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NEW YORK -- A former Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble Co. board member was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday, culminating a spectacular fall from grace for a man whose good deeds worldwide brought him leniency after he was convicted of feeding inside information about board dealings to a billionaire hedge fund owner who was his friend.
Rajat Gupta, 63, of Westport, Conn., learned his fate from U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff, who defended the length of the prison term he levied, blasting federal sentencing guidelines that he said called for Gupta to serve at least 6 1/2 years behind bars. He also ordered him to pay a $5 million fine.
Citing information he received under seal, Rakoff said Gupta's crimes may have occurred because Gupta may have "longed to escape the straightjacket of overwhelming responsibility, and had begun to loosen his self-restraint in ways that clouded his judgment."
The Harvard-educated businessman long respected on Wall Street was one of the biggest catches yet for the federal government in its five-year crackdown on insider trading that has so far resulted in 69 convictions.
Gupta was ordered to report to prison on Jan. 8.
Reading from a statement, he said: "The last 18 months have been the most challenging period of my life since I lost my parents as a teenager.
"I regret terribly the impact of this matter on my family, my friends and the institutions that are dear to me. I've lost my reputation I built for a lifetime. The verdict was devastating."
The dealings by Gupta that were highlighted at his spring trial stemmed from his relationship with Sri Lanka-born Raj Rajaratnam. The one-time billionaire hedge fund boss controlled up to $7 billion in accounts, giving him a firm footprint in the financial markets and influence that impressed someone as widely regarded as Gupta.
"His conduct has forever tarnished a once-sterling reputation that took years to cultivate," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said after sentencing. "We hope that others who might consider breaking the securities laws will take heed from this sad occasion and choose not to follow in Mr. Gupta's footsteps."
Prosecutors described how Gupta raced to telephone Rajaratnam with stock tips sometimes only minutes after getting them from board conference calls, helping Rajaratnam make more than $11 million in illegal profits for him and his investors. Rajaratnam is serving an 11-year prison sentence after his conviction last year.
The narrower insider trading case against Rajaratnam and his co-conspirators resulted in 26 convictions and was described by Bharara as the biggest insider trading case in history, successful in part because of unprecedented use of wiretaps more familiar to juries at mob and drug trials.
Prosecutors say Rajaratnam earned up to $75 million illegally through his trades while Gupta's attorneys point out that their client earned no profits.
At trial, Gupta was convicted of three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy, insider trading charges that prosecutors said should result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Rejecting defense arguments that a community service sentence would be sufficient, Rakoff said a prison sentence was necessary to send a message to insider traders that "when you get caught, you will go to jail."
"While no defendant should be made a martyr to public passion, meaningful punishment is still necessary to reaffirm society's deep-seated need to see justice triumphant," the judge said. "No sentence of probation, or anything close to it, could serve this purpose."
Defense attorney Gary Naftalis promised to appeal, saying his client had suffered a fall "of Greek tragedy proportions."
Prosecutors accused Gupta, a former chief of the global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and a onetime director of the huge consumer products company Procter & Gamble, of "above-the-law arrogance" in feeding Rajaratnam inside tips between March 2007 and January 2009.
Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein testified at trial that Gupta appeared to have violated the investment bank's confidentiality policies.
Naftalis told the judge that Gupta had "one of the best reputations on the planet. His loss of reputation is severely strong punishment."
He urged that Gupta, who was born in Kolkata, India, be ordered in lieu of prison to work with the Rwandan government in rural areas to fight HIV, malaria and extreme poverty or focus on developing new initiatives in India that would address accelerating migration to India's cities. More than 400 letters written to the judge on Gupta's behalf included documents signed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Rakoff said he could not spare Gupta from prison and only order him to perform community service. "It's not a punishment. It's what he finds satisfaction doing," the judge said.
At Gupta's trial, which began in May, the government highlighted a Sept. 23, 2008, phone call it said was made from Gupta to Rajaratnam only minutes after Gupta had learned during a confidential conference call about Warren Buffett's planned investment through Berkshire Hathaway of $5 billion in Goldman.
Moments after the phone call ended at 3:55 p.m., Rajaratnam purchased $40 million in Goldman stock _ an 11th hour trade that ended up making him nearly $1 million _ at the height of the financial crisis that had engulfed the country.
