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With this mixture of feminized cannabis seeds from Sensi Seeds Bank collection is easy to create a female garden of powerful Indicas and Sativas. Seedlings can be easily identified as Indica or Sativa when they have a few sets of leaves, allowing growers to flower the slim-bladed Sativa plants soon after germination and give wide-leafed Indicas a longer period of prolonged growth. With this method, two different strains can finish flowering at around the same time.
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In Spain, the narcotics law 17/1967 of April 8th, considers narcotics as all natural or synthetic substances included in the lists I and II annexed to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
The Penal Code, approved by the Organic Law 10/1995, on November 23rd, states that the action to posses, to cultivate, to produce, to traffic, and/or otherwise to promote, encourage or facilitate the illicit use of drugs, narcotics or psychotropic substances, shall constitute an offense.
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For Patients>Featured Physicians
Featured Physician articles give a more in-depth look to the person behind the white coat. Read these personal interviews with Washington University physicians and find out why they chose their specialty, what new developments in their field they are most excited about, their most gratifying achievement, the best advice they were given, and much more. Chose from the left column to read about our most recent Featured Physicians.
Washington University Physicians are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital

subset: commoncrawl


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Former Lackland trainer sentenced to 3 months in jail
A former Air Force trainer was sentenced Monday to three months in jail and given a bad-conduct discharge for assaulting a pair of recruits and pursuing five illicit relationships.
As part of a plea bargain, Staff Sgt. Ryan Deraas said he was guilty of two charges and eight specifications of misconduct. He admitted to having sex with a woman while she was in technical training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
Deraas, who had faced up to one year in jail in a special court-martial, tearfully conceded that he'd made bad decisions as an instructor, a job he wanted after being mistreated in boot camp.
"I have no one else to blame for my actions. I made horrible choices," Deraas said.
The judge, Lt. Col. Matthew van Dalen, deliberated for more than two hours after Capt. Colin Eichenberger, the defense attorney, asked that his client receive far less than what the prosecution wanted: 10 months in prison and a bad-conduct discharge.
Prosecutors said that was the right sentence after charging Deraas with having unprofessional relationships with five technical training students, willful dereliction of duty by maltreating recruits, and assault and battery.
The defense said Deraas was an outstanding airman in Turkey and in the Iraq war. His mother, Patricia Deraas of Bismarck, N.D., said he joined the Air Force at 17.
"When I heard what Ryan was charged with, I was shocked and disappointed," she said.
Deraas is the latest trainer accused of misconduct in the Lackland sex scandal, which has brought 32 trainers under investigation for personal and sexual misconduct with 62 victims.
Deraas assaulted recruits Mark George Lacava II and now-Senior Airman Charles Wiley Jr. He also ordered airmen to fill their canteens with water from dorm toilets.
"I drank the water pretty much as a last resort," Senior Airman Adrian Johnson testified in a Dec. 11 evidentiary hearing.
No witnesses took the stand for the brief trial, but Lacava and Wiley testified in the hearing that they had spent an afternoon drinking water as they prepared to give samples for a drug test.
Deraas, who oversaw the new training flight when it arrived after Christmas 2010, wouldn't let the recruits use the bathroom until everyone had filled out a form. Both men, desperate to relieve themselves, rushed to the latrine while Deraas was in an office. Deraas later grabbed them, causing the recruits to fall.
"I recall one of them falling and stumbling to the ground," Deraas told the judge, admitting that he used force by touching the recruits. He ordered them to clean up the mess they made.
Days later, Deraas began pursing two women in technical school, a violation of Air Force rules prohibiting instructors from having personal contact with airmen until they've completed training.
Like the other women he encountered, Deraas first met them in basic training. They became friends on Facebook, starting up mundane conversations. But exchanges with the first woman, identified as Airman 1, later turned to sexting as she continued training in West Texas.
Deraas threw darts with a woman identified as Airman 2 and later that year started a Facebook relationship with three other tech school trainees. In some cases, he and the women swapped racy photos.
On a night in February 2012, he took a Lackland technical school trainee identified as Airman 5 home after they met at a nightclub. They were having sex until she went overseas in March.
A pattern of flirting that morphed into sexting went on before and after that. In one case, he friended Airman 6 on Facebook on New Year's Day 2012 while she was in tech school.
"I thought she was attractive and extremely quiet," Deraas recalled telling her, adding that he "told her she needed to open up more."
The first images of Airman 6 were of her fully clothed, but Deraas said the exchange was like a striptease.
"She sent photos of herself completely naked and fully clothed," he said.


text: The Justice Court of the Moapa Valley Township has one Justice of the Peace elected for a six-year term. Justice Court hears probable cause, arraignments, preliminary hearings, misdemeanor and traffic trials, bond forfeitures, evictions, small claims and civil matters where the amount in controversy does not exceed $15,000. Other duties performed by the Justice of the Peace include setting bail, issuing search warrants, summonses, protective orders and arrest warrants.


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Duane and Onalee Knisely will celebrate 50 years of marriage. they were married Nov. 22, 1958.
Duane retired from a teaching in Liberty Center, and enjoys farming as a hobby. Onalee made a career as a homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother.
The couple has four children, Marc (and Barbara) of New London, Minn., Michael (and Teresa) of Perrysburg, Ohio, Melissa (and Stan) Harris of Fayette and Murray (and Vicki) of Columbus, Ohio. They also have 11 grandchildren.
An open house is scheduled in their honor from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Solid Rock Community Church in West Unity.
The couple request no gifts and encourages guests to dress casually.


