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I've just returned from the Texas SBOE hearings on Science TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) standards, and I'm so full of disgust and dismay that I'm at a loss for words to express it with enough rancor. You can, however, expect me to go on at length anyway. The whole thing was such a goddamn farce from the outset that I'd had more than enough after only one hour, at which point I could only roll my eyes and walk out the door. If you haven't encountered the gall and dishonesty of creationists on their own turf before, and even if you have many times, it's always the kind of experience that leaves you feeling worse about humanity in general.
As I write this, people are still speaking, and will be for a few hours yet. I saw no point in sticking around, but for all I know there could be, at any time, a real first-rate speaker who could get across the points that needed to be gotten across, and who would call out the creos on the disingenuous rhetoric they repeatedly spewed. As it is, I left the whole charade with two key observations: 1) That the big pitch the creationists are using isn't merely the weasel phrase "strengths and weaknesses," but their defense of that phrase as an expression of support for "academic freedom" that the scientific community apparently opposes; and 2) that the pro-science side, at least as I saw it today, is singly unaware of how to respond to that rhetoric properly and forcefully.
This cannot be understated: Just as the anti-gay contingent of the Christian right sells its opposition to gay marriage as a "defense" of "traditional" marriage that can in no way be compared to opposition to interracial marriage or anything of that sort, so too are the creationists now abandoning the overt, lawsuit-bait language of "intelligent design" for "academic freedom" language that makes them seem like the ones encouraging students to use their minds to think about and evaluate ideas that are presented to them in class on their merits. Conversely, the pro-science side wants to shut this kind of inquiry down, and just require students to be obedient little sponges soaking up whatever the textbooks say.
Why this is a misrepresentation and gross misunderstanding of the opposition to such terms as "strengths and weaknesses" was, to his credit, appropriately explained by Texas Citizens for Science spokesman Steve Schafersman. But he didn't make the point forcefully enough, and even he seemed taken aback when challenged by one of the creationist board members after giving his alloted three-minute address. I'll discuss that last, because it was after Schafersman spoke that I ducked out. After all, if a veteran front-line soldier in the science education wars like Schafersman falters when some creationist puts him in the hot seat, it's clearly time for the pro-science side to step back and understand just how dishonest the rhetoric is, and how it has to be addressed in a no-nonsense manner, calling bullshit bullshit, and stating the pro-science position with sufficient force and clarity that no sleazy creationist ideologue can sit there lying about it and sounding smug and reasonable while doing so. I don't see that the pro-science speakers today fully appreciated the ideological scrimmage line they were going up against, nor the fact that the game plan was going to be offense all the way.
A quick rundown of some of the speakers I did see.
As I had a number of errands to run early in the day, I was worried that I may have missed a lot of the good stuff. I didn't end up getting downtown to the Travis State Office Building until about 3:30. But as the TFN announced that the hearing itself wouldn't start until likely after lunch, and as I recall the last set of hearings I attended in the same building five years ago went on until well into the night, I figured I hadn't missed too much.
Turned out my timing was excellent. The hearings on the science standards started right around 3:55. That must have been some sheer pain for those folks who'd been there since 9:00 AM.
As the title of the post indicates, what ensued was the kind of dog-and-pony show where the dog has only three legs and all the pony knows how to do is turn in a circle. The first speaker was a dignified and well spoken older gentleman named Dr. Joe Bernal, who was himself an SBOE member in the 1990's, and who spoke eloquently on the need to keep science scientific and avoid the pitfalls of allowing room for non-scientific ideas. He stated that it was the duty of parents, not schools, to determine a student's religious instruction. He also reiterated the support among the scientific community for evolutionary theory.
Now, after a speaker has done his three minutes, board members can ask questions of that speaker if they wish. I saw it coming even before it started. The instant the bell chimed on Dr. Bernal's address, creationist board member Terri Leo leapt out of the phone booth with her Supergirl costume on and hit the ground faster than a speeding bullet.
Her first agenda: discredit the recent survey, cited by Dr. Bernal, that showed 98% of biologists and science educators in Texas support evolution. "Who funded that study? Wasn't that study funded by the Texas Freedom Network?" Dr. Bernal admitted it was, but stated calmly that whoever funded the study was beside the point. He actually got in a good comeback to Leo, noting that even the science teachers selected by the SBOE to review the science standards voted in the majority. But Leo wasn't finished. "I always thought that taking polls wasn't how you do science." Well, of course not, and the poll wasn't an exercise in doing science. The science is already done. The point of the poll was simply to get a show of hands among professionals in the relevant fields as to what theory is appropriate to teach in classrooms. But this is the kind of dishonest rhetoric that creationists will throw out there to get the pro-science side on the defensive.
The thing about Terri Leo is, she's so dumb and sleazy that she cannot resist overplaying her hand. And she did it right away by using shameless creationist language while simultaneously denying any creationist agenda on her or the SBOE's part. Note that Dr. Bernal only brought up religion in passing in his speech, pointing out that it's a private family matter and not fit for science class. Leo leapt on this like a hungry tiger, railing that the phrase "strengths and weaknesses" was not religious language, and that the only people making a big deal about religion supposedly being shoehorned into science curricula are "militant Darwinists."
I am not shitting you. She actually used that term, out loud, in front of a packed room, in her questioning of the very first speaker of the day.
I couldn't stop myself. I laughed out loud, loud enough for her to hear. ("Hey…sorry, but…") That was when I knew that the whole day was going to be a complete joke.
Dr. Bernal responded quite impressively by bringing up and I'm so glad he was the first speaker, which is when it needed to be brought up that the SBOE had themselves enlisted known anti-evolutionists affiliated with the Discovery Institute, who have not exactly been secretive about their own religious and creationist agendas, to be among those assigned to review science standards. Specifically he asked (to the delight of the crowd), "Why is someone from an institute in Seattle being asked to review Texas science education standards?"
And here we saw, for the first time, the depth of the SBOE's egregious dishonesty they were going to display today. The presence of the DI's Stephen Meyer, and creationist textbook writers Charles Garner and Ralph Seelke was brought up many time by many speakers, and no one on the board would defend or even address it. They simply were not going to justify their actions in this regard to the public, or at least, they didn't in the hour I was there. If anyone reading this stayed through to the end, and he
ard anything from Dan McLeroy or Terri Leo about why these men, with their overt ID affiliations, were asked to review the Science TEKS standards for Texas, do let us all know in the comments.
Unlike 2003, when Terri Leo (working hand in hand with the Discotute) front-loaded that day's speakers with creationists, I only heard one creationist speak today, some idiot who sleazily brought up the DI's long-ridiculed "list of 700 dissenting scientists" as if it represented some kind of major controversy within science over Darwinian evolution. (As Ken Miller pointed out hilariously in his talk back in the spring at UT, this number represents barely a single-digit percentage of the total number of professionals in the relevant fields, and the list includes a number of names of non-biologists and similarly unqualified people who happen to have Ph.D.'s.) This guy then shamelessly rushed headlong into Godwin's Law while the audience groaned, averring (after supposedly having watched Expelled too many times) that by refusing to allow ideas to be questioned in class, we were doomed to be heading down the same path those poor misguided Germans went down.
This inspired such derision from the crowd that Terri Leo shocked, shocked at just how "rude" people were being in response to the entirely reasonable comparison that had just been drawn between themselves and Nazis exhorted everyone to be more "respectful" of this poor man, who had taken valuable time out of his day to come down here to call everyone Nazis, and would the board please be more diligent about controlling such inconsiderate and shocking outbursts.
I can't really put into words the atmosphere of disbelief that circulated around the room at this point. People were being calm, but among the audience and people waiting for their turn to speak (and I saw a very reassuring majority wearing "Stand Up for Science" stickers on their lapels), there was a definite vibe of "Just how much bullshit are we expected to endure?" Well, people, that's what we all have to remember about creationists and religious ideologues: they are a Perpetual Motion Machine and Bullshit Factory all rolled into one, unleashing an unstoppable deluge of bovine feces that would even make Noah throw up his hands and say, "Fuck it, no ark is gonna save us from this one."
Finally I come to Steven Shafersman, a man I admire and whose work in battling creationism over the years and fronting Texas Citizens for Science is unimpeachable. I had already made up my mind to disembark this ship of fools, but when I heard Shafersman's name announced I stuck around, deciding he'd be the last guy I'd hear.
Shafersman did well, but unfortunately his talk left an opening for one of the creationist board members (a portly man whose name I didn't catch, but who's been identified by a commenter as Ken Mercer) to pounce on. See, Shafersman's main point was that the reason it was inappropriate to have language like "evaluate strengths and weaknesses" in scholastic standards is that it requires activity on the part of the students they haven't got the expertise for. Mercer tried to obfuscate this by making it seem as if Shafersman and the pro-science side didn't even want students to be allowed to raise their hands and ask questions in class. This is emphatically not the case, of course, and Schafersman explained that, going on to say that in science, theories are critically evaluated in the field by working professionals, not by students hearing the theories for the first time and lacking the proper expertise and frame of reference to do a "critical evaluation" in the first place.
But Mercer kept hammering the false point repeatedly. What about errors and hoaxes in the past? What about Piltdown Man? What about Haeckel's inaccurate embryo drawings, that were in textbooks for years? If people weren't allowed to question these things, wouldn't these errors and hoaxes have gone unexposed, and wouldn't students be learning misinformation today? Why try to stifle the sort of open inquiry that led to these very necessary corrections?