The judge at sentencing called that phone call "the functional equivalent of stabbing Goldman in the back."
In another recorded phone call in 2008, Rajaratnam told one of his traders that he had gotten a tip "from someone who's on the board of Goldman Sachs" that Goldman was facing an unexpected quarterly loss.
Gupta, prosecutors said, was motivated to help Rajaratnam because he had a financial stake in some of the hedge fund manager's business ventures.
In his attack on federal sentencing guidelines that are meant to be advisory, Rakoff said "mechanical adding-up of a small set of numbers artificially assigned to a few arbitrarily-selected variables wars with common sense."
He added: "Whereas apples and oranges may have but a few salient qualities, human beings in their interactions with society are too complicated to be treated like commodities, and the attempt to do so can only lead to bizarre results."
Associated Press Writer Tom Hays contributed to this report.


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Undergraduate Degrees, Majors and Concentrations
ARTM3130 - Production For The Designer
Summer 2019
The course explores basic knowledge needed to prepare artwork for production purposes within a digital pre-press envioronment. Traditional finished artwork techniques will also be covered. Students discover the creative possibilities of each of the print and production mediums and the production characteristics which are distinctive to each. The mediums are compared and contrasted as aesthetic and technical skills are developed and explored. Paper selection and specification in line with the technical demands of the pressroom and bindery, together with the knowledge of die cutting, embossing, and foil stamping are covered. New digital technologies will also be explored, which have added yet another layer of complexity to the mix. Product end use will also be examined and students will be encouraged to take this into account when specifying production materials and processes.
Prerequisite: ARTM2120
3 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with ARTM3130
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subset: commoncrawl


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Our own Santiago Ramos takes a look at a couple of unlikely Christmas favorites. The first is a Twilight Zone episode from 1961 that Ramos finds more on point for Christmas than Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Check back next Monday to read about another unlikely Christmas favorite. From the upcoming edition of The Catholic Key:
Two Unlikely Christmas Favorites
Part One of a Two-Part Series
By Santiago Ramos
"Five Characters in Search of an Exit."
Twilight Zone, 1961.
Christmas is not about giving; it is about receiving. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come out of the story I am about to relate. It's inarguable that, for most people, serving soup for someone else is ultimately more satisfying than receiving a new sweater; but it is also true that, A Christmas Carol notwithstanding, Christmas has to do less with giving than with receiving something which we desperately need and which we are helpless to attain by our own wits and ability. Tiny Tim feels better after Scrooge surrenders his pride and learns the value of generosity; but Tiny Tim will one day become an old man, and then his soul will desire things that no mortal will be able to give him - not even Scrooge, who will, by then, just like his decaying partner Marley, be as dead as a doornail.
That seemingly unreachable gift of complete happiness; that disproportional desire for life that survives childhood; helplessness and rescue; these are the themes of Advent. Our reception of the One who fulfills the disproportionate desire; who makes the ultimate happiness possible; this is Christmas. That an episode of The Twilight Zone captures all of this better than any of the 127 or so variations on Dickens' novel is not something I feel the need to apologize for.
In season three of that show, three days before Christmas in 1961, host Rod Serling introduced the episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit." The episode deals with five people thrust into a world of which they know nothing. They also know nothing about their past or where they come from. They all want to leave, but only one of them - an Army Major, the last one to arrive - does not give up hope about actually doing so. Serling's introduction sets the scene:
Clown. Hobo. Ballet Dancer. Bagpiper. And an Army Major. A collection of question marks. Five improbable entities stuck together into a pit of darkness. No logic, no reason, no explanation. Just a prolonged nightmare in which fear, loneliness, and the unexplainable walk hand in hand through the shadows. In a moment, we'll start collecting clues as to the whys, the whats, and the wheres. We will not end the nightmare, we'll only explain it, because this is the Twilight Zone.
A collection of question marks, indeed - but only the Army Major is courageous enough to admit his own, questioning nature. Everyone else has already given in to resignation and boredom. The Major, on the other hand, questions relentlessly, impatiently, and, ultimately, loudly. He bellows. His befuddlement slowly transforms into panic with every ten paces he traces within his featureless, dark container. None of his companions in darkness have any answers, only pity.
