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Also known as the Morkshire Terrier, the Morkie is a social sweetheart. This designer pooch is known for its fluffiness and its big personality with a matching energy drive. Discover more about our Morkie puppies for sale below!
Breed History
A Morkie is a crossbreed of the Yorkshire Terrier and the Maltese dog breeds. The Yorkshire and Maltese combine to form a blend of intelligence and elegance. The earliest Morkies were bred in 1990 by Americans to create a low-shedding and sociable companion. The demand for this fashionable dog has risen since then. Their soft coats come in black, brown, apricot, or white colors.
They might look like teddy bears but do not be deceived. Morkies are small but egoistical dogs. They are oblivious of their size and will try to dominate other smaller animals and pets. Morkies are also attention-seekers.
With early socialization, they will learn to tolerate other dogs and cats but still prefer to be an only dog or pet in the family. They love physical activity and games that involve close contact. They cannot bear being alone and can become very destructive and will bark excessively.
They form strong connections with their owners. They also bond closely to one person in multiple-person households and prefer small families to fairly larger ones. Their stubbornness wears off with early training, so be sure to start familiarizing them with commands on time.
As long as they are indoors with their owners, Morkies stay happy. They fit into apartments and families that spend a lot of time at home with their children. They adjust quickly to modifications in their environment, and they love to be cuddled.
They are excellent lap dogs when they are trained as pups. They have a high prey drive that can be attributed to their Yorkshire blood. It is advised to keep them on a leash in the outdoors, so they don't get hurt chasing after prey. They are not recommended if you're looking for a dog to take running or for a swim.
Due to their high energy drive, they need at least thirty-five minutes of exercise daily. Spice things up with short strolls, lively play sessions, and games. Their size matches their exercise requirement so too vigorous exercises can actually hurt them.
Like all Terriers, they require patience from their owners during training. As soon as they are fourteen weeks old, start socializing them with new environments and other pets. This eases the training process. Keep them away from large pets that could injure them.
Focus on basic commands and potty training before you introduce tricks. They appreciate rewards for being obedient. Mentally exciting activities help Morkies bond with their owners. Since they crave attention so much, it's a great way for you to get them to be well-behaved indoors. Do not use a collar while walking them to prevent strangulation or collapsing their trachea. Use a harness instead.
Morkies hardly shed. To prevent knotting and matting, their hair requires daily brushing. Their coat color will change as they grow. It is essential to start priming them early, so they get used to being held.
Due to their petite and fragile nature, they require gentle grooming. Bi-weekly nail trims, haircuts, and daily dental care are essential. Small dog breeds are more susceptible to oral infections. Use a finger brush and the recommended dog toothpaste.
Bathe your Morkie regularly to keep their coats free from dirt. Check and clean their ears as recommended by their veterinarian. Their eyes should also be cleaned regularly to prevent infections. General grooming should be done at least once a month.
Grooming a Morkie requires patience and meticulousness as they are such fragile creatures. Ring up a dog groomer if you can't handle them with care.
Our Morkie puppies for sale come from either USDA licensed commercial breeders or hobby breeders with no more than 5 breeding mothers. USDA licensed commercial breeders account for less than 20% of all breeders in the country.
The unregulated breeders who are selling outside of the USDA regulations and without a license are what we consider to be "Puppy Mills." We are committed to offering Morkie puppies who will grow up to become important members of your family. We only purchase puppies from the very best sources, and we stand behind every puppy we sell.
Contact us today to learn more about the availability of our Morkie puppies for sale. We look forward to helping you find your next family member. Our pet counselors can answer any questions you have about our Morkie puppies.
Ten Top Frequently Asked Questions About the Morkie
Are Morkies suitable for first-time dog owners?
Like all terriers, Morkies are tenacious dogs and require tolerance and persistence from their trainers. However, with a lot of treats, they are fairly easy to train.
How much food does Morkie need?
For the first eighteen months, Morkies require 300 to 500 calories as puppies. The adults require 200 to 300 calories per day. Note that they are prone to obesity.
How often should Morkie eat?
Morkie puppies must be fed four times a day and twice as adults. Regulate the number of rewards and treats you dole out in the course of training to prevent excessive weight gain.
Does Morkie get sick easily?
Early visits to the veterinarian will eliminate common illnesses when detected on time. Do this and maintain a healthy diet, and your Morkie will remain healthy for years.
Do Morkies bark a lot?
Yes. As attention lovers, they bark when they experience separation anxiety.
What is the average height of Morkie?
A Morkie can grow as tall as 20cm (eight inches).
Are Morkies good with children?
They are suited to small families with older children as they have a high attention requirement. They are very tender and can be injured if mishandled.
What is Morkie's average weight?
The average Morkie weighs about seven to thirteen pounds (one to five kilograms.)
What is Morkie's life expectancy?
The Morkie has a lifespan of ten to fourteen years.
Are Morkies suitable for the elderly?
Morkies are super perfect for senior citizens.
So, what other reason do you need before you adopt a fluffy Morkie? Bring this delicate fuzzy furball into your home today for a healthy dose of affection and companionship.


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Revote saves school
May 17, 2007
By JOHN S. McCRIGHT
HANCOCK/GRANVILLE — After casting votes on Town Meeting Day that appeared to doom the Granville-Hancock Village School, residents in the two Addison County towns at separate meetings on Wednesday night reconsidered their March 6 decisions and voted instead to fund the school for another year.
"I'm very pleased," said Granville school board member Kristi Fuller. "If I learned any lessons it's that you need to hang on to your school as tight as you can and you need to get the people in Montpelier to understand that Vermont is a rural community and we're not going to consolidate all the schools in the state."
Granville and Hancock merged their separate village schools three years ago and teach about 36 children in kindergarten through sixth-grade at two buildings, one in each town. Many in both towns have defended the unique education that their children get in this setting.
A revised budget proposal for the 2007-2008 school year was presented at the Wednesday meetings. It lowered the overall spending projection by about $65,000 to $389,360. A budget presentation at the Hancock meeting showed that if the school remained open then Hancock would need to raise a total of $840 more in taxes on homesteads compared with closing the school. For Granville, the number was closer to $1,300.
A man in the audience in Hancock pointed out that that worked out to about $15 on a $150,000 house in his town.
The $65,000 savings came from small cuts — $2,190 less for art supplies and an art teacher because kindergarten was going to a half day and $1,650 less for books and periodicals for the library, for example — and from some big cuts.
$30,000 was saved by taking busing out of the Village School budget and putting it into the town school budget (which covers both primary and secondary age students). Because the costs of running the Village School are apportioned to each town based on the number of students they send — 67 percent of the cost will be borne next year by Hancock with 24 students and 33 percent by Granville with 12 students — Hancock would have paid for two-thirds of the $30,000 busing bill. With the item moved out of the Village School budget, the expense will be split 50-50, meaning Hancock will pay about $5,000 less for busing.
In addition, $17,500 was saved by cutting a pre-kindergarten aid, which was deemed not to be needed because of enrollment, and from things like Spanish instruction and cross-country skiing, which some people at the meetings lamented because they said those made the Village School unique. Don Crickard, who presented the reworked budget at the Hancock meeting, said people were trying to get grants to reinstate some of the cuts.
The new budget proposal also reflected an $11,500 cut in the expense from the superintendent's office, which was said to have been the result of an earlier miscalculation. Unlike the Town Meeting Day budget plan, the new one also accounted for $16,860 in tuition that would be paid to the Village School if it kept its doors open, and $52,500 in Small Schools Grants from the state.
At the Hancock meeting questions fell into several categories. Some people wondered how residents on fixed incomes were going to be able to pay continually rising school taxes. Others asked what good would it be to keep the village school open if the board was suggesting cuts that took away many of the programs that made it a unique school. Still others wondered why the numbers presented at Wednesday's meeting could be trusted when the school board previously had said it could not cut any more.
At the Hancock meeting on Wednesday, Bob Long made an impassioned plea to keep the Village School open.
"I was a teacher for many years in Brattleboro, and other parts of Vermont, and outside the state, and I was a part-time teacher (for 10 years) at the Village School here," Long said. "The difference between the youngsters I've seen here (and the ones in Rochester and Brattleboro) was like night and day. The youngsters care about each other here and you don't see that in bigger schools. It was phenomenal. That's why I say we've got to keep this school open."
Crickard made the point that by having a local school, the towns would have more flexibility so that if, for instance, a family with child moved to town that new student could be easily be absorbed without much added expense, while if the town tuitioned all its students to other schools then a new child in town simply meant another $9,000 in school expenses.
Sending all the children to schools in other towns means "a real loss of community," said Crickard, who went to the Hancock school as a child and has two children in the Village School. "Kids go to different schools and don't know each other. Parents are spending time driving kids around and they don't get to see each other."
At the Hancock annual school meeting in March voters rejected a proposed school budget by a vote of 39-29, a move that signaled to the school board the public's wish to close the Village School and tuition the children to schools in neighboring towns. Voters in Granville, who met after the Hancock results were known, decided that they couldn't go it alone with fewer than a dozen children and also elected to tuition their students.
But petitions in both towns sought reconsideration and a committee of residents from both towns intensely scoured the budget numbers and presented the plan at each of the meetings Wednesday.
As a procedural matter, residents at each town's meeting Wednesday had to vote to reconsider the Town Meeting Day decision. This proved to be a close vote at both meetings — 35 yes, 31 no in Hancock, and 43 yes, 39 no in Granville.
When it came time to vote on approval of the new Village School budget, Hancock's tally was 34 yes, 28 no; and in Granville it was 56 yes and 27 no. Hancock then approved total K-12 school spending for 2007-2008 of $771,014 and Granville OK'd a K-12 budget of $761,301.
Both towns saw high voter turnout, with Granville having more votes cast on Wednesday than on Town Meeting Day.
The Granville-Hancock Village School Board will meet on Thursday evening at the Granville school to assess the impact of Wednesday's voting. Board members from both towns said the two months since Town Meeting Day have been consumed with budget planning and they will be glad to get back to other board business. For one, they have to formally offer the four Village School teachers contracts, which they couldn't do until now.
Granville's Fuller, considering the outcome of Wednesday's votes, reiterated a theme of local control that was heard at both meetings.
"I think we made a point in Granville that if we don't have a school then we don't have anything to talk about, it's just pay the tuition bill."