Here is where Shafersman fumbled the ball, because there was such an easy and obvious response to this that it was all I could do to hold my tongue and not blurt it out as loudly as I could shout. I just wanted Shafersman to say one simple thing, and he never said it, because I think he was so flummoxed by the aggressiveness of Mercer's questioning that he allowed himself to fall into the trap that had been set for him, forcing him to go on the defensive. ("Why, as a matter of fact I was one of the scientists instrumental in getting Haeckel's drawings out of textbooks!" To which Mercer simply replied, "Right! So why then…")
Here's what I think Shafersman should have said in reply to Mercer:
"Sir, your examples support my point. The Piltdown Man hoax and Haeckel's drawings were both shown to be false by working scientists, not students. It wasn't as if some 14 year old in 9th grade biology class pointed to those drawings and said, 'I don't know, teacher, those just don't look right to me.' Because that student could not have done that. He would not have had the knowledge and expertise. And that is why requiring the analysis of 'strengths and weaknesses' is inappropriate language, as it requires students to do something they're not equipped to do. Imagine a history class where you're teaching about Alexander the Great. Then you say to your students, 'Okay, kids, write a critical analysis of Alexander's battle plans against the Thracians.' How can they do this? They aren't generals, they're teenagers. They aren't qualified. First, you have to teach them the facts. Then, later on, if they pursue this field as a vocation they may gain the expertise to critique 'strengths and weaknesses.' But for now, they just need facts. And that's why we're opposed to this language in the TEKS. Our opposition is not a synonym for stifling all academic inquiry or even simple questions, and to claim that it is is an extremely dishonest red herring."
That's how he should have shut Mercer down. And to his credit, he did make some of these points. But Shafersman was never as forceful as Mercer was. The best Shafersman could do, it seemed, was feebly try to regain control of the questioning with very weak-sounding responses (to the effect of "We don't really need to go into the details of Haeckel right now…", which embarrassingly sounds like an attempt at dodging the issue).
I simply could not handle any more. I bolted.
It was clear that the creationist contingent knew that the pro-science side was going to show up in force at these hearings, and they came loaded for bear with every bit of disingenuous rhetoric in their how-to-play-dirty playbook. You'll recall in Kazim's recent critique of the "rumble in Sydney," in which Alan Conradi debated a minister, that Kazim made a very important point: ultimately, public debates are a matter of the performance, not the content. While these hearings were not a debate in the formal, forensic sense, they were an informal public "debate" not unlike that which goes on in The Atheist Experience and similar live venues, where topics are argued, often skillfully and often not, in an off-the-cuff manner with minimal prep.
The hearings today were that kind of thing, just an extremely farcicial parody of it. In one corner, a sincere collection of educators and science activists simply trying to ensure that the state's educational standards aren't diluted by trojan-horse language that, while non-inflammatory on its face, still leaves room for religious teaching to be slipped into classrooms by unscrupulous teachers (like, oh, John Freshwater); in the other, a board dominated by ideologues who aren't the least bit interested in understanding the views presented to them (all the while hypocritically claiming to promote freedom of inquiry), and who made every effort to obfuscate, mi
srepresent, and lie about those views.
In other words, a joke. A complete and utter joke.
And they wonder why people say Texas is a laughingstock.
Two more observations before I sign off (and remember, this whole epic-length post was simply my report on viewing one hour of this rubbish today):
- I would have liked to have stuck around to hear the woman speak who showed up dressed (quite attractively) as if she'd stepped off the set of Little House on the Prairie. I imagine she was going to make some point about 19th century education being unsuited for a 21st century world, but there's no way I could have endured more of Terri Leo and Ken Mercer's verbal diarrhea while waiting. If any of you did hear her, tell us what she said, please.
- The pro-science side does seem to have one solid ally on the SBOE, in the person of Mary Helen Berlanga. Ms. Berlanga was very polite and thanked all of the pro-science speakers, including Steve Shafersman, for their hard work and efforts. But that just made me want to hear more from her. Why not be as aggressive with the questioning in the way Bradley and Leo were? Why not be the one to answer the repeated queries about why known ID-supporters and anti-evolutionists were allowed to review the Science TEKS this year?
Addendum: Made corrections once Ken Mercer was identified in the comments.


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Land Of My Fathers - Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
The Welsh national anthem - Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau or Land Of Our Fathers - is one of the most rousing and inspiring of anthems.
Last Republic
Formed in Neath in 2008, The Last Republic are a hot tip from many in the music industry.
Laura Collins
Describing herself as a "jazz poet", Cardiff's Laura Collins brings a contemporary flavour to the jazz medium.
Lisa Scott-Lee
The ex-Steps singer dipped her toe back into the world of music with her solo album, Never Or Now.
Lleuwen Steffan
Singer/songwriter Lleuwen Steffan is forging a unique fusion of jazz and Welsh folk from her home at Penmon, Anglesey.
Llwybr Llaethog
The seminal anti-establishment North Walian production outfit that invented Welsh-language hip-hop.
Los Campesinos!
Formed while they were students at Cardiff University, Los Campesinos! began as a student band at Cardiff University. Before long their demo was causing a fuss all over the web, and they became one of the hottest indie tickets around.
Lostprophets are British rock sensations, plucked from obscurity on the underground punk-rock circuit by the American record industry.
Lowri Evans
Lowri Evans is a modern folk artist operating in both English and Welsh.
Mabon are an 'interceltic' band based largely in Wales, who are bringing together music from across the Celtic areas of Europe.
Mal Pope
Mal Pope was born in Brynhyfryd, Swansea on 18 May 1960. A musical family, Mal's grandmother was an accomplished organist and played at church events.
Hailing from Swansea, Man evolved from a Merthyr Tydfil-based harmony-vocal pop group called The Bystanders, of which Micky Jones and Clive John were members. Deke Leonard defected to them from fellow Welsh group The Dream, and in 1968 Man was born.
Manic Street Preachers
Watch the band's Blackwood gig live from 9pm tonight
Manic Street Preachers, one of the most important bands ever to emerge from Wales, arrived in the late 1980s with heavy eyeliner, feather boas and political sloganeering. Not the sort of thing you'd usually find in the small South Wales town of Blackwood, but from unlikely beginnings came a band very much relevant 20 years later.
Dame Margaret Price
One of the most beautiful, luminous voices ever to grace the opera and concert stages.
Marina And The Diamonds
Avant-garde spiky pop loveliness from a new indie press darling.
Mark Ruebery
"Writing songs and playing my own music is all I've ever wanted to do," says the Newport singer-songwriter.
Martin Carr
Martin Carr was the songwriter behind The Boo Radleys - hitmakers of the BritPop era. Now, he's recording solo.
Martyn Joseph
Originally hailing from Penarth, Martyn Joseph reached the charts with his 1992 single Dolphins Make Me Cry.
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin was the Welsh teenager who became an internationally successful folk singer after signing to The Beatles' Apple label.
Matthew Jay
Abergavenny's Matthew Jay was on the cusp of success by the time of his tragically early death in 2003.
When your very first gig is supporting Gruff Rhys, you know you're doing something right. Pembrokeshire's Mattoidz did exactly that in 2003.
Max Boyce
Having been a folk hero for over 30 years, Max Boyce has always resolutely remained true to his Welsh roots.
Black sheep of the Cardiff indie scene, Mclusky displayed a contempt for their peers that bordered on the misanthropic. Not for the fainthearted.
Meic Stevens
Meic Stevens is one of the most popular and influential traditional musicians from Wales.
Merthyr Rock
This rock and indie festival, run by the people behind the Hay Festival kicked off in 2011 with possibly the best bill of Welsh bands ever put together.
Metabeats is a scene-leading Barry-raised hip-hop producer (and occasional rapper) drawing from an eclectic sonic palette.
Metro Weekender
In 2007 the Metro Weekender - consisting of Cardiff Calling and South West Four - came to Cooper's Field in Cardiff.
Morriston Orpheus Choir
The Morriston Orpheus is considered one of the premier choirs in Wales since its establishment in 1935 under the direction of the late Ivor E Sims.
Murry The Hump
Murry the Hump formed in Aberystwyth at the end of the last century. Singer-songwriter Matthew Evans recruited guitarist and sometime Tystion collaborator Gwion Rowlands, drummer Bill Coyne and bass player Curig Huws.
Music Nation
On Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 March 2012 the BBC and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will present Music Nation, a spectacular weekend of music around the UK to set the scene and create excitement in the lead up to the London 2012 Festival.
Natasha Marsh
Natasha Marsh is a classical crossover soprano delighting audiences with selections ranging from arias to classic pop.
Neal Davies
This Newport-born singer is much in demand for his rich bass-baritone voice and versatile acting skills.
Nicky Wire
The Manic Street Preacher has long been the lanky bass-playing lyricist of one the UK's biggest rock acts. But now he's launched his solo career.
Only Men Aloud!
Cardiff's Only Men Aloud! - a 20-strong male choral group - came to prominence in 2008 with their win on the BBC's reality talent show Last Choir Standing.
Owain Arwel Hughes
This Cardiff-born conductor's passion for orchestral music-making remains undimmed after more than 40 years in the business.
Paper Aeroplanes
With a Welsh indie heritage of some renown, Paper Aeroplanes are establishing themselves as ones to watch.
