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#1 Ranked Children's Hospital by U.S. News & World Report
MyPatients provides referring primary care providers with secure access to their patients' information.
Boston Children's has launched the world's 1st program dedicated to offering hand transplants to children who qualify.
Innovation insider is a semi-monthly e-newsletter analyzes innovations at Boston Children's, other academic medical centers and from industry.
Read the latest blog by a Boston Children's doctor, clinician or staff member.
There are many ways you can help children and their families get the care they need.
BOSTON (Oct. 8, 2014)— Under a five-year, $6 million grant announced today by the National Institutes of Health, Boston Children's Hospital will lead 10 medical centers in studying three rare genetic syndromes that often cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). The study's ultimate goal is to launch clinical trials of new treatments and develop "biomarkers" that can be used to monitor treatment effectiveness—for the three rare syndromes and possibly for broader groups of ASD/ID patients.
Through the grant, from NIH's Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), the 10 centers have formed the Developmental Synaptopathies Consortium (U54 NS092090). In addition to the NIH and Boston Children's, the Consortium includes Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Rush University Medical Center, Stanford University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California at Los Angeles and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. (See below for a list of leading investigators.) Enrollment is projected to begin in the spring of 2015.
While both ASD and ID have a variety of known genetic causes, some of them have been shown to impair similar cellular pathways in the brain. The three conditions to be studied by the Consortium—tuberous sclerosis complex (caused by mutations in the TSC1 and TSC2 genes), Phelan-McDermid syndrome (caused by SHANK3 mutations) and PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (caused by PTEN mutations)—seem to affect certain shared pathways influencing the development of brain connections, or synapses.
"To date, genetic studies indicate that there are about 500 to 1,000 genes that make people susceptible to ASD and ID," says Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, a pediatric neurologist at Boston Children's Hospital and the Consortium Director. "While it's very unlikely that a single therapy could treat disorders with so many distinct causes, we may be able to find certain groups of patients who share defects in similar biochemical pathways and may respond to treatment with the same agents."
For example, the finding that tuberous sclerosis complex results from disruption of the mTOR pathway have led Sahin and colleagues to test whether mTOR inhibitors can improve patients' neurocognition. The Consortium investigators now plan to begin testing mTOR inhibitors in PTEN patients, since mTOR has also been implicated in their disease.
Together, the sites will seek to enroll 100 patients with tuberous sclerosis, 90 with Phelan-McDermid syndrome and 140 with PTEN mutations, ages 3 to 21, and follow them for three to five years with physical examinations, neuropsychological testing and advanced brain imaging. Advocacy groups for each condition, including the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, Phelan McDermid Syndrome Foundation, PTEN World, PTEN Life and The Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation, helped design the studies and are providing additional funding. Each group will notify its patient community when enrollment opens.
"Through comparative analysis of pathology caused by multiple genes, we may find that treatments developed for one disorder might be applicable to others," says Sahin, who also founded and directs the Multidisciplinary Tuberous Sclerosis Program at Boston Children's. "A deeper understanding of this shared biology may also be a gateway to understanding the broader mechanisms of ASD and ID."
The RDCRN is an initiative of NIH's Office of Rare Disease Research (ORDR) and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The Developmental Synaptopathies Consortium is funded through collaboration between NCATS, NIMH, NINDS and NICHD. Its lead investigators are:
About Boston Children's Hospital
Boston Children's Hospital is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, 14 members of the Institute of Medicine and 14 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children's today is a 395-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. Boston Children's is also the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
For more information about research and clinical innovation at Boston Children's Hospital, visit: http://vectorblog.org
To learn more about pediatric health visit our Thriving blog
Join the social discussion and tweet us @BostonChildrens
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Boston Children's is so much more than a hospital—it's a community of researchers, clinicians, administrators, support staff, innovators, teachers, patients and families, all working together to make the impossible possible.


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Fitting a Circle to Three Given Points
Date: 02/19/2006 at 00:00:06 From: Ritsuko Subject: curve fitting and equation of a circle I want to find an equation of a circle passing through three points, (x1,y1), (x2,y2), and (x3,y3) by solving a system of linear equations. I cannot figure out what equation (in what form?) must be used for a circle. For a polynomial, I use P(x) = ax + bx + cx^2 when three points are given. I think I could use the circle's general equation x^2 + y^2 = r^2, but I don't know where to put coefficients a, b and c and can't make a system of equations.
Date: 02/20/2006 at 09:14:56 From: Doctor George Subject: Re: curve fitting and equation of a circle Hi Ritsuko, Thanks for writing to Doctor Math. You are on the right track. A circle is a special case of a general quadratic. We can write it like this: x^2 + y^2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0 If you substitute your three points into (x,y) you will have three linear equations with three unknowns (D, E, and F). Solve for those three unknowns. Then you will need to complete the square on x and y to find the center and the radius. Does that make sense? Write again if you need more help. - Doctor George, The Math Forum http://mathforum.org/dr.math/
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subset: commoncrawl


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97 – Prequels or Sequels We Want Made
We discuss the movies we'd like to see spawned from current movies.
Closing Song:
Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
"Down To the End Of The Wine" (mp3)
from "Weird Scenes Inside The Birdhouse"
(The Omni Recording Corporation)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
96 – Movies That Get You Riled Up!