subset: commoncrawl


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Dentures in Milpitas
Advances in dental technology provide dentists with a variety of procedures to enhance a patient's smile. Dentures offer patients who have experienced tooth loss a natural-looking smile that lasts. Many patients find that dentures give them greater confidence in social situations while providing a similar function to their natural teeth.
Advantages of Dentures
- Enhance Facial Features: missing teeth can cause areas of your face to sag. Dentures resolve this issue to restore your natural facial features.
- Smoother Speech: Replacing missing teeth allow you annunciate clearer and communicate better.
- Improved Chewing: Missing teeth can make it challenging to eat your favorite foods. Dentures allow you to chew comfortably and get back to enjoying your favorite dishes.
- Improved Oral Health: By replacing decayed teeth, you can improve your oral health by protecting your remaining natural teeth.
How Dentures Work
Depending on the condition, the dentist may recommend partial or full dentures to restore a patient's smile.
- Full Dentures: After all remaining teeth have been removed and your gums have healed properly, the dentist will place the removable dentures. The dentures may feel awkward for the first few weeks; however, they should become comfortable and feel natural in your mouth.
- Partial Dentures: Unlike full dentures, partial dentures only replace a few missing teeth while keeping your healthy natural teeth in place.
Caring for Your Dentures
Rinsing and brushing your dentures will keep them clean and free of bacteria. You can keep them from warping by placing them in a proper container while not in use. Overall, proper oral hygiene will keep your new smile bright and help maintain your oral health.
Dentures are a proven appliance recommended by many dentists to help improve patients' smiles after tooth removal or loss. To learn more about how dentures can enhance your smile, please call our office at (408) 262-0804.


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Do you ever have those days when you just really don't know what to do with yourself? Tons of energy to be worked off or is it just nervous energy seeking an outlet. Nothing really going on but still just at odds with yourself. Maybe it's coming down from such a wonderfully, exciting day yesterday or too much coffee at Starbuck's this morning??? I really can't put my finger on it...my cleaner's are here today so I am sort of sequestered to my office with the 2 dogs. Could that be it? I went to Barnes & Noble and wandered around there for a while. Nothing really caught my eye there either. Very weird feeling this is! Oh well as soon as my house is cleaned I plan on starting dinner maybe that will fix the restlessness!
Yesterday I wanted to make a nice little treat for the girls and I had seen a picture on Tastespotting that I really wanted to try and seeing as I always have banana close to rotting or in the freezer, it is really one of my favorite things to bake with. It was Banana Bread Muffin Top Cookies on The Hungry House Wife's Blog. Now of course I didn't follow the recipe perfectly because I wanted something a bit chocolaty and also a bit nutty.
Here is the recipe as written and the changes that I have made to it are in italics. The kids loved these and they were really good. Sort of a cake like texture but full of banana flavor. Next time I think I would add more cocoa powder or maybe just chocolate chips (oh...I like that one!!!). But they were very easy and almost fun to make...yep I love to bake!
Chocolate Banana Bread Muffin Top Cookies
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 banana, peeled and mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I think pecans would have been better but I had none!)
Powdered Sugar if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, and banana. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and cinnamon; blend thoroughly into the butter mixture to make batter. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature on cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
Happy Entertaining!!!


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Cries and Whispers, 1972, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman.
In Harold Pinter's marvelous play Moonlight, a woman tells her terminally ill husband, "Death will be your new horizon." It's the most quietly chilling sentence I know, and it would have made the perfect epigraph for Cries and Whispers. The film is concerned with the business of dying, and not in an abstract way. Harriet Andersson plays Agnes, a woman who is rapidly losing a battle with cancer, and for the first forty-five minutes Bergman mostly makes us watch her die. Her performance reminds you just how much the movies have always lied to us about death: Agnes doesn't have one of those terminal disease where you have a touching final conversation, then drift off to sleep as flights of angels sing you to your rest. She's clearly aware that her body is destroying itself from the inside, and her performance lets you know exactly what that must feel like.
Her battle has nothing in common with a chess game. Agnes is attended by her two sisters, Maria (Liv Ullmann) and Karin (Ingrid Thulin), as well as her live-in maid, Anna. Here they all are, in one of Sven Nykvist's typically soothing compositions:
Nykvist uses that jarring, intestinal red throughout the film, starting with the opening titles.
Never underestimate the cumulative effect of an unsettling palette that unsettling. Even without the colors, and even if you got rid of Agnes entirely, Cries and Whispers wouldn't exactly be a cakewalk, because Maria and Karin are so miserable to watch. What, you thought this was going to be a Bergman film where familial relations weren't a swamp of guilt and sorrow? Maria's flagrant affair with a man who despises her drives her husband to attempt suicide, Karin mutilates herself to avoid sex with her husband. And they don't much like each other either. As in Autumn Sonata, their conversations range from landmined to openly hostile. And neither one is willing or able to deal with the exigencies of Agnes's dying. The only person who is at all capable of comforting Agnes is her maid, Anna. It's possible they were lovers; at the very least, their relationship is deeper than is typical for an employer and employee. Kari Sylwan plays Anna as the milky-skinned embodiment of selfless, maternal love.
So it's completely appropriate that when Agnes asks for one last act of affection, Bergman quotes the most famous image of maternal love in Western civilization.
You can see in that shot just how painterly Sven Nykvist's cinematography is throughout. The formal, staged, quality of the film's compositions is the only thing that makes the intense on-screen suffering at all watchable; along with the period costumes, it distances the viewers a little from Agnes's pain. A little, not a lot. There's a lengthy shot of Agnes laboring to breathe that is the stuff of nightmares. Speaking of nightmares, Cries and Whispers has a nightmare sequence that, once again, establishes Bergman as the best horror director never to direct a horror film. Sometimes shallow focus can be terrifying.
The film's structure is intensely formalized: between scenes of Agnes's death and its aftermath, we get a flashback or dream sequence focused on each of the four main characters. Except for Agnes's flashback, each begins with a closeup of the character's face, strongly lit on one side.
And each ends with a similar closeup, lit from the other side.
Bergman and Nykvist abstract the actors' faces into something lunar and alien, but by the end of each flashback, we know some of the damage behind their eyes. But only some of it. There's an emblematic scene shortly before Anna's death where, in obvious pain, she tries again and again to throw up into a basin.
No matter how hard she hacks, spits, and heaves, she can't get anything to come up. That's part of what Cries and Whispers is about, something we all know to be true but don't like to think about. The thing that will kill us is the thing we can't get out, the poison in the wound. All we can do is tire ourselves out. And yet that's not everything Cries and Whispers tells us. For all the film's relentless interiority, Bergman ends with a passage from Agnes's diary about a day she was feeling well enough to venture outside with Anna and her sisters.
She writes:
I wanted to hold the moment fast, and thought: "Come what may, this is happiness. I cannot wish for anything better. Now, for a few minutes, I can experience perfection."
Our glory is that we can experience perfection, if only for a few minutes. Our tragedy is that we recognize—even as it's happening—that it's only for a few minutes. The poison is in the wound.
- The film ends with an untranslated intertitle:
- From what I can tell from googling, it means, "So the cries and whispers become silent." Is that more or less correct, hive mind? Any idea why it wasn't subtitled?
- The DVD features an interview that Bergman gave along with actor Erland Josephson, which makes him seem like he must have been rather horrible to know in his personal life. Both he and Josephson are remarkably blithe about having mistreated women and been awful fathers, although they're certainly charming in an "incorrigible grandpa" sort of way. I did like one of Bergman's stories: unhappy with the negative reviews a particular critic was giving his work, he apparently cold-cocked him because he knew the critic's newspaper could no longer allow him to review Bergman's work after a public altercation. Diabolical.


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Not-For-Profit Organisations Insurance is specifically designed for volunteer and community groups. It covers your organisation's public liability exposure if your staff or volunteers are injured while helping out, or if a member of the public is hurt at one of your events.
For more information on Not for Profit organisations insurance or to obtain a quote talk to us today.


