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Should State or Local Governments Help Enforce Federal Immigration Laws?
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), in a Mar. 11, 2004 report entitled "Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement," offered the following:
"States and localities bear the primary responsibility for defining and prosecuting crimes. But beyond enforcing the laws or ordinances of their state or locality, state and local officials may also have the authority to enforce some federal laws, especially criminal laws. Immigration law provides for both criminal punishments (e.g., alien smuggling, which is prosecuted in the courts) and civil violations (e.g., lack of legal status, which may lead to removal through a separate administrative system). The states and localities have traditionally only been permitted to directly enforce the criminal provisions, whereas the enforcement of the civil provisions has been viewed as a federal responsibility with states playing an incidental supporting role."Mar. 11, 2004
PRO (yes)
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in a Jan. 2016 report, "The Role of State & Local Law Enforcement in Immigration Matters and Reasons to Resist Sanctuary Policies," available at fairus.org, stated:
"Why should state and local governments cooperate with federal immigration officials?
Cooperation with federal immigration officials promotes public safety. State and local law enforcement are often on the front lines in dealing with crime involving transnational gang activity, human trafficking, smuggling, drug related offenses, and other serious crimes often tied to illegal immigration. When state and local law enforcement fail to contact federal immigration officials, criminal aliens are able to reenter communities and engage in further criminal activity at the expense and safety of citizens and lawful aliens…
ICE has roughly 20,000 officials and only 6,000 of these officials are active in enforcing immigration law in the interior of the country. That means, given current estimates, illegal aliens outnumber ICE agents by 2,000 to 1. Thus, the cooperation and assistance of over 900,000 state and local law enforcement agents currently working in our country allows immigration enforcement to operate much more efficiently and as intended by Congress. Without such cooperation, ICE officials alone can only hope to make small dents in the country's vast illegal alien population."Jan. 2016
Jeff Sessions, JD, US Attorney General, in a Mar. 27, 2017 article, "Attorney General Jeff Sessions Delivers Remarks on Sanctuary Jurisdictions," available at justice.gov, stated:
"The American people are justifiably angry. They know that when cities and states refuse to help enforce immigration laws, our nation is less safe. Failure to deport aliens who are convicted for criminal offenses puts whole communities at risk – especially immigrant communities in the very sanctuary jurisdictions that seek to protect the perpetrators."Mar. 27, 2017
Mike Borkovich, Leelanau County (Michigan) Sheriff, in a Aug. 14, 2017 article, "Sherriff Borkovich Speaks on Immigration Enforcements, Cooperation with Feds," available at glenarborsun.com, stated:
"We will help all law enforcement agencies, federal, state, local or tribal, we will help them do their job. It's called mutual aid or other agency assistance. For instance, when we had an individual building nerve gas [incident] in Suttons Bay and also building bombs, the FBI came to us, we would not have even known about it if it were not for the cooperation between the agencies. That saved major lives. That was a very, very serious incident and we cooperate back and forth. …
ICE is Immigration Customs Enforcement. They are sanctioned… [W]e assist FBI, ICE, we assist Canadian Royal Mounted Police."Aug. 14, 2017
Marc R. Rosenblum, PhD, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Immigration Statistics in the US Department of Homeland Security, in a July 2015 Migration Policy Institute report, "Federal-Local Cooperation on Immigration Enforcement Frayed; Chance for Improvement Exists," available at migrationpolicy.org, stated:
"The arguments in favor of local-state-federal cooperation on immigration enforcement are straightforward, particularly after the shooting death of Kate Steinle. Cooperation with local police is a significant force-multiplier for DHS because there are 750,000 police officers in the United States, compared to about 5,000 DHS enforcement and removal officers (excluding border personnel). And cooperation is the surest way to ensure the deportation of serious criminals like Lopez-Sanchez, who typically come into the immigration system through an encounter with the police (though in this particular case San Francisco had custody following a transfer from ICE after Lopez-Sanchez had completed a federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry). "July 2015
Charlie Norwood, DDS, U.S. Representative (R-GA), in a July 9, 2003 House of Representatives statement, introduced the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003 (H.R. 2671), as follows:
"There are upwards of 400,000 individuals who have received final deportation orders that are hiding in our communities. Their appeals have run out, and those orders tell them, 'it's time to go.' But, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement can't find them!.. Let me say up front that I respect the new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and appreciate the fact that they are acknowledging the INS' past mistakes. But there is no way the 2,000 agents they have assigned to find some 400,000 people can get the job done. They need help from the folks who come across these people everyday during routine traffic stops and during other activities in the course of their regular duty – police officers."July 9, 2003
NumbersUSA, an advocacy group for immigration reduction, in the section entitled "Hot Topic: State and Local Police in Immigration Law Enforcement" on its website (accessed June 15, 2007) stated:
"State and local police are badly needed to help overwhelmed federal immigration authorities apprehend and detain illegal aliens in the interior of our country…
Illegal aliens outnumber federal immigration agents by 5,000 to one. Only 2,000 are active in enforcing the immigration laws in the interior of our country. This number is too small to apprehend more than a fraction of the illegal alien population now here… There doesn't appear to be much chance in the near future that the number of federal agents assigned to interior enforcement will reach anywhere near the level that would be required for the feds to do the job by themselves.
More than 600,000 state and local law enforcement officers already come into contact with illegal aliens every day. Many of them, in the course of their normal duties on their regular beat, routinely observe and even stop illegal aliens — for example for traffic violations. And the vast majority of these officers believe deeply in the rule of law and want to help protect the security of their country."June 15, 2007
James Jay Carafano, PhD, Senior Research Fellow for National Security and Homeland Security in the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, in a June 14, 2004 testimony before the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, stated:
"The DHS [U.S. Department of Homeland Security] and the states should pursue, and Congress should support, the use of Section 287 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) as a mechanism for state and local law enforcement to enforce the immigration aspect of border security. Section 287 (g) of the INA provides authority for state and local enforcement to investigate, detain, and arrest aliens on civil and criminal grounds. Officers governed by a §287 (g) agreement must receive adequate training and operate under the direction of federal authorities. In addition, in a civil lawsuit, the state law enforcement officers would be considered to have been acting under federal authority, thereby shifting liability to the federal government and providing additional immunity for the state law enforcement officers enforcing federal laws."June 14, 2004
CON (no)
The National League of Cities, in a Jan. 27, 2017 article written by Federal Advocacy Program Director Yucel Ors and Manager of Race, Equity and Leadership Aileen Carr, "The Federal Government Needs to Fix the Immigration System–Not Cities," available at citiesspeak.org, stated:
"NLC's [National League of Cities's] long-standing position is that measures requiring cities to use local law enforcement resources to enforce federal immigration laws are unfunded mandates that impose additional disproportionate responsibilities on local law enforcement, increase financial liability on local governments, and ultimately move us further from our foundational principles of federalism. Contrary to the president's stated public safety goals, this action is likely to jeopardize the effectiveness of many local law enforcement efforts. Many police chiefs, mayors, and city councilmembers across the country are concerned that such policies impede efforts to preserve police-community relations and ensure that residents feel safe reporting crimes and accessing government services."Jan. 27, 2017
Doris Marie Provine, Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, in a July 2013 article, "Should Local Police Be on the Front Lines of Immigration Enforcement?," available at scholarsstrategynetwork.org, stated:
"The nation's founders thought it important to locate the policing function at the local level. Police, they believed, need to be accountable to the communities that know them best. The federal government's co-option of local police for immigration enforcement violates that basic principle and makes policing harder. This approach also tends to mix the functions of criminal law with civil enforcement, resulting in an unappetizing mix that undercuts due-process protections against over-zealous police work and prosecution. The consequences of a simple infraction can suddenly become dire for immigrants and their families and friends, yet basic guarantees like the right to a lawyer and the right to bail and prompt arraignment are not available to those facing deportation.
There is much that needs fixing in the U.S. immigration system and all potential reforms are complex and inevitably controversial. But it should not be controversial to maintain the longstanding separation between local policing and federal deportation efforts. A small efficiency gain cannot justify compromising core American values. Individual rights, community safety, and democratic accountability must be given priority in a free society."July 2013
Steve Keane, Former Benton County (Washington) Sheriff, in a Feb. 1, 2017 article, "Tri-City Police Leaders Skeptical of Trump's Plan to Enforce Federal Immigration Laws," available at tri-cityherald.com, stated:
"I don't like our local guys doing federal law enforcement. Most of us are understaffed, and our primary responsibilities are to protect our local communities… We want to make sure we prioritize what we do to better to serve our communities. Immigration is a federal issue. It is their policy. We have a huge job to do protecting the community we swore to protect and serve."Feb. 1, 2017
Matthew J. Piers, JD, President, Chirag G. Badlani, JD, partner, and Caryn C. Lederer, JD, partner, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., in a Jan. 13, 2017 memo to Tom Cochran of the US Conference of Mayors and Darrel W. Stephens of the Major Cities Chief Association, available at nilc.org, stated:
"Cities and states have various policies regarding local enforcement of federal immigration laws, and the expenditure of local resources on cooperation with ICE enforcement programs. These policies seek to preserve trust between local law enforcement organizations and the communities they serve, which is undermined when individuals fear that local law enforcement will enforce federal immigration laws. These policies also seek to preserve the limited financial resources available to state and local governments. Though they take many forms, these policies include limitations on local law enforcement making arrests based on immigration violations, limitations on local law enforcement gathering information about immigration status, compliance with ICE detainers, and sharing certain information with ICE, including an individual's custody status or release date from local custody.
Any future efforts by the federal government to limit or defeat these local policies will likely face challenges under the Tenth Amendment and Spending Clause of the Constitution. Any attempts to directly compel local law enforcement to comply with ICE detainers or other enforcement provisions are likely to be struck down. Attempts to cut off all federal funding to jurisdictions with local policies limiting local enforcement will likely be found to exceed Congressional power under the Spending Clause, as will attempts to cut off large, general grants unrelated to immigration enforcement."Jan. 13, 2017
Michael Wildes, JD, Managing Partner at Wildes and Weinberg PC, in a Mar. 2008 article, "Leave Immigration Enforcement to the Feds," available at michaelwildes.com, stated:
"At first blush, the ability of local police to enforce federal immigration law seems like a viable solution to our nation's challenge of illegal immigration. However, piling the additional duty of immigration enforcement upon our already strained local police will do little more than force illegal immigrants and those who associate with them further into society's shadows. The negative effects which will result thereafter are significant.
First, enforcement of immigration laws by local police will discourage and even prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing police services and will prevent police from the benefit of immigrants' cooperation in fighting and investigating crime… Furthermore, adding immigration enforcement to the gambit of local police duties will strain the resources of local police. The main mission of local police is to prevent and solve local crime. Requiring local police to pick up the slack of federal immigration agencies will only divert crime fighting resources without solving the problem of illegal immigration.
Perhaps most importantly, local police run the risk of violating the civil rights of both legal and illegal immigrants when enforcing immigration laws."Mar. 2008
The Major Cities Chiefs Association, in a June 8, 2006 immigration committee report entitled "Recommendations for Enforcement of Immigration Laws by Local Police Agencies," concluded that:
"Immigration enforcement by local police would likely negatively effect and undermine the level of trust and cooperation between local police and immigrant communities. If the undocumented immigrant's primary concern is that they will be deported or subjected to an immigration status investigation, then they will not come forward and provide needed assistance and cooperation. Distrust and fear of contacting or assisting the police would develop among legal immigrants as well. Undoubtedly legal immigrants would avoid contact with the police for fear that they themselves or undocumented family members or friends may become subject to immigration enforcement.
Enforcement of federal immigration laws would be a burden that most major police agencies would not be able to bear under current resource levels… The specific immigration status of any particular person can vary greatly and whether they are in fact in violation of the complex federal immigration regulations would be very difficult if not almost impossible for the average patrol officer to determine. At this time local police agencies are ill equipped in terms of training, experience and resources to delve into the complicated area of immigration enforcement.
For example, the Katy, Texas Police Department participated in an immigration raid with federal agents in 1994. A total of 80 individuals who were detained by the police were later determined to be either citizens or legal immigrants with permission to be in the country. The Katy police department faced suits from these individuals and eventually settled their claims out of court."June 8, 2006