text: Hackers can kill Diabetics with Insulin Pumps from a half mile away - Um, no. Facts vs. Journalistic Fear mongering August 5, '11 Comments [54] Posted in Diabetes Sponsored By UPDATE: Jay Radcliffe, the researcher discussed in this post, has emailed me, a little upset. In the interest of transparency I've included our email thread at the end of this post so that Jay's perspective on any inaccuracies may be seen. I encourage you to draw your own conclusions. There's a story making the rounds on Twitter right now. Engadget "reports" researcher sees security issue with wireless insulin pumps, hackers could cause lethal doses. Wait till you see what researcher and diabetic Jay Radcliffe cooked up for the Black Hat Technical Security Conference. Radcliffe figures an attacker could hack an insulin pump connected to a wireless glucose monitor and deliver lethal doses of the sugar-regulating hormone. First, a little on my background. I've been Type 1 diabetic for 17 years. I've worn an insulin pump 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 11 years and a continuous glucose meter non-stop for over 5 years. I also wrote one of the first portable glucoses management systems for the original PalmPilot over 10 years ago and successfully sold it to a health management company. (Archive.org link) I also interfaced it (albeit with wires) to a number of portable glucose meters, also a first. Engadget's is a mostly reasonable headline and accurate explanation as they say he "figures an attacker could..." However, Computerworld really goes all out with the scare tactics with Black Hat: Lethal Hack and wireless attack on insulin pumps to kill people. Like something straight out of science fiction, an attacker with a powerful antenna could be up to a half mile away from a victim yet launch a wireless hack to remotely control an insulin pump and potentially kill the victim. The only thing that saves this initial paragraph is "potentially." The link that is getting the most Tweets is VentureBeat's "Excuse me while I turn off your insulin pump," a blog post that is rife with inaccuracies (not to mention a lot of misspellings). Here's just a few. "Insulin pumps use wireless sensors that detect blood sugar levels and then communicate the data to a screen on the insulin pump." Way too broad. Pumps don't. Some CGMs (continuous glucose meters) communicate with special integrated pumps. The most popular integrated system is a Medtronic Paradigm. Most other CGM system have a separate "screen" device that's separate from the pump. "The sensor has to run on a 1.5-volt watch battery for two years." Nope. The Medtronic receiving sensor needs to be charged ever 3 to 6 days. The pump battery is usually a AAA that lasts a few weeks. UPDATE: The Dexcom receiver is recharged every 3 days but the body transmitter is warrented for a year with a small watch battery. One useful paragraph in the VentureBeat post points out again that Jerome wasn't able to decode the message. Here, emphasis mine. Then Radcliffe went through the process of deciphering what the wireless transmissions meant. These transmissions are not encrypted, since the devices have to be really cheap. The tranmissions [sic] are only 76 bits and they travel at more than 8,000 bits per second. To review the signal, Radcliffe captured the signal with a $10 radio frequency circuit board and then used an oscilloscope to analzye [sic] the bits. He captured two 9-millisecond transmissions that were five minutes apart. But they came out looking like gibberish. He caputred [sic] more transmissions. About 80 percent of the transmissions had some of the same bits. He reached out to Texas Instruments for help but didn't have much luck. He told the TI people what he was doing and they decided not to help him. That was as far as he got on deciphering the wireless signal from the sensor, since there was no documentation that really helped him there. He couldn't understand what the signal said, but he didn't need to do that. So he tried to jam the signals to see if he could stop the transmitter. With a quarter of a mile, he figured out he could indeed mess up the transmitter via a denial of service attack, or flooding it with false data. Now, to the security issue. One has to read these articles and blog posts very carefully. It's easy Link Bait to say "A hacker can kill diabetics wirelessly without them knowing it!" (I assume we'd figure it out at some point, though.) While Jerome Radcliffe, the gentleman who did the proof of concept, is no doubt very clever, the folks who are blogging this fear mongering should do their homework and read the details. Jerome is presenting some of his findings at the BlackHat conference. Here's his abstract with emphasis mine. Note also that SCADA means "supervisory control and data acquisition." He's saying that we "cyborgdiabetics" (my term) are human control and data acquisition systems as data-in/control-out controls our health, well-being and ultimately our lives. As a diabetic, I have two devices attached to me at all times; an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. This combination of devices turns me into a Human SCADA system; in fact, much of the hardware used in these devices are also used in Industrial SCADA equipment. I was inspired to attempt to hack these medical devices after a presentation on hardware hacking at DEF CON in 2009. Both of the systems have proprietary wireless communication methods. Could their communication methods be reverse engineered? Could a device be created to perform injection attacks? Manipulation of a diabetic's insulin, directly or indirectly, could result in significant health risks and even death. My weapons in the battle: Arduino, Ham Radios, Bus Pirate, Oscilloscope, Soldering Iron, and a hacker's intuition. After investing months of spare time and an immense amount of caffeine, I have not accomplished my mission. The journey, however, has been an immeasurable learning experience - from propriety protocols to hardware interfacing-and I will focus on the ups and downs of this project, including the technical issues, the lessons learned, and information discovered, in this presentation "Breaking the Human SCADA System." Just to be clear, Jerome has not yet successfully wirelessly hacked an insulin pump. UPDATE: See below email thread. Jerome says he can change settings and pause the pump. This may be via the USB wireless interface one uses to backup settings and send their blood sugar to their doctor. That's an educated guess on my part. He's made initial steps to sniff wireless traffic from the pump. I realize, as I hope you do, that his abstract isn't complete. Hopefully a more complete presentation is forthcoming. I suspect he's exploiting the remote control feature of a pump. This is a key fob that looks like a car alarm beeper that some pump users use to discretely give themselves insulin doses. However, I feel the need to point out as a pump wearer myself that: Not every Insulin Pump has a remote control feature. Not every remote-controllable insulin pump has that feature turned on. Mine does not, for example. In this AP article reposted at NPR called Insulin Pumps, Monitors Vulnerable To Hacking they give us more of the puzzle which confirms that Jerome was - in at least one hack attempt - using the optional remote control feature of the pump. A feature that few turn on. Their tech is a little off as well with talk of a 'USB device,' probably an Arduino with an RF shield. Radcliffe wears an insulin pump that can be used with a special remote control to administer insulin. He found that the pump can be reprogrammed to respond to a stranger's remote. All he needed was a USB device that can be easily obtained from eBay or medical supply companies. Radcliffe also applied his skill for eavesdropping on computer traffic. By looking at the data being transmitted from the computer