None of them, that is, except the Clown. Unlike the others, the Clown gives positive force to his resignation; his jadedness is a judgment against hope. He is the foil to the Major's searching spirit. The best lines in the show come in the dialogue between them. In the first few minutes, the Major says: "A couple of important items seem to have eluded me - like, who am I?"
"You said you were a Major," responds the Clown. The Clown knows that the answer is not the answer the Major is looking for. Later on, to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne," he will mockingly sing his credo at the Major's unhappy face: "We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here!"
The other characters also speculate as to why they are where they are. The Hobo thinks they reside in Purgatory. The Ballet Dancer is more insightful: "Perhaps…we are…the unloved." The Major caves into despair: This is Hell.
In spite of that awful thought, the Major continues to beat against the walls, and to try to climb up the walls, to find a way out of his cage. Eventually, he even gets the Clown to cooperate, and to concede that "We all want out of here." At the beginning of the show, the camera reveals a bright white circle of light, within a larger black circle, high above the floor where the characters are standing. The Major devises a plan to climb towards that light.
It's impossible to explain the show's Christmas meaning without relating the ending; anyway, knowing the ending does not make it any less worth watching. The audience finds out the answer to the Major's questions: they are all toys within a large basket bearing the sign "17th Annual Christmas Drive." A lady ringing a bell next to it says that the toys are "For the orphans."
Serling finishes the show with, "In the arms of children, there can be nothing but love." And in the arms of one certain child, there is an infinite embrace. Christmas.
"Five Characters in Search of an Exit" will more likely be broadcast during one of the end-of-the-year Twilight Zone marathons on the SyFy Channel. If you want to watch it sooner than that, the first three seasons of The Twilight Zone are available for free at www.cbs.com/classics.
Santiago Ramos is a graduate of Rockhurst University in Kansas City and has written for First Things (online), Commonweal, The Pitch, Traces, Image Journal and various blogs. He is currently studying toward a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Boston College.


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Do even more with your iPad
Your iPad is a powerful tool. When combined with our multi-functional cases, the possibilities are endless. Designed to multitask as much as you do, our protective cases let you grip your iPad with one hand, find your perfect angle and carry your device around with confidence.


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Registration appointments for undergraduate students are assigned by total number of credits earned (MU credit + Transfer Credit + Test Credits, e.g., AP, IB). Those with the most credits earned receive the first appointments and those with the fewest credits earned receive the last appointments. When there is a group of students with the same number of credits earned, the appointments are assigned randomly within that group. By virtue of using the credits earned, we are in essence using the class level of the students, because these levels are dependent on total credits earned (senior = 92+ credits; junior = 60-91 credits; sophomore = 24-59; freshman = 0-23); however, this process allows the system to assign the earliest appointments to those seniors who are nearing the completion of their degree.
Likewise, all dental, graduate and law students are assigned their registration appointments by total credits earned on their current academic level; and, as with the undergraduate population, when there is a group of students with the same number of credits earned, the appointments are assigned randomly within that group.
An Enrollment Dates section is on the main page of the Student Center in the right column. If you have an enrollment appointment for a current or future term, it will be listed there.
(If you have not yet been assigned an appointment time, you will see a link to view open enrollment dates for the term.)
To see the specific date and time for registration, click the Details link. All appointment times are Central Standard Time. If you want to see your appointment for another term or view open enrollment dates for a term, click the green Change Term button. Please note, appointments are not necessary for summer registration.
Please note that it is not possible for a student to register through CheckMarq before the assigned appointment date and time.
If you do not have an appointment time, contact Marquette Central at (414) 288-4000.
The Office of the Registrar is the official keeper of academic records including course registrations, grades, transcripts and diplomas.
Find information about...
Trouble finding something? Contact the Office of the Registrar


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A suspected marijuana ring operating in Fremont, Union City and Hayward was busted this month, with four arrests and hundreds of pot plants, cash and other drugs seized, officials said Thursday.
During a nearly monthlong investigation, agents recovered 691 marijuana plants, nearly 2 1/2 pounds of marijuana, 5 grams of suspected cocaine, $22,183 in cash and a 2014 Honda Odyssey, the Southern Alameda County Major Crimes Task Force said.
Earlier this month, Union City Police Department patrol officers received information regarding a large-scale illegal marijuana operation, authorities said. The information was referred to the task force, which is comprised by officers from the California Department of Justice, Fremont, Union City, Newark, Alameda County Probation and the California Highway Patrol.