Parc and Dare Band
Founded in 1893, the Parc and Dare Band is one of Wales and the UK's best-known and respected brass bands.
Paul Child
Influenced by some of Wales' biggest vocalists and cabaret artists such as David Alexander and Tom Jones, Bridgend's Paul Child is a quiet but impressive success story.
Paul Potts
The brightest star from a TV talent show who wowed audiences worldwide.
Paul Watkins
Wales may be better known for producing world-class classical singers, but the symphonic world is also enriched by an increasing number of talented musicians, such as Paul Watkins.
People In Planes
People In Planes met at an Owen Money gig in Porthcawl. But despite such inauspicious beginnings they managed to quickly garner a reputation as a storming live act with a knack for melody.
Pete Lawrie
The Penarth-based singer songwriter now signed to Universal/Island.
A supergroup of sorts, The Peth was formed in 2006 by Super Furry Animals' drummer Dafydd Ieuan, their bassist Guto Pryce, and actor Rhys Ifans. Ifans, you may recall, was a one-time member of SFA back in the day.
Pooh Sticks
Ridiculously over-productive, stupidly catchy and archly clever, Swansea's Pooh Sticks were one of the indie scene's greatest mirror images, a reflection of itself and, as the All Music Guide called them, "rock's most inside joke".
Pop music in Wales
From Tom Jones and Shaky, through and Feeder to Charlotte Church and Goldie Lookin' Chain, Wales has given the pop world a number of stars.
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Go to the show
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Miners' benefits
Listen to Billy Bragg talking to us about the shows he played in aid of miners' families.
Have your say
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subset: commoncrawl


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Since we've entered a fresh new year and avoided getting destroyed in a Mayan-predicted apocalypse, I believe it's time for a new mix. Ladies and gents, He Doesn't Love Me: Girl Pop 1964-66.
Female-sung pop from the '60s counts as one of my favorite musical genres, but I haven't had a mix that focuses exclusively on it until putting together He Doesn't Love Me, a 31-track set that represents a bumper crop of under-appreciated gems from the years 1964-66. Having it focus on those three years is important – conventional pop history wisdom says that this period happened when the "Girl Group" sound was on the wane, steamrolled by The Beatles and a more aggressive Rock sound. The energetic, sometimes goofy, always fun tunes on this mix clearly show, however, that Girl Pop was mutating into something special (especially in England, where the Fab Four's influence is more evident). Who cares that it wasn't as popular? I'd even venture to say that much of this stuff can hold its own against The Beatles and their guy-group contemporaries. The passionately sung, impeccably arranged songs here betray the fact that most of them are b-sides, album cuts and failed singles.
This time, I decided to have the download as separate mp3 and m4a files, instead of the continuous mixes offered previously. Simply download, drag all the files into a playlist and enjoy.
Download He Doesn't Love Me: Scrubbles.net Winter 2013 Mix (116 MB Zip file)
He Doesn't Love Me is also available here (with a few substitutions) on Spotify.
Track listing:
1. Sharon Tandy – "Now That You've Gone" (Pye UK single, 1965)
2. Petula Clark – "Life and Soul of the Party" (My Love LP cut, 1966)
3. The Supremes – "Mother Dear" (More Hits By The Supremes LP cut, 1965)
4. Jan Panter – "Put Yourself in My Place" (Pye UK single b-side, 1966)
5. Lulu Porter – "Nobody Hurt But Me" (Pep single, 1965)
6. Skeeter Davis – "Don't Let Me Stand in Your Way" (RCA Victor single b-side, 1964)
7. Reparata & The Delrons – "Bye Bye Baby" (Whenever A Teenager Cries LP cut, 1965)
8. The Rag Dolls – "Society Girl" (Parkway single, 1964)
9. Denise Germaine – "He's a Strange One" (ABC Paramount single, 1964)
10. The Lewis Sisters – "He's an Oddball" (V.I.P. single, 1965)
11. Molly Bee – "He Doesn't Want You" (Liberty single, 1964)
12. Jeanne Thomas – "Too Good to Be Bad" (New Voice single b-side, 1965)
13. Gerri Thomas – "Look What I Got" (World Artists single, 1965)
14. Piccola Pupa – "Put Two Extra Candles on My Cake" (Warner Bros. single b-side, 1965)
15. Yvonne Prenosilova – "Come On Home" (Pye UK single b-side, 1965)
16. Tina Britt – "The Real Thing" (Eastern single, 1965)
17. Martha & The Vandellas – "Never Leave Your Baby's Side" (Gordy single b-side, 1966)
18. Julie Grant – "As Long as I Know He's Mine" (Pye UK single b-side, 1965)
19. Sandra Barry – "You Can Take It from Me" (Pye UK single b-side, 1965)
20. The Essex featuring Anita Humes – "Don't Fight It Baby" (Roulette single, 1964)
21. Cathy Carroll – "Where the Roses Are Growing" (Rotate single, circa 1964)
22. Connie Haines – "What's Easy for Two Is Hard for One" (Motown single, 1966)
23. The Marvelettes – "Little Girls Grow Up" (Tamla recording session outtake, 1965)
24. Tracey Dey – "I Won't Tell" (Amy single, 1964)
25. The Breakaways – "He Doesn't Love Me" (Pye UK single b-side, 1964)
26. The Royalettes – "It's a Big Mistake" (MGM single, 1966)
27. Toni Carroll – "Welcome Home Baby" (MGM single, 1965)
28. The Sherry Sisters – "Sailor Boy" (Epic single, 1964)
29. Christine Cooper – "S.O.S. (Heart in Distress)" (Parkway single, 1966)
30. Jackie DeShannon – "So Long Johnny" (Imperial single b-side, 1966)
31. Lesley Gore – "I Just Don't Know if I Can" (Mercury single b-side, 1966)


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Sometimes those of who focus on energy and global warming issues seem to screaming into the wind, with little attention from others in the community. Netroots Nation's announcement for the 2009 put those emotions to the side. The Netroots Nation staff worked hard to find a site and location that meets the types of standards that are hoped to from us.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is close to major US cities, with a good rail network providing options to get there from New York, Washington, DC, and Chicago.
Pittsburgh is a leader in green building, touting the first and largest LEED certified convention center in the country. As part of newly announced effort to make Netroots Nation the most environmentally-sustainable bloggers gathering ever, organizers say they plan to introduce a carbon offset program in 2009. The city's accessibility to rail travel will also cut down on the overall carbon footprint.
A Gold LEED convention center.
A farmer's market near the facility.
More recycling options.
And, an offset program.
Now, for your registration.
Hit the web.
But, in the comments, let the organizers know what you think about Orange going Green.


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R&B star Ray J was once rejected by Halle Berry after he asked the Oscar winner out on a date.
The singer who dated Whitney Houston on and off before her death, reveals he tried his luck with the Hollywood beauty shortly after her 2010 split from model Gabriel Aubry while he was doing a little presenting at a red carpet event – but his advances were practically laughed off.
He tells talk show host Wendy Williams, "I tried to get with Halle Berry one time.
"She probably doesn't even remember because I was like hosting, asking her questions on the red carpet… This was maybe like three years ago, four years ago. … I walked up to her and just was like, 'Yo, I know I just interviewed you, but you're so pretty, I would love to take you out on a date' and all she did was go, 'Aww'."
Berry went on to romance French hunk Olivier Martinez, and the couple is now expecting its first child together.


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adjust the contrast and exposure so it looks a little better:Go to 'tint' under the effects button. Slide the color to white and change the setting from 'normal' to 'hardlight'.
Fade it and 'apply'. If you want to add more color to your eye select 'tint' again but this time just choose the color you want and select 'reverse effect' again. Fill in the iris with this:


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Felix named USOC Sportswoman of the Year
The United States Olympic Committee today announced its annual award recipients for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and teams of the year. Sprinter Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.) has been named the USOC SportsWoman of the Year; swimmer Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) was selected SportsMan of the Year; the U.S. women's eight rowing team was honored as Olympic Team of the Year; S8 swimmer Jessica Long (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was named Paralympic SportsWoman of the Year; T52 wheelchair racer Raymond Martin (Jersey City, N.J.) was named Paralympic SportsMan of the Year; and the U.S. men's quad doubles tennis team was designated Paralympic Team of the Year.
"We are so proud to honor these young men and women who represent the finest ambassadors of sport, Team USA and the Olympic Movement," said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. "Through their commitment to excellence on and off the field, these athletes represent our country with incredible grace and composure, and their outstanding achievements are an inspiration to all Americans."
The six awards will be presented at a celebratory dinner during the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly held Sept. 20-21 at the Antlers Hilton Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Allyson Felix, Olympic SportsWoman of the Year
U.S. track & field standout Allyson Felix made history during her third Olympic appearance by collecting three gold medals and becoming the first woman to accomplish the feat since Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988. Felix claimed her first gold of the London Games in the 200 meters and, two days later, ran the second leg of the world-record setting 4x100 relay team. She closed the Games with the gold medal in the 4x400 relay. A three-time Olympic medalist in the 200, Felix claimed top honors in her signature event at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, breaking Griffith-Joyner's 24-year-old record with a time of 21.69 seconds – the fourth-fastest by a woman in history. The three-time Jesse Owens Award winner became the first American woman to win national titles in all three sprint events at the 2011 U.S. Outdoor Championships. She completed her stellar 2011 campaign by winning four medals at the 2011 World Championships, tying Carl Lewis for 10 career medals in the event.