with the USB device to the insulin pump, he could instruct the USB device to tell the pump what to do. Finally, another piece of the puzzle is found at SCMagazine's scary "Black Hat: Insulin pumps can be hacked" article where they open with: "A Type 1 diabetic said Thursday that hackers can remotely change his insulin pump to levels that could kill him." ZOMG! Someone can remotely control my insulin pump? They continue... "Radcliffe, now 33, explained that all he requires to perpetrate the hack is the target pump's serial number." Oh, you mean the serial number that I use to pair with the transmitter to use the highly touted remote control function? This is like saying "I can open your garage door with a 3rd party garage door opener. Just give me the numbers off the side of your unit..." What Jerome has done, however, is posed a valid question and opened a door that all techie diabetics knew was open. It is however, an obvious question for any connected device. Anyone who has ever seen OnStar start a car remotely knows that there's a possibility that a bad guy could do the same thing. For example, literally last month I personally exchanged emails with a friendly hacker who successfully hacked the web services for the Filtrete Touchscreen WiFi-enabled Thermostat. Harmless? Perhaps, but his hack could successfully remotely control a furnace or AC in the house of anyone with this device. Any control device that's connected to the "web" or even "the air," in the case of insulin pumps, is potentially open for attack. I appreciate the message that Jerome is trying to get out there. Wireless medical devices need to be designed with security in mind. I don't appreciate blogs and "news" organizations inaccurately scaring folks into thinking this is a credible threat. We don't know what brand pump was experimented on, and fortunately the gentleman isn't giving away the technical details. If you are a diabetic on a pump who is concerned about this kind of thing, my suggestion is to turn off your pump's remote control feature (which is likely off anyway) and turn off your sensor radio when you are not wearing your CGM. Most of all, don't panic. Call the manufacturer and express your concern. In my experience, pump manufacturers do not mess around with this stuff. I'm not overly concerned. All this said, I'd love to have him on my podcast. If you're reading this and you're Jerome Radcliffe, give me a holler and let's talk tech. Of course, all this talk would be moot if we cured diabetes. In encourage you to give a Tax Deductable Donation to the American Diabetes association: http://hanselman.com/fightdiabetes/donate Also, feel free to show people my "I am Diabetic. Here's how it works" educational video on YouTube with details on how I setup a pump and continuous glucose monitoring system every 3 days. http://hnsl.mn/iamdiabetic takes you right to the YouTube video. UPDATE: In the interest in full disclosure, here is my email thread with Jay. As I've said, I'm happy to update the article, as am I doing here, with all perspectives. This was as much a blog post about the media and that meta-point as it was about the tech. Given that I had to piece this post together from several other posts and articles just to get an idea of what the big picture is, kind of makes my point about the problems of hyperbole in the media. Again, my concern is more about sensationalism than it is about the tech. I have no doubt a pump CAN be hacked. Any connected device can be hacked. Here's our thread from earliest to latest: From: Jerome Radcliffe I *can* hack an insulin pump. I can suspend it, change all the settings remotely. I did that on stage. I'm quite disappointed that you did not verify any of the information in your article. People do die from hypoglycemia. Is it an extreme example? Yes. It needs to be. These devices need to be researched for security flaws. To talk about why someone might hack a pump misses the point. From: Scott Hanselman I'm sorry, I only found the articles I linked to, plus the abstract that said you hadn't. I tried to verify everything to the best of my ability to Google. Would you send me some newer links and I'llr update my post? My post was meant as an analysis of the news coverage more than the attack. Send me new info? Thanks! From: Jerome Radcliffe I understand your position. but as a blogger/journalist there is a certain level of responsibility to publishing facts. You come off as hypocritical blaming the media for being inaccurate on diabetics being killed by pumps, and write a piece riddled with inaccuracies on my research. 1. There is a CGM that runs on a 1.5v battery for two years. You state that my research is wrong. It is not. 2. Check CBS in las Vegas's web site. They have a video of the demo. Several media outlets reported that demo. My name is fairly unique and my email address is easy to acquire. I would have rather you contact me for clarification rather then publish a critique of my research that is far from accurate. From: Scott Hanselman A random blogger and a trained journalist are certainly different things, I'm sure we can agree on. I do certainly want to improve the post and add the facts and am more than happy to do so. I'm not sure where I said "your research is wrong" in my post, but I will re-check it. Again, most of my post is quotes from actual journalists who presumably interviewed you and I quoted them. I also quoted your black hat abstract. I searched twitter for Jay and Jerome Radcliffe but didn't find you and wasn't able to find your blog, I suppose because of the flood of new links and stories. This CGM runs for 2 years without recharging? Perhaps I'm confused about semantics. I've had a number of CGMs, some 1.5V and all the ones with embedded batteries needed recharging. I'll check around. Again, however, my assertion wasn't against you at all, rather the journalists whose stories were inaccurate. I feel like we are getting off on the wrong foot here. I thought I wrote a post about how other journalists and bloggers were sensationalistic and inaccurate in their coverage. My post isn't meant as, nor should it read as, a personal attack on your hard work. As I said earlier, I'm more than happy to make updates and edits and fall on my sword with any inaccuracies. I'm even happy to post our email exchange. Be well! From: Jerome Radcliffe Anytime you publish, blog or newspaper, you should be responsible for the content. There is no difference between a trained journalist and a blogger. You can't duck your own criticism of responsible reporting because you feel like your [sic] just a random blogger. The fact you are so critical of my work, you have been getting a lot of press. Your article was in the Slashdot headline, which is one of the most popular sites on the Internet. The fact is your article was highly critical of my work, and highly inaccurate. Even after I specifically told you about the inaccuracies in your writing you have not corrected them. It's really hard for me not to be offended in this case. For the last three days I have had to answer people's questions, many have cited your article based from the Slashdot coverage. Related Links Details on the 2010 Diabetes Walk and a Thank You Diabetes: The Airplane Analogy A Diabetic Product Review for Non-Diabetics - The Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm "Revel" Insulin Pump and CGM New integrated real-time glucose meter and pump coming THIS SUMMER Technology and the first insulin pump... Diabetics and Travelling Time Zones CNN: Scientists work to keep hackers out of implanted medical devices « Review: Microsoft Touch Mouse for Window... | Blog Home | Ajax Control Toolkit July 2011 Release -... » About Scott Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author. About Newsletter Sponsored By Hosting By Comments [54] Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or use the Permalink