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Why Monopoly is the Greatest Game of All Time
Webster's dictionary defines sarcasm as "a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language."
Monopoly is probably the most inflammatory game of all time. It is undoubtedly a classic board game and household staple, yet there is more hate poured into this game than the Sauron poured into the One Ring. So how is it that a game can be universally despised yet be on the shelves of millions of homes?
Let's dive in and take a look at what makes Monopoly the soul-crushing, vampiric nightmare that sucks out your will to live. Find out more about Monopoly the board game below.
At the core of its gameplay, Monopoly is random.
There is a degree of strategy with all games, but strategy means nothing if you are still 100% dependent on dice rolls to land on the properties you need. The most ironclad strategy falls apart if you can't land on an open property to buy, so short of making a sacrifice to the RNG (random number generator) gods, you have to rely solely on luck.
The Community Chest and Chance cards are also highly random. Landing on either spot could get you into hot water and debt rather quickly, so there's no guarantee that either one will be definitively good or bad for you.
The game is highly unfair and that's by design. The first player to get a complete set of properties and puts down the first houses will likely win the game. Sure you can trade, but for the most part, trading always favors one side over the other. It's the rule of supply and demand and if one player has all the supply and you are the only one demanding, well, then it's going to be rather expensive. Trading then becomes an exercise in who can guilt your friends and family the hardest into giving you what you want.
Life is unfair. Get used to it.
So why does the game that clearly favors one or two players and is highly unfair even exist?
Well, the short answer is to learn that it's unfair.
There's a lot of controversy on where the game was first designed and who owns the patent on what, but if you look back in history, it was based on the Landlord's Game designed and created by Elizabeth Magie in 1902. She designed it to illustrate certain economic philosophies of the time, namely that the rental housing system was designed to keep wealthy landowners rich and to keep tenants poor and at the mercy of the landowners. Sound familiar?
Charles Darrow turned it into Monopoly and sold it to Parker Brothers in 1935. (Parker Brothers actually did purchase the rights from Magie as well, whereas Darrow claimed the game was his own invention.) Eventually, Hasbro bought Parker Brothers, and the rest is history.
Political dogma aside, the game emphasizes Magie's point beautifully. The first person to own a colored block of land is usually going to be the supreme overlord of the game. With such high imbalance, a lot of players tried to even the odds with house rules that attempted to even the playing field. Things like the Free Parking jackpot were never in the rules. Concerned parents would sometimes give out bank loans & IOU's, or wipe out debts entirely for a trade of a utility property. This never really evened the playing field, but just extended the play time for the inevitable conclusion of owing your older brother a small fortune (I'm not bitter).
I might actually die of old age before this game ends…
This leads us to one of the most common complaints about Monopoly: the games takes so long. Well, they don't have to if you play by the rules. Playing by the rules, however, runs adversely to most people's nature. If you sit down to play a game with a group of people, naturally they are going to be your close friends or family.
Very few people are draconian enough to demand harsh penalties against those they love–unless we're talking about the most competitive people around. This leads to deal-making, immunity, and debt forgiveness, which only causes the game to go on and on, seemingly indefinitely. But to win in Monopoly, you have to be bloodthirsty. There's no room for mercy or charity–only ruthlessness.
The game we love to hate
Almost everyone has played Monopoly and depending on your gaming personality, you're going to have a different experience.
During one particular game, several members of Kendra's family (I won't name names but you know who you are) actually stopped talking to each other for quite some time because of a game of Monopoly. This is, unfortunately, a very common scenario, and it's by design.
I love games. To me, it's about the shared social experience I have with my fellow players around the table. Competitiveness and winning are secondary to me. I actually used to play Monopoly on an almost daily basis when I was in the Navy. My shipmates and I would get off work and go home to play the electronic credit card version of Monopoly (math is hard) with one of their wives and some buddies almost every day. We had a blast. We played games in rapid succession with a pile of empty beer cans stacking up and we would eventually scream and threaten each other with physical violence until the next game started.
So after all of that, why is it still so popular?
- It's designed to be unfair.
- It's heavily dependent on random mechanics.
- It takes forever to play
- Player's have nothing to do when eliminated
- It takes forever for your turn to come up
Most board gamers have a copy of Monopoly somewhere collecting dust on a shelf, but it's rarely pulled out, if at all. It's usually one of the first board games we're introduced to and therein lies the reason why I think it's still around. There's something to be said for being first and for most of us, it's usually one of the first board games we play as children. I think one of the only reasons it sticks around is because of the nostalgia factor.
Nobody is clamoring for the midnight release of the Game of Thrones version of Monopoly, but I'm sure when you see Goldenopoly, a Monopoly version based on golden retrievers, you'll chuckle and some heavily-censored, nostalgic memory will come up of the last time you played Monopoly. It'll end in tears, of course, and you'll be staring at a cute golden retriever on the board while someone smugly asks (demands) you pay your rent.
Versions galore…
It's a terrible game and yet has sold over 250 million copies. You (the reader) probably hate Monopoly, but what are the odds that you have a beat-up, dusty version of it hidden somewhere in the house?
Perhaps the reason for its popularity and commercial success is the variety of "-opolies" out there. Kendra alone has Lord of the Rings Monopoly, Christmas Monopoly, Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly, Klingon Monopoly, Goldenopoly, Wineopoly, Philadelphia Monopoly, New York City Monopoly, and Medical Monopoly. I don't even think she's unwrapped some of those. They look so fun with all their themes, but they are still just Monopoly…
Too soon?
For me, Monopoly is too close to home. It's real-life masquerading as a game. It's debt, rent, jail, and bills. Who likes any of that? I like playing games for the fantasy, the creative experience, the imagination–and yeah, who am I kidding? The escapism, of course. Monopoly is the opposite of that. It's like going to the office all day and then coming home to the office for the day.
After poring over dozens of articles and forums trying to figure out why this game is universally hated yet still around, I still don't have an answer–but I do have a suggestion. Pull out your dusty old board of Monopoly, and reread the rules. Get rid of all the house rules and play it as it's meant to be played. Play with the understanding that this was a learning game designed to show the political philosophy that landowners kept tenants poor. The game won't drag on and you might have a different experience.
If that all fails and the table gets flipped, then play Wineopoly and pop open a bottle matching the space you land on. I guarantee you'll have fun with that. Or you can just play Catan instead.
I'm almost hesitant to write this, but I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on Monopoly.
*Wincing* Leave a comment below.