These are the movies that are either so good they still you to anger or so bad it makes you angry. Either way. Fun topic.
The killer closing song for this episode:
Matt Skiba
"S.O.S." (mp3)
from "Demos"
(Asian Man Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
95 – Movies Settings Where You'd Want to Live
We are discussing the films that make you want to pack your bags for vacation or pick it all up and move for good.
The awesome closing song for this episode:
Admiral Fallow
"Squealing Pigs" (mp3)
from "Boots Met My Face"
(Lo-Five Records)
Buy at Napster
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
94 – Top 5 Movies to Watch When You're Drunk
What are you're favorite movies to watch while and after the booze stops flowing? We go though our favorites on this episode.
The awesome closing song for this episode:
Ferocious Few
"Cryin' Shame" (mp3)
from "Juices"
(Birdman Records)
Buy at Napster
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
93 – Top 5 Lawyers in Movies and TV
This week on the MeanDawg podcast the gang ranks their favorite lawyers from movies and television based on which they want to represent them in a real trial.
Enjoy the show!
Closing song:
"Born Under a Bad Sign" (mp3)
from "Real Control"
(Bladen County Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
92 – Top 5 Kick-Ass Character Names Tournament
Tournament! Listen to find out who has the most kick-ass character name of all time. Music by our good friend The Invisible Kid!
Enjoy the show!
Closing song:
Century 21 by The Invisible Kid
On lala.com:
91 – Top 5 Least Favorite Directors
This is also known as Top 5 Directors you want to poop on, but we get into that in the show. Thanks for being so patient everyone! We are planning to get shows out every week or two, but this one took a little longer in the kitchen. Mark, Jay, Randy and Dave are all here with a special pre-recorded appearance from Josh in Australia. He's one of our favorite listeners and has his own podcast at riptheknobsoff.com
Enjoy the show!
Closing song:
The Jive Turkeys
"The Funky Turkey" (mp3)
from "Bread & Butter"
(Colemine Records)
90 – MeanDawg Returns: Our Top 5 from 2009
We are back with our first show since 2008. Check out our picks for some of our favorite movies from the past year.
Closing song:
Jason Collett
"Love Is A Dirty Word" (mp3)
from "Rat A Tat Tat"
(Arts & Crafts)
Return of Meandawg. We're coming back. New Show in 1 week.
Like a bad dream.
89 – Political Movies
Closing song:
Deer Tick
"Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)" (mp3)
from "War Elephant"
(Partisan Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store


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The Belfast Garden Club celebrated the November 12th 90th birthday of Club member and Searsmont resident Sally Shure at its monthly meeting on October 15. Sally joined the Club in 1993 while still living in Highland Park, New Jersey. Since then, she has organized tours to the Boston Flower Show and served as Finance Chair, Parliamentarian, First Vice-President, and Design and Horticulture Committee chair. Sally is currently History and Scrapbook chair and coordinates Hannaford returnables collections. Club members gave Sally a card and gift and celebrated her big day with a bright yellow birthday cake.
Belfast Garden Club member, Sally Shure, Honored at age 90
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"For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin," Hebrews 4:15. Monday I was surprised, my cousin, Joe Roberts, ...Read More »
"That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing," I Thess. 4:12. Monday, Noel Scott visited with us. Thursday, Gary and I went to Long Run to visit with Uncle Rayford ...Read More »
"As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me while they say daily unto me. Where is thy God?" Psalms 42:10. Betty Satterfield that goes to Black Oak Church had to be taken to the hospital in Springfield ...Read More »
"All nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land saith the Lord of host," Malachi 3:12. Last Thursday Gary and I went to Ava Place to pick up his mother, Maxine Turner and we went to ...Read More »
This area has lost another good man. Ronnie Pinckney was taken to the hospital in Springfield Monday. His meter expired early Thursday morning. God took him home, flying with the angels. We may have a lot of family and friends ...Read More »
"For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God wherefore turn yourselves and live ye," Ezekiel 18:32. Elaine Burnett of Theodosia was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake not a copperhead. Sympathy to Zada ...Read More »
"The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour," Esther 8:16. Wednesday, my brother, Orville Clayton, and son, Gregory Minder, and my sister, Christine Clayton from Illinois came down to visit. Christine and I visited Uncle Rayford Clayton that ...Read More »
"There is no peace saith my God, to the wicked," Isaiah 57:21. Monday, TJ and I went to Mansfield to the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes. There had been a storm the Friday night before and it took down a big ...Read More »
Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me. Psalm 35:1 I must apologize, Howard Mitchell's sisters name was Evelyn not Jerry that passed away. Smypathy to Eileen McCoy and family ...Read More »
The whole armour of God is awkward equipment for an easy chair. Sympathy to Howard Mitchell and his brothers and sisters. His sister, Jerry, died. She lived in Colorado. Eddie and Linda Sears had all four sons and their family ...Read More »


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Australian leg spinner Shane Warne's 'B' sample also tested positive for the banned diuretics and the cricketer now faces a maximum two-year ban from international cricket.
Diuretics are masking agents and could be used to conceal the presence of performance-enhancing steroids or stimulants and that is why they are banned in sports.
The Australian Sports Drug Agency, which carried out the tests, is believed to have informed Warne about the second positive test.