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Brand: iSPECLE
Color: Black02
- 【 Saving Space 】 Neatly organizes an assortment of items such spices jars, condiments, medicine bottles, etc.; Easy to access
- 【 Durable 】 Sturdily constructed with a modern black scrollwork design
- 【 Foldable 】 The kitchen spice rack saves space and frees up counter space for cooking and baking. Also good for organizing cosmetics and toiletries in the bathroom
- 【 Dimension 】 11.6inch x 6.1inch x 14.4inch
- 【12 Months Warranty】 We offer a 12 month warranty for this foldable storage rack
Publisher: iSPECLE
Details: Saving SpaceOrganize all spice jars, spice bottles, jelly jars, condiments, cans or medicine bottles, kitchen tissue together and easy to access
DurableSturdy construction with modern black scrollwork design; go well with kitchen
FoldableThe kitchen spice rack saves space and frees up counter and drawer space for cooking and baking. Also good for organize cosmetics, toiletries in the bathroom
Dimension 29.5cm x 15.5cm x 36.5cm
12 Months Warranty We offer 12 months warranty for this foldable storage rack
Package Dimensions: 15.6 x 12.6 x 1.3 inches


text: Aristo-Craft on-board video camera system Aristo-Craft "On-Board Video Camera" system ArticleTed DoskarisApril 25, 2007Revision GE-D1(Terms like currently, presently, etc. used herein are with respect to this date.)Revised 2016.7.3 to remove dead link to Aristo catalog. This system is intended for displaying motion color pictures with sound on a TV monitor using a remotely located wireless video camera with built-in microphone and a separate Receiver Box connected to the TV monitor. The camera may be placed in a mobile location such as on a moving model train. This system is in the category of closed circuit television (CCTV) and is sometimes described as a "spy camera" due to the small size of its camera module.The On-Board Video Camera system is described and shown on page 77 of the Aristo-Craft Trains 2005 catalog The On-Board Video Camera system is also described and shown on page 95 of the Aristo-Craft Trains 2007 catalog.The camera system (aka Mini On-Board TV Camera) is also available from Aristo's On-Line StoreThere are 3 current variations of this system as evidenced by Aristo-Craft part numbers.These variations are in consideration of the television analog broadcast video standards that television receivers are designed and built to conform to.There are 3 significant analog video standards used throughout the World commonly known by acronym:NTSC, described with a list of applicable countries at link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSCPAL, described with a list of applicable countries at link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PALSECAM, described with a list of applicable countries at link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SECAMThe Aristo camera system variations are as follows:Variation 1:The Aristo-Craft "On-Board Video Camera", CRE-56802, is the NTSC video standard version.This system includes a Camera / Transmitter module identified thereon for NTSC.This version is applicable to the United States, Canada and other countries.Variation 2 and 3:The U.S. Aristo-Craft Trains 2007 Catalog includes two other part number suffix variations as shown below. This strongly suggests they are intended for the PAL video standard version that is used in much of Europe - including the UK - as well as Australia and other countries. CRE56802EU ON BOARD VIDEO CAMERA (EU Version)CRE56802UK ON BOARD VIDEO CAMERA (UK Version)UK part numbersA56802EU On Board Video CameraA56802UK On Board Video Camera – UK PlugGiven the aforementioned information, it is reasonable to conclude the differences between the 2 variations are concerned with different power mains supply plug-ins since both the UK and much of Europe uses the PAL video standard.This system should include a Camera / Transmitter module identified thereon for PAL.A possible 4th variation would be for the SECAM video standard that is applicable to France and other countries. There is no current information that suggests Aristo-Craft have a camera product that conforms to the SECAM standard, particularly when taking into account information obtained from the FCC that will be described later.In the event the Aristo camera system variations are operated in countries for which the Camera / Transmitter module is identified contrary to the prevailing video standard, it is possible a picture will be displayed on a TV monitor – albeit WITHOUT color. In this regard, I conducted a test using the Aristo CRE-56802 NTSC version system I purchased. I connected up the system components and used a SONY BVM 1910 professional video monitor that is selectable for NTSC, PAL or SECAM video standards. I selected the PAL standard on the monitor, and the picture shown on the monitor (that had included color for the NTSC selection) was displayed entirely in black and white. However, the picture also included noise components, particularly manifested as a small, drifting "checker board" pattern for certain color areas of the picture where color had been seen when the monitor had been in the NTSC selected mode. (I also selected the SECAM standard on the monitor. This resulted in no picture being displayed.)It should be appreciated, however, that the noise manifestation type or whether a picture will be at all seen on a consumer TV monitor that is contrary to the prevailing video standard is dependant on the design of the monitor.Another test I performed was to see if the Aristo-Craft Receiver box was possibly capable of selecting a given video standard with its 4 position slide switch.If this switch were somehow involved in the selection of PAL or NTSC, then this could be tested using the professional video monitor. In this regard, I attempted to see what would happen with my NTSC Camera system by placing the 4 position slide switch to each position whilst observing the professional video monitor in its PAL operational mode. For any of the selections no color picture could be displayed on the monitor. Channel selections 1 and 2 resulted in the same effect as if power were removed from the Camera module - which was complete noise. Channel 3 selection resulted in a semblance of a picture being displayed but looked like a very attenuated, weak signal with much noise and no color.As expected, the Channel 4 selection - which matched my Camera module specific transmit frequency - had the best picture - but no color on the monitor.Consequently, since a noiseless color picture could not be seen on the professional video monitor whilst in its PAL mode of operation, then the slide switch in no way served to select PAL or NTSC Receiver box operation.Since the Receiver box could be powered by a battery this would seem to rule out the prospect of it automatically detecting power ripple as a basis for an automatic selection of PAL or NTSC in response to a respective 50 or 60 Hz power mains frequency. The box containing the NTSC video standard version is shown with the following label:The Aristo camera system consists of the Camera / Transmitter module with metal mounting hardware, a 2.4 GHz Receiver box, a screw-in adjustable antenna, a plug-in power mains supply for the Receiver, a plug-in power mains supply for the Camera / Transmitter module, a 9 volt battery with cable to optionally power the Camera / Transmitter module, and a Audio / Video cable for connecting the Receiver box outputs to a TV monitor's RCA type inputs jacks.(It is to be appreciated that this Camera System does NOT include a channel 3 or 4 RF modulator required of American TV sets that do not have discrete video and audio input jacks.)Also supplied with the Camera System is an "Operating Manual for the 2.4 G wireless camera":The Camera / Transmitter module included in my system is identified for a nominal transmit frequency of 2.4 GHz (with its specific frequency being factory selected for "Ch4") and with NTSC video standard and assigned the FCCID of Q74ZT-811T.(The nominal frequency of 2.4GHz can be expressed as 2400MHz. The 4 specific frequencies are Ch1: 2414MHz; Ch2: 2432MHz; Ch3: 2450MHz; Ch4: 2468MHz.)The "Radio AV RECEIVER" box with its cover removed shows the "ZTV" identification on the bright metal enclosure of the RF section:The Receiver box assembly includes a slide switch at the front end to select 1 of 4 specific channel frequencies to correspond with the Camera / Transmitter factory setting as identified by its sticker. The sticker on mine shows "4". For my particular Receiver box unit the switch had to be moved to "4" for the proper Ch4 match. Otherwise the picture displayed on the TV monitor was very noisy or not displayed at all. When the box is powered, the red LED indicator located above the "POWER" script on the top cover will flash 4 times - then pause and repeat in correspondence to the slide switch setting of "4". (This flashing count will happen irrespective of any powered up Camera / Transmitter modules.)Apparently, there can be up to 3 additional Camera / Transmitter modules, each of which is set internally to 3 other, different specific frequencies - all operating at the same time. When you want to view any 1 of 4 camera modules, just set the Receiver box slide switch accordingly, and the flashing LED rate will identify the one selected as a camera module status indicator.Aristo-Craft does not currently list individual Camera / Transmit modules for purchase which is unfortunate since it would seem doing so will enhance both use and sales of the Camera System.An example of a camera module that includes selectable transmitter frequencies via user control by turning a knob is the ZT-830T. It also includes a self contained, rechargeable battery.This model is root sourced by "ZTV". (More about ZTV later.) (The below picture of the ZT-830T is from an Australian web site.)External and internal photos of the ZT-830T can also be seen by downloading the 2 respective pdf files at the below links.click here to view the first pdf file click here to view the second pdf fileThe Aristo-Craft Camera / Transmitter module is the ZT-811T model.Based on the identified U.S. Federal Communications Commission Identification number (FCCID) of Q74ZT-811T, information about Aristo's model camera / transmitter module can be obtained from several FCC web site links that will be described. (Note: when clicking on FCC pdf file links at the FCC web site a dialog box may first be displayed with an action request. Once the request is answered the files can take some time to download.)The following link is for downloading a PDF file for the ZT-811Tmodel user manual. It identifies a company "ZTV" (Shenzhen Zhongwang Electron Co., Ltd). Technical Data specifications can be seen on page 3 of the pdf file, and a picture showing all the components, including the Receiver box can be seen on page 4:click here to view the pdf file(The user manual from the above link along with the technical specifications from the link shown below is more complete than the Aristo supplied Operating Manual. Included in the specifications are the 4 transmit channel frequencies of Ch1= 2414MHz; Ch2 = 2432MHz; Ch3 = 2450MHz; and Ch4 = 2468MHz.)Technical specifications can be seen by downloading pdf file:click here to view the pdf fileFor external (exterior) pictures of the ZT-811T Camera / Transmitter module, download the following pdf file:click here to view the pdf fileFor internal (interior) pictures of the ZT-811T Camera / Transmitter module, download the below pdf file. (Note that pages 4 & 7 of this pdf file show a circuit board that includes a tiny "DIP switch" with 2 slide type switches thereon. These apparently will determine which of 4 possible, specific frequencies the module will transmit at. The Receiver box switch must be set by the user to the appropriate corresponding position for processing the specific frequency received.)click here to view the pdf fileFor a circuit description of the ZT-811T Camera / Transmitter module, download the following pdf file:click here to view the pdf fileFor a block diagram of the ZT-811T Camera / Transmitter module, download the below pdf file.(The block diagram includes an "ENCODER" that appears to represent the "DIP switch" with 2 slide type switches as depicted.) click here to view the pdf fileFor a more detailed electrical schematic, download the below pdf file.(The schematic diagram's page 2 lower right corner area shows the apparent ENCODER "DIP switch" with the 4 specific transmit frequencies listed next to it. The 2 slide switches act as a binary function to allow for up to 4 transmit frequency selections. Moreover, the schematic diagram's page 1 reference crystal, "Y1", is shown with 2 possible values ofPAL = 17.734475[MHz] and NTSC = 14.31818[MHz]. These establish a circuit oscillator frequency and are significant in that they are what is known as 4 x frequency of color sub carrier (fsc) having to do with the electronic operation of the camera module for PAL or NTSC, including pertaining to picture color. Thus, at least this different "Y1" component value for the camera module, ZT-811T, means that there must be more than one way to identify an otherwise same model module with the intended video standard for an end user. This is why a different part number - or suffix - must be used by Aristo-Craft for its Camera system depending on what country it will be used in.)click here to view the pdf fileFor a parts list, download the following pdf file:click here to view the pdf fileThere is a test report for the FCC. This report will also identify the "ZTV" company, but will further include the address of that company. This can be seen on page 1 of the report by downloading the following pdf file:click here to view the pdf fileThe FCC "GRANT OF EQUIPMENT AUTHORIZATION" form shows the FCC ID identifier, Q74ZT-811T, with the Grantee, Shenzhen ZhongWang Electronic Co., Ltd. #511 Electrical Equipment Building No. 72, ZhenHua Road, FuTianShenzhen, 518000ChinaInformation about "ZTV" (Shenzhen Zhongwang Electronics Co., Ltd.) who's factory is the apparent root source for the Aristo Camera system can be seen at the following link: http://ztv.fuzing.com/Another possible Receiver box source:There is a little detail difference about the Receiver box as only shown in Aristo's 2005 hardcopy catalog.This difference, however, does not indicate a PAL or NTSC switching means.Pictured below is an example of a Receiver box sourced by the Ajoka company that resembles the Receiver box as shown on page 77 of Aristo's 2005 hardcopy Catalog. This picture shows a closer view of the Receiver box.Note the "TUNE" knob (or perhaps detented rotary switch used for channel selection) that is at the far end just across from the antenna.This appears to be in place of the 4 position slide switch for channel selection as located on front of the Aristo Receiver box that I and others had purchased and what is shown to look like elsewhere in Aristo's or FCC material.FYI,As to the Ajoka company, additional information about them can be seen at the below link:http://ajoka.com/Wholesale_Distributor_Manufacturer_China/aboutus.htmAnd the Ajoka Wireless Security Camera example model AJ-007S:http://ajoka.com/Wireless_Camera/wireless_security_camera.htmShown below are pictures of the Aristo-Craft camera system in actual use.Note that some of the images shown on the consumer type TV monitor include video noise due to artifacts introduced by the Digital Still Camera I used to take the pictures for showing them here. These artifacts were not actually present on the monitor when the pictures were taken and as such are not to be indicative of Aristo's camera picture quality. However, there was actual video noise present for those pictures that were received from the Camera / Transmitter module placed under my house whilst viewing them on the TV monitor in the Kitchen above. I eliminated the possible causes of Florescent lights, and Aristo's Train Engineer, so I believe the noise may have been caused by signal attenuation due to the metal foil backed floor and wall insulation. The Camera / Transmitter module is shown connected to a 9 vdc battery instead of using the plug-in mains power supply:The Receiver box is shown connected to the TV monitor:The camera module is in view of "Tuffy" – my Amazon Parrot:The received picture of the Parrot is displayed on the TV monitor in the next room (Kitchen):The Camera / Transmitter module is shown as setup to view a train from my under house layout:The received picture of the train is displayed on the TV monitor located in the Kitchen:(Both video and audio noise were present as observed on the TV monitor. This noise may not have been present if the metal foil backed insulation were not in the signal path of the camera's transmitter.)The camera lens is somewhat adjustable by turning the small bezel on the front of the module.According to the technical specifications, the minimum object distance is 20 cm. Before I performed the aforementioned camera use, I adjusted the lens at this distance as best I could to focus on a card board beer emblem. (My handy but crude test pattern!). The emblem included script with 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch tall lettering. I could only focus on the 1/4 inch letters as the 1/8 inch letters could not be discerned on the TV monitor no matter how I attempted to adjust the focus or at what distance I placed the camera to the beer emblem.To this end, the subjective quality of the Camera System pictures as seen on the TV monitor seem somewhat comparable to playing back a VHS tape LP mode recording.The Aristo-Craft On-Board Video Camera system is a very useful product. I envision using this system to monitor my under house train operation as I progress to the completion of the outdoor extension. This will add to the enjoyment of operating trains as it complements Aristo's Train Engineer to operate a train from the garden area. I will be able to watch what may be happening under my house without having to go under the house as the train travels back and forth from house to garden to house. What is now needed from Aristo-Craft to enhance the usefulness of the Camera system is to offer 3 more stand alone Camera modules with selectable transmit frequencies. That way I can monitor more than one critical area under the house as well as mount a camera in one or more locos using only the one Receiver Box by selecting the appropriate channel on the box for a desired camera picture to view. Other folks would likely think of similar needs and then some.One last thing:Some folks in countries with the PAL video standard have reported seeing only black and white pictures using the Aristo Camera system and have indicated that their Camera modules are identified as being NTSC. These folks should have Camera modules identified for the PAL video standard. Perhaps something happened in shipping the Camera product with the mistaken CRE56802 part number for the NTSC system version to those countries rather than the proper CRE56802UK or CRE56802EU part number for the PAL version. (Note: These part numbers may have a prefix "A" in place of the "CRE".)Another possibility is that the product may have been wrongly kited with respect to the intended destination country.End