subset: commoncrawl


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LiveAction Named a Challenger by Gartner in Magic Quadrant for Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics
Evaluation based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute
Palo Alto, Calif., February 27, 2017 – LiveAction today announced it has been named a Challenger in the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics¹ and recognized in Gartner's Critical Capabilities for NPMD². LiveAction ensures corporate IT networks deliver next generation digital experiences by providing insight, assurance and control of their infrastructure and applications. This is the first time LiveAction has appeared in the report. In it, Gartner evaluated LiveNX, a network visualization and analytics platform.
LiveNX enables IT professionals to visualize and monitor network performance of applications across the hybrid WAN to pinpoint issues and troubleshoot them in real-time. For example, executives and business users at Global 200 companies rely on LiveNX to ensure high-quality voice and video calls such as those run through Cisco WebEx or Skype for Business, especially as distributed workforces login to collaborate with colleagues and customers. For CIOs, LiveNX provides complete visibility and assurance in the rollout of SD-WAN with deep integrations into Cisco SD-WAN technology, reducing cost and complexity of global networks.
In its latest Magic Quadrant for Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics, Gartner recognized 17 companies; LiveAction was one of four included in the Challengers Quadrant, where it's positioned the furthest for completeness of vision.
"We believe this recognition by Gartner further validates LiveAction's momentum as we continue to invest in our network performance analytics platform and respond to the growing market demand for our battle-tested insight, assurance and control of enterprise networks," said Darren T. Kimura, executive chairman, LiveAction. "As mission-critical enterprise applications proliferate across public and private clouds and data centers, businesses are relying on LiveAction to simplify the network and troubleshoot issues in real time resulting in more productive and satisfying digital experiences for customers and employees."
About the Gartner Magic Quadrant
A Gartner Magic Quadrant is a culmination of research in a specific market, giving you a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market's competitors. By applying a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria, a Magic Quadrant helps you quickly ascertain how well technology providers are executing their stated visions and how well they are performing against Gartner's market view.
Gartner Disclaimer
¹Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics" by Sanjit Ganguli, Vivek Bhalla, 21 February 2017.
²Gartner, "Critical Capabilities for Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics", by Vivek Bhalla, Sanjit Ganguli, 21 February 2017
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About LiveAction
LiveAction powers high-performance digital experiences by providing insight, assurance and control of enterprise networks. Our award-winning network performance analytics platform, LiveNX, offers a deep understanding of networks and applies situational awareness to accelerate employee productivity and boost customer satisfaction. Learn more at LiveAction.com.
Christian Barr
Kathy Keating
FastStartPR for LiveAction


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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
We've moved! Come join us at our new show page.
Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) - As Ferguson is bracing for a potential fifth night of violent protests over the police shooting of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, the Missouri governor announced that the Missouri State Highway Patrol will take control of security in the St. Louis suburb.
In a press conference, Governor Jay Nixon announced that Ferguson County Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department would no longer be in charge.
Anthony Gray, one of the attorneys for Michael Brown's family, is pleased with the decision.
"I think what the Governor is trying to do is find some solutions and think out of the box. I agree with him: a shift in approach and mentality is great," Gray told CNN's Jake Tapper. "I do think this would allow us the space we need to perhaps make a change on the street."
This comes as the Ferguson County Police Department still refuses to release the officer's name to the public - a public that includes Brown's family, which still doesn't know who pulled the trigger.
When asked directly if the family is satisfied with the investigation thus far, Gray emphasized "not from the local authorities, I need to make that very clear." But a private meeting with Justice Department officials gave them some hope today.
"I think they have a sense of comfort that came from those discussions," Gray said. "I think we all left somewhat way more comfortable than we came into the meeting."
Gray also stressed that the family does not view the death of Michael Brown, and subsequent protests, as a simple "black, white issue."
"I want everybody to know, including your listeners, that this is a unified effort to remain calm and to find out what happened. Period."
For more of our interview with the family's attorney, watch the video above.


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Schmidt fails to file financial disclosure report
A website which tracks Congressional money said that former U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt has failed to file a financial disclosure report that is required of members of Congress when they leave office.
Schmidt is one of 14 House members who left Congress in January to not file the termination report, according to the website Legistorm. The filings are supposed to come within 30 days of the member leaving office.
The Miami Township Republican was defeated in last spring's GOP primary by Brad Wenstrup, who went on to win the 2nd Congressional District seat in the fall.
Also on the list of those failing to file on time were two departing Ohio congressmen, Steve Austria and Steven LaTourette, Dan Burton of Indiana and Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts.
Schmidt's report might have shed light on any left-over legal debts that the House Ethics Committee had said she must repay. The ethics committee said she had unknowingly received $500,000 in legal services from a Turkish-American group and had to repay the money.


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A marriage breakdown is emotionally draining, and it can be especially so when it comes to the financial picture. Arizona residents going through a divorce and who have been carrying student loan debt may be wondering if their soon-to-be former spouses may be responsible for helping them to pay those loans since the division of property includes not only assets but debts. If the student loan was taken out before a person got married, he or she is responsible for paying it; however, if that loan was secured during the marriage, it can become complicated.
Arizona is a community property state which means assets and debts are divided equally, so any loans acquired after marriage are typically split evenly between spouses. There may be some exceptions, however, depending upon the individual situation. If there is some contention regarding a student loan, a family court judge will look at things like whether a marital agreement was in place, any increase in income that came from the education, timing of the divorce in regard to schooling, and whether the couple has any significant assets.
Whether a spouse co-signed the loan agreement could also have an impact. A judge may also look at whether part of the loan was used for living expenses shared with a spouse. If all the loan went toward education and its costs, it's likely the person who took out the loan will be solely responsible for paying it back.
When Arizona residents have questions about issues that could impact their divorces — like student loans — it may be wise to contact a family law attorney experienced in divorce issues. A lawyer can advocate the specifics of his or her client's case. An attorney can review a client's particular circumstance and may be able to offer insight as to what is the best achievable result.


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Lifelong Monroe resident benefits from Goodfellows
Assistance from Goodfellows is something Lucille O'Quinn has depended on for several years.
O'Quinn is a 78-year-old retired widow trying to take care of her family.
"I only get $700 a month," she said. "Most of it goes to my utilities."
O'Quinn, who has lived in Monroe all of her life, said the money she gets for food isn't enough.
"I get $40-something in food stamps," she said. "I can't buy much with that."
O'Quinn said having assistance for Christmas would be a great help.
"It would mean a lot to me," she said. "I have arthritis, acid reflux and high blood pressure so I'm not able to fix dinner for them."
She said that because of her medical condition, she isn't able to stand on her feet long enough to cook. The last time she received Goodfellows assistance, her grandson had to wait in line for her.
"My children helped me with Thanksgiving dinner this year," she said.
O'Quinn said assistance from Goodfellows throughout the years has been a blessing.
"It has meant a lot to me (through the years)," she said. "I sure thank (Goodfellows)."
Goodfellows is an annual benevolent effort that started in 1914 by The News-Star publisher Wilson Ewing and Monroe businessman B.B. Martin.
This year, the campaign celebrates its 100th year, and it plays a big role helping those in need in Ouachita Parish during the Christmas season.
Goodfellows, a project of The News-Star and the city of Monroe, is an annual effort that provides recipients with large bags of food to stock their pantry for several weeks and items for a Christmas dinner.
The year's campaign has a goal to raise $80,000 to help 1,200 families in need.
Donations can be sent to Goodfellows c/o The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, LA 71201. Walk-in donations are accepted 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at The News-Star.
All donations will be recognized individually in print and online at thenewsstar.com throughout the campaign.
The deadline for letters requesting assistance has passed.
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Researchers at New York University School of Medicine question the practice of advising hemodialysis (HD) patients to restrict intake of high-potassium plant foods to prevent hyperkalemia, according to a recent review.
In a paper published online ahead of print in the Journal of Renal Nutrition, David E. St-Jules, RD, PhD, and colleagues concluded that evidence linking high dietary potassium intake to hyperkalemia in HD patients is "virtually non-existent."
"In the absence of empirical evidence, it is of course prudent to continue to recommend low-potassium diets to HD patients with hyperkalemia; however, the practice of advising patients to eliminate so many plant foods from the diet may be harmful, and must be evaluated."
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The authors noted that patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treated with intermittent HD are advised to follow a low-potassium diet (2,000–3,000 mg/day), which involves avoiding high-potassium, plant-based foods, such as seeds, nuts, beans, and peas, as well as many commonly consumed fruits and vegetables.
Targeting of high-potassium foods is based on the assumption that all dietary potassium is therapeutically equivalent, the team noted. "Dietary potassium is not alone in being regarded this way," the authors wrote. "HD patients with hyperphosphatemia are advised to avoid many high-phosphorus foods that may contribute minimally to hyperphosphatemia due to their relatively low phosphorus bioavailability."
Dr. St-Jules' group cited prior research demonstrating that potassium excretion in stool was 3 times higher in HD patients compared with normal controls. "Fecal potassium content was directly proportional to dietary potassium intake and stool weight." The increase in bowel potassium excretion in patients with chronic kidney disease was later shown to be primarily the result of potassium secretion into the bowel rather than reduction of small intestine absorption of dietary potassium. "Given the relatively high prevalence of constipation in HD patients, infrequent bowel movements may be an important determinant of hyperkalemia in HD patients."
"In addition to impairing nutrition status and quality of life," they wrote, "advising HD patients to limit or avoid many plant-based foods, especially fruits and vegetables, may contribute to adverse metabolic status, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, metabolic acidosis, dyslipidemias, and conditions that negatively impact HD patient health, such as constipation and hypertension."
The authors pointed out that other nutrients in food influence potassium distribution and excretion. Unlike meat, which when metabolized leads to net acid production and which are low in carbohydrates and contain no fiber, plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables, tend to yield net base production and are high in both carbohydrates and fiber. They researchers noted, for example, that although the pH of oranges is acidic, the net result of orange juice ingestion is urinary alkalinization. "Therefore, compared with high-potassium meat, potassium-rich plant foods may promote distribution of a greater proportion of dietary potassium intracellularly (alkaline and insulin-stimulating) and excretion of potassium in stool by increasing fecal bulk (dietary fiber)."