Warne, Australia's leading wicket-taker in both Tests and one-day cricket, admitted taking a 'fluid tablet', whichhe did not know contained prohibited substances but has maintained that he did not take any performance enhancingdrugs.
Warne, who has been consulting his lawyers, has seven�days under ASDA protocol to ask for an internal inquiry or appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
According to the Sun Herald, Warne's lawyers are expected to argue that the type of diuretic used by the leg spinner was not strong enough to hide traces of steroids.
Warne was tested in Melbourne on January 22, a day before he announced he would quit one-day cricket.
The result of the test on Warne's 'A' sample came to light hours before Australia were to start their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in South Africa.
Warne was forced to return home in a huff to await the result of the test on his 'B' sample and subsequently appear for a hearing before a drugs tribunal.


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Overview of the Strategy, Execution, and Evaluation Budgeting Process
GAO-13-649R: Published: Jun 28, 2013. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2013.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
- Accessible Text:
(202) 512-3841
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
What GAO Found
In 2011, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented a new budget development and execution process called Strategy Execution and Evaluation (SEE). This process includes seven steps, generally referred to by the names of the documents that capture the decisions made at that step. The first four steps in a SEE cycle cover planning, budget formulation, and budget submission, and the last three steps cover budget execution and performance evaluation. The seven steps are as follows:
1. Annual guidance memorandum
2. Implementation plans
3. Corporate portfolio analysis
4. Budget submission
5. Corporate portfolio review
6. Annual operating plans
7. Progress to plan
NOAA uses steps 1 through 3 to identify budget requirements. Step 1 is meant to identify budget needs from the "top down" on the basis of the NOAA Administrator's priorities as captured in the annual guidance memorandum. Step 2 is meant to identify budget requirements from the "bottom up" on the basis of program needs as identified in the implementation plans that NOAA staff prepare for each of the goals and objectives in the agency's strategic plan. Agency leaders reconcile the budget requirements in step 3 (corporate portfolio analysis) and make budget recommendations in a decision memorandum.
NOAA has largely implemented all of the SEE steps except for steps 5 and 7 (corporate portfolio review and progress to plan). NOAA officials told GAO that they intend to implement these steps and a new evaluation component of SEE in 2013. Officials told GAO that fiscal year 2013 will be the first opportunity to conduct steps 5 and 7 because it is the first year for which the agency has completed a full budget cycle under the SEE process. In May 2012, NOAA created an evaluation committee that, among other activities, is beginning to develop an agencywide plan for collecting and disseminating information on planned and completed program evaluations and to produce a program evaluation handbook to guide NOAA staff in conducting program evaluations.
Why GAO Did This Study
In 2002, NOAA implemented a planning, programming, budgeting, and execution system to achieve compliance with external demands for improved strategic management and performance-based budgeting, as set forth in the President's Management Agenda and the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. According to NOAA officials, NOAA determined in 2010, on the basis of internal and external reviews, that this system was too complex and time-consuming and did not provide an efficient mechanism for effective agency decision making. NOAA's new SEE process was intended to be simpler, less administratively burdensome, and better aligned with NOAA's strategic plan than the preceding system. GAO was asked to review the SEE process. This report identifies (1) the SEE process steps for developing and executing NOAA's budget, (2) how NOAA uses the SEE process to identify budget requirements, and (3) the status of NOAA's efforts to implement SEE. GAO reviewed relevant NOAA policies, guidance, and other documents regarding the SEE process and interviewed NOAA officials.
What GAO Recommends
GAO is not making any recommendations in this report.
For more information, contact Anne-Marie Lasowski Fennell at (202) 512-3841 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Feb 6, 2018
Budget Issues:Continuing Resolutions and Other Budget Uncertainties Present Management ChallengesGAO-18-368T: Published: Feb 6, 2018. Publicly Released: Feb 6, 2018.
Oct 12, 2017
Public Relations Spending:Selected Agencies' Activities Supported by Contracts and Public Affairs StaffGAO-17-711: Published: Sep 12, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 12, 2017.
Oct 2, 2017
U.S. Territories:Public Debt OutlookGAO-18-160: Published: Oct 2, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 2, 2017.
Sep 20, 2017
Budget Issues:Budget Uncertainty and Disruptions Affect Timing of Agency SpendingGAO-17-807T: Published: Sep 20, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 20, 2017.
May 3, 2017
The Nation's Fiscal Health:Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-17-579T: Published: May 3, 2017. Publicly Released: May 3, 2017.
Jan 18, 2017
Overseas Contingency Operations:OMB and DOD Should Revise the Criteria for Determining Eligible Costs and Identify the Costs Likely to Endure Long TermGAO-17-68: Published: Jan 18, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 18, 2017.
Jan 17, 2017
The Nation's Fiscal Health:Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-17-237SP: Published: Jan 17, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 17, 2017.
Jan 12, 2017
Grants Management:Selected Agencies Should Clarify Merit-Based Award Criteria and Provide Guidance for Reviewing Potentially Duplicative AwardsGAO-17-113: Published: Jan 12, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2017.
Dec 20, 2016
Declining Resources:Selected Agencies Took Steps to Minimize Effects on Mission but Opportunities Exist for Additional ActionGAO-17-79: Published: Dec 20, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 20, 2016.
