Force). There's no opportunity there,'" Welsh said. "That's actually not the case, but that's the view when you're" in one of those units.
Bruce Blair, a former missile launch officer and now a national security scholar at Princeton University, said Friday that morale has dropped in part because the ICBM mission that originated in 1959, deterring the Soviet Union from attacking the U.S. or Europe, is less compelling than it was generations ago.
"This dead-end career is not the result of shrinking nuclear arsenals, but rather because the Cold War ended decades ago and because so few senior commander jobs exist within the missile specialty," Blair said. "Most crews can't wait to transfer out of missiles into faster-track careers such as space operations, but the Air Force doesn't make it easy."
Donley came close to blaming the White House for any malaise. He said that when officers see "the national leadership" contemplating more nuclear reductions "this does have a corrosive effect on our ability to maintain focus on this mission." He also said "critics or others" contribute to this when they suggest getting rid of the ICBM force entirely.
This touches on a sensitive problem for the Air Force, which is inclined to defend its nuclear turf even as President Barack Obama has made clear his view that it is time to end America's heavy reliance on nuclear weapons.
"The massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War is poorly suited to today's threats, including nuclear terrorism," he said a year ago in Seoul. He noted that in 2011 he ordered his national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of nuclear forces and policies, which was completed last year.
"We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need," Obama said.
The president is expected to announce this year his intention to make new nuclear reductions, and his defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, has publicly supported the eventual elimination of all of the Air Force's ICBMs. Hagel took that stand before he became Pentagon chief in February; he has not commented on it since then.
Hagel is scheduled to meet with Donley and Welsh on Monday to press for more answers on the lapses at Minot. He received a series of staff briefings on the matter in the days following publication of the AP story, and his press secretary, George Little, said Friday that Hagel "expects not to see this kind of problem again."
Concern over deterioration in the Air Force's nuclear mission is not new.
After Gates cleaned house in 2008, an outside advisory panel headed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger issued a scathing report. It concluded, "There has been an unambiguous, dramatic and unacceptable decline in the Air Force's commitment to perform the nuclear mission." It put the blame mainly on Air Force leaders, not young officers.
"The readiness of forces assigned the nuclear mission has seriously eroded," the report said, adding, "We must restore pride among those who are performing the Air Force nuclear mission."
Gates said Friday the onus is on Air Force leaders to avoid decay in the nuclear force, now and in the future.
"The challenge facing the Air Force leadership, no matter what the size of the nuclear arsenal, is how do you sustain the morale and the intensity of the men and women who manage the nuclear enterprise," Gates said. "That's not an easy thing, especially during terrible budget times that they're encountering right now."
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.
Robert Burns can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP


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Climate shift could help struggling N.E. species
Warm winters like the one that just passed are likely to become more frequent as the planet heats up, scientists predict, and many of the consequences could be dire, from rising sea levels to droughts to the spread of pests and diseases. But in the lesser-noted ledger of global warming, there are also potential benefits for wildlife.
Among the potential beneficiaries is the New England cottontail, an endangered brown rabbit that, in a typical winter, stands out against the snow, making it an easy target for predators. Not so this nearly snowless year.
Warm winters can mean more vegetation, which in turn can provide a greater food supply for a range of herbivores in New England. That could benefit white-tailed deer, fishers, opossums, and bobcats, scientists say.
"Severe winters tend to limit many species of wildlife, because they suffer increased mortality due to cold temperatures and reduced availability of prey,'' said John Organ, chief of the division of the wildlife and sport fish restoration for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley. "Increased warming trends, resulting in reduced snow, are likely to allow more species to have a higher survival rate. All things being equal, that might mean increased populations, unless compensated by an increase in mortality factors such as disease.''
Scientists say some species of butterflies may benefit from warmer winters, allowing them to spawn successive generations in a life cycle, rather than just one.
Reduced snowfall may mean deer no longer congregate in small areas and therefore will not be such easy prey. Young bobcats and fishers may be less susceptible to starvation because of the difficulty of navigating through deep snow.