Michael Phelps, Olympic SportsMan of the Year
During the recently completed 2012 Olympic Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history with 22 medals, including 18 golds. At the London Games, Phelps capped his illustrious career with four gold medals – including individual titles in the 200-meter individual medley and 100 butterfly and relay wins in the 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 medley. He also added silver medals in the 200 butterfly and the 4x100 freestyle relay. It was a fitting exclamation point to Phelps' career that spanned four Olympic Games. Phelps concluded the 2012 Games as the most successful swimmer of the meet for a third consecutive time. In his final season, Phelps also earned the 2011-12 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series title and collected seven medals at the 2012 FINA World Championships.
U.S. Women's Eight, Olympic Team of the Year
With a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, the women's eight – Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y.), Taylor Ritzel (Larkspur, Colo.) and Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.) – continued its historic run that includes seven straight world championships and three consecutive Olympic medals. The U.S. defended the gold in London, finishing the course in 6:10.59, nearly two seconds ahead of the field. It was a fitting culmination to a year that saw the U.S. fortify its championship dynasty on the world stage. The team set the course record at the 2011 Henley Royal Regatta to claim the Remenham Challenge Cup and won gold at the 2011 World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland. At the 2012 World Cup, the team set a world record in its defeat over Canada. The women's eight continued its winning tradition with a gold-medal finish at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Slovenia to qualify for London. All nine athletes in the boat are ranked among the top 16 most-medaled female athletes in U.S. history at the world championship and Olympic levels.
Jessica Long, Paralympic SportsWoman of the Year
U.S. Paralympic swimming standout Jessica Long collected eight medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games to tie for the most of any athlete and bring her total Paralympic medal count to 17. The 20-year-old grabbed gold in five events, including the 100-meter butterfly, 400 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle. She also claimed silver in the 100 backstroke and the 4x100 freestyle, and bronze in the 4x100 medley. Long lowered her world-record times in the 100 and 400 freestyle and has won both events at three consecutive Paralympic Games. She punched her ticket to London after winning seven events and breaking five world records at the 2012 U.S Paralympic Trails. She returned to the international stage with high hopes in London after capturing nine gold medals and four world records at the 2011 Pan-Pacific Para Swimming Championships. Swimming World Magazine named Long Disabled Swimmer of the Year in 2011, and in 2012, she won her second ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability.
Raymond Martin, Paralympic SportsMan of the Year
In his first Paralympic Games, 18-year-old Raymond Martin struck nothing but gold, winning every event he entered in London. Competing in the T52 class, Martin secured Team USA's first track & field gold of the Games after winning the 100 meters. He then cruised to victory in the 400, before securing the top podium spot in the 800. The 200-meter world-record holder completed his sweep of the sprint events, posting a time of 30.25 seconds in his premier event. Martin entered the Games with high expectations after taking top honors in the 200, 400 and 800 meters at the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Trials, where he set a world record and an American record in the 200 and 800. Martin's 2011-12 campaign was also highlighted by four medals – including two golds and two silvers – at the 2011 Parapan American Games, followed by a record-shattering performance at the Swiss Series, where he set national records in the 200 and 400.
U.S. Men's Quad Doubles, Paralympic Team of the Year
The U.S. men's quad doubles tennis team of Nick Taylor (Wichita, Kan.) and David Wagner (Hillsboro, Ore.) captured its third consecutive gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The winning duo, which has dominated the field since quad doubles was introduced at the 2004 Paralympic Games, outlasted favorite Great Britain, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, to defend its title. Taylor and Wagner opened the 2011-12 campaign by aiding the U.S. to its seventh world team cup championship last May. Four months later, the duo combined to win its seventh grand slam doubles title at the 2011 U.S. Open. Prior to the Games, the pair finished third at the 2012 World Team Cup. In addition to winning doubles gold at the London Games, Taylor and Wagner each medaled in the individual competition, withWagner claiming silver and bringing his total medal count to five, and Taylor earning bronze to improve his medal count to four overall.
The USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year awards have been presented annually to the top overall male and female athletes from USOC member organizations since 1974. In 1996, a team category was added to recognize the outstanding achievements of team members who might not otherwise have been eligible for individual awards. The Paralympian of the Year award was introduced in 2004, and the category was expanded to the Paralympic SportsWoman, SportsMan and Team of the Year awards in 2009. Winners are selected from the female, male and team of the year nominations of the National Governing Bodies for the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games sports, as well as select, designated entities within the U.S. Olympic Movement. For more information,
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If Silence = Death,Will Numbers = Answers?
Information Activism on the Net
The project represents an unprecedented convergence of people with AIDS, activists, medical providers, researchers, and the computer industry. Many in the community have been waiting for years to see the Internet truly exploited as an AIDS research tool. The implications go farther than that. If successful, TDP could serve as a model for similar research on many other diseases.
Numbers have always haunted the AIDS community: skyrocketing numbers of people with HIV/AIDS, free-falling numbers of T-cells; inexorably rising viral load counts. Protease inhibitors have brought a measure of relief, and more numbers: thousands of experimental drug and dosage combinations being taken by hundreds of thousands of patients -- many with limited definitive information on safety or efficacy. More than one in four first combinations currently fail. Millions of lives remain at stake. Numbers as daunting as ever.
It is precisely these numbers the HIV Treatment Data Project (TDP) seeks to exploit, fighting fire with fire, or, in this case, statistics with statistics. Brainchild of acclaimed author and AIDS activist Larry Kramer, TDP hopes to soon recruit patients across the United States already participating in the vast untracked medical experiment that is current AIDS treatment to add their numbers to a large national observational database using the World Wide Web. "It's the next step in activism," Kramer contends, where "patients collect and record the scientific data that may save their lives."
|The project represents an unprecedented convergence of people with AIDS, activists, medical providers, researchers, and the computer industry. Many in the community have been waiting for years to see the Internet truly exploited as an AIDS research tool. The implications go farther than that. If successful, TDP could serve as a model for similar research on many other diseases.
Why TDP?
Traditional randomized clinical trials take years. New antiretroviral drugs may well render clinical strategies based on their outcomes obsolete. Physicians and patients often find themselves forced to change drug regimens due to resistance or side-effects which may limit conclusive assessment of the regimen's efficacy. The diversity of the AIDS-infected populace further complicates clinical trials. Physicians often are hard pressed for information on which to base optimal treatment strategies for antiviral-experienced patients. Addressing this information gap at the 12th World AIDS Conference in Geneva last summer, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, chief of Harlem Hospital's infectious disease division, called on US health officials to start a program to monitor anti-HIV treatment in practice.
TDP will soon begin field testing on a Web site designed to do just that. Working in conjunction with biostatisticians and AIDS clinicians at New England Medical Center's Primary Care Outcomes Research Institute, the Lotus Development Corporation has constructed a site designed to collect data quickly on HIV treatments. Patients at test sights in California and New York (chosen to comprise a broadly representative sampling of people with AIDS and patterns of practice) will soon begin logging-on to the site, and, using TDP's computer administered questionnaire, pumping information into its database.
Participants will self-report data on a variety of clinical outcomes -- CD4 counts and viral loads, treatment regimen, and other clinical and quality of life information -- data that are important for researchers to identify effective disease management strategies. TDP will provide patients their own user-friendly home page where they can review their personal data or link to related Web sites. The site will also include a "chat" environment where participants can communicate and compare notes with others in the study.
During this phase of testing, the Web site's functionality will be examined, as will the reliability of patient-reported data. TDP's scientists face the major challenge of proving the validity of the data they gather, and whether they can extrapolate from it potentially life-saving information about effective HIV-treatment strategies. If they are successful -- and that is a big "if" -- TDP intends to roll out nationally. Here is the current plan: The study will be open to anyone who is HIV-positive and willing to complete a 15-to-20-minute questionnaire every three months and following every change in their HIV treatments. (Data will also be accepted via telephone, written questionnaire, etc.) When enough data are collected, researchers will aggregate and analyze the data. The aggregate data, along with any conclusions drawn from its analysis, will be posted and updated regularly, free of charge, for perusal by doctors and patients considering their treatment options. It is planned that the database will be able to answer treatment questions posed by users.
Whether or not TDP can pull all this off remains to be seen. Glaxo Wellcome has spent millions developing a somewhat similar database called CHORUS which has experienced unforeseen technical difficulties. CHORUS' coordinator, Ebere Igboko, thinks TDP's plan "sounds extremely ambitious." Still, Igboko maintains, "it would be really useful," a statement that seems to be the consensus opinion. While many questions remain, there appears to be widespread support for the project's mission. When Kramer approached National Institutes of Health's Anthony Fauci, MD, with the idea for TDP, Fauci, with whom Kramer has butted heads more than once over the years, encouraged him to "pursue the idea immediately."
Activism 3.0
For Kramer, co-founder of Gay Men's Health Crisis, and founder of ACT-UP, the tech-utilizing TDP might be thought of as Activism 3.0. Having successfully lobbied the US Food and Drug Administration for streamlining of its drug-approval process, the question for many activists became what to take. Kramer, HIV-positive himself, became frustrated that, while so many people desperate to fight off AIDS were playing "drug-combo roulette, no one was collecting the data on how they were doing." To Kramer, "it seemed an enormous waste, all this information going down the toilet. I thought there ought to be a way of collecting the data from the patients themselves, by having patients enter the data via the Internet."