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(1) In General. A party may move that a prospective witness be deposed in order to preserve testimony for trial. The court may grant the motion because of exceptional circumstances and in the interest of justice. If the court orders the deposition to be taken, it may also require the deponent to produce at the deposition any designated material that is not privileged, including any book, paper, document, record, recording, or data.
(2) Detained Material Witness. A witness who is detained under 18 U.S.C. §3144 may request to be deposed by filing a written motion and giving notice to the parties. The court may then order that the deposition be taken and may discharge the witness after the witness has signed under oath the deposition transcript.
(b) Notice.
(1) In General. A party seeking to take a deposition must give every other party reasonable written notice of the deposition's date and location. The notice must state the name and address of each deponent. If requested by a party receiving the notice, the court may, for good cause, change the deposition's date or location.
(2) To the Custodial Officer. A party seeking to take the deposition must also notify the officer who has custody of the defendant of the scheduled date and location.
(c) Defendant's Presence.
(1) Defendant in Custody. The officer who has custody of the defendant must produce the defendant at the deposition and keep the defendant in the witness's presence during the examination, unless the defendant:
(A) waives in writing the right to be present; or
(B) persists in disruptive conduct justifying exclusion after being warned by the court that disruptive conduct will result in the defendant's exclusion.
(2) Defendant Not in Custody. A defendant who is not in custody has the right upon request to be present at the deposition, subject to any conditions imposed by the court. If the government tenders the defendant's expenses as provided in Rule 15(d) but the defendant still fails to appear, the defendant—absent good cause—waives both the right to appear and any objection to the taking and use of the deposition based on that right.
(d) Expenses. If the deposition was requested by the government, the court may—or if the defendant is unable to bear the deposition expenses, the court must—order the government to pay:
(1) any reasonable travel and subsistence expenses of the defendant and the defendant's attorney to attend the deposition; and
(2) the costs of the deposition transcript.
(e) Manner of Taking. Unless these rules or a court order provides otherwise, a deposition must be taken and filed in the same manner as a deposition in a civil action, except that:
(1) A defendant may not be deposed without that defendant's consent.
(2) The scope and manner of the deposition examination and cross-examination must be the same as would be allowed during trial.
(3) The government must provide to the defendant or the defendant's attorney, for use at the deposition, any statement of the deponent in the government's possession to which the defendant would be entitled at trial.
(f) Use as Evidence. A party may use all or part of a deposition as provided by the Federal Rules of Evidence.
(g) Objections. A party objecting to deposition testimony or evidence must state the grounds for the objection during the deposition.
(h) Depositions by Agreement Permitted. The parties may by agreement take and use a deposition with the court's consent.
(As amended Apr. 22, 1974, eff. Dec. 1, 1975; Pub. L. 94–64, §3(15)–(19), July 31, 1975, 89 Stat. 373, 374; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, §209(b), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 1986; Mar. 9, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 29, 2002, eff. Dec. 1, 2002.)
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1944
Note to Subdivision (a). 1. This rule continues the existing law permitting defendants to take depositions in certain limited classes of cases under dedimus potestatem and in perpetuam rei memoriam, 28 U.S.C. [former] 644. This statute has been generally held applicable to criminal cases, Clymer v. United States, 38 F.2d 581 (C.C.A. 10th); Wong Yim v. United States, 118 F.2d 667 (C.C.A. 9th)—cert. den., 313 U.S. 589; United States v. Cameron, 15 F. 794 (C.C.E.D.Mo.); United States v. Hofmann, 24 F.Supp. 847 (S.D.N.Y.). Contra, Luxemberg v. United States, 45 F.2d 497 (C.C.A. 4th)—cert. den., 283 U.S. 820. The rule continues the limitation of the statute that the taking of depositions is to be restricted to cases in which they are necessary "in order to prevent a failure of justice."
2. Unlike the practice in civil cases in which depositions may be taken as a matter of right by notice without permission of the court (Rules 26(a) and 30, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [28 U.S.C., Appendix]), this rule permits depositions to be taken only by order of the court, made in the exercise of discretion and on notice to all parties. It was contemplated that in criminal cases depositions would be used only in exceptional situations, as has been the practice heretofore.
3. This rule introduces a new feature in authorizing the taking of the deposition of a witness committed for failure to give bail (see Rule 46(b)). This matter is, however, left to the discretion of the court. The purpose of the rule is to afford a method of relief for such a witness, if the court finds it proper to extend it.
Note to Subdivision (b). This subdivision, as well as subdivisions (d) and (f), sets forth the procedure to be followed in the event that the court grants an order for the taking of a deposition. The procedure prescribed is similar to that in civil cases, Rules 28–31, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [28 U.S.C., Appendix].
Note to Subdivision (c). This rule introduces a new feature for the purpose of protecting the rights of an indigent defendant.
Note to Subdivision (d). See Note to Subdivision (b), supra.
Note to Subdivision (e). In providing when and for what purpose a deposition may be used at the trial, this rule generally follows the corresponding provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 26(d)(3) [28 U.S.C., Appendix]. The only difference is that in civil cases a deposition may be introduced at the trial if the witness is at a greater distance than 100 miles from the place of trial, while this rule requires that the witness be out of the United States. The distinction results from the fact that a subpoena in a civil case runs only within the district where issued or 100 miles from the place of trial (Rule 45(e)(1), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure), while a subpoena in a criminal case runs throughout the United States (see Rule 17(e)(1), infra).
Note to Subdivision (f). See Note to Subdivision (b), supra.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1974 Amendment
Rule 15 authorizes the taking of depositions by the government. Under former rule 15 only a defendant was authorized to take a deposition.
The revision is similar to Title VI of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. The principal difference is that Title VI ( 18 U.S.C. §3503) limits the authority of the government to take depositions to cases in which the Attorney General certifies that the "proceeding is against a person who is believed to have participated in an organized criminal activity." This limitation is not contained in rule 15.
Dealing with the issue of government depositions so soon after the enactment of 18 U.S.C. §3503 is not inconsistent with the congressional purpose. On the floor of the House, Congressman Poff, a principal spokesman for the proposal, said that the House version was not designed to "limit the Judicial Conference of the United States in the exercise of its rulemaking authority . . . from addressing itself to other problems in this area or from adopting a broader approach." 116 Cong.Rec. 35293 (1970).
The recently enacted Title VI of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 ( 18 U.S.C. §3503) is based upon earlier efforts of the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules which has over the past twenty-five years submitted several proposals authorizing government depositions.
The earlier drafts of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure proposed that the government be allowed to take depositions. Orfield, The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, 33 Calif.L.Rev. 543, 559 (1945). The Fifth Draft of what became rule 15 (then rule 20) dated June 1942, was submitted to the Supreme Court for comment. The court had a number of unfavorable comments about allowing government depositions. These comments were not published. The only reference to the fact that the court made comments is in 2 Orfield, Criminal Procedure under the Federal Rules §15:1 (1966); and Orfield, Depositions in Federal Criminal Procedure, 9 S.C.L.Q. 376, 380–381 (1957).
The Advisory Committee, in the 1940's, continued to recommend the adoption of a provision authorizing government depositions. The final draft submitted to the Supreme Court contained a section providing:
The following additional requirements shall apply if the deposition is taken at the instance of the government or of a witness. The officer having custody of a defendant shall be notified of the time and place set for examination, and shall produce him at the examination and keep him in the presence of the witness during the examination. A defendant not in custody shall be given notice and shall have the right to be present at the examination. The government shall pay in advance to the defendant's attorney and a defendant not in custody expenses of travel and subsistence for attendance at the examination.
See 2 Orfield, Criminal Procedure under the Federal Rules §15:3, pp. 447–448 (1966); Orfield, Depositions in Federal Criminal Procedure, 9 S.C.L.Q. 376, 383 (1957).
The Supreme Court rejected this section in this entirety, thus eliminating the provision for depositions by the government. These changes were made without comment.
The proposal to allow government depositions was renewed in the amendments to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure in the early 1960's. The Preliminary Draft of Proposed Amendments to Rules of Criminal Procedure for the United States District Courts (December 1962) proposed to amend rule 15 by eliminating the words "of a defendant" from the first sentence of subdivision (a) and adding a subdivision (g) which was practically identical to the subdivision rejected by the Supreme Court in the original draft of the rules.
The Second Preliminary Draft of Proposed Amendments to Rules of Criminal Procedure for the United States District Courts (March 1964) continued to propose allowing governments depositions. Subdivision (g) was substantially modified, however.
The following additional requirements shall apply if the deposition is taken at the instance of the government or a witness. Both the defendant and his attorney shall be given reasonable advance notice of the time and place set for the examination. The officer having custody of a defendant shall be notified of the time and place set for the examination, and shall produce him at the examination and keep him in the presence of the witness during the examination. A defendant not in custody shall have the right to be present at the examination but his failure to appear after notice and tender of expenses shall constitute a waiver of that right. The government shall pay to the defendant's attorney and to a defendant not in custody expenses of travel and subsistence for attendance at the examination. The government shall make available to the defendant for his examination and use at the taking of the deposition any statement of the witness being deposed which is in the possession of the government and which the government would be required to make available to the defendant if the witness were testifying at the trial.
The proposal to authorize government depositions was rejected by the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, C. Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure §241 at 477 (1969). 4 Barron, Federal Practice and Procedure (Supp. 1967). The Report of the Judicial Conference, submitted to the Supreme Court for approval late in 1965, contained no proposal for an amendment to rule 15. See 39 F.R.D. 69, 168–211 (1966).
When the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 was originally introduced in the Senate (S. 30) it contained a government deposition provision which was similar to the 1964 proposal of the Criminal Rules Advisory Committee, except that the original bill (S. 30) failed to provide standards to control the use of depositions at the trial. For an explanation and defense of the original proposal see McClellan, The Organized Crime Act (S. 30) or Its Critics: Which Threatens Civil Liberties?, 46 Notre Dame Lawyer 55, 100–108 (1970). This omission was remedied, prior to passage, with the addition of what is now 18 U.S.C. §3503(f) which prescribes the circumstances in which a deposition can be used. The standards are the same as those in former rule 15(e) with the addition of language allowing the use of the deposition when "the witness refuses in the trial or hearing to testify concerning the subject of the deposition or the part offered."
Before the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 was enacted an additional amendment was added providing that the right of the government to take a deposition is limited to cases in which the Attorney General certifies that the defendant is "believed to have participated in an organized criminal activity" [ 18 U.S.C. §3503(a) ]. The argument in favor of the amendment was that the whole purpose of the act was to deal with organized crime and therefore its provisions, including that providing for government depositions, should be limited to organized crime type cases.