On June 11, the investigation concluded after agents executed five search warrants in Hayward, Union City and Fremont and arrested the four suspects: Fremont residents Tung Low, 39; Justin Chen, 37; Hui Zhu Zhao, 33; and San Leandro resident Pang Chan, 41.
Homes searched were on the 45900 block of Sentinel Place in Fremont, the 2700 block of Breaker Lane in Hayward, the 1000 block of Boyle Street in Union City, the 30500 block of Mallorca Way in Union City and the 31300 block of Beacon Bay Drive in Union City.
During the search at the Fremont house, agents seized nearly 3 ounces of marijuana, 5 grams of suspected cocaine, $1,294 in cash, two computers, three cellular phones, an electronic money counter and drug paraphernalia. Agents also said the home was being converted into a marijuana growing facility and contained ballasts, lights and growing equipment.
Chen was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales, grand theft of utility power and possession of cocaine. Low was also arrested at the home on suspicion of possession of cocaine.
At the Breaker Lane residence in Hayward, agents seized 492 marijuana plants, about 2 pounds of processed marijuana, $660 in US currency, two cellular phones and drug paraphernalia. The residence contained 56 ballasts with 56 lights containing 1000 watt bulbs and marijuana growing equipment. Agents also found that the electrical line to the residence had been illegally bypassed.
Zhao was arrested at the home on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sales.
At the Boyle Street home in Union City, agents seized 199 marijuana plants, $20,229 in cash, a 2014 Honda Odyssey, a cellular phone and drug paraphernalia. The home had 23 ballasts with 23 lights containing 1000 watt bulbs and marijuana growing equipment. Chan was arrested at the house on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sales.
During a search of the Mallorca Way house authorities said agents seized drug paraphernalia.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.


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Comparison of Eplerenone Versus Spironolactone in Heart Failure Patients With Glucose Intolerance or Type 2 Diabetes (SNOW)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01586442
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified March 2017 by Michel White, Montreal Heart Institute.
Recruitment status was: Active, not recruiting
First Posted : April 26, 2012
Last Update Posted : March 29, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Heart Failure Type 2 Diabetes Glucose Intolerance
|Drug: Eplerenone Drug: Spironolactone
|Phase 3
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|62 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Comparison of the Effects of Selective and Non Selective Mineralocorticoid Antagonism on Glucose Homeostasis and Lipid Profile of Heart Failure Patients With Glucose Intolerance or Type 2 Diabetes.
|Study Start Date :
|March 2012
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|March 2015
|Estimated Study Completion Date :
|March 2018
Active Comparator: Spironolactone
spironolactone 12.5mg once daily titrated to 25mg once daily
Drug: Spironolactone
Spironolactone 12,5mg daily titrated to 25mg once daily for 16 weeks
Other Name: Aldactone
Experimental: Eplerenone
Eplerenone 25mg once daily titrated to 50mg once daily
Drug: Eplerenone
Eplerenone 25mg once daily titrated to 50 mg once daily for 4 months
Other Name: Inspra
- Glycated hemoglobin [ Time Frame: 4 months ]Change in glycated hemoglobin
- Fasting glucose and lipid profile [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
- Plasma insulin [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
- Cortisol [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
- Adiponectin [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
- NT-proBNP [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
- PIIINP [ Time Frame: 4 months ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or female at least 18 years old.
- Symptomatic HF corresponding to NYHA class II-IV symptoms for at least 4 weeks prior randomization.
- A diagnosis of 1) impaired glucose tolerance described as overnight fasting between blood glucose 5.6 and 6.9 mmol/L on two occasions; or 2) type 2 diabetes defined as overnight fasting between blood glucose of 7.0 mmol/L or more on two occasions; a HbA1c equal to or higher than 6.5% or more on two occasions; or as a history of type II diabetes treated with hypoglycemic agents.
- LVEF equal to or lower than 40% documented by, contrast ventriculography, magnetic resonance imaging, radionuclide ventriculography or quantitative echocardiography within the previous 12 months if no cardiac event occurred since the measurement of the LVEF. The most recent measurements should be used.