So Kramer started talking to people. Fauci gave him the names of respected biostatisticians who led him to the project's principal investigator, Sherrie Kaplan, MD, of New England Medical Center and Tufts University. Kaplan's New England team has worked closely with research methodologists and AIDS clinicians at University of Washington's Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases on test questionnaires.
Kramer found unexpected support in an unlikely place when Mike Stocker, MD, president and CEO of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, introduced him to Karen Ignagni, president of American Association of Health Plans (AAHP). A member of AAHP's board of directors, Stocker was intrigued by Kramer's idea and thought AAHP would be a good home for the project. Ignagni agreed: AAHP has provided more than a million dollars in funding to date.
Another pivotal partner came onboard when Bruce Brothers, a senior manager of Lotus Development Corporation and person with AIDS, read an article by Kramer in POZ magazine describing the project.1 Brothers had moved back home to Colorado to die of AIDS when one of the new three-drug combinations changed his plans. Back at work, Brothers was determined to do something meaningful. But as commonly happens, HIV mutated, and Brothers "realized this great ride and recovery was not a sure thing."
That is when he saw Kramer's POZ article and immediately called the publication, saying "I'm the person Larry is looking for." Brothers got in touch with Kramer, telling him he thought Lotus might be able to help with the project's technical development. And help they have, to the tune of more than $1.5 million in staff time and resources.
For the people
TDP's first allegiance is to consumers. To that end, TDP has installed longtime AIDS activist and patient advocate, Rodger McFarlane, as its director. The former head of GMHC and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, McFarlane has much experience coordinating diverse groups and keeping them all moving forward while staying sensitive to the communities he is serving. TDP is doing so by consulting senior staff at Project Inform, AIDS Treatment News, and the National Minority AIDS Council, advocacy groups that would traditionally be left out of the loop on such a study. McFarlane considers input from such organizations vital to TDP's success, noting that "Project Inform's whole mission is to be critical of research." For that reason, research teams at UCSD, UCSF, and Harvard are also regular consultants to the project.
No one seems more mindful of the possible analytical pitfalls facing TDP than its principal investigator Sherrie Kaplan, whose dictum, "beware the database in search of a question," became a mantra at early project meetings. All the information in the world does us no good if TDP can not ask the right questions in the right way to be able to draw viable conclusions. As Kaplan says, "the challenge is in the interpretation."
Kaplan is quick to point out that an observational study of this kind cannot establish a causal relation between outcomes. "TDP's conclusions will be descriptive," she cautions, TDP can only describe how patients do on different therapies rather then offer absolute proof. Still, Kaplan maintains, "the data may provide evidence of compelling trends which could lead us to better explore those trends. We may be able to build a set of findings for medications that has to do with side effects and quality of life." Kaplan warns against too-high hopes for the project. "TDP can't deliver everything," she asserts, adding that "one of TDP's major goals is education."
Jeannine Bookhardt-Murray, MD, agrees. She is medical director of HIV services at Morris Heights Health Center in the Bronx, one of TDP's test sites. Bookhardt-Murray believes educated patients make her job easier. "I'm just the one that gives them pills," she says, "I can't go home with them to see how they're taking care of themselves." Bookhardt-Murray believes TDP will help reinforce what she is telling her patients who "can zone out after listening to me harping on them for so long." She also thinks TDP could help improve communication between herself and patients who "won't tell me things because they think I'll scold them."
Lotus is setting up three terminals at the Morris Heights facility, which serves low-income patients. The current thinking is to make the computers available to all the center's clients, benefiting the entire community while keeping the terminals from becoming a red flag denoting a user's HIV status. While most of Bookhardt-Murray's patients have never used computers before, she believes they will be very enthusiastic. "Never underestimate individuals and their drive to get information," she admonishes. Her optimism belies one of TDP's major concerns: will people participate?
Bookhardt-Murray's former boss at Harlem Hospital, Wafaa El-Sadr, is concerned that "when people are sick, probably the last thing they want to do is enter data." She worries about the skewing that could result from only literate or healthier patients entering data.
Then there is the issue of bad information. The Internet is rife with it. What if users misinterpret or draw incorrect conclusions from TDP data? Bookhardt-Murray does not see that as a major problem, explaining that she, like most doctors, already regularly contends with suspect information patients bring in from any number of existing, questionable sources.
TDP must also contend with the issue of fraud. How do you prevent a pharmaceutical company, say, from pushing its product by enrolling bogus patients? After much consideration, it was agreed that in order to prevent such fraud, patients would have to surrender a degree of anonymity, supplying certain personal information at the time of application. Such information will then be encrypted and kept separate from patient data which will henceforth be identified only with ID numbers.
People with AIDS and activists at a TDP meeting earlier this year at Lotus headquarters in Boston were convinced patients would be willing to make that sacrifice. Aggregate data will not include patient identifiers and will only be provided where small sub-groups will not compromise individual identify. Kramer is comfortable with Lotus's Domino Security System and its ability to assure participants' privacy. "We believe this is a perfectly secure Internet site," says Kramer. "We've had an army of lawyers and AIDS activists looking over our shoulder and helping design it. Everyone's enormously impressed with what Lotus has come up with in this regard."
And what if TDP is successful? Will HMOs use the information the study generates to limit the treatment regimens they cover? Empire Blue Cross's Stocker does not see this happening, since, as he points out, even the costliest drug regimens are less expensive than hospital stays.
The Future
Sheldon Greenfield, MD, chief of the division of Health Service Research at the New England Medical Center, has overseen a number of important medical research initiatives including traditional randomized clinical trials and observational studies using large patient databases. Greenfield thinks "computer-based patient reporting will play an increasingly significant role in future research, and this project will teach us a great deal in that regard." Like others, Greenfield believes TDP could serve as a model for similar studies with other diseases such as "diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, many cancers, and even certain kinds of congestive heart failure."
While most everyone at TDP remains guarded with expectations, Kramer wants the project "to revolutionize how medical data are collected." No one at TDP sees anyone telling people what to take anytime soon, but it is widely agreed there is much to learn from such a study. TDP may prove to be a great new tool to augment traditional research at the very least. As usual, Kramer has little patience for those bound by convention or institutionalized pessimism, insisting "it's time to hit the keyboards like we hit the streets."
Speaking recently at a march in Washington demanding more money for cancer research led by such notable cancer survivors as Norman Schwartzkopf and Bob Dole, Allen Lichter, MD, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology admitted, "we've all learned from AIDS activists that sometimes you need to toot your own horn and shake the tree a little bit." It could be time for another lesson.
Brad Miskell is an artist and writer living in Los Angeles.
1. Kramer L. 5985 and Counting. POZ 1997;March:69.


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By Business editor Peter Ryan
Rupert Murdoch has stared down a protest vote over his controversial dual role as both chairman and chief executive of News Corporation.
Some of the media company's investors had questioned Mr Murdoch's independence and judgement in the wake of the phone hacking scandal which forced the closure of the News of The World.
Despite the backlash, the majority of shareholders at this morning's annual general meeting in Los Angeles rejected calls to revamp the News Corporation board and reduce the power of the Murdoch family.
Here's my analysis broadcast on this morning's edition of AM.
Here's my analysis broadcast on this morning's edition of AM.
The backlash over Mr Murdoch's reign as both chairman and chief executive has been long running, and a similar proposal to split the dual roles was also unsuccessful at last year's annual meeting.
However, Mr Murdoch's handling of the phone hacking scandal in Britain provided some fresh amunition for unsettled investors given the multiple police investigations with 60 arrests so far.
Rupert Murdoch confronted the protest vote right from the start of his opening comments and defended his powerful roles as "good" for the company.
Mr Murdoch repeated earlier contrition for the phone hacking scandal and admitted it had been a "difficult" period.
"We've acknowledged the serious wrongdoing that occurred at some of our publications in the United Kingdom. As a result we've had to work hard to make amends, very hard," Mr Murdoch told shareholders.
But the 81 year old founder of News Corporation maintained there's no basis to suggest News Corporation acted wrongly.
"Just as important, we seized the moment as an opportunity to strengthen our governance and our organisation in key ways. We've imposed strict, uniform policies with centralised oversight. We've improved employee training.
"We've also imposed more auditing and testing so that we can fix any problem by identifying it early."
The protest vote came from a number of US pension funds with the concerns been backed by the two main shareholder advisory services, ISS and Glass Lewis
In addition to splitting Mr Murdoch's role to improve independence, there was also a defeated proposal to remove both James and Lachlan Murdoch from the News Corp board given perceived conflicts of interest.
Julie Tanner assistant director of socially responsible investing at Christian Brothers Investment Services said the company needed an independent voice to counter the power of the Murdochs and the fallout from the phone hacking scandal.
"The failure of internal controls has had real and lasting repercussions. It (inaudible) a newspaper, launched criminal investigations, cancelled the BSkyB acquisition, eroded public trust and tarnished the company's reputation," Ms Tanner said.
"That these revelations took years to uncover and address firmly suggests the need to rebalance the power sharing structure. We hold firm that separation would provide greater accountability of management to shareholders and greater independent oversight of management, including the CEO by the board."
While the investor concerns were politely received by Mr Murdoch, the proposals to dilute Rupert Murdoch's power, unseat his two sons and change the dual voting structure were never going to succeed because the Murdoch family controls around 38 percent of voting shares.