There is another aspect of Advisory Committee history which is relevant. In January 1970, the Advisory Committee circulated proposed changes in rule 16, one of which gives the government, when it has disclosed the identity of its witnesses, the right to take a deposition and use it "in the event the witness has become unavailable without the fault of the government or if the witness has changed his testimony." [See Preliminary Draft of Proposed Amendments to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure for the United States District Courts, rule 16(a)(1)(vi) (January 1970).] This provision is now incorporated within rule 16(a)(1)(v).
Because neither the court nor the standing committee gave reasons for rejecting the government deposition proposal, it is not possible to know why they were not approved. To the extent that the rejection was based upon doubts as to the constitutionality of such a proposal, those doubts now seem resolved by California v. Green, 399 U.S. 149, 90 S.Ct. 1930, 26 L.Ed.2d 489 (1970).
On the merits, the proposal to allow the government to take depositions is consistent with the revision of rule 16 and with section 804(b)(1) of the Rules of Evidence for the United States Courts and Magistrates (November 1971) which provides that the following is not excluded by the hearsay rule if the declarant is unavailable:
(1) Former Testimony. Testimony given as a witness at another hearing of the same or a different proceeding, or in a deposition taken in compliance with law in the course of another proceeding, at the instance of or against a party with an opportunity to develop the testimony by direct, cross, or redirect examination, with motive and interest similar to those of the party against whom now offered.
Subdivision (a) is revised to provide that the government as well as the defendant is entitled to take a deposition. The phrase "whenever due to special circumstances of the case it is in the interest of justice," is intended to make clear that the decision by the court as to whether to order the taking of a deposition shall be made in the context of the circumstances of the particular case. The principal objective is the preservation of evidence for use at trial. It is not to provide a method of pretrial discovery nor primarily for the purpose of obtaining a basis for later cross-examination of an adverse witness. Discovery is a matter dealt with in rule 16. An obviously important factor is whether a deposition will expedite, rather than delay, the administration of criminal justice. Also important is the presence or absence of factors which determine the use of a deposition at the trial, such as the agreement of the parties to use of the deposition; the possible unavailability of the witness; or the possibility that coercion may be used upon the witness to induce him to change his testimony or not to testify. See rule 16(a)(1)(v).
Subdivision (a) also makes explicit that only the "testimony of a prospective witness of a party" can be taken. This means the party's own witness and does not authorize a discovery deposition of an adverse witness. The language "for use at trial" is intended to give further emphasis to the importance of the criteria for use specified in subdivision (e).
In subdivision (b) reference is made to the defendant in custody. If he is in state custody, a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum (to produce the prisoner for purposes of testimony) may be required to accomplish his presence.
In subdivision (d) the language "except as otherwise provided in these rules" is meant to make clear that the subpoena provisions of rule 17 control rather than the provisions of the civil rules.
The use of the phrase "and manner" in subdivision (d)(2) is intended to emphasize that the authorization is not to conduct an adverse examination of an opposing witness.
In subdivision (e) the phrase "as substantive evidence" is added to make clear that the deposition can be used as evidence in chief as well as for purposes of impeachment.
Subdivision (e) also makes clear that the deposition can be used as affirmative evidence whenever the witness is available but gives testimony inconsistent with that given in the deposition. A California statute which contained a similar provision was held constitutional in California v. Green, 399 U.S. 149, 90 S.Ct. 1930, 26 L.Ed.2d 489 (1970). This is also consistent with section 801(d)(1) of the Rules of Evidence for United States Courts and Magistrates (Nov. 1971).
Subdivision (f) is intended to insure that a record of objections and the grounds for the objections is made at the time the deposition is taken when the witness is available so that the witness can be examined further, if necessary, on the point of the objection so that there will be an adequate record for the court's later ruling upon the objection.
Subdivision (g) uses the "unavailability" definition of the Rules of Evidence for the United States Courts and Magistrates, 804(a) (Nov. 1971).
Subdivision (h) is intended to make clear that the court always has authority to order the taking of a deposition, or to allow the use of a deposition, where there is an agreement of the parties to the taking or to the use.
Notes of Committee on the Judiciary, House Report No. 94–247; 1975 Amendment
A. Amendments Proposed by the Supreme Court. Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides for the taking of depositions. The present rule permits only the defendant to move that a deposition of a prospective witness be taken. The court may grant the motion if it appears that (a) the prospective witness will be unable to attend or be prevented from attending the trial, (b) the prospective witness' testimony is material, and (c) the prospective witness' testimony is necessary to prevent a failure of justice.
The Supreme Court promulgated several amendments to Rule 15. The more significant amendments are described below.
Subdivision (a) as proposed to be amended permits either party to move the court for the taking of a deposition of a witness. However, a party may only move to take the deposition of one of its own witnesses, not one of the adversary party's witnesses.
Subdivision (c) as proposed to be amended provides that whenever a deposition is taken at the instance of the government or of an indigent defendant, the expenses of the taking of the deposition must be paid by the government.
Subdivision (e) as proposed to be amended provides that part or all of the deposition may be used at trial as substantive evidence if the witness is "unavailable" or if the witness gives testimony inconsistent with his deposition.
Subdivision (b)[(g)] as proposed to be amended defines "unavailable." "Unavailable" as a witness includes situations in which the deponent:
(1) is exempted by ruling of the judge on the ground of privilege from testifying concerning the subject matter of his deposition; or
(2) persists in refusing to testify concerning the subject matter of his deposition despite an order of the judge to do so; or
(3) testifies to a lack of memory of the subject matter of his deposition; or
(4) is unable to be present or to testify at the hearing because of death or then existing physical or mental illness or infirmity; or
(5) is absent from the hearing and the proponent of his deposition has been unable to procure his attendance by process or other reasonable means. A deponent is not unavailable as a witness if his exemption, refusal, claim of lack of memory, inability, or absence is due to the procurement or wrongdoing of the proponent of his deposition for the purpose of preventing the witness from attending or testifying.
B. Committee Action. The Committee narrowed the definition of "unavailability" in subdivision (g). The Committee deleted language from that subdivision that provided that a witness was "unavailable" if the court exempts him from testifying at the trial on the ground of privilege. The Committee does not want to encourage the use of depositions at trial, especially in view of the importance of having live testimony from a witness on the witness stand.
The Committee added a provision to subdivision (b) to parallel the provision of Rule 43(b)(2). This is to make it clear that a disruptive defendant may be removed from the place where a deposition is being taken.
The Committee added language to subdivision (c) to make clear that the government must pay for the cost of the transcript of a deposition when the deposition is taken at the instance of an indigent defendant or of the government. In order to use a deposition at trial, it must be transcribed. The proposed rule did not explicitly provide for payment of the cost of transcribing, and the Committee change rectifies this.
The Committee notes that subdivision (e) permits the use of a deposition when the witness "gives testimony at the trial or hearing inconsistent with his deposition." Since subdivision (e) refers to the rules of evidence, the Committee understands that the Federal Rules of Evidence will govern the admissibility and use of the deposition. The Committee, by adopting subdivision (e) as proposed to be amended by the Supreme Court, intends the Federal Rules of Evidence to govern the admissibility and use of the deposition.
The Committee believes that Rule 15 will not encourage trials by deposition. A deposition may be taken only in "exceptional circumstances" when "it is in the interest of justice that the testimony of a prospective witness of a party be taken and preserved. * * *" A deposition, once it is taken, is not automatically admissible at trial, however. It may only be used at trial if the witness is unavailable, and the rule narrowly defines unavailability. The procedure established in Rule 15 is similar to the procedure established by the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 for the taking and use of depositions in organized crime cases. See 18 U.S.C. 3503.
Conference Committee Notes, House Report No. 94–414; 1975 Amendment
Rule 15 deals with the taking of depositions and the use of depositions at trial. Rule 15(e) permits a deposition to be used if the witness is unavailable. Rule 15(g) defines that term.
The Supreme Court's proposal defines five circumstances in which the witness will be considered unavailable. The House version of the bill deletes a provision that said a witness is unavailable if he is exempted at trial, on the ground of privilege, from testifying about the subject matter of his deposition. The Senate version of the bill by cross reference to the Federal Rules of Evidence, restores the Supreme Court proposal.
The Conference adopts the Senate provision.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1987 Amendment
The amendments are technical. No substantive change is intended.
Committee Notes on Rules—2002 Amendment
The language of Rule 15 has been amended as part of the general restyling of the Criminal Rules to make them more easily understood and to make style and terminology consistent throughout the rules. These changes are intended to be stylistic only, except as noted below.
In Rule 15(a), the list of materials to be produced has been amended to include the expansive term "data" to reflect the fact that in an increasingly technological culture, the information may exist in a format not already covered by the more conventional list, such as a book or document.
The last portion of current Rule 15(b), dealing with the defendant's presence at a deposition, has been moved to amended Rule 15(c).
Revised Rule 15(d) addresses the payment of expenses incurred by the defendant and the defendant's attorney. Under the current rule, if the government requests the deposition, or if the defendant requests the deposition and is unable to pay for it, the court may direct the government to pay for travel and subsistence expenses for both the defendant and the defendant's attorney. In either case, the current rule requires the government to pay for the transcript. Under the amended rule, if the government requested the deposition, the court must require the government to pay reasonable subsistence and travel expenses and the cost of the deposition transcript. If the defendant is unable to pay the deposition expenses, the court must order the government to pay reasonable subsistence and travel expenses and the deposition transcript costs—regardless of who requested the deposition. Although the current rule places no apparent limits on the amount of funds that should be reimbursed, the Committee believed that insertion of the word "reasonable" was consistent with current practice.
Rule 15(f) is intended to more clearly reflect that the admissibility of any deposition taken under the rule is governed not by the rule itself, but instead by the Federal Rules of Evidence.
References in Text
The Federal Rules of Evidence, referred to in subd. (f), are set out in the Appendix to Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.
Amendment by Public Law
1984 —Subd. (a). Pub. L. 98–473 substituted "detained pursuant to section 3144 of title 18, United States Code" for "committed for failure to give bail to appear to testify at a trial or hearing".
1975 —Pub. L. 94–64 amended subds. (a), (b), (c), and (e) generally, struck out subd. (g), and redesignated subd. (h) as (g).
Effective Date of Amendments Proposed April 22, 1974; Effective Date of 1975 Amendments
Amendments of this rule embraced in the order of the United States Supreme Court on Apr. 22, 1974, and the amendments of this rule made by section 3 of Pub. L. 94–64, effective Dec. 1, 1975, see section 2 of Pub. L. 94–64, set out as a note under rule 4 of these rules.