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Hostess Maneuver Deprived Pension
Hostess Brands Inc. said it used wages that were supposed to help fund employee pensions for the company's operations as it sank toward bankruptcy.
It isn't clear how many of the Irving, Texas, company's workers were affected by the move or how much money never wound up in their pension plans as promised.
After the company said in August...
To Read the Full Story


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The Tamilars can be defined as people, having Tamil as their mother tongue. Tamil language is a member of the Dravidian/ South Indian family of languages. The four southernmost states of India- tamiz Nadu, kERaLa, karNAdaka, and Andra Pradesh- are predominantly linguistically Dravidian, each state carved out on the basis of predominance of the four major Dravidian languages. The Dravidian languages are mother tongues of about a quarter of the Indian population. Though about 80% of the speakers are found within the borders of these four South Indian states, a number of Dravidian languages have been identified in other parts of South Asia. Among the tribal languages of Central India, almost extending to the borders of Bengal, distinct from the Austro-Asiatic family of languages, many Dravidian languages have been identified. The northern reaches of this family have been located in isolated settlements in Nepal and Pakistan. The Brahui speakers are found in the hills of Baluchistan, almost on the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. So, the Dravidian family of languages is a South Asian family of languages in one sense. About 22 languages are classified as belonging to the Dravidian family and on linguisic criteria, sub-division as North, Central and South Dravidian are made. Tamilars alone number about 70 million people.
South India and Sri Lanka have been homelands of the Tamilars, from the beginning of recorded history. The region, roughly covered by the modern states of tamiz NAdu and Kerala are identified as ancient tamizakam up to about 10th century AD. Even though some evidence exists for Tamil influence , and Tamil presence in Sri Lanka is noticeable from very early times, strong Tamil presence and influence in Sri Lanka, from about the 10th century. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Tamilars migrated to some British colonies in search of employment and thus there are substantial Tamil populations in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji and South Africa. After the World War II, a movement of Tamil professionals to UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand is proceeding continuously. Due to the recent civil war type situation in Sri Lanka, many thousands of Tamilars in about 20 countries, with large numbers in Canada, Germany, France, and Switzerland. Within the Nordic countries, Norway and Denmark have more Tamilars than weden.
The history of the Tamil (Language) and Tamilar (People who speaks Tamil) start well before 2000 Years. There are epigraphical evidences to these assertions. The history has also been documented in the works and poems of Tamil writers, not necessarily in any structured continuity. In the same time era when the North was dominated by the Mauryan and Gupta empires, and other medieval dynasties, the deep souths history was being carved by the Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava dynasties. The Pandyas and the Cheras dominating from pre christian era to about the 3rd century CE, the Pallavas from the 5th to the 8th and the Cholas between 9th and 12th century. The grandest of them all was the Chola kingdom, reaching their zenith in the 10th Century, with perhaps the first Naval fleet of any Indian king.
The Tamil kingdoms were a product of their times and was warring in nature. Yet they were great patrons of fine art and culture. Music and Dance flourished even during early Tamil Kings of the Sangam period. 'silapadikAram', written by the prince poet Ilango, in a narrower perspective, can potentially serve as an encyclopedia of then existing system of music built on 'pann' (loosely equivalent to Ragas ??), various dance forms and plethora of musical instruments. The roots of todays 'Carnatic music' and 'bharatha Natyam' can be traced to these beginnings as expounded in this great Tamil epic 'silapadikAram'. The Temple gopurams all over Tamil Nadu and the stone edifices that challenge the shores at Mamallapuram, are standing testimony to the Tamils mastery of fine artistic sculptures. The bronze works that were produced by the Cholas are national treasures now and coveted with intensity by international art community. Yet the biggest contribution of Tamil Culture, to the colorful diverse Indian heritage, is the rich linguistic traditions of the Tamil language.
Tamil is the language spoken by the people of Tamil Nadu. It is a member of the Dravidian family of languages. According to legends, Tamil is about ten thousand years old, and is connected with prehistoric ancient civilizations.
If culture is the distilled essence of the way of life of a people, then, in the case of the Tamil people, the distillation process has covered a time span of more than ten thousand years. And, today, the Tamil people, living in many lands and across distant seas acquire strength from the richness of their own cultural heritage - not only because that that culture has something to do with their own roots and their way of life but also because they believe that that culture has a significant contribution to make to the world.
The external manifestations of Tamil culture may be found in the songs and dances, in the cuisine and dress forms, in the customs and rituals of the Tamil people. But, as always, the external and the internal go together.
Tamil literature is classified by its form. It consists of Urainadai - text, and Cheaiyul - poem. The earliest literature that we have in Tamil, was itself classified into two main groups: 'internal' (agham) and 'external' (puram). Aghananoru and Purananoru are poetical verses, that explain the lifestyle of people. Tamil literature is vast, and there exits numerous literary works. Agathiyar, Tholkapiyar are renowned for formulating the Tamil grammar.
The following works of art and literature are among the most remarkable contributions of the Tamil creative genius to the world's cultural treasure and should be familiar to the whole world and admired and beloved by all in the same way as the poems of Homer, the dramas of Shakespeare, the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals of France and the sculptures of Greece:
Thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar has 1331 couplets, under 133 sections, that explain the code of ethics. Each and every couplet is of Seven Words only. It is knows for its short and sweet form of literature. This literary work has been translated in many foreign languages.
Silapathigaram, the story of Kannagi who burnt Madurai; Manimegalai, a saint who worked for the cause of society, are some of the famous literary works.
Bharathiar, a renowned freedom fighter is a Tamil poet, who has written numerous poems.


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The vehicle is a 2004 Nissan Quest 3.5SE, and recently the rear motorized hatch has been very weak at trying to open or close. It gets stuck and needs quite a lot of help to get it opened or closed.
It was taken to the dealer and they replaced the gas lift cylinders because they were leaking, hoping it would help. But, it's really no better. I think it was a situation of "well, the cylinders really need to be replaced, and maybe that'll fix it". Now their opinion is that the motor needs to be replaced.
The worse news is that it's $900 and has to come from Japan, and because of the tsunami there it's going to be a few months off.
I did some searching on ebay and was quite surprised to see nothing listed there.
My guess is that the weak lifters stressed the motor or gears, and now either the motor is burned up or the gears are binding up. There's no grinding noise, so it doesn't seem like broken teeth, it seems more like a burned out motor. However, when you "help" it open or close, it's really quite hard to move, but I don't know if that's because I'm fighting against the motor or because it's sticking otherwise.
I guess that would be the first thing to identify, remove or disconnect the motorized mechanism, and see if the gate opens and closes smoothly.
Any opinions on alternate sources for the motor mechanism, the feasibility of rebuilding this assembly, or other options that are cheaper than $900 and a trip to Japan? :-)
Thanks, Sean


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Auburn coach Gus Malzahn hoped to have a starting quarterback named by Monday. He didn't need that long.
The first-year Tigers coach announced on Saturday that Nick Marshall, a junior who originally signed with Georgia in 2011 as a defensive back, would be the team's starting signal caller for 2013.
I've named Nick Marshall our starting QB. He's earned that opportunity. Auburn family let's get behind him and the team. #WarEagle— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) August 17, 2013
Marshall beat out freshman Jeremy Johnson, a four-star member of Auburn's 2013 recruiting class. Former starter Kiehl Frazier announced this past week that he would be making a permanent move to defensive back when it became clear that the QB battle would come down to Johnson (pictured left) and Marshall (pictured right).
So, circle of life. Or something.
This would be Marshall's first time playing a game as a Division I college quarterback. Marshall signed with Georgia in 2011 and played defensive back before he was dismissed for allegedly stealing money from teammates. He spent the 2012 season at the JUCO level playing quarterback where he threw for 3,142 yards and rushed for nearly 1,100 more with 37 total touchdowns (but 20 interceptions) before transferring to The Plains.


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Denna app tillverkades av ShareiiiT
Wix App Market-partner
We are ShareiiiT. Our aim is to make the lives of those who run small businesses easier and simpler. Our model is to try to make our apps general and customizable but keep them simple, such that they would fit the needs of as many users as possible. Developing one tool for many users is what makes us able to provide reasonably priced apps, affordable by everybody.