But Mr Murdoch did say his role and chairman and CEO are reviewed on an annual basis - which means the 81 year old is likely to face a similar investor backlash at next year's AGM
Coinciding with today's meeting was a report from the Financial Times that Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International who is awaiting trial in relation to phone hacking allegations, has received a payout from News Corporation of more than A$11 million.
News Corporation shares trading in New York closed 1.7 percent higher to close at US$24.77 a share.
Twitter: @peter_f_ryan


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Are you looking for the ultimate adrenaline rush? If so, Pole Position Raceway in Oklahoma City is the answer! The all-new state-of-the-art indoor karting center is home to the fastest go karts in the area.
Pole Position Raceway has two full-size tracks that allow you to speed up to 45 miles per hour with family and friends, and do so with the comfort of heat and air conditioning. These are not the karts you remember as kids! These are real performance karts that are probably the closest you will ever come to driving a real race car. There's also food, drinks, video games, pool tables, and much more.
One of the unique qualities of Pole Position Raceway is the SpeedSheet scoring system. Every racer receives a copy of the results sheet that shows average lap time, fastest lap time, overall position in the race, and how you rank against everyone that's ever spun laps here at Pole Position Raceway.
"It's an incredible scoring system," says Oklahoma dirt track legend Shane Carson. "It definitely adds to the whole experience." Pole Position Raceway is loaded with authentic racing memorabilia and has more than a dozen flat screen televisions that play the latest sporting events. Because the karts use 20-horsepower electric motors, there are no toxic fumes so you're not gasping for fresh air.
It's so cool that seven-time AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath calls Pole Position Raceway "the ultimate racing experience for family and friends!" If that's not enough, X-Games Freestyle Motocrosser Kenny Bartram has said "I've been to a lot of kart tracks around the world and there is nothing like Pole Position Raceway." Former Indy 500 racer Dominic Dobson says "I come to Pole Position Raceway every chance I get and I always have a lot of fun!"
Prices start at $15 per session and there are also three different race packages (Pole Position Challenge, Grand Prix and Super Pole) available for groups of eight or more. It's also an excellent place for birthday parties, corporate team building events, product launches, bachelor parties, church groups, sports teams and more.
Pole Position Raceway is located off I-44 on the corner of N.W. 36th and May Ave. For more information call 405-942-2292 or visit www.racep2r.com.
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Benchmade BlueLube
Great technology to help keep those knives tuned for smooth function. Start off with BlueLube cleaner to flush and prep the moving parts for a fresh application of BlueLube. BlueLube not only lubricates, it prevents rust and corrosion, too. Both formulas work in tandem to enhance overall knife function and keep things moving like a well-oiled machine.
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A module to deal with verbosity, how 'chatty' a program should be.
This module defines the
Verbosity data type, along with functions
for manipulating a global verbosity value.
The verbosity data type
Only output essential messages (typically errors)
Output normal messages (typically errors and warnings)
Output lots of messages (typically errors, warnings and status updates)
setVerbosity :: Verbosity -> IO ()Source
Set the global verbosity.
getVerbosity :: IO VerbositySource
Get the global verbosity. Initially
Normal before any calls to
Used to test if status updates should be output to the user.
True if the verbosity is set to
Loud (when
--verbose is specified).
whenNormal :: IO () -> IO ()Source
An action to perform if the verbosity is normal or higher, based on


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About the Layouts
Technique: Layouts for the Busy Scrapper
Designers: LeNae Gerig & Paris Dukes
Designer scrapbook pages are just minutes away! See just how easy scrapbooking can be with these layouts from LeNae and Paris using the Busy Scrappers Solution collections.
By LeNae Gerig
Get ready to scrapbook all those photos youll take on your upcoming Disney vacation (or those photos that just havent made it into your album yet) with the new Busy Scrappers Solution Disney Papers. This collection includes pre-coordinated Princess Papers, Mickey Mouse papers and Magic Kingdom papers with all your favorite characters and rides, plus alphabet tiles and artwork to match. LeNae created this colorful Disneyland layout with this versatile collection and just a few other supplies like brads and ribbonDisney scrapbooking couldnt be easier!
Birthday Wishes
By Paris Dukes
Feeling overwhelmed by that box of birthday photos? Not to worry! Birthdays are one of the most popular events to scrapbook (afterall, everybody has them!). Now you can scrapbook all those photos quickly and easily with Busy Scrappers Solution Birthday Papers. Its perfect for birthday photos of men, women, boys and girls of any age. Paris used papers, alphabet tiles and artwork from this collection to create this fun Birthday Wishes page, then accented it with colorful ribbon and fun Loopy Brads for texture and dimension.
Sleepy Boy
By LeNae Gerig
Youll love the Busy Scrappers Solution Boys: Baby & Toddler Papers for fast and fabulous boy pages, no matter what the age. We know that baby boys turn into toddlers, and with a toddler in the house, you already have a lot on your hands! Thats why we designed the colors and artwork in this collection to take you through the baby years, past the Terrible Twos and all the way into pre-school with ease. From sweet yellow and blue color schemes to bold reds, blues and oranges, youll always have just the right supplies to scrapbook your special little boy. (And for your daughters, dont forget to check out the Busy Scrappers Solution Girls: Baby & Toddler Papers, too!)
Love the idea of easy scrapbooking with pre-coordinated papers and embellishments to match? Just click here to check out the whole line of Busy Scrappers Solution collections including these three collections plus eight others! Theyre perfect for the busy scrapper whos always on the go and for the beginner looking for easy ways to create coordinated designer layouts.


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Economic impact of UConn's research enterprise
Jobs supported and sustained by UConn research
State and local tax revenue from UConn research
UConn's research operations make real and vital contributions to the state's economy. Research dollars are out-of-state money entering the Connecticut economy through UConn, but the impact doesn't end there. The University is actively engaged in promoting entrepreneurship and commercial ventures as part of its mission, and as research expenditures continue to grow, that impact will only become greater.


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Remember Xkillerx, I was going to ordain you as a Cardinal in the Vegan Supremacist Church.
And Gelert, can you seriously suggest anything more relevant to decide your life path that Xkillerx's visions?
Eh? Eh? Got you there, innit?
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Sec. 1139A. [42 U.S.C. 1320b-9a] (a) Development of an Initial Core Set of Health Care Quality Measures for Children Enrolled in Medicaid or C.—
(1) In general.—Not later than January 1, 2010, the Secretary shall identify and publish for general comment an initial, recommended core set of child health quality measures for use by State programs administered under titles XIX and XXI, health insurance issuers and managed care entities that enter into contracts with such programs, and providers of items and services under such programs.
(2) Identification of initial core measures.—In consultation with the individuals and entities described in subsection (b)(3), the Secretary shall identify existing quality of care measures for children that are in use under public and privately sponsored health care coverage arrangements, or that are part of reporting systems that measure both the presence and duration of health insurance coverage over time.
(3) Recommendations and dissemination.—Based on such existing and identified measures, the Secretary shall publish an initial core set of child health quality measures that includes (but is not limited to) the following:
(A) The duration of children's health insurance coverage over a 12-month time period.
(B) The availability and effectiveness of a full range of—
(i) preventive services, treatments, and services for acute conditions, including services to promote healthy birth, prevent and treat premature birth, and detect the presence or risk of physical or mental conditions that could adversely affect growth and development; and
(ii) treatments to correct or ameliorate the effects of physical and mental conditions, including chronic conditions and, with respect to dental care, conditions requiring the restoration of teeth, relief of pain and infection, and maintenance of dental health[117], in infants, young children, school-age children, and adolescents.
(C) The availability of care in a range of ambulatory and inpatient health care settings in which such care is furnished.
(D) The types of measures that, taken together, can be used to estimate the overall national quality of health care for children, including children with special needs, and to perform comparative analyses of pediatric health care quality and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in child health and health care for children.
(4) Encourage voluntary and standardized reporting.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, the Secretary, in consultation with States, shall develop a standardized format for reporting information and procedures and approaches that encourage States to use the initial core measurement set to voluntarily report information regarding the quality of pediatric health care under titles XIX and XXI.
(5) Adoption of best practices in implementing quality programs.—The Secretary shall disseminate information to States regarding best practices among States with respect to measuring and reporting on the quality of health care for children, and shall facilitate the adoption of such best practices. In developing best practices approaches, the Secretary shall give particular attention to State measurement techniques that ensure the timeliness and accuracy of provider reporting, encourage provider reporting compliance, encourage successful quality improvement strategies, and improve efficiency in data collection using health information technology.
(6) Reports to congress.—Not later than January 1, 2011, and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary shall report to Congress on—
(A) the status of the Secretary's efforts to improve—
(i) quality related to the duration and stability of health insurance coverage for children under titles XIX and XXI;
(ii) the quality of children's health care under such titles, including preventive health services, dental care,[118] health care for acute conditions, chronic health care, and health services to ameliorate the effects of physical and mental conditions and to aid in growth and development of infants, young children, school-age children, and adolescents with special health care needs; and
(iii) the quality of children's health care under such titles across the domains of quality, including clinical quality, health care safety, family experience with health care, health care in the most integrated setting, and elimination of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in health and health care;
(B) the status of voluntary reporting by States under titles XIX and XXI, utilizing the initial core quality measurement set; and
(C) any recommendations for legislative changes needed to improve the quality of care provided to children under titles XIX and XXI, including recommendations for quality reporting by States.