- Treatment with an optimal and stable dose of ACE inhibitor (or ARB) for at least 4 weeks prior to enrolment in the study. In addition, patients should be treated with a stable dose of beta-blockers for at least 4 weeks prior enrolment in the study. Patients incapable to tolerate bisoprolol, carvedilol or metoprolol will be allowed within the trial.
- Informed consent must be obtained before any study specific procedures are performed
Exclusion Criteria:
- Current treatment with a combination of an ARB, an ACE or a renin inhibitor.
- Type 1 diabetes
- Known intolerance or allergy to eplerenone or spironolactone, including gynecomastia with spironolactone.
- Estimated GFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 as calculated using the MDRD equation (Appendix 1).
- Current serum potassium higher than 5.0 mmol/L (higher than 5.0 mEq/L).
- Current symptomatic hypotension and/or systolic B.P. < 90 mmHg.
- Persistent systolic or diastolic hypertension (systolic > 170 mmHg or diastolic > 100 mmHg despite use of antihypertensive therapy).
- HF secondary to any of the following conditions: hemodynamically significant primary stenotic valvular cardiomyopathy, isolated right sided CHF, non cardiac disease (e.g. uncorrected thyroid disease), pericardial disease, complex congenital heart disease, myocarditis.
- Decompensated heart failure described as hospitalization or I.V. administration of medication in emergency room or heart failure clinic within 4 weeks (ex.: diuretics, inotropes, vasodilatators)
- Current treatment with insulin
- Stroke, acute coronary syndrome, PCI within the last 4 weeks before randomization.
- Cardiac surgery within 3 months.
- Significant liver disease (ALT x 3 times limit of normal).
- Planned cardiac surgery expected to be performed within the next 6 months.
- Previous heart transplant or heart transplant expected to be performed within the next 6 months.
- Presence of any non-cardiac diseases likely to significantly shorten life expectancy to < 1 year.
- Pregnant or lactating women or women of childbearing potential who are not protected from pregnancy by an accepted method of contraception, such as the oral contraceptive pill, an intrauterine device or surgical sterilization (all women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test before randomization).
- Any condition that in the opinion of the investigator would jeopardize the evaluation on efficacy or safety or be associated with poor adherence to the protocol.
- Treatment with any investigational agent or device within 4 weeks of randomization.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01586442
|Canada, Quebec
|Montreal Heart Institute
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H1T 1C8
|Principal Investigator:
|Michel White, MD
|Montreal Heart Institute
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Michel White, Michel White, MD, FRCP(C), FACC, FESC, Montreal Heart Institute
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01586442 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|April 26, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|March 29, 2017
|Last Verified:
|March 2017
Heart Failure
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Glucose Intolerance
Glucose Metabolism Disorders
Metabolic Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists
Hormone Antagonists
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Diuretics, Potassium Sparing
Natriuretic Agents
Antihypertensive Agents


text: I installed opensuse 11.2 on my laptop which I previously installed version 11.1 and it was working. I installed a fresh install after reboot the screen turns black and I cant do nothing, even when trying init 3 it goes to the black screen. This is a big disappointment for me. I tried the liveCD it also get into the black screen


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NSW church registers: a comprehensive examination
Baptisms, marriages and burials provide critical information about our ancestors' lives however these details are not always easy to find.
As General Editor of the Biographical Database of Australia, Carol Baxter spent many months locating and processing NSW church registers – not just the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, but banns and churchings as well. This seminar provides a comprehensive examination of the types of surviving registers (both well-known and obscure) as well as their location and contents. It also provides strategies for getting the most out of the various Birth, Death and Marriage indexes.
– 45/60 minutes – Powerpoint presentation
- Location:
- Category:
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The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra turns to Broadway for its 10th anniversary gala concert benefiting the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau (UCPN). Linda Eder, known for her starring role in the musical "Jekyll & Hyde," joins the accomplished orchestra for an afternoon of theatrical delights.
Maestro Louis Panacciulli and his Nassau Pops are ready to share some of the best of Broadway, at this special edition of their annual concert, in support of their 10-year relationship with UCPN, on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m.