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The Mavericks wouldn't take Goran Dragic from Miami because they wanted to keep their cap space clear for someone else.
Turns out, that's Seth Curry.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Curry came into his own as NBA player in 2016-17 with Dallas. He missed the entire next season due to injury then bounced back with the Trail Blazers last year.
He's a good outside shooter who should fit well in Rick Carlisle's two-point-guard sets. We've already seen it work.
Still, that's a fairly expensive deal for Curry, who'll turn 29 this summer, if it's fully guaranteed. But we've seen this before: The Mavericks lock into players who fit their system and keep bringing them back.


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Euroclear Announces New Blockchain-Based Gold Settlement
Euroclear is best known for being one of the world's biggest settlement houses in the financial sector. After taking a close look at blockchain technology, the company announced their first product trial: a new settlement system for the London gold market will be created.
Also read: A Pre-Launch Review of BitHappy, The Bitcoin Browser
This announcement comes in the form of a partnership between US startup itBit and Euroclear. With over €27bn in various assets belonging to customers flowing through this settlement house, modernization is the primary objective. Given the growing interest in blockchain technology by financial players, it makes sense to look at distributed ledgers for a proof of concept.
Euroclear Skeptical of Blockchain Tech
Bitcoin enthusiasts will know the itBit name as the company is actively working on blockchain-based clearing and settlement. In fact, the startup has created its own network, called Bankchain. Through this partnership with Euroclear, this technology will be making its way to the settlement of gold shortly.
It has to be said that Euroclear has been rather skeptical of using blockchain technology up until this point. However, the company has been keeping an eye on this technology throughout the past few years. Modernization in the financial sector is direly needed, and itBit's Bankchain seems to be a perfect fit.
Euroclear Director of product Strategy and Innovation Angus Scott stated:
Settlement of unallocated gold is capital-intensive for banks and it is a market that was in need of modernising. We have also created an advisory group, which recently convened to discuss the building of the new service with the ambition to make the London bullion market more efficient.
Applying a blockchain-based technology to real markets remains a challenge. The recent debacle that occurred with The DAO goes to show how this technology is not entirely understood just yet. However, itBit is confident their bankchain technology will be secure enough to be of great value to the gold settlement industry.
Distributed Ledger Network for Settlements
As a result of this partnership, both companies are in talks with various banks and broker-dealers. In the end, the goal is to create a blockchain network for clearing, tracking, and settling trades in real-time. With gold being a huge market on a global scale, using a distributed ledger can have an immediate impact.
While the technology used by itBit is referred to as being a blockchain, it is very different from Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Bankchain solution is a permissioned and private solution that is not open to everyone in the world. Bitcoin and Ethereum, on the other hand, present a permissionless and open environment of which anybody can be a part of.
What are your thoughts on Euroclear partnering with itBit for this gold settlement solution? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Financial Times
Images courtesy of Euroclear, itBit, Shutterstock


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This guest post comes from Lorinda Brandon, Director of Solutions Strategy at SmartBear Software. You can follow her on Twitter or find her blogging regularly at SmartBear.
At the API Craft un-conference this week in Detroit, some of the best minds in the API business gathered to talk over the problems that plague us most. It was a unique event in that the agenda was set and run by the attendees in true meet-up fashion. Quakers will recognize the format – for the conference kick-off, the group sits in silence until someone is moved to suggest a session. You suggest it, you run it and anyone who attends your session also participates in it. The sessions are true whiteboard brainstorming activities, with the outcomes posted into Github for future reading.
One of the best sessions was one called "API Smells", as in "how do you know if yours does?" As we identified warning signals that you may have a bad API on your hands, we made an interesting connection that came up later in other sessions as well. During a discussion about building extensible APIs that are durable and long-lasting, we found ourselves reversing direction and recognizing that maybe we all need to be better about embracing impermanence – like some of the famous Shinto shrines that are torn down and rebuilt every 20 years, we too tear down and rebuild our technologies on a frequent basis. So maybe our design focus should be less on what matters tomorrow and more on what matters today. We named this the "Shinto principle" and it came up time and time again at the conference.
We've seen APIs morph endlessly since their inception back in the 1980's and there's no reason to expect that shaping and re-shaping will stop. But we expend a lot of effort in discussing how to make them survive the test of time. The discussion at API Craft started out no differently, with questions about whether we should have specific granular APIs (and lots of them) or fewer, more Function-rich APIs that we continually evolve.
At some point, we realized how many of us were in the process of either re-factoring ancient APIs or writing new ones to stand in front of the old ones until it was safe to deprecate them. In fact, this conversation popped up several times during the two days, especially around Versioning and deprecation strategies. All of which speaks to impermanence. How many of us start off a project, even an API project, saying "this is just temporary"? Certainly, we've all built bridges and tunnels that we knew we would abandon once we had a chance to build something more elegant. But how many of us approach a project saying – "I'm going to build a tunnel now and later on, I may change the tunnel or I may just blow up the tunnel. But I am never going to build the more permanent solution."
This does not presume that your API can't be elegant. Hence, the parallel to those Shinto shrines that are torn down and rebuilt every 20 years. They are planned out, they adhere to the fundamental requirements of a Shinto shrine, and beauty is built into them. But nobody expects them to last forever – people are stewards of the current incarnation, not owners of the shrine. A similar outlook about APIs might change the conversations we keep having. For example:
Setting Standards - There are those that advocate for standards as a means of having known expectations from each other when we use or expose APIs. And there are those who oppose this type of overhead because it inhibits creativity. If we adopt the same attitude as the builders of a temporary Shinto shrine, does it change the emotion? If we identify those elements that should be standard in every incarnation, does that provide more room for creativity within the internal structure?
Inherent Value - It's funny how many times we sit down to talk about how to convince execs that we need to build an API or try to determine business models to make money from our APIs yet always end up asking the same question – are we doing this backwards? When they build Shinto shrines, it's not the shrine that's important – it's the kami it venerates. If we look at the API as a means to the end (and an evolving transient one at that), does that change the conversation? Do we spend more time talking about its core value to the business rather than the business' value to it?
Technology Cults - There was a time, oh young ones, when SOAP was the radical edge, brave new technology that made all things easier. I laud the brave defenders of SOAP in this zealous REST era and I wait patiently for the Next New Thing that makes the next generation of zealots scoff at REST. My point being, if we drag this analogy even further down the road, venerate the kami (in this case, the function of the API) not the shrine (the implementation of the API). If you enter into this discussion with a mindset that sees all technology as impermanent, the religious war seems less strident. This shrine is beautiful and the next one will be too…
Governance - Ah, the dirty word… but here's the reality – even in a mindset that embraces wabi-sabi, there is a need for the incarnation we have today to be reliable and to meet the needs of all the stakeholders. For us to realize the beauty and value of an API, we have to know that there was discipline and order in its creation and that it will be well-tended for the time it exists. Some Shinto shrines are intended to stand for as long as possible, while others are built with a pre-set lifespan of 20 years. But they are all built for beauty and function, and they are all maintained carefully while they stand.