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The stereotypical Fantasy Football fan is a 30-something suburban man-child. And the FX program The League is about their ilk. But even though fantasy football is what brings several friends together in the TV show, you don't have to be a fantasy football fan to enjoy it.
Creators Jeff Schaffer, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Jackie Marcus Schaffer say that anyone who has friends they hate can relate to the show. The comedy duo, who are also a couple, talk to NPR's Guy Raz about how they explore the bigger theme of middle-aged male friendship through the prism of rabid fandom.
Interview Highlights
On where the idea came from
Jeff Schaffer: "The idea was all Jackie. We were actually on vacation. ... We were at this amazing restaurant for a Christmas Eve dinner, and that was a Sunday night. Sunday night in France is game time back in L.A., and I was in two fantasy football championships — basically the fantasy football Super Bowls of two leagues.
So I kept pretending that the rich French food was making me sick to my stomach and I had to go to the bathroom. I would leave the table and run out into a snowdrift to call at great expense — this was pre-Skype — to do what, I don't know. Just to find out how I was doing. ... It was touch and go at first, but about the third time that I had to 'go to the bathroom,' Jackie followed me. And literally, I'm standing in a snowdrift, she is standing in the doorway to the restaurant, and she catches me. She just starts laughing and she just goes 'This is the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. This is a great TV show.' "
On being a fantasy football widow versus deciding to embrace it
Jackie Marcus Schaffer: "I'm both. I mean, I play fantasy, I'm a giant football fan and I think anybody is a widow if your partner is in four to five fantasy football leagues. So even though I play fantasy, I'm still a widow because he spends so much time on it. But I totally embrace it. And it seemed to me that fantasy sports were really, really growing. There's so many things about it that make it such a more contemporary book club, if you will, that brings both men and women together in a really organic way."
On the show's characters reflecting the kinds of people that the creators are in fantasy football leagues with
Jeff Schaffer: "I think when ... we hear things like 'Boy, these people are awful,' we sort of take 'awful' to mean 'authentic.' And we're just trying to capture what it's like to hang out with a group of people who've known each other for forever and ever. The mistakes you made when you were 13 are still gonna get brought back to haunt you even if you're a very successful plastic surgeon or a defense attorney."
On getting away with vulgarity on a basic cable TV show
Jackie Marcus Schaffer: "I have a really good friend — I won't name the person or the network — who is a reporter on basic cable, and she frequently calls and emails me and says to me, 'I am on basic cable. There's no possible way that we are both on basic cable.' This has been going on for three years, and every year she just can't believe that we are both employees of basic cable. When we first started with FX, they gave us a very clear list of five or six words that we were not allowed to say that bent their standards and practices."
Jeff Schaffer: "But I don't think they thought we were going to say every other one."
Jackie Marcus Schaffer: "And they didn't expect us to make up so many to sort of compensate. ... The colorful language is part of what we think makes our show different than a lot of the other half-hour comedies that are out there. I feel like the language of The League is a very unique vernacular that, if you had the picture off, you wouldn't mistake it for any other comedy."
On finding a cohesive cast that knows each other well
Jeff Schaffer: "It was a series of drinks or coffees or lunches with people that we thought were really funny, and going through the Curb world ... we get to see a lot of amazing improv actors. There were a lot of people who were just younger than [Curb creator Larry David's] contemporaries, who we knew we wanted to do a show with. We actually were thrilled — we got all of our first choices. We just said, 'Here are the people we love.' We brought them to FX and they said, 'That's a great cast.' "
On the relationship between Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The League as comedies
Jeff Schaffer: "I've been working on The League and Curb Your Enthusiasm almost at the same time for the last few years. ... Curb and League and Seinfeld are all written the exact same way, which was you come up with ideas for the characters that you think are funny and everyone has a story that way. Then on a dry-erase board, you do this comedy geometry to try and make interesting connections and build a structure that works. That's what I learned from Larry David ... structure, structure, structure, structure. That's the key, is just having stories that, if you tell them, they're funny. It's really all about the connections."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Green Land Tours (GLT) derives its name from the color that Ethiopia wears as a result of the fusion of three seasons of rainfall and thirteen months of sunshine.
In 1997 Green Land Tours was established to provide utmost satisfaction to its customers. Due to its outstanding service, the company has twice (2001 and 2002) won the prestigious International Award for Tourism, Hotels and Catering Industry, a trophy presented for outstanding services by the Trade Leaders Club. In addition, in December 2004 Green Land Tours and Travel, along with its cooperating businesses, was awarded the Diamond Eye Award for Quality, Commitment and Excellence in Berlin (Germany). Moreover, for two years running (2004 and 2005) the Ethiopian Tourism Commission presented Certificates of Merit to Green Land Tours for the Most Outstanding Performance in Tour Operation for years 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Our goal is to make sure that our clients enjoy the best of our services and return home with rapturous memories of fun and satisfaction. At GLT we believe the most important part of our business is you, the client. For this reason we do everything we can to satisfy and exceed our clients' expectations.
GLT is staffed with experienced tour operators, guides, driver-guides and cooks, etc. Our drivers/tour guides have traveled widely throughout the country and beyond, and are well acquainted with all areas. We are well equipped with vehicles suitable for Ethiopia's climate and road conditions (terrain). Since our 4x4 Land Cruisers and 4WD buses are in excellent condition, tourists and other clients are unlikely to experience any discomfort during our tours both within and across Ethiopia's boundaries. Additionally, GLT's cooks are experienced professionals trained in certified colleges throughout the country. They are able to prepare delicious local and international meals.
In addition to running a tour and travel company, GLT manages several resorts, hotels, eco-lodges and campsites in different parts of the country. These include Emerald Resort (Arba Minch)and Emerlad Lodge (Turmi).
Thus, our cooperation with and investment in various quality hotels and lodges around the country will make your stay cozy and affordable. Furthermore, our affiliation and membership in several associations and clubs in the world, including the Eco-tourism Association of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Hotels Association and Ethiopian Tour Operators Association, help us to acquire privileged services, tickets, etc. for you.
In addition to our regular tour itineraries, Green Land Tours and Travel offers custom-tailored tours and safaris to suit clients' individual needs. Ethiopia has a lot to offer and GLT is prepared to show you all around this great country. GLT's motto is "Excellence through Experience" and we definitely strive toward both.