"This is a milestone for us and we are thrilled that Linda Eder is going to be part of it," Panacciulli said. "It is humbling for our local orchestra to work with someone of her caliber. "
Eder has been acclaimed as one of the greatest contemporary voices of our time . With a repertoire that spans Broadway, standards, pop, country and jazz, she has performed for sold-out crowds at venues across the country and throughout Europe. In her role as the tragic character, Lucy, in the musical "Jekyll & Hyde," Eder blew the roof off of New York's Plymouth Theater (now renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater) each night for over two years as she belted out the musical's signature songs, notably "Someone Like You" and "A New Life."
She has established herself as a popular and accomplished interpreter of pop standards and theatrical songs since she launched her recording career in 1991 with her self-titled debut album. Her numerous releases include "And So Much More," "It's No Secret Anymore," "Christmas Stays the Same," "Gold," "Storybook," "Broadway My Way," and "By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland."
A favorite with area audiences, and a frequent performer at Tilles Center, Eder brings some Broadway glamour to the Nassau Pops' yearly concert.
"We are very fortunate that she is able to join us," Panacciulli said. "It's very exciting for us and for the audience. She's a tremendous talent and has always been a big draw at Tilles Center."
Eder's hour-long performance includes a medley of "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Don't Rain on My Parade," Marvin Hamlisch's "Ice Castles," and "Climb Every Mountain," along with such Broadway favorites as "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "Man of La Mancha" and, of course, some songs from "Jekyll & Hyde."
As always, the 60-member Nassau Pops opens the concert in their inimitable style. To get everyone in the mood for what is to come, the orchestra sets the tone with an overture from "Hello Dolly!," followed by an orchestral medley of songs from "Mame" and "My Fair Lady."
"This is my tribute to the ladies of the stage," said Panacciulli. "We're highlighting the great women of Broadway who certainly deserve recognition. Dolly and Mame, of course, are icons. And My Fair Lady always stands out."
Panacciulli, a Franklin Square resident, has been at the helm of the Nassau Pops since 1984. Besides his duties with his orchestra, Panacciulli is in his 18th year teaching music in Valley Stream School District 13 and serves as band director at Nassau Community College, a post he has held for 23 years.
After the orchestra's instrumental portion of the program, Creation — the four-person ensemble of singers who participate in UCPN's Adult Day Treatment Program — will make their yearly appearance to close the first half of the concert. They'll sing "Till There Was You," the classic "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "Home," a new song featured on American Idol.
"They do a great job," said Panacciulli. "They are part of the musical class at UCPN and they've been with us for 10 years. Each year they develop more confidence and poise. While new members come and go, it's been basically the same kids (David, Chris, Riva and Melissa) who have been the group's core all these years. It's very uplifting to see them perform and they are what this concert is all about. It makes me feel good. It's quite an accomplishment for these kids to perform with a 60-piece orchestra."
The Nassau Pops and UCPN have become closely aligned over the past 10 years. "Everyone knows we work with them — they are our pet project," Panacciulli said, reflecting upon his involvement with organization. "I was looking for a charity to work with and was immediately taken with what I saw back then," he relates. "Everyone I met there was smiling and there were so many happy faces. I was really taken by seeing people afflicted with CP. Their enthusiasm, aided by the support of the staff, really caught me. UCPN is a tremendous organization that does great work with infants all the way up to adults. We've developed a successful long-lasting relationship."
As always, all box office receipts are being donated to United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. "This year, it's more important than ever for us to be able to help them," Panacciulli said. "UCPN took a big hit from Sandy. They lost three of their group homes, including the one in Long Beach, and also lost a significant portion of their funding from the state. We are fortunate to have Linda this year and aim to sell out the concert to help out with their budget woes."
NEFCU has partnered with the Nassau Pops as the concert's title sponsor. "NEFCU is very closely aligned with the Nassau Pops in our mission to enrich the communities and lives of the neighbors we serve. Their partnership with the Nassau Pops will enable us to donate every dollar of every ticket sold to assist UCPN," Panacciulli said.
Over 1,800 children and adults with cerebral palsy, developmental and other disabilities attend the UCPN center in Roosevelt. Everything from rehabilitation to recreational therapy, education to employment and specialized primary medical care is available on-site at the private 13-acre campus.
Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra Benefit for UPCN
Sunday, Oct. 27, 3 p.m. Reserved seats are $65, $50 and $35. All proceeds are donated to UCPN. Tickets are available through TillesCharge at (516) 299-3100 or www.tillescenter.org.
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, Rte. 25A, Brookville.