Dec 8, 2016
State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:2016 UpdateGAO-17-213SP: Published: Dec 8, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 8, 2016.
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"It doesn't add up" - Profiles of Ten NC Workers Who Experienced Wage Theft
When Sarah was offered a job at her son's daycare, she jumped at the chance. Having recently received a degree in child development, she had been searching for a job in her field, and this position would let her spend her days closer to her son. Looking back on that time, Sarah remembered thinking, "It's a job and I get to be with my son… What could go wrong?"
When she was hired, Sarah didn't know the daycare was extremely understaffed and that she would be asked to care for 27 children aged 3 to 12 for hours at a time. She could not have imagined that due to the understaffing, bathroom breaks for teachers would be a rarity. "There is no one to relieve us because everyone's classrooms are at capacity, so you can't leave the classroom for two minutes to go to the bathroom," she said. Six teachers in six classrooms at the daycare had left within the preceding year.
On top of the poor working conditions, Sarah started noticing that hours were missing from her paycheck. A full day of training was uncompensated, early-morning hours spent getting her classroom ready were not counted, and curriculum planning was considered "volunteer time."
When she asked her supervisor about the missing hours, she was told that these tasks were expected but did not constitute paid time. Sarah said, "Coming in early to make sure that my classroom is set up is a requirement, which makes sense, except that you are not getting paid for that time."
Curriculum planning was also expected to be done on teachers' own time. "[We] are expected to do it on our lunch break or before work or after work or during nap time—but that's when we are required to be cleaning, filling out daily forms, dealing with bathroom breaks," Sarah said. "There is no time to work on the curriculum. … When I go home at the end of the day, I'm still expected to be working on a volunteer basis."
Sarah stated that every teacher at her child-care center felt powerless. "It's easy to lose you because you're replaceable," she said. Out of all the participants, Sarah was the only one who quit her job after confronting her employer and seeing nothing change. It was a difficult choice—not because of the working conditions or pay, but because she genuinely cared about the children with whom she worked.
It's just really hard to look at one of those kids, especially, and there's always one who's going to do something so sweet and loving and right when you're just about to freak out … then they're like … "Let me show you something, let me show you this picture, this is me and you on the school bus." I'm like, "Oh, okay, I'll stay. We'll do this for one more day."
But Sarah had been brought to tears on multiple occasions because of poor working conditions—being in charge of three times as many children as allowed by law, making do with deficient supplies, often working with no bathroom breaks, and, finally, not getting paid. "You're just trying to get through every single day, and you look at your paycheck, and you're like, crap, this is all I made? It's not worth it." She felt fortunate she had a college degree and the income from her husband's full-time job, which were enough to cushion her when she finally resigned.
It was Freddy's first time working in the fields, pulling cilantro from dawn to dusk. He had worked at restaurants and call centers previously but took this job for the promise of work and pay. What he found were difficult working conditions, isolation, and ultimately wage theft.
Pulling cilantro was hard work—"You gotta dig them out of the earth"—especially working all day, every day. "You work from six to six, sun up to sun down every day," Freddy said.
Freddy soon discovered that the promised pay of $11 per hour was unachievable through a piece rate pay scale: "Whatever you pick, that's the amount you get." When asked how long it would take to pick the 1,000 plants per box that would earn a worker $11 per hour, Freddy talked about the difficulty of working quickly enough to pick that many plants.
…that's honestly, that's slavery, man. … You really have to be <snaps fingers> quick, quick, quick because if you're not, then you don't balance out the hours. [The foreman was] like, "whatever boxes you fill, that's what you get."
On top of making less than minimum wage, Freddy did not receive his final paycheck. He was told he was fired and then never got paid. He and his co-workers complained to their employer, who told them to leave. "Basically, he just, pretty much said, 'You know what? You guys are fired and … you guys need to leave."
Freddy was the only one able to successfully seek representation to challenge the wage theft, but he did not get the money owed him.
Francesca remembered feeling deceived and frightened about how she would make ends meet when her boss refused to pay her a full week's wages and avoided her phone calls and requests to be paid. She was unaware that she could report the theft, unaware that the theft was legally actionable, and unaware that she had a legal right to the past wages earned. Francesca believed her theft was simply an unfair fact of working life in North Carolina.
Before her employer stole her wages, she held three jobs—she worked at a fast food restaurant, as a daytime caregiver for a young baby, and as a housecleaner for a cleaning service company. Francesca heard about job opportunities through her community. "We're always communicating … in the community, we help each other look and find jobs." She also went directly to restaurants or hotels to ask for work applications. Francesca found her housecleaning position through a friend at the fast food restaurant where she worked.
For about three months, Francesca worked steadily as a housecleaner for her employer. One Friday, her boss called her to tell her she was not needed the following week. "But he hadn't paid me for that week, and I thought he would pay me when he called me again," Francesca recalled. Many unsuccessful attempts to contact him followed.
She sought assistance at a community organization, which made attempts on her behalf, but three months went by without any response. She eventually ran into her employer while depositing a paycheck from another job. He agreed to pay her with money he had stored in his truck, but again, Francesca waited in vain for him to return.
The next time Francesca ran into him, the situation had changed. Her former supervisor now accused her of theft. He said,
There was a robbery in the houses we were cleaning. They stole jewelry and many other things, even a computer was lost, he said. So the woman called the police, they sent a report, and your name is in the report with the police, because it could have only been you or the person who followed after you.