Also likely to thrive as the season grows less harsh are red-bellied woodpeckers, geese, and turkeys, which are pushing farther north than ever before. Migratory birds such as red knots are already benefiting from the earlier spawning of horseshoe crabs, whose eggs they eat.
And there is already evidence of the Virginia opossum moving farther north in New England and Canada, even though they are occasionally found dead from frostbite because they are not accustomed to the deep cold.
Of course, climate change will present a trial for a number of species. Snowshoe hares, unlike the New England cottontail, are more vulnerable without snow, as their fur turns white in winter, rendering them more visible to predators.
Moose are more likely to suffer from ticks, which survive in far greater numbers when the weather remains mild. Black bears are less likely to hibernate, which affects their metabolism, potentially hampering their ability to reproduce.
This winter's lack of snow - just 9.3 inches fell in Boston, nearly 80 percent below normal and the second lowest on record - has left many of the state's rivers and streams at record low levels for the time of year.
It is also making it harder for freshwater fish such as shad, herring, smelt, and salmon to spawn and easier for algae to bloom, which depletes oxygen and makes it harder for river life to thrive.
For the New England cottontail, a bark-colored rabbit with perky ears and tails like puffs of cotton, it may be years before scientists see the benefits of warmer winters.
Although they say there are signs of increasing numbers on Cape Cod, they believe there are fewer than 500 left in New England. The rabbit - the only cottontail native to the area - has already vanished from Vermont and nearly all of its New Hampshire habitats. Its historic range, from Maine to New York, has shrunk by more than 85 percent and it may be eligible in two years to be added to the nation's list of endangered species, the only candidate for such federal protection in New England.
"When we lose a species like the New England cottontail, we lose a piece of our heritage,'' said David Scarpitti, a wildlife biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, who is part of a regional group trying to save the rabbit from extinction. "We don't know what the consequences would be if we lose all of them. There's a delicate balance of nature.''
In recent years, as the rising amount of development has reduced the rabbit's habitats throughout the region, state and federal officials have sought ways to protect the New England cottontail, which is not to be confused with the similar-looking, nonnative, and far more abundant Eastern cottontail. The Eastern cottontail, which was brought to New England by trappers in the 19th century, has apparently flourished because it has better peripheral vision than the native bunny, allowing it to hop to safety more quickly.
Last month, the US Departments of Agriculture and the Interior announced they would spend $33 million to restore and protect the habitats of seven at-risk species around the country, including the New England cottontail. Some of the money will be spent over the next five years to remove invasive plants and improve about 2,500 acres of land throughout the region to provide a more natural habitat for the rabbit, which thrives on munching twigs in shrub lands and regenerating forests.
But it will be a challenge to save a species that is elusive, has already fallen to such low numbers, and faces many predators, including raptors, owls, bobcats, and foxes.
Scientists are hoping rising temperatures and more low-snow winters will allow the rabbits to blend in better and be less visible to their prey.
"If there are fewer days in the year with snow, we would expect the survival rate to increase, and we're hopeful that this winter provided some help,'' said Anthony Tur, an endangered species specialist at the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Concord, N.H.
He added: "It can use all the help it can get.''
David Abel can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @davabel.


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While we await game day tomorrow, let me refresh everyone's memory about book news. Back in May I brought Power Line readers' attention to the forthcoming final volume of William Manchester's multi-volume Churchill biography, The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965. The official pub date is tomorrow, but Amazon is shipping it already and you can have your copy tomorrow if you want to distract from election day rumors and hubbub.
The final volume was completed by Paul Reid, who, as the New York Times Magazine explained yesterday in a terrific feature about the long-awaited project, came to know Manchester late in life. I've still never met Reid, but he called me up out of the blue about five years ago after reading something I'd written on Churchill to inquire about a source, and we had four or five subsequent long conversations over the phone about the trials and tribulations of long-form narrative writing, whose difficulties were compounded in his case by inheriting a highly idiosyncratic franchise. Much as I enjoy Manchester's prose style at times, his approach to most topics is problematic in many important ways. I didn't know until the Times story yesterday that Manchester had developed writer's block (though I suspect age and the difficulty of the Churchill story after 1940 got the better of him), or that he apparently began drinking rather heavily.