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- Home
- What We Do
- Tax Investigations & Fraud Solicitors
- Inheritance Tax (IHT) Investigations
Inheritance Tax (IHT) Investigations
Inheritance Tax (or IHT) is one of the most complicated areas of tax law. As it is open to misunderstanding and abuse, HMRC specifically targets Inheritance Tax as an area for investigation.
In tax year 2018/19, 23% of taxable estates were investigated by HMRC.
Tax investigations are often triggered by:
1. Complex structures caught by the gift with reservation rules, the pre-owned asset tax rules or HMRC's catch all General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
2. Arguments around the valuation of particular assets, particularly where HMRC believe assets have been undervalued.
3. Arguments around the residence or domicile of the deceased.
4. Arguments over whether particular tax reliefs are available.
5. Complex trust structures.
6. A deliberate decision by executors or the deceased's family not to fully disclose all assets to HMRC.
We combine our knowledge of tax investigations and the complex Inheritance Tax regime to assist clients with managing Inheritance Tax investigations. We have particular expertise in:
1. Negotiating with HMRC to obtain the best result for the client where there is uncertainty about facts or interpretation of legislation.
2. Working with HMRC and other professional advisers where valuations are in dispute.
3. Mitigating penalties where errors are careless or deliberate.
4. Advising executors where they have been misled by other parties as to the extent of assets and lifetime gifts of the deceased.
5. Managing the risk of criminal prosecution where omissions are perceived to be deliberate by HMRC.
In addition to the above, we also regularly make voluntary disclosures of the deceased's lifetime tax affairs where there have been deliberate or careless omissions, including advising on minimising the period of disclosure and mitigating penalties normally to nil.
Our depth of experience in these matters enables us to handle your affairs expertly and efficiently, providing value for money.
Speak to us if you are dealing with the administration of an estate that HMRC has enquired into, or if you require advice to avoid an investigation in the first place.


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Mazda to cut 220 pounds off vehicles starting 2011
Over the years, Mazda's vehicles have put on some weight. Well, the Japanese automaker is now setting a target to reduce its vehicle weights by at least 220 pounds starting 2011. Mazda will use a combination of lighter materials, smaller vehicle footprints and a better engineering process.
According to Robert Davis, Mazda North America's senior vice president of product development and quality, the typical Mazda has put on at least 80 pounds with each successive redesign. For example, the 2003 Protege weighed in at 2,634 pounds; its successor, the 2010 Mazda, weighs in at 2,868 pounds.
Davis said that cutting weight by 220 pounds will improve fuel-economy by 3 to 5 percent. However, there are obstacles that must be faced including maintaining safety regulations while keeping Mazda's zoom-zoom feel along with the cost of engineering involved in cutting excess weight.
Check out our review of the 2010 Mazda3.
Review: 2010 Mazda3 Grand Touring:
– By: Kap Shah
All Photos Copyright © 2009 Omar Rana "" egmCarTech.
Source: AutoWeek


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When Sport Defines a Nation
On September 28, 1972, steps from the winding edge of the Moscow River, and inside the Luzhniki Palace of Sports, a touchstone of Canadian culture was forged.
That night the deciding game of the Summit Series between Canada and what was then the U.S.S.R. was played. At stake was the title of the world's most preeminent hockey nation, but the significance resonated far beyond sport. It was Canadian hockey, headstrong and laborious, against Russian hockey, balletic and lithe. It was free-market capitalism against communism. West against East. Framed for the Canadian audience as "us" against them.
The Soviet team was more than a mere opponent in a hockey game, it was a visible other, and that distinction, that otherness, gave Canadians the opportunity to construct their own identity, built, in part, around hockey as a unifying symbol.
There is still the thrill of spectatorship in hockey, of Canadians organizing around the game—using a cultural activity to help whittle out a collective identity—but hockey can no longer speak to the concept of a unified, singular Canadian.
This was a showcase of the two best hockey-playing nations in the world but it was also sport detente, rife with geopolitics, and carrying enough weight that the resulting aftermath would shape Canadian culture and the future of the National Hockey League.
Canada won the game, on a rebound batted into the net by Paul Henderson in the final minute of play, and afterwards, on the ice, the Canadian players, their hair tousled, their smiles a mix of broken teeth and fleshy gaps, their faces stitched and scarred, their skin looking more like matted burlap than human flesh, raised their arms overhead as their eyes welled up. It was, and continues to be, one of Canada's most recognized and re-lived cultural moments.
Last Monday, Canada played Russia again. This time for gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The stakes in this game were inarguably of less significance, but the pursuit, to once again lay claim to hockey supremacy, still captured the attention of the nation.
CULTURAL SYMBOLS ARE CONSTANTLY being re-invented, their meaning and interpretations anything but static; in Canada, hockey, a game once so closely tied to the everyman, steeped heavily in blue-collar, working-class ideals, has become something else. It is now modern, commercial, a sport of privilege because of the costs associated with playing it, and, increasingly, a game that has limited historical and cultural significance for new generations of Canadians.
In most respects, this may actually be a good thing. There's room for re-definition. That's why Canada's World Junior teams are important. The players are young, under 20, their skill levels are high and their potential—to be both great hockey players and, consequently, signifiers of Canadian culture—is vast.
In Canada, more than any other sport, hockey relies on mythology, and the game's modernization is at odds with the aura of its past. But it's also necessary for the sport to grow, both in Canada and abroad.
On Monday night, more than seven million Canadians, nearly a quarter of the population, watched the action unfold; in the pre-game broadcast, images from the Summit Series and other epochs of Canadian hockey lore flashed across the screen. Those historic players, who evolved from the crackle of radio, to the early grain of television and now live on through myth, both visual and oratory, were presented once again, pulled out of the past, and dangled in front of the viewer, their presence a reminder of what's at stake—that hockey is, after all, "our game."
IT WAS IN THE years immediately following the Summit Series that professional hockey began to attract European players in significant waves. During that same period, Canada was pushing back against British cultural hegemony and evolving into a more diverse nation. As Michael Buma notes in Refereeing Identity: The Cultural Work of Canadian Hockey Novels, it was a nation that was now without a "state-sanctioned culture" or preference for one ethnic group over another. The definition of Canadianness was undergoing a period of revision, and, at the same time, the influx of European players was regarded as a further attack on "Canada's game." Its heritage was preserved through its presentation.
In Canada, hockey, a game once so closely tied to the everyman, steeped heavily in blue-collar, working-class ideals, has become something else. It is now modern, commercial, a sport of privilege.
Hockey owes much of its cultural significance to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC), in particular, which made its television debut in 1952 but existed for 20 years prior on radio. These platforms disseminate the images and sounds of hockey, celebrating a puritanical Canadian style and helped build players into celebrities, worshiped at the altar of Canadian culture.
Now, HNIC has changed hands. It's currently licensed to Rogers Communications, which finds itself wrestling a duality: modernizing the game while championing its past. A key figurehead in this equation is Don Cherry, the incendiary 80-year-old, who continues to keep up his weekly appearances.
Throughout his career as a broadcaster, Cherry has been targeted for his xenophobic rants against European and French Canadian players. Often getting himself into hot water for his politically and racially charged dialogue. So much so, in fact, that his live segments are now delivered with a seven second delay, leaving just enough room to cut the transmission if needed. He preaches of playing the game the "right way," championing an aggressive style and highlighting the importance of fighting, of the game remaining "true north, strong and free."
Cherry is a master of building up the oft-told Canadian narratives, though he remains a divisive public figure. Canadian punk rock group Propagandhi criticized his often-overbearing nationalism in song, while in the viewer-voted CBC program The Greatest Canadian he finished seventh overall. (He remains the only member of the top 10 yet to be awarded an Order of Canada.) His following, in other words, is both loyal and loud. He also takes his job, as a purveyor of true Canadian hockey—a gatekeeper of sorts—very seriously. His mindset is perhaps best captured by this quote, found in Mondo Canuck: A Canadian Pop Culture Odyssey: "I'm trying to keep this country together. I'm the fucking glue that holds it together."
And indeed, in recent years, it's grown increasingly difficult for Cherry to preach without interference. There is both a greater push-back from hockey's changing audience, and a more bureaucratic direction for HNIC under its new ownership. Cherry's time on screen has been reduced, something he routinely complains about, while the popular and chic George Stroumboulopoulos, who is half Cherry's age, has joined the broadcasting booth.
While the national dissemination of the game changes, the sports landscape of Canada is also transforming. Other sports like soccer and basketball, which are more affordable to play, and come without the same cultural baggage, are quickly building their own significance into the lives of Canadians.
As often is the case for sports, hockey has become a bastion of nationalism. There is still the thrill of spectatorship in hockey, of Canadians organizing around the game—using a cultural activity to help whittle out a collective identity—but hockey can no longer speak to the concept of a unified, singular Canadian. To be effective, it must speak to us all.
Other sports like soccer and basketball, which are more affordable to play, and come without the same cultural baggage, are quickly building their own significance into the lives of Canadians.
That means recognizing Canada's demographic shift, from the white middle class to a more diverse and multicultural state, and connecting, on a much broader scale, with hockey's female audience, wherein their participation in the sport and surrounding culture is viewed as an equal partnership rather than a threat to hockey's overtly stated masculinity.
I WATCHED MONDAY NIGHT'S gold medal game in a small pub in downtown Toronto. The space mostly filled, the patron's eyes drifting in equal measure between the game and their drinks.
Tickets for the game were sold at prices upwards of $6,000 each, set not by the International Ice Hockey Federation but by Hockey Canada, the host organizer. In Montreal, the other host city, none of the games sold out due, it seems, at least in part, to the exorbitant prices.
Canada jumped out to an early lead with two goals on two shots and by the second period, with Canada up 5-1, people began, albeit somewhat anxiously, to celebrate. In the stands, the camera panned to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on his feet, clapping robotically. At the bar, a women dressed in a vintage Team Canada jersey, which flowed loosely from her frame, began belting out the iconic HNIC jingle, and the men on each side of her quickly joined in.
Then the Russians responded. Suddenly it was 5-4. As the stress grew and the clock seemed to freeze, people began to flood into the room from the street, standing in a jagged row, criss-crossing across the bar's wooden floors. The final minutes ticked by in increasingly dramatic suspense, and strangers suddenly leaned on one another—their anonymity bridged by shared interest in the nation's game.
The myth of hockey as a signifier of Canadian culture is that it's absorbed as an autonomous expression, that every Canadian lives off a diet of machismo, endurance, and hardship. This is demonstrably false, of course, but hockey, culturally speaking, still remains at the top of Canada's sports totem. To stay, it must adapt and connect with a changing and diverse audience. Hockey can't turn back the churn of modernity but it can approach the game—and its consumption—holistically, making it broader and coloring it with varying aspects of modern Canadian culture, not just the myths we already know.
In the end, Canada held on for the win, their first gold medal in the tournament in five years. After an excessive round of cheering filled the bar, the camera panned to a Russian player, who, crushed in defeat, braced his body heavily against the boards. Then from the back of the room: "Poor kid!" Similar refrains followed and soon enough a chorus of niceties, framed with an affable aw-shucks empathy, made their way across the bar. Another facet of Canadianness, another cultural connotation of the game, even in the heat of battle, echoing around the small space, alive and—in that moment—fully well.
The Sports Lens is a new running series exploring the intersection of sports and culture.