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The Issue: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's vampy cover photo in this week's New York magazine.
If her campaign for mayor doesn't work out, Council Speaker Christine Quinn definitely has a chance for a role in future Twilight movies ("Mayor Dracula," Jan. 29).
Christopher Bisignano
Staten Island
Thank you to The Post for finally exposing the real Quinn.
Voters should take a good look now, because if she is elected mayor, she'll put the bite on all New Yorkers, suck their wallets dry and drain the life out of them.
Hugo Bozzarella
If anyone doubts the media's liberal bias, just compare the airbrushed photo of Quinn on the cover of New York magazine to the gangster-style photo of Chris Christie on the cover of Time magazine last month.
Enough said.
Doug Torpie
If Quinn is serious about getting a makeover for the magazines, she only has to look to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for inspiration.
But there are side effects from a million-dollar makeover. Gillibrand turned into a totally different person.
If Quinn chooses this path, who knows where it might lead?
Maybe someday she will vault into the Senate and replace Gillibrand as Chuck Schumer's handmaiden.Andy Romanic
I don't care what Quinn looks like in that photo shoot.
She is responsible for the fact that Mayor Bloomberg is in office for a third term.
The people of New York voted several times in favor of term limits, but with Quinn's help Bloomberg was able to override voters' wishes.
I live in Rockaway, where crime has soared since Hurricane Sandy, and we still don't have street lights or traffic lights in some areas.
Between the mayor's performance post-Sandy and Quinn's role in keeping him in office, I hope she doesn't even get a first term in City Hall.
Patricia J. McCabe


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There are many space efficient solutions now a day that most home owners can use for their homes or condominiums given the limited space that they have and with the use of a small corner sofa bed, they can achieve this kind of solution. There are many kinds of corner sofa bed that are being sold in the market and this kind of furniture has a double feature that can function well in a bedroom or in a guest room as well.
The corner sofa bed has many uses when it is placed properly in your home and when you learn to decorate it so that it can also be used in your living room when it has a feature of storages. There are many kinds and sizes of corner sofa bed and with this, you must first measure the size of the room so that you would know how big the sofa bed you are going to purchase and you would also define the dimensions of the room.
You must learn to also rearrange the other furniture in the room when you place your corner sofa bed together with other kinds of furniture and by doing this, you can really optimize the space of your room and making it more efficient in terms of the style. There are many kinds of materials for a corner sofa bed and if you want to buy one, you may choose a cheap corner sofa bed made up of a genuine leather because this is more classy as compared to other kinds of materials.
If you are tight on a budget and you are unable to afford a genuine leather of a corner sofa bed then you can purchase a sofa bed with a fabric material which is very affordable and it also blends with other kind of furniture. You can always buy additional storage with fabric textiles as its cover so that it will be more decorative and colorful when you place it under the sofa bed and this is very functional for small space in your room along with other furniture.
What matters most in choosing the kind of corner sofa bed with storage bed that you want is the kind of base that it got because the base will be the basis for the durability of the sofa bed. The use of bright colored pillows or cushions is a big help for you corner sofa bed to become more attractive and these will also serve as additional decorations inside you room.


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- "The Chinese Fireball... Oooh!"
- —Barty Crouch Sr. to Viktor Krum[src]
The Chinese Fireball, also known as the Liondragon, is a dragon native to China.
The Fireball is scarlet and smooth scaled with a fringe of golden spikes around its face. The Fireball's snout is slightly short ending with a hooked beak on the top jaw. Its name is derived from the mushroom-shaped flame that is emitted through its nostrils when angered, along with the large mushroom shaped flame it shoots from its mouth.
The Chinese Fireball breed of dragons generally yield females that are larger than males. Chinese Fireballs are also mentioned to be very fast and clever, at least for a dragon. The eggs of the Chinese Fireball are crimson, speckled with gold, and the shells are prized by Chinese Wizards.
Its diet consists of most mammals, usually prefering pigs and humans.
Unlike other dragons, the Fireball is more tolerant of its own kind, and will sometimes consent to sharing its territory with two other dragons.
A Chinese Fireball was used as one of the obstacles in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament in 1994. Viktor Krum faced the dragon in an attempt to retrieve a Golden egg it was guarding, and used a Conjunctivitis Curse to temporarily blind the dragon, but it crushed its own eggs and because of that points were taken off.
Behind the scenes
- According to Chinese mythology, dragons do not commonly breathe fire, the only dragons in Chinese myth to breathe fire are ones sent from Heaven as punishment and divine retribution. Almost all notable Chinese dragons are benevolent, sending rain in times of need. This is Chinese Inventions Gunpowder.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the Chinese Fireball is the first dragon to be seen. It will block the player's progress with a steady stream of flame, and its egg must be hatched so that it will become distracted with the hatchling.


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David E. Pierce
"The Washburn faculty is committed to doing everything possible to help each student succeed in law school, pass the bar, and pursue his or her chosen career in the law. It is an honor to assist students in developing the knowledge, skills, and values they will need to be effective lawyers."
Professor Pierce began his legal career as a solo general practitioner in Neodesha, Kansas and City Attorney for Cherryvale, Kansas, and subsequently worked in-house for Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas and of-counsel for the Gable & Gotwals law firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Shughart Thomson & Kilroy law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. Professor Pierce teaches Oil and Gas Law, Advanced Oil and Gas Law, Energy Regulation, and Drafting Contracts and Conveyances. He has also taught the core courses in Contracts, Business Associations, and Environmental Law. Professor Pierce is the author of the Kansas Oil and Gas Handbook, a co-author of the West casebook Cases and Materials on Oil and Gas Law, and the West hornbook Hemingway Oil and Gas Law and Taxation. He is a co-editor and upkeep author of the multi-volume treatise Kuntz, A Treatise on Oil and Gas Law and co-editor of the Oil and Gas Reporter. He is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and a member of the American Law Institute.
- Oil and Gas Law
- Advanced Oil and Gas Law
- Energy Regulation
- Drafting Contracts and Conveyances
- Property I