I'll have more to say in a full review of the book in a few weeks, but for now, the Times story is worth a look for the rare inside story of a literary phenomenon with few equals. One sample:
About the last nine years of his life, Reid is direct. "It was very simple," he says. "Manchester was dead. If I wasn't going to do it, it wasn't going to get done." But when asked if, in hindsight, he would accept the job all over again, Reid shakes his head. "There was a lot that I didn't know," he says. "I could never have imagined that it would be so difficult, take so long or have the impact that it had on me and my family."


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I am currently looking to try a new disc other than my original CE Firebirds because they S too easliy now.. Any suggestions
Heck an upside down pie tin may fly better than a Firebird.
i think dresser has got plenty of touch, as in probably a little too much touch. he can work those ce firebirds pretty well.


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Welcome to Council District 2 in southwest Denver. District boundaries are Florida Ave. on the north, Federal Blvd. on the east, Kipling St. on the west, and W. Cross Ave. on the south (across from Southwest Plaza). See map here.
A district of predominantly single family homes, we have many fine neighborhoods, including Mar Lee, Harvey Park, Bear Valley, Pinehurst, Bow Mar Heights, Glenbrook, and Grant Ranch. We border Jefferson and Arapahoe counties.
It is an honor to have Fort Logan National Cemetery in our district as well as the historic Molly Brown Summer House and the beautiful Colorado Teikyo Heights campus. Dana Montano is my assistant. She lives in our area and has many years of experience solving constituent problems. She and I look forward to helping you any way we can.
You can call (303) 698-0076 to report barking or vicious dogs, dog at large.
Coyotes: Coyotes can be identified by a black tipped tail, black shoulder stripe, gold eyes, long pointed ears & nose and long legs
Tips for safety around the home:
If you encounter a coyote(s) when walking your dog:
NOTE: Coyotes are skittish and will eventually run away. They avoid confrontation with aggressive people. To report coyote activity or for further information, contact Doug Kelly with Denver Parks and Recreation, email@example.com or (720) 913-0630.
For more information on wildlife in and around Denver, visit the 'Wildlife' section of the Denver Parks & Recreation website.
Want to register to vote or find your Voter Service Center? Would you like to view election maps & records, read ballot initiatives, or take a look at the election calendar? Contact the Denver Elections Division at 311, or visit www.denvervotes.org
Powers and duties of the Denver Clerk and Recorder
A residential parking permit exempts a resident's vehicle from the posted, on-street parking time limit restrictions on the block in which the vehicle owner resides. While having a residential parking permit doesn't guarantee you a parking space, it does mean you don't have to worry about time limits when parked on your block
A residential parking permit does not allow parking in violation of any other parking regulations such as:
If you received a permit renewal letter in the mail, you may now renew your residential parking permit online.
Find parks and recreation center maps and get information on recreation center classes with our recreation programs app.
You can contact Denver Parks & Recreation at:
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Phone: 720.913.1311
Register for Denver 911 Emergency Cell Phone Notification. This system is used to distribute important information about emergency events occurring within the City and County of Denver. These are targeted notifications about incidents occurring in specific areas, like your neighborhood! Stay informed and stay safe.
To find property related information such as property taxes and records for your home or business, visit the Assessor's Office.
You can also view detailed property information with our interactive real property search application which can show property assessment values, maps, comparables and more.
The Denver Zoning Code implements the city's vision for the future of Denver. The code is intended to balance conservation and development, achieve design excellence in the built environment and guide Denver's prosperous and sustainable future.
You can also find other related zoning information including :
According to Community Planning and Development'spreservation staff, historic preservation is achieved by local designation of both structures and districts. In order for a potential structure or district to be eligible for designation, it must meet two of the three criteria for historical significance described in the Landmark ordinance (Chapter 30): History, Architecture, and Geography. (View theLandmark Ordinance for specific criteria). All applications for designation are reviewed by Landmark staff, the Landmark Preservation Commission, the Denver Planning Board, and City Council.