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An anal fissure is a tear or rip that develops in the lining of the anus. The tear may extend into the internal sphincter (a circular ring of smooth muscle). When an anal fissure forms, the internal sphincter muscle goes into spasm which leads to more tears and limits blood flow to the area. Anal fissures occur in a tissue known as anoderm. Most anal fissures occur in the posterior midline of the anus; few occur in the anterior midline. Anal fissures cause severe pain while passing stools.
Anal fissures can occur in any age group. It usually heals within a few days or weeks but if it does not recuperate after 6 weeks, it is considered a chronic fissure where medical attention is required.
The pressure in the anal sphincters that control the anus may be the cause of fissures. Anal fissure causes include constipation, straining during a bowel movement, hard stool, childbirth, inflammatory bowel diseases, chronic diarrhea, long-standing misuse/overuse of laxatives, and anal sex. The less common causes: HIV, syphilis, tuberculosis, herpes, and anal cancer.
Healing solutions for anal fissure:
There are various modalities for anal fissure treatment such as home remedies, medications, and surgery.
Home remedies:
- A healthy diet and adequate fiber intake in diet.
- Try fiber supplements.
- Adequate fluid intake to stay hydrated and to prevent constipation.
- Avoid fatty and oily food.
- Regular physical activity.
- Do not strain during defecation.
- Warm sitz baths for about 15 to 20 minutes per day, 2 or 3 times per day (especially after defecation)to relax the spasm , to increase blood circulation and to help reduce inflammation and infection
- Do not suppress the urge to defecate.
- Do not spend too much time sitting in the toilet.
- Proper cleaning of the area.
- Use water to clean and avoid scented soaps/toilet paper.
- Over-the-counter bulk forming laxatives and stool softeners.
- Topical anesthetic creams/ointments such as lidocaine hydrochloride to relieve the pain. These however are only temporarily solutions. It may sometimes lead to chronicity if followed without instructions of a proctologist.
- Steroids: Sometimes used in combination with topical anesthetics to decrease inflammation but there are chances of secondary infection and hence not preferred.
- Nitroglycerin: applied externally for healing and to increase blood circulation to the fissure and to relax the anal sphincter. (Unpredictable and not promising results)
- Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) injection: to relax the muscle spasms.(results unpredictable and presently not used)
- Blood pressure medications as per medical advice.
Surgical Treatment:
In severe cases or cases non-respondent to conservative treatment, surgical intervention is required.
- Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy: A procedure performed under anesthesia where a small part of the anal sphincter muscle is removed to decrease the muscle spasm, tension, and pain and also, to help in healing. It also improves blood circulation in the perianal area. It has a risk of incontinence. This procedure is successful in more than 95% of patients.
- Fissurectomy: A procedure that removes the affected skin around the anal fissure and any skin tags. This procedure is done with Botox injections.
- Anal advancement flap: A procedure involved in removing a piece of tissue from another part of the body and using it to heal the fissure.
- Anal dilation: A procedure under anesthesia where the anal canal is dilated manually. It is also known as Lord's anal dilatation.
- Pneumatic balloon dilation: Used for chronic anal fissures.
Special Ayurvedic treatments:
- Natural bulk forming laxatives and stool softeners like Proctobulk powder.
- Medicated oil or ghritams as small animas to relax the sphincter-like Topical Proctorelax.
- Sitz bath in warm water with Proctobath liquid added to it.
- Ayurvedic Kshar Karma
- Ksharsutra ligation
If you are looking for anal fissure treatment, find the best proctologist at Shreyas Ano Rectal Hospital and Research Center (www.proctocure.com) to receive the best fissure treatment in India.


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Love Vera Bradley bags but don't want to splurge on them? No worries! In this post you get a step by step tutorial on how to make your very own quilted Vera Bradley inspired cosmetic pouch for a super affordable price.
Vera Bradley Inspired Quilted Cosmetic Bag Tutorial
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I don't qualify for alcoholics anonymous, but I DO qualify for DUI Lead Providers anonymous…
After generating and providing 34,892+ DUI leads to attorneys nationwide for 3+ years, you'd think I learned a thing or two, which I'll share here:
First, some trivia: Attorneys in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii seem to be the happiest, and work the least. Never was able to get one of them to advertise with me for DUI leads.
They were too busy hunting, fishing, kayaking, ranching, horseback riding, and having a grand ole' time instead of sweating it out in an office and court all week long.
There were super-converters, masters of the trade who retained 1 in 4 (25%) of all leads, while others couldn't convert a potential if their life depended on it.
You could staple the lead to the lame attorneys and they still couldn't get them to retain.
Clicked thru from email? (Continue reading below) ↓
Leads would fluctuate wildly, all across the United States with no rhyme or reason… For two weeks, Las Vegas would be hot, then it would go dead. Wisconsin, in the meantime, would jump and tons of leads would come in, then New York, then Kansas – lead volumes fluctuating with no apparent pattern.
Why did this happen? I asked dozens of attorneys, sat and thought, tried to attribute it to
…but all these reasons failed to explain the fluctuations.
How about lead quality? I've dealt with and seen leads from providers like:
and more.
Over 34,892 DUI leads, I saw the following stats, regardless of who provided the lead, whether the lead was a phone or email lead, in every state, at any time of day or night, weekends and weekdays… even when there was a full moon.
40% Ghosts – they never answered the phone, text, email. Nothing. We'd call the leads 5 times over a week, text, email, everything.
30% Tire-Kickers, Expungements, Dead Leads –
These people were junk. No useful way to work with them – they cluttered up the lead flow & wasted attorneys' time.
30% Viable – these people would answer, had real Issues, and did retain attorneys. Many would retain an attorney pretty quickly, some would price shop, some wouldn't, but this core group were the "good stuff".
Bottom line, what was the average number of leads required to retain 1 client?
1 in 10 ( aka 10% )
Average cost on a per lead basis? $50
(although that's increased a bit in the last year to $65 for many providers)
Can you dispute junk leads? Some places will do it, some won't.
Depends on the place.
Is it worth it to get leads in this way? Now that I don't provide them anymore, and I don't get a commission from any of these guys for referring, I can honestly say YES, in certain circumstances.
If you want an immediate injection of leads to try to turn into retained clients, and you KNOW going in that you'll retain approx. 10% which means $50/lead * 10leads/retain = $500 to get a client.
If you can afford that and more, this will probably work for you and can be an add on to your other marketing to get clients.
Before this email goes too long, I'll end with a few best practices to convert the most possible leads Into retained clients:
1. Jump on the leads IMMEDIATELY, if not sooner. If you sit on these leads at all, they may be snatched up by other attorneys, or not answer the phone.
Leads are typically provided in real time as people request help, so follow up ASAP.
2. Follow up, follow up, follow up. Email each lead several times, call them several times, text them 1 time, and don't just give up right away. People are busy, they're working, etc, and the guys that follow up aggressively do better.
3. Track your results carefully, dispute truly garbage leads, and make sure the service(s) You use are providing you decent leads in the aggregate. Don't sign any long term agreements – no reason you can't do month to month and cut things off if they're not working.
If you're looking for a list of vetted, arms-length, recommended vendors for buying leads, SEO, website development, pay per click, direct mail, or any other form of attorney marketing…
Fill out the form on the top right of this page and I'll send you my curated attorney vendor list. (no obligation, no cost on your part)
Richard Jacobs
Speakeasy Authority Marketing
Copyright © 2009-2022 www.SpeakeasyMarketingInc.com. All Rights Reserved.