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Legion of Christ's Vicar General Resigns
Father Luis Garza will leave Rome to head the 'Legion Territory of North America.'
CHICAGO — The Legion of Christ announced July 15 that Father Luis Garza, the vicar general of the embattled religious congregation, has resigned and will assume leadership of its newly created "Legion Territory of North America," which combines the current Atlanta and New York-based territories.
The news about the appointment and the consolidation of the two U.S. Legion territories was posted on the Legion of Christ's website, accompanied by statements from several members of the order's leadership.
Father Garza will leave his post in Rome and assume his new duties Aug. 1, in a new development likely to fuel criticism and speculation from some present and former members of the order. Many have called for the order's leadership — most notably Father Garza and Legionary Father Alvaro Corcuera, the general director — to resign after the explosive scandal generated by the confirmed abuse allegations against the founder, Father Marcial Maciel, resulted in a loss of moral credibility, membership and financial support.
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis — the pontifical delegate for the Legionaries, charged with overseeing reforms that will pave the way for a new constitution — also has been criticized for allowing Father Garza and other Legion leaders to remain in their posts.
In a July 3 speech, Cardinal De Paolis vented his frustration at the negative impact of "dissenters," as he offered a "provisional assessment" of issues to be addressed before the Legion's general chapter meeting, which will not be held before 2013.
The announcement posted on the Legion's website acknowledged the difficulties that lie ahead, but held out hope for members and supporters of the order.
"America and Canada are countries that I have always admired, and I am humbled to serve as territorial director of the united territory," said Father Garza in the public statement. "We face challenges, but I am confident that with God's grace and the great dedication and enthusiasm of Legionaries and Regnum Christi consecrated and lay members we will be able to serve the Church."
Father Corcuera confirmed that Father Garza's appointment was made in "consultation with the Legion's papal delegate" and at the request of the Legionary priests who presently direct the U.S. territories, Father John Connor and Father Julio Marti.
Father Corcuera presented Father Garza's appointment as a stabilizing move. Last week, the order announced that the recently established University of Sacramento and the Immaculate Conception Apostolic School, a pre-seminary program for adolescent boys, would close. Last year, the Georgia-based Southern Catholic College was shuttered. Two K-8 schools also have been closed: Gateway Academy in St. Louis, and Woodmont Academy in Maryland.
"We are working together to face the challenges for our communities and our apostolates around the world, and with particular intensity in the United States and Canada," said Father Corcuera. "We must lay more solid foundations on which to build and relaunch our service to the Church in those countries."
Father Garza completed undergraduate studies in engineering at Stanford University when he was 19 years old. After entering the Legion, he studied in Rome, receiving licenciates in philosophy and theology and a doctorate in canon law.
But former Legionaries, who have called for the resignation of the present leadership, greeted the new appointment with skepticism and disappointment.
"Most recent changes among major superiors of the Legion have involved the same people interchanging positions. The appointment of Father Garza is a further example of this," said Father Richard Gill, who left the order last year and now serves as a priest in the New York Archdiocese.
"Independently of his [Father Garza's] many qualities, I fear that unless and until a new generation of leaders emerges — leaders not tainted by long and close association with Father Maciel — the effort to purify and reform the Legion will lack the public credibility needed to succeed," said Father Gill, an associate pastor at St. Lawrence O'Toole Church in Brewster, N.Y.
Jack Keogh, a former Legionary priest who held a number of senior positions before his resignation, recently published a book about his experience in the congregation. He took a slightly different view of Father Garza's appointment.
"It remains to be seen if this move is also designed to manage internal dissent in the U.S.," he said. "While Father Garza has formidable skills, management experience and powerful connections to contribute to his new job, I suspect that this is really a transitional move designed to begin the process of dismantling current central leadership. Meanwhile, Father Garza can claim not to have been demoted."
Keogh also retains a sharp memory of Luis Garza as a bright boy who arrived at the Legion's Irish Institute in Monterrey, Mexico, while Keogh, then a member of the order, worked at the school. The Irish Institute was the pre-eminent Catholic boys' school in Monterrey, the nation's business center.
Keogh, who now serves as a management consultant, suggested that Father Garza's resignation as vicar general and new appointment "may be a classic Vatican-style political move: Father Garza resigns as vicar general of the Legion in order to take control of the new 'Legion Territory of North America.' That way, he is removed from his key position in Rome without 'losing face.' Meanwhile, the former territorial directors, Fathers Julio Martí and John Connor, are moved aside."
Father Garza had served as the Legion's vicar general since 1992. He remains a consultor to the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy; he was appointed to that five-year position by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
As vicar general of a once pre-eminent order that now faces demands for radical reform, Father Garza has managed the considerable logistical and personnel challenges generated by the scandal's impact on the Legion and Regnum Christi.
Globally, there are 3 bishops among approximately 3,300 Legionaries, including priests, Religious and novices (brothers). In a statistical report for the Holy See, the Legion confirmed that in the years 2009 and 2010, a total of 42 Legionary priests left the congregation.
"The great majority of them are currently exercising their priestly ministry in a diocese while the canonical process is underway for their definitive incardination in the diocesan clergy," confirmed Jim Fair, the order's U.S. spokesman.
In a published statement, Father Garza acknowledged that it had been difficult to meet with grieving Legionaries and Regnum Christi members to console them after an investigation confirmed the allegations against the founder, who was also found to have fathered at least two children and kept several mistresses.
"Sharing shattering news with my fellow priests in the Legion and the consecrated members has been a dreadful experience," he said. "We are all sad for the people who have suffered with all this and wish that with our penance and actions we could somehow repair the damage that has been done."
Father Corcuera stressed the Legion will continue "to consolidate our communities and apostolates in such a way that the religious and consecrated members, under the care of the superiors and directors, have all the support they need."
There is considerable anxiety regarding the order's ability to stem the flow of departures by its priests and secure its finances.
Cardinal De Paolis noted in his recent speech to members of the Legion: "While it is true that in 2010 the institute suffered its greatest losses, it is also true that the exodus has been contained with regard to priests."
But the cardinal criticized "the negative influence exercised by some companions who, upon entering the process of renewal, have adopted an absolutely critical attitude towards the path of renewal."
"From the beginning, a group of members have joined together and been described, by whom I don't know, as 'dissidents,'" the cardinal continued.
Father Gill challenged the cardinal's criticism of "dissenters."
"In an earlier statement, the cardinal said the seminarians were leaving because their parents were unduly influenced by media reports. Now he appears to be saying seminarians are leaving because of dissenting voices. That is unfair and doesn't even take into account they would make decisions because of their conscience," said Father Gill.
The cardinal, he charged, "has botched any possibility of an investigation on how Father Maciel got away with this for so long and any possibility of holding [accountable] anyone who may have been complicit."
Still, Keogh insists that he, like many other Legionary priests, never saw criminal behavior, though he did take note of some surprising behavior — such as the founder's absence at daily Mass.
Keogh also remembers how the young Luis Garza finished high school at 16 and came from a wealthy family of entrepreneurs that continued to back the Legion over the decades, entrusting children and treasure to support the rapidly expanding religious order.
Today, members of Father Garza's extended family are reportedly divided over their loyalties to the Legion.
The announcement posted on the Legion's website did not address the order's standing in Mexico, where Father Maciel first recruited boys and young men, including those who would later accuse him of sexual abuse. Critics allege that the first generation of young recruits, some of whom remain in senior positions — though not in the top leadership — were most likely to have witnessed the abuse and remained silent.
At present, no individuals within the order have been publicly singled out for blame by Church authorities. However, last year, on May 1, 2010, the Holy See issued a strong statement following the conclusion of an apostolic investigation into the Legion scandal.
"The apostolic visitation was able to ascertain that the behavior of Father Marcial Maciel Degollado has caused serious consequences in the life and structure of the Legion, so much so, to require a journey of profound re-evaluation. The serious and objectively immoral behavior of Fr. Maciel, supported by incontrovertible evidence, at times constitutes real crimes, and manifests a life devoid of scruples and of genuine religious feeling. The large majority of Legionaries were unaware of that life, particularly because of the system of relations created by Father Maciel, who had skillfully managed to build up an alibi, to gain the trust, confidence and surrounding silence and strengthen his role as a charismatic founder," read one segment of the Holy See's statement.
"At times, one could think that God has abandoned us. It seems like we are undergoing a long, very long Holy Saturday," said Father Garza, in the recent published statement. "We are all waiting for the Resurrection, the moment when we can live our charism peacefully with the Church's blessing, serving people and building the Church."
Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond writes from Chevy Chase, Maryland.