(7) Technical assistance.—The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to States to assist them in adopting and utilizing core child health quality measures in administering the State plans under titles XIX and XXI.
(8) Definition of core set.—In this section, the term "core set" means a group of valid, reliable, and evidence-based quality measures that, taken together—
(A) provide information regarding the quality of health coverage and health care for children;
(B) address the needs of children throughout the developmental age span; and
(C) allow purchasers, families, and health care providers to understand the quality of care in relation to the preventive needs of children, treatments aimed at managing and resolving acute conditions, and diagnostic and treatment services whose purpose is to correct or ameliorate physical, mental, or developmental conditions that could, if untreated or poorly treated, become chronic.
(b) Advancing and Improving Pediatric Quality Measures.—
(1) Establishment of pediatric quality measures program.—Not later than January 1, 2011, the Secretary shall establish a pediatric quality measures program to—
(A) improve and strengthen the initial core child health care quality measures established by the Secretary under subsection (a);
(B) expand on existing pediatric quality measures used by public and private health care purchasers and advance the development of such new and emerging quality measures; and
(C) increase the portfolio of evidence-based, consensus pediatric quality measures available to public and private purchasers of children's health care services, providers, and consumers.
(2) Evidence-based measures.—The measures developed under the pediatric quality measures program shall, at a minimum, be—
(A) evidence-based and, where appropriate, risk adjusted;
(B) designed to identify and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in child health and the provision of health care;
(C) designed to ensure that the data required for such measures is collected and reported in a standard format that permits comparison of quality and data at a State, plan, and provider level;
(D) periodically updated; and
(E) responsive to the child health needs, services, and domains of health care quality described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subsection (a)(6)(A).
(3) Process for pediatric quality measures program.—In identifying gaps in existing pediatric quality measures and establishing priorities for development and advancement of such measures, the Secretary shall consult with—
(A) States;
(B) pediatricians, children's hospitals, and other primary and specialized pediatric health care professionals (including members of the allied health professions) who specialize in the care and treatment of children, particularly children with special physical, mental, and developmental health care needs;
(C) dental professionals, including pediatric dental professionals;
(D) health care providers that furnish primary health care to children and families who live in urban and rural medically underserved communities or who are members of distinct population sub-groups at heightened risk for poor health outcomes;
(E) national organizations representing children, including children with disabilities and children with chronic conditions;
(F) national organizations representing consumers and purchasers of children's health care;
(G) national organizations and individuals with expertise in pediatric health quality measurement; and
(H) voluntary consensus standards setting organizations and other organizations involved in the advancement of evidence-based measures of health care.
(4) Developing, validating, and testing a portfolio of pediatric quality measures.—As part of the program to advance pediatric quality measures, the Secretary shall—
(A) award grants and contracts for the development, testing, and validation of new, emerging, and innovative evidence-based measures for children's health care services across the domains of quality described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subsection (a)(6)(A); and
(B) award grants and contracts for—
(i) the development of consensus on evidence-based measures for children's health care services;
(ii) the dissemination of such measures to public and private purchasers of health care for children; and
(iii) the updating of such measures as necessary.
(5) Revising, strengthening, and improving initial core measures.—Beginning no later than January 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall publish recommended changes to the core measures described in subsection (a) that shall reflect the testing, validation, and consensus process for the development of pediatric quality measures described in subsection paragraphs (1) through (4).
(6) Definition of pediatric quality measure.—In this subsection, the term "pediatric quality measure" means a measurement of clinical care that is capable of being examined through the collection and analysis of relevant information, that is developed in order to assess 1 or more aspects of pediatric health care quality in various institutional and ambulatory health care settings, including the structure of the clinical care system, the process of care, the outcome of care, or patient experiences in care.
(7) Construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed as supporting the restriction of coverage, under title XIX or XXI or otherwise, to only those services that are evidence-based.
(c) Annual State Reports Regarding State-Specific Quality of Care Measures Applied Under Medicaid or Chip.—
(1) Annual state reports.—Each State with a State plan approved under title XIX or a State child health plan approved under title XXI shall annually report to the Secretary on the—
(A) State-specific child health quality measures applied by the States under such plans, including measures described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(6); and
(B) State-specific information on the quality of health care furnished to children under such plans, including information collected through external quality reviews of managed care organizations under section 1932 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396u-4) and benchmark plans under sections 1937 and 2103 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396u-7, 1397cc).
(2) Publication.—Not later than September 30, 2010, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall collect, analyze, and make publicly available the information reported by States under paragraph (1).
(d) Demonstration Projects for Improving the Quality of Children's Health Care and the Use of Health Information Technology.—
(1) In general.—During the period of fiscal years 2009 through 2013, the Secretary shall award not more than 10 grants to States and child health providers to conduct demonstration projects to evaluate promising ideas for improving the quality of children's health care provided under title XIX or XXI, including projects to—
(A) experiment with, and evaluate the use of, new measures of the quality of children's health care under such titles (including testing the validity and suitability for reporting of such measures);
(B) promote the use of health information technology in care delivery for children under such titles;
(C) evaluate provider-based models which improve the delivery of children's health care services under such titles, including care management for children with chronic conditions and the use of evidence-based approaches to improve the effectiveness, safety, and efficiency of health care services for children; or
(D) demonstrate the impact of the model electronic health record format for children developed and disseminated under subsection (f) on improving pediatric health, including the effects of chronic childhood health conditions, and pediatric health care quality as well as reducing health care costs.
(2) Requirements.—In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that—
(A) only 1 demonstration project funded under a grant awarded under this subsection shall be conducted in a State; and
(B) demonstration projects funded under grants awarded under this subsection shall be conducted evenly between States with large urban areas and States with large rural areas.
(3) Authority for multistate projects.—A demonstration project conducted with a grant awarded under this subsection may be conducted on a multistate basis, as needed.
(4) Funding.—$20,000,000 of the amount appropriated under subsection (i) for a fiscal year shall be used to carry out this subsection.
(e) Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project.—
(1) Authority to conduct demonstration.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall conduct a demonstration project to develop a comprehensive and systematic model for reducing childhood obesity by awarding grants to eligible entities to carry out such project. Such model shall—
(A) identify, through self-assessment, behavioral risk factors for obesity among children;
(B) identify, through self-assessment, needed clinical preventive and screening benefits among those children identified as target individuals on the basis of such risk factors;
(C) provide ongoing support to such target individuals and their families to reduce risk factors and promote the appropriate use of preventive and screening benefits; and
(D) be designed to improve health outcomes, satisfaction, quality of life, and appropriate use of items and services for which medical assistance is available under title XIX or child health assistance is available under title XXI among such target individuals.
(2) Eligibility entities.—For purposes of this subsection, an eligible entity is any of the following:
(A) A city, county, or Indian tribe.
(B) A local or tribal educational agency.
(C) An accredited university, college, or community college.
(D) A Federally-qualified health center.
(E) A local health department.
(F) A health care provider.
(G) A community-based organization.
(H) Any other entity determined appropriate by the Secretary, including a consortia or partnership of entities described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (G).
(3) Use of funds.—An eligible entity awarded a grant under this subsection shall use the funds made available under the grant to—
(A) carry out community-based activities related to reducing childhood obesity, including by—
(i) forming partnerships with entities, including schools and other facilities providing recreational services, to establish programs for after school and weekend community activities that are designed to reduce childhood obesity;
(ii) forming partnerships with daycare facilities to establish programs that promote healthy eating behaviors and physical activity; and
(iii) developing and evaluating community educational activities targeting good nutrition and promoting healthy eating behaviors;
(B) carry out age-appropriate school-based activities that are designed to reduce childhood obesity, including by—
(i) developing and testing educational curricula and intervention programs designed to promote healthy eating behaviors and habits in youth, which may include—
(I) after hours physical activity programs; and
(II) science-based interventions with multiple components to prevent eating disorders including nutritional content, understanding and responding to hunger and satiety, positive body image development, positive self-esteem development, and learning life skills (such as stress management, communication skills, problemsolving and decisionmaking skills), as well as consideration of cultural and developmental issues, and the role of family, school, and community;
(ii) providing education and training to educational professionals regarding how to promote a healthy lifestyle and a healthy school environment for children;
(iii) planning and implementing a healthy lifestyle curriculum or program with an emphasis on healthy eating behaviors and physical activity; and
(iv) planning and implementing healthy lifestyle classes or programs for parents or guardians, with an emphasis on healthy eating behaviors and physical activity for children;
(C) carry out educational, counseling, promotional, and training activities through the local health care delivery systems including by—
(i) promoting healthy eating behaviors and physical activity services to treat or prevent eating disorders, being overweight, and obesity;
(ii) providing patient education and counseling to increase physical activity and promote healthy eating behaviors;
(iii) training health professionals on how to identify and treat obese and overweight individuals which may include nutrition and physical activity counseling; and
(iv) providing community education by a health professional on good nutrition and physical activity to develop a better understanding of the relationship between diet, physical activity, and eating disorders, obesity, or being overweight; and
(D) provide, through qualified health professionals, training and supervision for community health workers to—
(i) educate families regarding the relationship between nutrition, eating habits, physical activity, and obesity;
(ii) educate families about effective strategies to improve nutrition, establish healthy eating patterns, and establish appropriate levels of physical activity; and
(iii) educate and guide parents regarding the ability to model and communicate positive health behaviors.