General process for designation is as follows:
While the Landmark Preservation Commission can make a recommendation for designation of an individual property or district, only City Council can approve the designation through a public hearing process. The entire process for designation is designed to maximize public input and involve the participation of registered neighborhood organizations.
You can call 3-1-1, or go to the 311 online help center, for these issues:
Report graffiti to public works for free removal assistance* by submitting a 311 Help Request
* For free removal assistance on your property, you must complete a removal authorization form
Year to date map of graffiti removal efforts by council districts
You can also call to report graffiti found in your area:
Denver is fortunate enough to have a great number of active Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs). They are important and helpful organizations that aide us in getting the work of the City done. They publicize important news, review land use issues and provide feedback and generally weigh in on matters facing their neighborhoods.
As the weather turns colder, the City of Denver wants our residents to know what to expect when snow falls. Visit www.DenverSnowPlan.com for more detailed information on snow removal. During snowfall, we update the website in real time to reflect current conditions and our strategies.
A residential parking permit exempts a resident's vehicle from the posted, on-street parking time limit restrictions on the block in which the vehicle owner resides. While having a residential parking permit doesn't guarantee you a parking space, it does mean you don't have to worry about time limits when parked on your block
A residential parking permit does not allow parking in violation of any other parking regulations such as:
If you received a permit renewal letter in the mail, you may now renew your residential parking permit online.
Sign up for your neighborhood trash & recycling services:
The Colorado.gov online renewal service allows you to renew one or several vehicles in a single transaction using a credit card or electronic check. The service is provided by a third party working in partnership with the State of Colorado. The price of items purchased through this service includes funds to develop, maintain, and enhance the state's official web portal, Colorado.gov.
Denver Motor Vehicle will mail renewal reminder postcards the 15th of the month prior to the expiration month as a courtesy to Denver residents. If you did not receive a card or you lost your renewal card, call 311 and they can connect you with a DMV Specialist who can look up your registration fees and whether you need proof of insurance or emissions, you can then still take advantage of the online or mail in renewal options.
Northeast Branch - In the Arie P. Taylor Municipal Building
Denver 311 Help Center Call 3-1-1
Outside Denver Call (720) 913-1311
Emergencies: 911
TTY Service: 720-913-8479


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Today's defeat of the comprehensive immigration bill in the Senate was, in my view, a victory for the American people. It was also a defeat for the Senate's Democratic leadership, which tried to push the bill through without committee hearings and without a normal amendment process.
Normally, one would expect most reporters and editors to be disappointed by the failure of a predominantly liberal measure. But on immigration, there is a silver lining: the headline on Yahoo's main news page reads: Senate Blocks Bush's Immigration Bill:
The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.
After the stinging political setback, Bush sounded resigned to defeat.
Given that 34 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted for cloture, while 16 Democrats and 37 Republicans voted against, the result was primarily a defeat for the Democratic Party. My guess, however, is that the press's ability to spin it as a defeat for President Bush will cause them to go easier on the anti-comprehensive "reform" forces than would otherwise have been the case.
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Topic: just read it if you want to find out what this is!
sidious: (laughing) yea, i remember my high school days, everybody bowin' down to me even tho i wuzn't emperor yet!
vader: (sigh) my high school days wuzn't so good
the song highs school never ends starts playing
bowling for soup:(singing) OH OH, OH OH OH OH, OH OH OH OH, OH OH OH OH, HEYYYYYY! THE WHOLE **** WORLD IS JUST AS OBSESSED WITH WHOSE THE BEST DRESSED. WHO GETS THE MONEY, WHO GET'S THE HONEY'S, WHOSE KINDA CUTE, AND WHOSE JUST A MESS, AND YA STILL DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT LOOK, AND YA STILL HAVE THE SAME 3 FRIEEEEEEEENDS. HIGH SCHOOL NEVER ENDS!!!!! OH OH, OH OH OH OH, OH OH OH OH, OH OH OH OH.
vader: DANG IT GUYS! WILL U SHUT UP! THIS IS MY FLASHBACK!
bowling for soup: srry...