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Can You Guess the Celebrity Cleavage?
Today's mystery woman is a 38-year-old actress who was born in Madrid, Spain.
She got her star in Spanish cinema but moved to Hollywood at the tender age of 25, and quickly landed roles opposite such stars as Tom Cruise and Matt Damon. This talented beauty is the first Spanish actress to ever win an Academy Award.


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In the ongoing tug-o-war between open access and vendor-provided access, here is one of our leading librarians describing her struggles with one vendors successful attempt to limit access to an important resource: "Has EBSCO become the new evil empire?"
The author, Meredith Farkas, is not just some librarian with a blog and a grudge. She has published the highly successful book Social Software in Libraries, given numerous presentations at ALA and other professional conferences, and traveled widely giving talks to groups on using social media and software in libraries. She was nominated a Mover and Shaker by Library Journal in 2006 for innovative uses of technology to benefit the profession and in 2009 was honored with the LITA/Library Hi Tech award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. She is articulate and thoughtful, and her blog is at the top of this author's daily reading list.
How should the library profession respond in this situation?


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Howard Stern apparently went too far.
NBC reprimanded the America's Got Talent judge after he called fellow NBC star Jay Leno a "spineless maggot" on his Sirius XM Radio Show. The comment was in response to Leno going public with the recent Tonight Show paycuts.
"I got a threatening kind of comment from one of the executives," Stern said last week on his radio show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I was laughing my a-- off. I said, 'Do not tell me to not talk about Jay Leno. I will f---ing talk about Jay Leno for four hours if you tell me not to.' I was done with Jay. Now I'm all fired up again. F--- Jay!"
Jay Leno jokes about Tonight Show layoffs, slams Comcast and NBC
Stern has feuded before with Leno, who has also been criticizing NBC's recent decisions. Last Monday, he cracked bitter jokes about the show's recent staff layoffs and his own pay cut. "Welcome to The Tonight Show, or as Comcast calls us, The Expendables," Leno said.
Still, Stern was sure to point out how much he enjoys working for the network. "I love my job on AGT, I love working for the people at NBC. They've been nothing but wonderful," Stern said. "I don't answer to anybody. Everybody knows that. That's part of the game. And that's why I'm a great f---ing judge. I will tell people if they suck."
Do you think Stern took it too far?


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R.N., Baylor University Medical Center
As someone who thrives on variety, Amber Tate has found a fitting career as a nurse in the ICU at Baylor University Medical Center.
"I could not do the same thing over and over," Amber says. "I like the continuing challenge of adapting to new situations. I like the learning opportunities that each patient brings, and how I continue to grow as a nurse and person."
After graduating from ACU in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, Amber took a job in Fort Worth as a graduate nurse on a specialized floor at Baylor All Saints. A year later, she began working as a staff nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and has been there ever since.
She works the night shift, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., leading a life similar to everyone else but at different times.
"I work, eat, run, shop, sleep, go to the grocery store, visit friends, watch TV and read, just at the opposite times of normal people," she says.
Career with Options
Despite an odd schedule, Amber is happy to be working in ICU. She appreciates a career that provides diversity, as well as options for her future.
"Nursing gave me the opportunity to finish school, work and get experience, and then have the option to go back to school later and further my career," Amber says. "I also liked the flexible hours nursing offers and the many different fields you could choose to enter, and then the option to change fields later if you didn't like something or just wanted something different. I thrive on variety and get bored easily with the mundane."
During her time at ACU, Amber went on several medical mission trips to Guatemala and Mexico. She found these trips extremely valuable to her personal growth, as well as eye opening for her future.
"The experience I gained from those trips alone was worth going to ACU," she says. "I still think back to certain times on those trips and wish I was back there. The culture is so different, so laid back and accepting. The people are so gracious. The kids steal your heart with their smiles. I definitely plan on going on another medical mission trip the next chance I can. And I got a great education on top of all that."
Valuable education
Amber's journey at ACU not only provided a great education and wonderful friends, but also spiritual growth, she says.
"I became much more independent," she says. "I had to make my faith my own instead of relying on my parents. I think this is a part of any college experience and growing up, but ACU provided the much-needed foundation for a God-centered growth and maturity."
Eventually, Amber hopes to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner or certified registered nurse anesthetist. Until then, she enjoys a job with constant variety and the learning that goes along with it.