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The 2018 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Jazz Album of the Year was given to Big Island Kings of Hawaiian Swing group, Kahulanui for Mele Ho'oilina produced by Kahulanui LLC and Michael Surprenant of Mana Music Studio.
Also presented was the award for Instrumental Composition of the Year, Kahulanui Boogie Woogie composed by Bill Noble who performs with the group.
The album Mele Ho'oilina was inspired by all the forerunners of the Hawaiian Swing genre including the grandfather of band leader Lena Naipo. It was a great thrill for Lena's father who was also in attendance at the Awards ceremony show.
Kahulanui was also nominated for two other categories: Group of the Year and for Graphics Award by Scarlet Eskildsen, both coveted and esteemed awards.
This was a big win for the group as they continue to perpetuate the blending of genres and cultures in Hawaiian music.
Message from group: Kahulanui is grateful for all of the musician brothers and sisters who helped to make this latest album (Mele Ho'oilina) a Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner! Especially, to Michael Surprenant, Sarah Bethany, Joshua Timmons, Mike Lewis, Brian Christ, Andrea Lindborg and Loren Frank Wilken. Mahalo nui loa to Dave Pierce for making such an amazing contribution to Hawaiian music with his arrangement of Ka Ua Loku. And, all of the musicians who have helped Kahulanui along the way: Garry Russell, Duncan Bamsey, Frank Musacchio, Eldred Ahlo, Payton Meyer, and Jenny Brown. Mahalo Jody and Charles Brotman for getting us off the ground and for your continued support!!
Kahulanui is on tour this summer. Look for complete schedule at www.kahulanui.com


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Why to be a member of the Family of Semiramis hotel
As a family hotel, we believe that Philoxenia is the key asset for our staff. Working in Hospitality is not just a job. It is a journey of self-growth, multicultural engagement, and development. Our staff members are professionals who work together to deliver an excellent service. Our Vision is to show "the Greek hospitality and its warmth". We want to create a friendly environment filled with experiences and memories for our customers and our staff.
Apply for a job
Would you like to be part of our hospitality team?
Are you a willing individual who enjoys interacting with people and delivering an exceptional customer service?
In Semiramis city hotel, we are looking for people who want to develop themselves and they are passionate about their job.
If you consider that you can be a member of our company's culture, we will be happy to receive your CV and Cover letter sent by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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1. I've been addicted to two things lately….
And waffles
Lots of waffles
And I kind of LOVE Gluten Free Waffles. Just sayin…
They kind of sorta make a fabulous St. Patty's breakfast. With coffee, of course.
2. I've been craving light meals lately… spring IS here!
3. Comfort food makes a hard day just a little bit better. Especially when it's chicken and dumplings. Made by your mom.
4. I think my talent is salad eating.
My dad saw me making this Hugh Jass salad (lettuce, tomato, carrots, broccoli, raw corn, cucumber, turkey, ham, cheese, italian dressing) and says "there is NO way you're going to eat all of that!" I laughed. And dominated said salad. Duh.
5. Spring break is in 2 weeks. 13 days from now I will be sitting on a beach. My birthday is exactly one month from today. Not that I'm counting or anything…


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Hord Team
Hord Rapidtools is a group of experienced, solid technology and have a high degree of engineers as the core, has been in the principle of fast, high quality, economic for customers to provide rapid mold manufacturing and small and medium-sized batch production services of the young team;Since its establishment in 2013, it has been constantly making positive progress. In particular, it has made great achievements in the past two or three years.At present, the total number of employees is about 100, of which about 46% have more than 10 years of work experience, more than 35% have college degree or above;95% are under 45 years old;We are also continuously introducing excellent talents to join our team and striving for the rapid mold manufacturing career
Honesty and trustworthiness, win-win cooperation, pragmatism and efficiency, excellence is our direction and goal of our efforts;Welcome to have the ideal also has the interest talented person to join us.
Founder & Managing Director: Johnny Minghao Xiong,
Johnny Minghao Xiong was in 2001, graduated from Hunan Institute of Technology of mold design and manufacturing major, after graduation has been engaged in mold design and manufacturing, injection molding, mechanical parts processing and other related industries, has more than 18 years experience working for Hong Kong and foreign companies in China, mainly in the face of western countries customers, so the quality of the products and services to the west has a profound understanding of, proficient in all kinds of mould and the production cost of calculation and analysis of the technical problems to solve.In May 2013, it established Hord Rapidtools, and In August 2016, the company also established a wholly-owned factory for rapid mold manufacturing, injection molding and CNC machining. Fluent English communication skills.


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We are always looking for talented and motivated people to join our company, and many opportunities exist at our local sites in the areas of customer service, warehouse operations, and technology. As a progressive and growing organization, Customized Distribution Services offers an employee-friendly environment, an excellent work-life balance, comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision and opportunities for personal and professional development. Please complete a submission of your interest for a position in warehouse careers, HR careers and others by clicking on the below link.
Customized Distribution Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


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The new season of Anatomy of Evil has arrived in the US. Woo hoo!
During the work week, I only watch television in the evening, so it takes a seriously special show for me to fire up my Roku and stream it during daytime hours.
Such is the case with Anatomy of Evil (Spuren des Bösen). I just watched the first feature-length episode of Season 2, and once I'm done here, I'll get right back to it. That's how much I love this dark, gloomy, and wholly absorbing series: I'm willing to break my own rules — twice! — to watch all of it.
Anatomy of Evil stars International Emmy® Award nominee Heino Ferch (Allmen, Berlin Station, Hotel Adlon) as Richard Brock, a widowed father of a young cop and a former psychiatrist-turned-university lecturer and police criminal psychologist in Vienna, Austria. Brock rivals divorced father of a young cop Kurt Wallander in the morose department, and while the latter took to drink to, well, everything, Richard smokes weed.
"Desire" opens with sex, followed by attempted murder. A man pushes a woman he obviously knows into oncoming traffic.
Soon thereafter, another woman stops by Brock's classroom to ask him for help, despite knowing that he isn't a practicing shrink anymore. She is Clara Rink, the wife of the would-be murderer, Johannes Rink, the son of one of Richard's former patients. Clara wants Brock to assess her husband, who's been acting totally out of character recently.
It is through meeting Johannes under these circumstances that Richard both confirms Clara's suspicions and meets her husband's intended victim: Eva Faller, an illegal prostitute.
And it is through helping Eva that Richard lands in jail for homicide.
In the midst of all the literal and figurative darkness in "Desire" are a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, courtesy of Richard's only friend, café owner Klaus Tauber (Gerhard Liebmann, M – A City Hunts a Murderer), and his housekeeper, Mrs. Anni (Gerda Drabek, Vienna Crime Squad). And to see Richard himself actually laugh, well, that's simply golden.
"Desire" costars Sabrina Reiter (Dead in 3 Days) as Petra Brock, Richard's daughter, and Matthias Hack (Der Pass) as Detective Fritz Stadler, and guest stars Julia Koschitz (München 7) as Clara Rink, Benjamin Sadler (War and Peace) as Johannes Rink, and Mavie Hörbiger (Inspector Rex) as Eva Faller.
The entirety of Anatomy of Evil: Season 2 — which includes the episodes "Desire," "Rage," and "Yearning — premiered in the US today, Tuesday, August 13, exclusively on MHz Choice and its digital channels, including MHz Choice on Amazon.
Go check it out!
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Sony, Marvel Continue Tug of War Over Spider-Man
What does the future have in store for Spider-Man?
October 10, 2019
UPDATE: Following recent news of further negotiations, this article has been updated below.
Following the news of Spider-Man's departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans have been left wondering how the radical change will affect plans for Phase 4 of the MCU.
Sony Pictures chairman Tony Vinciquerra claims that while a resolution might occur in the future, "the door is closed" for Spider-Man's return to the MCU. The beloved superhero may not return anytime soon, and definitely not in time for the beginning of Phase 4.
This begs the question; What happens now?
Marvel and directors Joe and Anthony Russo have confirmed multiple movies and television shows that will come into the MCU for Phase 4, and Disney's new streaming service, Disney+. Movies such as Black Widow, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Eternals have fans on the edge of their seats. Even smaller television shows such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki have fans curious for the new phase of the cinematic universe. However, Spidey's future is unknown.
Marvel Studios' Kevin Fiege claims that Parker's story is completed, so it won't affect Phase 4 too much.
"It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we'd be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I'll always be thankful for that," Fiege elaborates.
However, if you haven't seen Spider-Man: Far From Home, the post-credits ended the movie on a major cliff-hanger. After defeating Quentin Beck and rescuing his friends from imminent danger, the movie cuts to a scene of Peter Parker and MJ swinging through NYC after returning from the trip. Once landing safely, Peter starts to leave before his attention is caught by a news announcement on the monitor behind him. The news anchor proceeds to show a clip of Quentin Beck accusing Peter of murdering him, and the drone fiasco being his original plan, moments before his death. After framing Peter using an edited clip of him "confessing" to the crime, and making himself out to be a hero, Beck reveals his identity.
It only makes sense that there would be another movie made to pick up where Far From Home left off, right? Unfortunately, nobody truly knows what the future has in store for Peter Parker.
Update: As of September 27, 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony have reached an agreement to allow Spider-Man to return to the MCU for two more films. Spidey will return for one confirmed addition to the Spider-Man series, and another movie, in which some believe that Peter will return as a member of some sort of reconstructed Avengers.