vader: as i was saying, MY high school days were pretty rough
a padawon pushes darth into the wall with the force
padawon: man u SUCK darth!!
vader: i didn't even have the nerve to ask out the girl of my dreams
padme: srry darth, i don't go out with LOSERS!
vader: even the teachers hated me
obi-wan: DARTH! LATE AS USUAL, THAT'S 2 WEEKS OF DETENTION CLEANING THE ARCHIVE BOOKSHELVES OF ALL DUST!!!
darth finishes the flashback and back to reality
sidious: man darth u really sucked in yo high school days
vader: SHUT UP!!!
vader slices maul and sidious both in half
vader: what now all knowing mr.T orb
Mr.T orb: I SAID ASK AGAIN LATA FOO!!
vader: oh well, we're almost at 5 megabytes so i gotta end this movie
written by: teh chosen one
directed by: teh chosen one
posted on boba fett message boards by: teh chosen one


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The number of girls giving birth before the age of 15 in sub-Saharan Africa will increase by more than 1 million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken to end child marriage, get more girls into school and ensure their rights are protected, according to the UN's flagship population report.
If current trends continue, the number of girls under 15 having babies in this region is projected to increase from 1.8 in 2010 to 3 million over the next 17 years. This would take the estimated total number of under-18s giving birth in sub-Saharan Africa to more than 16 million by 2030, up from 10.1 million in 2010.
The report, Motherhood in childhood: facing the challenge of adolescent pregnancy, published on Wednesday by the UN population fund (UNFPA), said major changes were needed in addressing teenage pregnancies.
Instead of blaming girls and trying to change their behaviour, the underlying reasons for pregnancy in the young needed to be tackled. This included keeping more girls in school until they are 18, providing quality sex education and access to health services, educating boys and men about girls' rights, and enforcing laws against child marriage.
Despite international commitments to end the practice, one in three girls in developing countries is married before the age of 18, and 50 million girls are at risk of being married before 15 between now and 2020, the report said.
"Too often, society blames only the girl for getting pregnant," said UNFPA's executive director, Babatunde Osotimehin. "In many communities and cultures, the status of women is such that everything that happens to them is considered their fault. But changing behaviour has been wrongly seen as the sole solution. [Pregnancy] is less to do with girls' personal behaviour and more to do with the behaviour of families, communities and governments around the world. Adolescent pregnancy is not only the result of recklessness, but an absence of choices."
Girls were often denied the right to decide when, and if, they had children because in many countries and communities they are still regarded as unequal to boys, he said. Girls who have babies when they are young have had their "rights violated and their future has been forever derailed". Boys must "be socialised to see girls as equal", he added.
Osotimehin said girls were particularly at risk of death and disability from early pregnancy. The report said early pregnancy increased the risk of maternal deaths and obstetric fistulae. About 70,000 adolescents in poorer countries die annually in childbirth or through pregnancy-related complications.
The report found that the vast majority of adolescent births occurred in developing countries, predominantly among girls from low-income households in rural areas, with little or no education. Nine out of 10 pregnant teenagers in poor countries are married or have a partner.
According to figures obtained by UNFPA through surveys in 54 countries, in 2010 36.4 million women aged between 20 and 24 and living in poorer countries reported having given birth before they were 18.
About 17.4 million were in south Asia, the region with the highest number of under-18 births. Latin America and the Caribbean had the lowest rates of pregnancy.
The survey figures also revealed that 3% of young women said they had given birth before they were 15. The report said that one girl in 10 had a child before the age of 15 in Bangladesh, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique and Niger, countries where early marriage is common. West and central Africa accounted for the largest percentage of reported under-15 births. Niger, which has the world's highest adolescent birth rate, also has the highest rate of child marriage.
"Many countries have laws against child marriage, but they don't enforce them," said Osotimehin. "Impunity is what reigns around the world. We must protect adolescent girls. Justice should prevail."
The report acknowledged the difficulties of obtaining information about girls aged between 10 and 14, but pointed out that not having this data rendered these girls and the challenges they faced invisible to policymakers.