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May 1, 2017 – A team of former tennis professionals with a passion for sports betting have joined forces to provide expert tips in the exciting world of tennis betting.
Their website, www.newwayinsiders.com, was launched in March 2017 and in their 2 short months have provided their subscribers with winning tips resulting in a +24 unit profit. For a $100 a unit better this means a profit of $2400. Along with daily tennis betting tips, they also have a fantastic blog with very informative content relating to gambling such as best online casinos, gambling addiction, money management, etc. Their blogs also feature the latest tennis betting trends and player odds and other helpful information for tennis betting.
Several team members of NewWayInsiders had already been sharing their tips with great success before starting an official website. "We wanted to have a platform where our tips are accessible to more people", said one of the tipsters at NWI.
They also plan to have blogs for their tennis playing subscribers that will include instruction on how to improve your tennis game, best tennis exercises, tennis diet, tennis travel, etc.
You can subscribe to their betting tips by signing up totally free at their homepage www.newwayinsiders.com.


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When Will I Get My Order?
Kitchenaid W10225948 Tall Backguard With Dual Position Shelf - For 48" Range Or Cooktop - Other
This Attractive Stainless Steel Backguard Protects The Wall Behind A Range Or Cooktop, And Includes A Convertible Shelf. The Wide Shelf Position May Be Used To Warm Plates Or Keep Prepared Food Warm Under The Infrared Warming Lamps Available On Select Vent Hoods. The Narrow Shelf Position Provides A Convenient Place To Keep Cooking Ingredients Within Easy Reach. The Stainless Steel Backguard Shields The Wall From Intense Heat, Steam, Sprays, And Spatters - Making Cleanup Easy And Keeping Moisture Off The Walls. This Is For A 48" Range Or Cooktop.
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- Package contains (1) Backsplash, Stainless Steel
- Tools Needed: Multi screwdriver
- 30-Day Return Policy


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In early December 2012, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a series of new views of the Earth at Night. It was not the first time such maps have been created, but the difference between the old view and the new is as clear as the difference between the two images above.
On November 12, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured the top image of city, village, and highway lights near Delhi, India. For comparison, the lower image shows the same area one night earlier, as observed by the Operational Line Scan (OLS) system on a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft.
Since the 1960s, the U.S. Air Force has operated DMSP satellites in order to observe clouds and other weather variables in key wavelengths of infrared and visible light. Since 1972, the DMSP satellites have included the Operational Linescan System (OLS), which gives weather forecasters some ability to see in the dark. It has been a highly successful sensor, but it is dependent on older technology with lower resolution than most scientists would like. And for many years, DMSP data were classified.
Through improved optics and "smart" sensing technology, the VIIRS "day-night band," is significantly better than OLS at resolving fine details amidst the lights of human settlements and the glow of reflected moonlight. Each VIIRS pixel is a 742 square-meter box, compared to the 5-square kilometer footprint of OLS. The dynamic range—the ability to resolve lights of different brightness—is 250 times better with VIIRS. And since the VIIRS measurements are fully calibrated (unlike DMSP), scientists have the precision required to make quantitative measurements of clouds, heat sources, and other features.
"In contrast to the Operational Line Scan system, the imagery from the new day-night band is almost like a nearsighted person putting on glasses for the first time and looking at the Earth anew," says Steve Miller, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University. "VIIRS has allowed us to bring this coarse, blurry view of night lights into clearer focus. Now we can see things in such great detail and at such high precision that we're really talking about a new kind of measurement."
Unlike a film camera that captures a photograph in one exposure, VIIRS produces an image by repeatedly scanning a scene and resolving it as millions of individual picture elements, or pixels. The day-night band goes a step further, determining on-the-fly whether to use its low, medium, or high-gain mode. If a pixel is very bright, a low-gain mode on the sensor prevents the pixel from over-saturating. If the pixel is dark, the signal will be amplified.
"On a hand-held camera, there's a nighttime setting where the shutter will stay open much longer than it would under daylight imaging conditions," says Chris Elvidge, who leads the Earth Observation Group at NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center. "The day-night band is similar. It increases the exposure time—the amount of time that it's collecting photons for pixels."Learn more about the VIIRS day-night band and nighttime imaging of Earth in our new feature story: Out of the Blue and Into the Black.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using Suomi NPP VIIRS and DMSP OLS data provided courtesy of Chris Elvidge (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center). Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.