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My beliefs are very simple. It was very easy growing up in a Christian home with good people all around me! All that good influence around me helped shape what I believe in. I believe that Jesus was the Messiah and that He died on the cross for my sins. My Bible is what I really depend on for guidance because it is the written word of God…. "Breathed by God to be recorded by men" who were there witnessing the miracles. God's way to get to heaven is through Jesus, and without Him, I would be separated from God. That really shook me to my core and I accepted God as my personal savior.
I believe many things in my Christian faith. The Ten Commandments are very important to me, and I believe in every single one of them but it is so hard to uphold to them all. To make myself be a stronger believer in Christ, I study devotionals and read my bible daily which is a belief that I and all of my family have. It's really simple….when you know what God says in the bible, you choose to obey or disobey. The Bible is a guide book to my faith and my beliefs and devotionals are books Christian authors make so we can study God with a format. When I read more devotions and study the Bible, I have a more intimate and close relationship with God. I believe that when I am close to Him He rewards me. Sometimes I am like a wandering sheep that is wandering away from the Shepherd, but in this case I am wandering away from my God. Sometimes I don't always feel God with me, but I realize at those times that it's me that wandered away or tried it on my own. He never leaves me.
I have learned in those struggles I become stronger. When I seek God, He always welcomes me back because Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Once I've accepted Christ, I will never be apart from Him.
I really have many beliefs, like one of the most important rules in our family that comes from the Bible. "Obey your father and mother". God is commanding us to do this so it's not just a suggestion. Again, it comes down to the choice to obey. The way I love, live and choose is based on what Jesus did when He was on earth and on what the bible says to do now. I turn the other cheek. I work hard "As unto the Lord, not to please man". I love "With all my heart, soul, mind and strength". I do what is right, I follow the law. When I don't know what to do, I know where to go to find answers.
When I reinforce my beliefs, they become convictions on how to live life…and it's a happy life.
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We are pleased to invite you for the 4th and 5th weeks of our Summer Retreat Program 2018 at Sufi Kanka, Vepriai, Lithuania. The retreat will run for two weeks and will be led by Dharma Master Myong Hae Sunim JDPSN (15-22.July) and Zen Master Joeng Hye SSN (22-29.July).
Join us for together action practice, meditation, bowing, chanting, walking and Kong-an interviews.
For further inquiries please contact the organizer.
Retreat price: TBA


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Culinary School – Flyer PSD Template
Start your life with a clean sheet of culinary. We have created for you this premium business PSD flyer that we have called "Culinary School"! Use his flyer and promote your business ideas and culinary school with it. It can be very easy for every businessman to use it in his advertisement.
This business flyer has an interesting layout structure. Choosing the necessary colors and filling it with themed photos, this flyer can be very attractive for amateurs and for true gourmets. All you need is to purchase it once or use our membership to have as many flyers as you wish.
You can use all of our Premium flyer templates PSD and free event flyer templates as many times as you need.
All the event flyer templates on Elegantflyer are ready files for printing. But if you want you can customize and modify them as you wish. You can change the colors and replace all the elements because after you download it you will have the flyer in PSD format.
Furthermore, you will get Facebook Cover. It means that you will download the additional PSD file for your main page in Facebook. You could customize it as well, change the details and make your corrections.
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You Say You Want A Revolution: Mick Farren Looks Back
Paul Moody, 'Search For The Lost Chord', July 2013
RBP contributor Paul Moody interviewed Mick earlier this year while researching his new book Search For The Lost Chord: Looking For The Spirit Of Rock'n'Roll. We're running this exclusive extract in a tribute to Mick.
Total word count of piece: 3647


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Public School Budget Cuts Herald End of Equality
Education Budget Cuts Disproportionately Disadvantage the Poor
Throughout the United States, the nation's public school system is being savaged by budget cuts that will make a mockery of federal legislation designed to reduce the achievement gap between children in low-income and high-income districts.
In Detroit, the school district has been told by the state to close half of its schools to close a $347 million deficit, leading to high school classes that could contain as many as sixty students.
Providence, RI just handed out pink slips to its nearly 2,000 teachers to reduce its deficit (although, in an astonishing feat of creative accounting, most—but not all—of the teachers are expected to be rehired); and Austin, Texas, may do the same in a response to a ten percent reduction in state funding. And in thousands of school districts throughout the country, teachers are being fired, sports and arts programs are being shut down, AP classes are being canceled, and class size is going through the roof while state and local governments radically cut education funding to balance their budgets. Make no mistake about it, these budget cuts will have a disproportionate effect in the poorest school districts, where parents depend on schools to impart skills which, because of educational background or language issues, they often lack.
You cut arts and science programs in a upper-middle-class school district, parents will compensate by finding private tutors or funding additional classes through the PTA. In poor neighborhoods, once such programs are gone, they are gone for good.
You can squeeze the teachers in poor districts all you want to produce magical results on test days; as opportunities to give students individual attention and special training in arts and science disappear, the test score gap will grow wider, the dropout rate will increase, and college admission from such districts will plummet. What makes this a bitter pill to swallow that the dream these budget cuts will destroy was one nurtured by a Republican president, George W. Bush. Never mind that the dream was based on false data from the Houston school district; never mind that it was used by politicians, business leaders and the media to divert attention from confronting sources of inequality outside the school system. It is still held that every child in America has the right to a great education and an opportunity to attend college if they take advantage of that opportunity. Now that very dream is in tatters, not just because of the decision elected officials made to cut public school budgets, but because of the decision they didn't make: to TAX THE RICH.
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Make no mistake about it, in every state where these budget cuts are being made the vast majority could have been avoided if taxes were raised on the wealthiest five percent of the population, a group which controls nearly 40 percent of national income! Yet in state after state throughout this country, as well as in Congress, such taxes were declared "off limits" by politicians of both parties.
Let us be very blunt about the consequences of this choice. In the midst of the worst economic crisis in modern U.S. history, our political leadership has decided to exempt the very wealthy from sacrifice while tragically weakening the one avenue our society has identified for reducing inequality in the nation—our public schools.
Not only is it profoundly immoral to impose hardship on the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society, targeting schools for such huge cuts does violence to the very ideal of equality of opportunity which once used to unite liberals and conservatives.
If the only schools that can function well are in communities where parents have the resources to compensate for the budget cuts, then we are basically creating a social order where children will remain in the social position of their parents into the next generation, and where poor and working-class children are doomed by inferior training to be a servant class for the rich, if they are lucky enough to find jobs at all.
I don't know about you, but this sounds more like the ancien régime in France or pre-revolutionary Russia than the country which Abraham Lincoln once praised "for lifting artificial burdens off the shoulders of men." The American Dream is dying before our eyes. Will we have the courage to rescue it?
Mark NaisonMark Naison is a Professor of African-American Studies and History at Fordham University and Director of Fordham's Urban Studies Program. He is the author of three books and over 100 articles on African-American History, urban history, and the history of sports. His most recent book, White Boy: A Memoir, was published in the spring of 2002. Republished with permission from The History News Network.


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Product: Princess charming court train deep V-neck wedding dress Review
Price: $489.00
Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
Sale: $169.00
You save: $320.00 (65%)
Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
Seller's Guarantee: 100% High Quality & 100% Return Guarantee
My Rating: 9.6 out of 10
Product Details
- Color: White/Ivory
- Fabric: High Quality Satin, Organza
- Silhouette: Ball Gown
- Neckline: V-neck
- Sleeve Style: Cap Sleeve
- Waist: Natural
- Train: Court Train
- Embellishment: Appliques, Beading, Ruching
- Fully Lined: Yes
- Built in Bra: Yes
- Body Shape: Apple/Oval, Pear/Bell
- Season: Spring, Fall, Winter
- Style: Classic/Timeless
- Wedding Venue: Chapel/Church, Hall/Indoor
About Seller
GEORGE BRIDE is an international brand, built upon our three factories in Asia and warehouses in many countries. The George Bride brand enjoys a global customer base, substantiating George Bride's world-wide popularity. George Bride team strives to offer you quality dresses at reasonable prices, in addition to exemplary customer service. George Bride focuses on Wedding Dresses and Evening Dresses for 10 years. In 2013, George Bride set up the US depository, in order to provide American brides a perfect service.
usually: 25 business days
urgent service: 20 days
Return Policy
100% Return Guarantee
Satisfaction Guaranteed
unconditional return up to 7 days from the date of delivery
Contact seller before sending the dress back to avoid unnecessary costs.
Read the Customers Reviews (only positive) and look the pictures on Amazon if you like this wedding dress. Leave please your Review here if you made the purchase. Any comments are welcome!