(4) Priority.—In awarding grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to awarding grants to eligible entities—
(A) that demonstrate that they have previously applied successfully for funds to carry out activities that seek to promote individual and community health and to prevent the incidence of chronic disease and that can cite published and peer-reviewed research demonstrating that the activities that the entities propose to carry out with funds made available under the grant are effective;
(B) that will carry out programs or activities that seek to accomplish a goal or goals set by the State in the Healthy People 2010 plan of the State;
(C) that provide non-Federal contributions, either in cash or in-kind, to the costs of funding activities under the grants;
(D) that develop comprehensive plans that include a strategy for extending program activities developed under grants in the years following the fiscal years for which they receive grants under this subsection;
(E) located in communities that are medically underserved, as determined by the Secretary;
(F) located in areas in which the average poverty rate is at least 150 percent or higher of the average poverty rate in the State involved, as determined by the Secretary; and
(G) that submit plans that exhibit multisectoral, cooperative conduct that includes the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders, including—
(i) community-based organizations;
(ii) local governments;
(iii) local educational agencies;
(iv) the private sector;
(v) State or local departments of health
(vi) accredited colleges, universities, and community colleges;
(vii) health care providers;
(viii) State and local departments of transportation and city planning; and
(ix) other entities determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(5) Program design.—
(A) Initial design.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, the Secretary shall design the demonstration project. The demonstration should draw upon promising, innovative models and incentives to reduce behavioral risk factors. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall consult with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the Office of Minority Health, the heads of other agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services, and such professional organizations, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, on the design, conduct, and evaluation of the demonstration.
(B) Number and project areas.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, the Secretary shall award 1 grant that is specifically designed to determine whether programs similar to programs to be conducted by other grantees under this subsection should be implemented with respect to the general population of children who are eligible for child health assistance under State child health plans under title XXI in order to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity among such population.
(6) Report to congress.—Not later than 3 years after the date the Secretary implements the demonstration project under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that describes the project, evaluates the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the project, evaluates the beneficiary satisfaction under the project, and includes any such other information as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(7) Definitions.—In this subsection:
(A) Federally-qualified health center.—The term "Federally-qualified health center" has the meaning given that term in section 1905(l)(2)(B).
(B) Indian tribe.—The term "Indian tribe" has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603).
(C) Self-assessment.—The term "self-assessment" means a form that—
(i) includes questions regarding—
(I) behavioral risk factors;
(II) needed preventive and screening services; and
(III) target individuals' preferences for receiving follow-up information;
(ii) is assessed using such computer generated assessment programs; and
(iii) allows for the provision of such ongoing support to the individual as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(D) Ongoing support.—The term "ongoing support" means—
(i) to provide any target individual with information, feedback, health coaching, and recommendations regarding—
(I) the results of a self-assessment given to the individual;
(II) behavior modification based on the self-assessment; and
(III) any need for clinical preventive and screening services or treatment including medical nutrition therapy;
(ii) to provide any target individual with referrals to community resources and programs available to assist the target individual in reducing health risks; and
(iii) to provide the information described in clause (i) to a health care provider, if designated by the target individual to receive such information.
(8) Appropriation.—Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry out this subsection, $25,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2010 through 2014, and $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2016 and 2017.[119]
(f) Development of Model Electronic Health Record Format for Children Enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP.—
(1) In general.—Not later than January 1, 2010, the Secretary shall establish a program to encourage the development and dissemination of a model electronic health record format for children enrolled in the State plan under title XIX or the State child health plan under title XXI that is—
(A) subject to State laws, accessible to parents, caregivers, and other consumers for the sole purpose of demonstrating compliance with school or leisure activity requirements, such as appropriate immunizations or physicals;
(B) designed to allow interoperable exchanges that conform with Federal and State privacy and security requirements;
(C) structured in a manner that permits parents and caregivers to view and understand the extent to which the care their children receive is clinically appropriate and of high quality; and
(D) capable of being incorporated into, and otherwise compatible with, other standards developed for electronic health records.
(2) Funding.—$5,000,000 of the amount appropriated under subsection (i) for a fiscal year shall be used to carry out this subsection.
(g) Study of Pediatric Health and Health Care Quality Measures.—
(1) In general.—Not later than July 1, 2010, the Institute of Medicine shall study and report to Congress on the extent and quality of efforts to measure child health status and the quality of health care for children across the age span and in relation to preventive care, treatments for acute conditions, and treatments aimed at ameliorating or correcting physical, mental, and developmental conditions in children. In conducting such study and preparing such report, the Institute of Medicine shall—
(A) consider all of the major national population-based reporting systems sponsored by the Federal Government that are currently in place, including reporting requirements under Federal grant programs and national population surveys and estimates conducted directly by the Federal Government;
(B) identify the information regarding child health and health care quality that each system is designed to capture and generate, the study and reporting periods covered by each system, and the extent to which the information so generated is made widely available through publication;
(C) identify gaps in knowledge related to children's health status, health disparities among subgroups of children, the effects of social conditions on children's health status and use and effectiveness of health care, and the relationship between child health status and family income, family stability and preservation, and children's school readiness and educational achievement and attainment; and
(D) make recommendations regarding improving and strengthening the timeliness, quality, and public transparency and accessibility of information about child health and health care quality.
(2) Funding.—Up to $1,000,000 of the amount appropriated under subsection (i) for a fiscal year shall be used to carry out this subsection.
(h) Rule of Construction.—Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, no evidence based quality measure developed, published, or used as a basis of measurement or reporting under this section may be used to establish an irrebuttable presumption regarding either the medical necessity of care or the maximum permissible coverage for any individual child who is eligible for and receiving medical assistance under title XIX or child health assistance under title XXI.
(i) Appropriation.—Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013, $45,000,000 for the purpose of carrying out this section (other than subsection (e)). Funds appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended, and there is appropriated for the period of fiscal years 2016 and 2017, $20,000,000 for the purpose of carrying out this section (other than subsections (e), (f), and (g)).[120]
[116] P.L. 111-3, §401(a), added this new section 1139A. For the general effective date [April 1, 2009]; the exception for State legislation; contingent effective date; and reliance on law, see Vol. II, P.L. 111-3, §3.
[117] P.L. 111-3, §501(g)(1), inserted "and, with respect to dental care, conditions requiring the restoration of teeth, relief of pain and infection, and maintenance of dental health". For the general effective date [April 1, 2009]; the exception for State legislation; contingent effective date; and reliance on law, see Vol. II, P.L. 111-3, §3.
[118] P.L. 111-3, §501(g)(2), inserted "dental care". For the general effective date [April 1, 2009]; the exception for State legislation; contingent effective date; and reliance on law, see Vol. II, P.L. 111-3, §3.
[119] P.L. 114-10, §304(a) inserted ", and $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2016 and 2017" after "2014". Effective April 16, 2015.
[120] P.L. 114-10, §303(b) inserted ", and there is appropriated for the period of fiscal years 2016 and 2017, $20,000,000 for the purpose of carrying out this section (other than subsections (e), (f), and (g))" at the end of the subsection. Effective April 16, 2015.


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How do you create a custom module?
From Joomla! Documentation
Quick Overview: To make a custom module, go to Extensions, then Module Manager and click on the New icon. You'll see a list of available modules. Click on Custom HTML and begin editing the module.
Detail: A module is a special program, or even a special type of article, that can be displayed in the Module Positions available in your joomla website's template.
To see all of your template's available module positions, add the code
after one of your pages URLs
eg. http://www.yoursite.com.au/?tp=1
To see the list of all the modules on your site:
In the administrator site, go to Extensions > Module Manager
Before you create a new one, look at an example:
Login Form
- it is of a particular type mod_login
Title - the title of this module
Show Title - no or yes if you want the title displayed
Position - this relates to your available Module Positions referred to above
Order - the order the module is displayed if there is more than one module in its position (you control this after SAVING the module and looking at all the modules for this position - see Order of the Modules for a position, below).
Menu Assignment
This is where you choose when this module will be displayed.
All, None, Selected Menu Item(s)
For the example Login Form, the Module will only display when the user is in the Home menu.
Module Parameter
Some modules have Parameters associated with them that are set from this screen.
Create your new 'Custom Module'
To display some information on some or all pages, in say the left column (a very common module position), you can go to the Module Manager and create a NEW custom module.
In Module Manager - hit the New button, and choose Custom Html
Choose a title, whether to show it, enable your module, select a position, assign menus, then fill in your Custom Output in the edit screen below the Menu Assignment.
Note that Module Class Suffix is a setting that will relate to the Template you are using - it may not be set. Refer to the template's documentation to use this parameter.
Try it out
Put in a test module and see what you can achieve. Set Enabled to "No" to turn it off if you are not ready to display it to the world.
Order of the Modules for a position
In the Module Manager, restrict which modules you are looking at by choosing the position from the drop down menu - Select Position -
You can now use the green arrows to move Modules up or down, or re-number the modules and click on the small save icon (between Order and Access Level) to save your new order.
Access Level
You use this to control who can see a module.
For example, the User Menu has a red Registered as its access level - this means that this Module is only seen when a registered user is logged in.
As a Super Administrator, you can restrict the Access Level to Special, and then only you (and the other admins!) will see a module when you are logged in on the front of the site.