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The Dawn of Freedom Brigades: Analysis and Interview
Thursday, October 2nd, 2014
By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Logo of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades
One of the more noted recent trends in rebel dynamics in Syria is the weakening of the Islamic Front, widely noted last year as the most powerful rebel alliance in terms of manpower and fighting capabilities. However, the coalition was always weaker than it seemed at first sight, with one of the most pertinent questions being why the constituent groups never abandoned their own individual names and banners if they were really so united. This year, the Islamic Front has seen its constituents- particularly Ahrar al-Sham- hit by defections to the Islamic State (IS), assassinations of leaders, and fracturing on account of tensions between and within the coalition's factions. The group Liwa al-Tawheed- previously considered one of the most powerful Aleppo factions- has suffered from internal fragmentation and manpower loss, with many of its local eastern Aleppo province affiliates having become defunct but now re-emerging as break-off groups, lacking any distinct ideological program equivalent to the Islamic Front's "Project of the Ummah" that aimed for a clear assertion of the Islamic Front as a serious Islamist political force to be reckoned with.
The new rebel coalition Tajammu' Alwiya Fajr al-Hurriya ('Grouping of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades') is a case-in-point. For example, one of the constituents of this coalition is Kata'ib Shams al-Shamal ('Sun of the North Battalions'), whose official Facebook page 'likes' a page set up for the Manbij Martyrs' Battalion, a one-time Liwa al-Tawheed affiliate in the town of Manbij that has since January of this year fallen under the exclusive control of the IS, having previously been a place where IS was merely one of a number of groups in the town including local Islamic Front groups' affiliates. This points to the link between the Kata'ib Shams al-Shamal formation and the now defunct Liwa al-Tawheed affiliates it has come to supersede in the northeast of Aleppo province.
Logo of Kata'ib Shams al-Shamal: "The Free Syrian Army."
The Facebook 'likes' of Kata'ib Shams al-Shamal, including the Manbij Martyrs' Battalion.
The Dawn of Freedom Brigades coalition is of importance at the moment because it is a participant in the fight against IS in the Kobani (Ayn al-Arab) area (e.g. see this video, said to be in the countryside just to the south of the main town) that is one of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) self-declared autonomous cantons. The coalition is thus cooperating with the PYD's armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG). This cooperation, as will be seen below, is something openly admitted: compare with this video* announcing the "Euphrates Volcano" joint operations room including Kata'ib Shams al-Shamal and the YPG for eastern Aleppo countryside to fight IS.
This pointedly contrasts with last year's dynamics that saw the parent organization Liwa al-Tawheed work with IS against the YPG in Aleppo province, in part contributing to severe losses for the YPG in that area. Such coordination with IS- following on from the YPG's expulsion of IS and Jabhat al-Nusra from Ras al-Ayn town in Hasakah province in mid-July- was also undertaken by other major rebel groups like Ahrar al-Sham. It was justified by many rebels at the time as necessary against a perceived 'regime agent' but was also rooted in wider Syrian Arab suspicion of Kurdish autonomy or separatist agendas. Undoubtedly the cooperation between IS and these rebel groups against the YPG allowed IS to grow.
To be sure, relations somewhat shifted at the start of this year as infighting broke out between IS and rebel groups across northern and eastern Syria: limited cooperation, for instance, was in evidence between Liwa al-Tawheed and Jabhat al-Akrad- a front-group for the YPG- in the Azaz countryside, but there was nothing on a par with rebels helping the YPG to defend a stronghold under PYD control. The current Dawn of Freedom Brigades-YPG effort in Kobani needs to be tied to a broader trend of some FSA-banner figures coming to terms with past mistakes vis-a-vis relatons with the YPG: foremost embodied in one-time Aleppo FSA Military Council head Col. Oqaidi's visit to the YPG in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in Aleppo province in late August, reflecting a 180 degree turn from his defences of IS and anti-YPG stance in summer 2013, even as he goes on about the need for unity against the niẓam ('regime').
In my view, however, this cooperation is too little, too late to lead to substantial setbacks for IS, hindered as it is also by Turkey's hostility towards the PYD on account of links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Western regard for such concerns. In the long-run too, there is a problem of differing agendas: the PYD has too little interest or resources to attempt to take the fight all the way to Raqqa city, for example, being more concerned with its own proto-state project in the territory it already controls.
Below is an interview I conducted with Abu al-Layth, one of the leaders of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades (see here for the Dawn of Freedom Brigades' organizational structure).
Q: What are the factions in the Dawn of Freedom Brigades? Is it true that the factions used to be in Liwa al-Tawheed?
A: The majority of the military factions were sidelined from Liwa al-Tawheed and others beside it previously; and we do not fight with any side that has no firm decision-making on the ground.**
Q: What are your aims? Do you want a democratic state or a state in which Shari'a is the sole source of legislation?
A: We are not planning on anything for when Assad falls. We hope that there will be protection for all the peoples [of Syria] and that we will co-exist- all of the Syrian people. And it [the Syrian people] is the one that decides what it wants. We are with the Syrian people.***
Q: With protection for all sects?
A: The people decides and we came out because of the racism of Bashar al-Assad.
Q: Is there cooperation with the YPG in the Ayn al-Arab area against the IS organization?
A: Yes. We of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades- when IS launched the assault on Ayn al-Arab- sent 250 fighters to Ayn al-Arab to protect the Kurdish and Arab people in this area. And we have tried to protect the Suleyman Shah tomb**** but we will not be able to do so because of the paucity of our heavy equipment.
Q: In your opinion are the American airstrikes helping the effort against IS?
A: This is in God's hands. We are against the coalition's airstrikes because they do not target the regime which is greatly criminal. The two states [i.e. IS and the regime] compete as to who can destroy civilian life more.
Q: And is it a problem also that the strikes are targeting Jabhat al-Nusra that fights the regime?
A: No. Jabhat al-Nusra fights on all sides, but has also yielded on more than one of the fronts between it and the regime.***** Examples: the battle of Kassab; it and Ahrar al-Sham of the battle of Hama recently; it and the Islamic Front in the battle of the Industrial Area in Aleppo. I mean they have many bad things about them as well. And we as a Syrian people don't accept any organization that is neutral or against our people.
Q: So the Islamic Front also withdrew from the Industrial Area in Aleppo?
A: The reason being the weakness of the two fronts [Nusra & the Islamic Front], so the regime seized the Industrial Area. Weakness and not withdrawal: I mean retreat.
*- Others mentioned in the video include brigades that have been working with the YPG for several months now following IS' takeover of all major urban areas in Raqqa province, such as Liwa Thuwar Raqqa (ex-Nusra affiliate) and Liwa al-Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (tied to the Western-backed SMC). The cooperation originates from the fact that many members of these groups sought refuge with the YPG west of Tel Abyad. The YPG would then help these groups to reclaim some villages from IS in return for power-sharing in those localities.
**- Referring to the lack of real unity and direction with the Islamic Front.
***- The mark of a non-ideological program, also contrasting with the "Project of the Ummah" of the Islamic Front from which the Dawn of Freedom Brigades coalition has emerged.
****- The site has been under the protection of Turkish troops and IS allegedly threatened an attack in March this year if they did not withdraw within 3 days, though even if the threat had been real, it was never acted on.
*****- cf. Aron Lund's article on Jabhat al-Nusra, which notes also the consolidation of control of towns and territory in Idlib province that have followed on from at least some withdrawals.


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Celebrating Michael Hopkins
January started off with the chance to go to the Diocese of Rochester and celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the ordination of friend and colleague Michael Hopkins. Yes, it was crazy cold but a good time was had by all!
Dodger Stadium LGBT Day
LGBT Day at Dodger Stadium made the list -- not only because [a] it was LGBT Day at [b] Dodger Stadium but because we [c] got to "double date" with Cynthia Case and her charming wife Kay Sylvester. No, it does not get much better than this!
SCOTUS Marriage Equality Decision/#GC78
The only thing BETTER than a sweeping, historic decision by the Supreme Court on marriage equality is a sweeping, historic decision by the Supreme Court on marriage equality coming WHILE we were in Salt Lake City at the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church -- followed by the enormous steps forward on sacramental marriage equality that came out of the same#GC78 that elected the first African-American Presiding Bishop. #priceless
Task Force on the Study of Marriage 2.0
One of the great privileges of the last three years was working on the Episcopal Church's Task Force on the Study of Marriage -- and I was super honored to be reappointed for another three years of working with these great people on this important work.
Diocesan Dodger Night 2015
Always a highlight, this year's Diocesan Dodger Night became a "bucket list" event when Bishop Glasspool invited me to be her catcher for the ceremonial first pitch. As a lifetime Dodger fan it was the coolest thing ever to be ON the field with this great cohort of fabulous people. (And no -- I didn't catch the ball. It got past me. And having lived my worst nightmare and not only survived it but embraced it ... well, it was a once in a lifetime thing.)
My Brilliant Wife
After years of graduate school, thousands of clinical hours and a boatload of studying Lori passed the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) licensure exams (Part One & Two) ON the first try and with flying colors. #SoProud
Standing Against Islamophobia
Unfortunately, this year gave us multiple opportunities to stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters who became collateral damage in the polarized partisan political climate in a nation that should know better. (This picture from the L.A. City Hall rally against violence and extremism.) #WeAreBetterThanThis
Family Wedding
What a delight to be able to be part of celebrating the marriage of Marisa and Jenn in Portland the week before Thanksgiving. It was lovely, sweet, moving, ordinary and extraordinary -- all the things a wedding should be and made me so, so grateful to [a] be part of this family and [b] to have lived long enough to see these moments of joy and equality become a reality.
They kind of mushed together this year with Jamie home for ten days over Thanksgiving and then great church during Advent and Christmas followed by more family fun in Vegas for Christmas. So grateful. So lucky. So blessed.
And last but not least ...
The Privilege of Working at All Saints Church
Whether all showing up in pink to support Planned Parenthood or marching in #BlackLivesMatter rallies or standing with our MPAC friends or making liturgy, pastoral care and formation happen 24/7 All Saints Church is an amazing place to live out this crazy vocation of presbyter in the Episcopal Church. #SoGrateful