The accusation was the final straw, and Francesca sought legal advice. For $50, a lawyer sent the employer a letter, which ultimately did nothing to further her attempts. When thinking back on her wage theft experience, Francesca felt a lot of fear. She was an immigrant without proper documentation, so she felt threatened and concerned that her employer would report her. She explained that people without papers are afraid and don't have a way to defend themselves.
Natalia cleaned residential homes for a cleaning company. Though she had no formal occupational training, she worked at her current job long enough to achieve the title of team captain. In spite of her seven years of dedication to the cleaning company, she experienced several forms of wage theft. A few times in the last year, Natalia's bosses failed to pay her on time. In other instances, the employer paid Natalia less than what she was promised by changing the payment terms.
Natalia also experienced wage theft in the form of illegal deductions. When driving from home to home during the working day, using one of the employees' personal vehicles, the company docked Natalia's earnings to pay for gasoline. "For me, this is an abuse—a robbery. I shouldn't be paying for the gasoline." Relatedly, Natalia is also not paid for the time she spends traveling from house to house on the job. Natalia's time log will read the full amount of hours, but she is not paid for all of those hours.
When we do our own counting, well I may have not studied much or know math, but I know how to add the numbers, and when we do our own calculations, it doesn't add up to what she said. It's always less.
Natalia tried to confront her boss after she noticed deductions for gas without her consent as well as underpayment. She quickly realized that her job was at stake. "I stood up to her one time ... She said, 'If you don't like it you can go.'" Natalia explained.
Natalia noted that her boss takes advantage of her and the other housecleaners because of their ethnicity. "[The boss] has a way of [making us feel that] because we're Hispanic, she yells at us and makes us feel like we're not as worthy."
Natalia worried that if she complained further, her employer would fire her. She considered leaving her job but knew it would be difficult to find new employment, and so she felt stuck.
Diego was used to hard work, having worked in a rock mine in Virginia before coming to North Carolina. He now works in landscaping—installing underground pipes for irrigation systems, working with electrical systems for lighting, pruning trees, and maintaining yards—"everything that is landscaping … All of that … it's what we do." Despite the hard work and the lack of income stability because much of the work is weather-dependent, he enjoyed his job. His job responsibilities, however, are separate from the challenge of making sure he is paid fairly.
Favorite part of my job? No, well, I like it very much. I do like the work. It's interesting. I am pleased with the work. Only that there are some things that [I] no longer agree with, you know? To me, that work is good. I like it. But there are some things that... but those are things that have nothing to do with the work.
Diego, who is a Hispanic immigrant, works with both with other immigrant workers and with workers who are citizens. The work, however, is unevenly divided and unevenly paid. The harder work is assigned to the Hispanic workers, and across the board the immigrant workers are paid less. "They pay the Americans well. … But the heavy work and all that, only we do it."
During our interview, Diego spoke about the dismantling of the expectation of getting paid a rightful wage and the difficulty of having any sense of security about spending money, even for basic needs. Diego was upset when he spoke about paychecks that never arrived. "Because we earn so little, we already make—that is, when we count together the hours, we believe we are going to earn a certain amount."
Diego was committed to sending money home to his family in Mexico, but with the fluctuating pay, he had difficulties paying for his own basic expenses such as rent and food. Diego noted that he did not vary the amount he sent to his family and simply cut down on his own spending.
When it's time to get my check and I see that it's not … what I thought I was going to get. And so since it's always less … I'll have to make—I'll have to spend less here.
Diego can't talk to his supervisor about the working conditions. He tried to ask for a raise once.
He said "Right now, I can't give you a raise but if you want to leave, leave." "Anyhow, like 1,000 Mexicans," he says, "are at the border coming over here. So there, whatever you want." With answers like that, how is one going to feel comfortable?
In addition to the threat of losing a job, the supervisor maintains an environment of disrespect and control. He yells at the workers and tries to intimidate them.
…the first thing he does is he stands like this in front of you. …he speaks a little Spanish, mostly vulgarities. … When he wants to shout at me, he wants to shout in my face.
Despite the fact that Diego does not have an employment contract, he is paid by check and receives pay stubs. However, his supervisor has sole control over recording Diego's hours and regularly undercounts them. Diego explains, "It's that there isn't a control of the hours. [The supervisor] takes them down however he wants. … [He has] the power to put down the hours." And every week, the hours are undercounted.
Carlos, who worked in construction, received only partial payment for his work, was denied his final paycheck at one job, and at another was forced to work overtime—"I would work until 7 or 8 at night"—but was not paid overtime wages. At his most recent job, Carlos waited for a paycheck for his last two weeks of work, but the paycheck never came.
I worked and the job was finished and when it was over, they didn't pay me. It was two weeks of work... and Christmas began right now recently, I thought if he pays me on Christmas, well it's Christmas and nothing. New Years? [Much] less. Now, we're in February. He hasn't paid me.
It was not an isolated incident. At another job, Carlos's boss continuously underpaid him. He worked 40 hours per week at $10 an hour but would only receive part of his pay on payday.
So he would come by and give me 380, 300, or 280 and then he would say he would give me the rest another week and I would say ok. And the next week would come and he would only give me—again the same and it would accumulate.