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Missouri senators are preparing to debate legislation to revive an insolvent fund for disabled workers.
The state's Second Injury Fund has a deficit of about $25 million that is expected to keep growing.
The fund provides compensation to people with previously existing disabilities who then suffer an additional work-related injury or illness. It's financed by a surcharge on workers' compensation insurance premiums. But the revenues haven't kept up with expenses.
The Senate is scheduled to begin debate on legislation that would temporarily increase the surcharge to generate more money. The measure would also limit the types of injuries that would qualify for future payments.
Some lawmakers would rather abolish the fund. But even that step would require some additional money to pay off existing claims.
Was this article valuable?
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This.Colette wrote:Series 11 Brikwars Collectible Minifigs:
Continuing with the proud tradition of brikwarriors as CMs with Natalya in series 9, we present a series based solely off of the important forum members:
stubby- a janitor. Face has a thick, bushy grey mustache while his accessories include a broom of doom and of course the almighty banhammer.
Warhead- would like stubby's painting, although I'm torn between the helmet and trans-neon-orange dr. inferno hair. Accessories include a minifig of your mother.
Shadowscythe- in japanese schoolgirl clothes with the face we always use for him. Looks like the version in my forum battle. Has a beer bottle and a laptop (to symbolize LDD)
IVHorseman- An everyman in a wheelchair. Oh, and with an iceworlder helmet and an OTC.
Almighty Benny- Warhead's version. With a motorcycle.
Tzan- An old geezer with a glasses face and a long beard, dressed in rags.
piltogg- Featuring his hardsuit and every single artifact he has obtained. Would probably be very easy to feel out from the rest, but whatever.
colette- Dressed in western business attire and the most annoying nerd face with glasses you can come up with. Has a chromed macbook and that stupid antimortalium shtick.
Blitzen- the grammar führer herself. We could go with either Warhead's or piltogg's representation, although I favor Warhead's.
Ross_Varn- too bad he hasn't made a showing for a while. Let him look like the FELC commander with a boring gun accessory.
zupponn- that death figure of him, although four-armed robo-troll would still be nice. Could dual-wield the GTCs he loves so much.
silverdream- an entirely chrome silver knight with a chrome sword and a chromed anal disruptor. The amount of chrome should be too damn high and melt your eyes in the sun.
BFenix- hellius metal warrior armed with a guitar and RAGE.
Zahru II- badass medieval warrior with a troll arm and an armory of weapons on him.
Bragallot- a pirate torso with an ostentatious hat and robot arm. Should carry some obscure experimental laser with glowy bits.
Arkbrik- the famed oktan ranger with a taste for pink laptops and roleplaying insane dictators.
If you didn't make the list that means you didn't enter my mind and that's probably a good thing.
So badly.


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Saturday night in New York. The snow has stopped. Perfect night to dip out to the movies or to stay home, lay on the couch and read a book, watch a movie, order takeout. Or maybe fix up a soup or a stew or something that is stick-to-your-ribs good.
NFL championship games tomorrow. The Amazing Knicks back in action tonight. Feel free to kibbitz about whatever comes to mind. In the meantime, check out this cleverness:
[Photo Credit: It's Johnson!]


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Memories Surrealist Art Phone Case
In 1991, Novik immigrated to the US from Tbilisi, Georgia.
Artist's Statement
I have feelings, but I don't know why I am doing it. I don't know what's going on, but I know I have to do it. I love it.
Everything comes during the work. I don't know where it comes from and how I am doing it. It is a secret from myself. No thinking. No remembering. No planning. It comes spontaneously. It is like a song I am singing, but I don't know the words. I never heard the song, but I am singing.
I don't know what is going on inside of me, but I can't live without painting. Something leaves me. I go to another world. It rules me. It comes like a necessary thing to make me happy when I am painting. Time stops for me. Time doesn't exist for me.
Painting keeps me running, keeps me active. It keeps me alive.
Contemporary Art | Expressionism | Abstract Expressionism | Los Angeles Artist | Living Artist | Custom Framed Prints | Metallic Prints | Sunflower | Sunflowers | Girasol | Sun | Yellow | Canvas prints | Wall art | Canvas wall art | Canvas painting | Colorful art | Sunflower painting | Canvas prints | Wall art | Canvas wall art | Canvas painting |
Art by Novik - Los Angeles Artist - Fine Art and Fine Art Prints for sale


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Conservatives are worried that the negotiations that will begin this week to avoid the "fiscal cliff" will end in disaster. Tax increases that will weaken the economy could be combined with spending cuts that never materialize in an agreement that will leave many Republicans — especially those who have signed the "no net new taxes" pledge promoted by Americans for Tax Reform — vulnerable to public outrage, and indeed to primary challenges in the midterm elections.
The way to avoid that outcome may be for conservatives to insist on the transparency and openness that Barack Obama has spent much of his career promoting but has almost never delivered in practice. The White House has asserted false claims of executive privilege to avoid questions on the Justice Department's Fast and Furious gun-running scandal. The Washington Post reported last year that a large number of requests for public records elicited no material at all from the administration. The same Barack Obama who as a 2008 candidate promised that health-care negotiations would be shown on C-SPAN instead cobbled together the abomination of Obamacare behind closed doors.
Many old Washington hands recall that Republicans agreed on tax-increase-for-spending-cuts deals in 1982 under Ronald Reagan and in 1990 under George H. W. Bush. These deals politically damaged the party in the short run, and they also proved to be bad policy. The 1982 budget deal, which promised seven dollars in spending cuts for every three dollars in tax increases, was never honored. Congress agreed to less than 27 cents in spending cuts for every dollar of tax increases, and President Reagan came to bitterly regret his decision to approve the deal. Ed Meese, Reagan's senior counselor at the time and later his attorney general, recalls that the 1982 deal "was the worst domestic-policy mistake of the Reagan administration."
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee today, has argued that transparency will help conservatives avoid the worst possible budget outcomes. "Secrecy cements the status quo: more spending, more debt, more runaway government," he said this month in a news release. "It is the enemy of accountability, change, and reform. We cannot simply rush through some secret deal that no one can amend, alter, review, scrutinize, or dispute." He thinks that Congress needs to take at least a week to debate any deal and offer amendments, and that it needs to make the proposal available on the Internet for public review: "It is time to try the one thing that hasn't been tried: open, public process on the Senate floor."
Americans for Tax Reform's founder, Grover Norquist, who originated the anti-tax-increase pledge, says that having an honest, open debate will promote political accountability. "The party that doesn't want the budget debate to be transparent can be held to account," he told me. "The American people should get to see the sausage being made and get to read the contract before it's signed. They shouldn't have to wait a year for Bob Woodward to write a book about what really happened behind closed doors."
But calling for transparency isn't enough. Democrats have every incentive not to agree to transparency, but conservatives should not let the issue fall by the wayside. They must insist on an open process as the fiscal cliff approaches.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid has gotten away with flouting the law — which requires the Senate to adopt a budget resolution each year by April 15 — for more than 1,300 days. Reid even admitted in 2011 that one of his motivations for ignoring this law was that it would be politically "foolish" for his party to adopt a budget. President Obama offered his own budget plan earlier this year, but it was so unrealistic and stuffed with accounting gimmicks that not a single person in his own party in Congress supported it when it came to a vote.
In February, treasury secretary Timothy Geithner admitted in congressional testimony that the administration lacks a long-term plan to deal with the nation's soaring $16 trillion debt. "We're not coming before you today to say we have a definitive solution to that long-term problem," he told House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan. "What we do know is, we don't like yours."
Having the budget negotiations out in the open would at least expose such blatant hypocrisy on the part of the Obama administration or, at best, force it to pony up and negotiate honestly. If negotiations remain in the shadows, Democrats will follow the precedent they've set in years past and push for higher taxes in order to feed an ever-growing government that they have little interest in reforming.
— John Fund is national-affairs columnist for NRO.


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