Often, payday was delayed from Friday to Monday or Tuesday, but sometimes payday just didn't arrive. Carlos explained, "If one doesn't get paid on Monday or Tuesday, one doesn't go back anymore. And that's how it happens." Carlos tried calling the employer, until he found that calling would do no good.
… and he says "no, I'm coming this day or this day," and no, that day never comes until the day comes when the tiredness comes from calling so much that it's better to not seek them—one doesn't keep calling him by telephone. So yes, it's lost.
Despite the fact that the amount stolen from him was significant, Carlos felt powerless to remedy these wrongs. He could not confront his employer for fear of retaliation: "Because one is undocumented, one can have more problems than what the other person is going to pay." He thought about filing a claim but could not afford the filing fee: "$120 and one doesn't have any money? How can one do that? It can't be done." He sought help at a community organization but was unaware of other resources.
Carlos talked about the delicate balance he established in paying for food, transportation, and rent. The expectation of his promised wage used to provide him with the security to spend a little more on food or transportation toward the beginning of the month.
… [I thought] it's not a problem because [the employer] is going to pay me on this day. On Friday, for example, he's going to pay me on Friday so I'll spend it today or I'll send more money to Mexico. One starts spending it.
Over the last few years, however, Carlos had been taught over and over again that his promised pay would likely not arrive.
So that day comes when you get paid and you confront the employer and say, "Where's my money?" and you'll never see him. One never sees him. That's when you feel very bad.
While Carlos was frustrated about every incident, he said that he eventually came to feel resigned. "The first few times, it feels bad …. After, one has become accustomed," he said. When asked about the typical wages in his industry, he included the potential of wage theft in his answer: he noted that a typical wage was $15 an hour, "but sometimes they rob you."
Esther had been living with the same family as a home health aide for the past year and a half. She was the primary caregiver for an 89-year-old woman and was responsible for her well-being from morning to night."[I] cook, clean, bathe her, do physical therapy work with her, I took her out to get her hair done, everything," she said.
Esther eventually developed a close relationship with her client, doing tasks for her that her own family would not do. "I made sure her hair was done. I would take her out in my own car just to get her out of the house," Esther explained. She went the extra mile because she cared for her client and "treated her like she's [my] mother."
Esther soon began noticing that the family was having financial difficulties. When the family refused to pay her for an entire month according to her contract, she took them to small claims court. At the same time, the family filed for bankruptcy, and Esther was unable to collect her judgment. Small claims court had "drained the little money [she] had saved," and hiring a bankruptcy attorney was unaffordable. After three years in the home health field, she found herself without a job, without savings, and without the funds to get paid.
The lack of a single paycheck pushed Karen over the edge into financial instability. She had worked for the same company for 13 years. After noticing that her latest paycheck had not been deposited, she called the office. The human resources representative she spoke to asked if she was sitting down.
I said, "Yes, I'm sitting down." [The HR representative] said, "The company is closing immediately and we don't have money for staff." I said, "How could that be?" She said, "That's the way it is."…That was it. So when I got off the phone I hollered and cried. I mean I was just shocked about this because I should have known something before this.
The company was shutting its doors with no prior notice, and all employees were told they were being let go immediately. In addition to losing her job, Karen lost her last two weeks of pay. She had already been living paycheck to paycheck, trying to get out of debt. The loss of a full paycheck meant she would not be able to pay her creditors.
I had planned on that money. And when you make plans like that, and you tell your creditors, "Look, this is the date I'm going to have your money," and then you don't have it, it makes you look stupid. And the thing about it, the creditors don't care whether you have a job. They don't care. If you tell them that you're going to pay them on that day, that's what they want on that date. They're not sympathetic with you at all. When they want their money, they want their money.
As Karen described the increasing numbers of calls from creditors, she began to cry. "I'll be 61 in May, and this is the worst I have ever seen myself in a predicament like this," she said.
Karen was not sure about next steps. Her co-workers told her small claims court was an option, but she was worried about being able to pay for the process. "On that paper it says you have to pay $96. I don't have that," she said. She was discouraged and said, "this is the worst I have ever seen myself in a predicament like this. … When I start talking about this, it really gets to my heart."
Roger worked for four different restaurants over the last six years and finally found a job he loved. His boss treated him well and paid her employees what they were owed. At previous restaurants it was common for kitchen staff to not get paid, for tips to be held, and for everyone's check to bounce.
I've had probably three checks bounce. In the matter of two months, I had about three checks bounce and a couple situations where we were told don't cash it until—don't deposit this into your bank until Tuesday of next week, you know, five days. Just like an ongoing process of nobody getting paid.
Roger discussed the uncertainty that is common for those working in restaurants where wage theft is rampant. For Roger, missing wages meant making late payments toward his bills. Even when he did get paid there was always something missing. "There was $15 missing here, $20 missing here. All the time. Like once a week, really." That $15 or $20 added up. For Roger, it meant late fees on cable bills and car payments and the inability to count on his paycheck.
You can't buy anything for yourself because you're not sure if the next paycheck's going to go in. So I can't do this because I don't know if I'll get paid Monday, and I'm almost out as it is because I got paid late last week and I had to pay all my bills at one time, so now I'm back down to zero. And I can't do anything because I don't know what's going to happen next time paychecks come around. Am I going to have anything then?
At one restaurant, the owner fixed up his house and bought a new car while telling his workers that he had run out of money.
… and then it would be delayed and you'd just get the one paycheck the next week and he'd still owe you the current one and it would just be backed up and backed up. And that's not their money. That's the money that the workers are making. What he sells is his money, but what people leave for us is our money and often times, it's not treated like that.
Roger said that most workers felt like there was "literally nothing you can do besides go to the labor board, which so far has—from my experience, from watching—has done nothing."
I mean, if you're not going to get it, most people just let it go and walk away from it instead of raising a big stink about it or trying to get a lawyer. A lot of people just eat the money, which is terrible because then it gets to points like these where it's becoming so popular to not pay your workers because nobody's doing anything about it. There's no repercussions for anything in [the restaurant] industry.
Roger explained that the practice of firing workers for questioning wage theft was not uncommon in his past jobs at restaurants.
I know of a couple workers that had just had enough and would just stay on top of him and stay on top of him and stay on top of him that were fired for just having an "attitude." They don't want to pay you, but they don't want to see the attitude from it because then it messes with their business.
He noted the effect of working in such an environment.
The workers feel replaceable, and you don't want to work somewhere where you think, where you know that the person at the top knows you're replaceable. That's a horrible way to work, especially not getting paid the right way, making next to nothing, trying to support families.
Carrie saw her job as a nursing assistant as helping people and noted that she received satisfaction from her work.
It really touches my heart to hear an elderly say you know, nobody has ever washed my feet this way and really rubbed the lotion in or has never washed my back this way or have really cleaned me thoroughly. … But I do, I like working with people. I like helping people.
But for Carrie, one paycheck, or $1500 for one month's work, was the difference between struggling to make ends meet and homelessness. Late checks were nothing new for her. She had been working as a live-in home health care provider for the same family for the past six years, and often she was asked to wait a week or two past her promised payday to receive her wages. Most of the time, despite the fact that the late checks were hurting her credit, Carrie was understanding of her employer's delay. "I went along with that," she said. "I understand, everybody runs into a financial situation."
Her employers' financial situation became more strained, however, and Carrie found herself shopping for her client at the grocery store with insufficient funds. "And they would leave checks there for me to go to the grocery store, but there wouldn't be no money there. I got tired of going to the store being embarrassed, cart full of food, no money's there." Carrie began using her own money to help pay for the food. "I would take money out my check to make sure [my client] ate."
Finally, in December of last year, no paycheck arrived. "But here comes Christmas, you don't give me nothing in the month of December," Carrie remembered. As a live-in home health care provider, she lost not only her paycheck but a place to live when her employment ended. Because she did not receive her last paycheck, she didn't have the money for a deposit and first month's rent on an apartment. While she had enough money to stay at a hotel for a few weeks, ultimately she was forced to move to a local women's shelter." So, I moved out Christmas Eve. The money that I had saved up, I had to pay my car insurance and everything else. So, that's what led me here."
She had dreams of one day opening up her own home health agency, but then she found she could no longer physically do her job. While she had tried to work through back pain for years, it finally got to the point where she could no longer perform her job duties. Her agency provided her with no work supports—"You don't get no benefits. You don't get no insurance. It's sad because you stand to injure yourself."—and she had to stop working.


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League One contenders
Jermaine Beckford is a leading contender for December's Player of the Month in League One.
Last Updated: 30/12/09 12:56pm
Jermaine Beckford might have had a public spat with Leeds boss Simon Grayson but his popularity amongst the Elland Road faithful shows no sign of fading.
The in-form striker has lifted the coveted award for the past two months and is line to make it an unprecedented hat-trick in the December PFA Player of the Month award.
Leeds seem determined to keep the award in-house as Robert Snodgrass won the first one this season and Neil Kilkenny is also in the frame this month.
The stylish midfielder has an army of admirers at the Yorkshire club and his assists have been an integral part of Beckford's success.
However, Kilkenny has also got in on the goalscoring act himself and is holding down a regular place in what is an ultra-competitive engine room at Elland Road.
New face
If there is a striker to rival Beckford for effectiveness then it is Norwich's Grant Holt, who has been firing in the goals all season.
The 28-year-old has snared 19 goals this campaign since his close-season move from Shrewsbury including three this month.
Norwich are perched behind the top two of Leeds and Charlton and will need Holt to continue cracking home the goals if they are to break into the automatic promotion positions.
Gary Dicker is a new face on the scene but his performances for Brighton have caught the eye in a difficult season for the Seagulls.
The Dublin-born midfielder moved to the Withdean Stadium in the summer after two years at Stockport and he bagged his first goal of the campaign this month.
Voting is well under way and you have until midnight on 31st December to get your vote in so click here to do so.


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Project Briefs
Every client is different, with varying cultures, business needs, legal challenges, and information governance goals. Some have mature information governance programs, and only rely on ViaLumina for focused consulting help; others require complete information governance programs built from the ground up.
ViaLumina provides customized consulting services – based on our best practice framework – to help each client achieve their information governance goals.
This section provides several project briefs that demonstrate how we have helped our clients in the past, and illustrate how we might help your organization.
Building a Legal Hold Program
Financial services institution building a legal hold program
Standardize IG Practices and Tools
Multinational energy company seeking to standardize information governance practices and tools
Modernize Approach to IG
Pharmaceutical company seeking to modernize its approach to information governance


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10 Presentations You Must See
Lists like this are a bit of a gimmick. "Click bait" is the term, I believe. But I'm listing them here out of a conviction that the presentations that follow are, in fact, worth your time. While other presentations surely are just as worthy of your time, these are ten that have impressed me as worth hearing here at the end of 2016 (and, no, these aren't necessarily presentations made or posted in 2016).
Now, I struggled with even the thought of attempting to rank these, or even to put them here in any particular order. Different considerations would result in a different ordering. But I'm not ranking or ordering them in terms of importance. I feel like each is important is significant and notable ways. So, I offer you ten presentations I believe you'll want to watch or hear.


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By Jose Grijalva, Project Spurs.com
Despite being linked to every big name available in the trade market, the San Antonio Spurs stood pat during the trade deadline.
The team was linked to Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, and most recently J.J. Redick, but there's also reports coming out that San Antonio expressed interest in Jason Maxiell from the Detroit Pistons.
The San Antonio Spurs also inquired about Maxiell, while the Oklahoma City Thunder were interested in Will Bynum. (DetroitNews.com)
In the end, the same Spurs team that has the best record in the NBA is the same one that'll be going forward in the quest for a fifth championship ring. While many Spurs fans and NBA fans in general thought the Spurs would willingly stay pat, various reports like such from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski tell a different story.
Click HERE for the complete article at Project Spurs.


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WelcomePlease post your questions to Richard about his CSA, garden questions or anything you would like to ask.
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Tag Archives: Poetry
Tales from a Sustainable Micro Farm, A Diary of 18th Century Farming in the 21st Century
Bare hands laden with earth Sweat covered brows anticipate the birth With varieties calling me back to culture I beat my swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks And commit thee to a fertile sepulcher Why the aches? Why … Continue reading
Posted in Farmer Meanderings, Sustainable Farm Tagged garden Thoughts, Poetry, Sustainable Farming 1 Comment


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Gardening with Laurie: It's time to plant cool weather veggies
Oct. 20, 2011 at 5:20 a.m.
By Laurie Garretson
Now that the heat wave of summer is beginning to break, it is definitely time to get those cool-weather veggies planted. Spinach, all types of lettuce and other cool season greens can be planted from transplants or seeds.
When sowing spinach seeds in your garden, lightly cover the seeds with ¼ inch of fine decomposed compost.
Lettuce seeds can be treated the same way. Some gardeners prefer to leave their lettuce seeds on the surface of the wet soil and then cover the seeds with lightweight row cover fabrics.
Fabric covers, also known as frost fabric, will keep the soil moist a little longer and are lightweight enough to allow the seeds to germinate and to be protected from garden pests. Leave plenty of slack to allow the seedlings room to grow under the fabric and cover the edges of the fabric with bricks, soil or boards to hold it in place. Fabric covers also can help to extend your fall growing season. These materials can provide frost protection down to about 26 to 28 degrees, and your crops can still receive sunlight and water through it.
Fall is a wonderful time to plant many different types of perennial herbs. Rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, pineapple sage, Mexican mint marigold and lemon balm are a few of the many varieties that can be added to your vegetable garden, flowerbeds or container gardens now that the weather is cooler.
Mexican mint marigold is a very colorful fall bloomer. Most of the herbs grow best in locations that get bright light and that drain well.
If you have collected any herb or flower seeds to save for planting in another season, be sure to store them in a cool dry area. Do not save seeds in plastic bags that can hold in moisture, use paper bags or glass jars, instead. Seeds can be stored in the refrigerator, not in the freezer. Always be sure to label each seed container with what type of seed is contained and where and when it was collected.
Perennial bloomers should be the backbone of your flowerbeds for great color, and right now is the best time to get them in the ground. Plant now for better-established plants this spring. Better established plants are better able to withstand the heat and dry conditions than something newly planted.
Lower temperatures mean that all your annual flowers should be thriving and blooming at their best. Keep them well mulched, and feed monthly to keep them healthy and blooming.
Our lawns have taken a hard hit this past summer and will need help reviving. Fall is the best time to add a thin layer of compost and some organic fertilizer to the grass to help strengthen the stressed root systems. Keep watering, unless we have rain, and come next spring, the lawn should be quick to take off.
Until next time, let's try to garden with nature, not against it, and maybe all our weeds will become wildflowers.
Laurie Garretson is a Victoria gardener and nursery owner. Send your gardening questions to firstname.lastname@example.com or in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.


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Marine Pilots for the
Port of Fremantle
Since 1844 Fremantle Pilots has provided Marine Pilotage services within the Port of Fremantle, the major port of Western Australia.
Our diligent, professional and fully accredited Marine Pilots are all Master Class 1 certified Master Mariners.
Read the latest news connected with Fremantle Pilots
Go to YouTube and check out the Fremantle Pilots channel.
Our mission is to ensure all vessels under our control and guidance are manoeuvred with utmost care and professionalism. In doing so we contribute to the economic wellbeing of Western Australia and to the protection of our pristine environment.
The Port of Fremantle is a compulsory pilotage area. General information is provided in this section to assist Masters and crews on arrival.