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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Business Administration
Financial Management
Three semester hours.
This course focuses on the analysis, evaluation, and application of contemporary theories of finance. Material covered includes: the financial environment, valuation concepts, capital budgeting, capital structure and dividend policy, working capital management, issue in international finance, mergers and acquisitions, and long-term financing.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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David Orr, Michael Kalil Endowment for Smart Design Fellow Lecture
Thursday, March 07, 2013 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
|This year's Kalil Fellow, is the acclaimed environmentalist David W. Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College. His career as a scholar, teacher, writer, speaker, and entrepreneur spans fields as diverse as environment and politics, environmental education, campus greening, green building, ecological design, and climate change. His numerous books on these diverse topics within environmentalism serve as foundational textbooks in universties worldwide.
The Michael Kalil Endowment for Smart Design was established in 2001 in memory of designer Michael Kalil at the School of Constructed Environments. The mission of the Endowment is twofold: to foster the understanding of the design intersections between nature and technology and to support a heightened sense of responsibility for increasing the sustainability of built environments. Each year the Endowment awards three Memorial Fellowship Project Grants and sponsors a lecture by an annual Kalil Fellow. The Kalil Fellow is selected from an international community of scholars and practitioners working in the spirit of Michael Kalil.
For more information on David Orr please visit http://www.oberlin.edu/news-info/98sep/orr_profile.html
For more information on The Kalil Endowment please visit http://sce.parsons.edu/labs/michael-kalil/
To get involved in the New School's university-wide response to climate change, a faculty panel is being convened on March 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the Kellen Auditorium. This event is being organized as part of the New School's coalition confronting climate change challenges to cities.
Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th Street
Free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
|Contact Information:
Alan Bruton, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Nutrients and the effects of nutrients on water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a priority focus area for the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP). The Program's first assessment question regarding nutrients is: "How do concentrations of nutrients (and nutrient-associated parameters) vary spatially and temporally?" In this analysis, we confirmed previously reported declining trends in the San Joaquin River for nutrient concentrations at Vernalis and chlorophyll-a concentrations at Buckley Cove and Disappointment Slough. A slight increasing trend for dissolved oxygen at Buckley Cove was also detected which could be confirmation that management actions for the San Joaquin River Dissolved Control Program are having the desired effect. Finally, at stations in Suisun Bay, the Confluence region, and Franks Tract, chlorophyll-a showed modest increasing trends, which were not evident in previous analyses. The new analyses presented in this report and the findings from earlier reports constitute encouraging early progress toward answering the Delta RMP's assessment questions. Specifically, due to the existence of long-term data sets and synthesis efforts, spatial and temporal trends in the concentrations of nutrients and nutrient-related parameters are reasonably well understood and so are the magnitudes of the most important sources of nutrients from outside the Delta. However, additional synthesis work could be done to understand the factors behind these trends. Large knowledge gaps remain about nutrient sinks, sources, and processes within the Delta. The mechanistic, water quality-hydrodynamic models being developed for the Delta may be able to address these questions in the future.
The primary purpose of this report is to document the first year (FY15/16) of pesticide monitoring by the Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP). This document reports the results from samples collected monthly from July 2015 through June 2016. The data described in this report are available for download via the California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN) website.
Pesticide monitoring of the Delta RMP includes chemical analysis and toxicity testing of surface water samples. The parameters analyzed include 154 current use pesticides, dissolved copper, field parameters, and "conventional" parameters (ancillary parameters measured in the laboratory, such as dissolved/particulate organic carbon and hardness). Toxicity tests included an algal species (Selenastrum capricornutum, also known as Raphidocelis subcapitata), an invertebrate (Ceriodaphnia dubia, a daphnid or water flea), and a fish species (Pimephales promelas, fathead minnow). Toxicity testing included the evaluation of acute (survival) and chronic (growth, reproduction, biomass) toxicity endpoints. The surface water samples were collected from 5 fixed sites representing key inflows to the Delta that were visited monthly: Mokelumne River at New Hope Road, Sacramento River at Hood, San Joaquin River at Buckley Cove, San Joaquin River at Vernalis, and Ulatis Creek at Brown Road.
A total of 52 pesticides were detected above method detection limits (MDLs) in water samples (19 fungicides, 17 herbicides, 9 insecticides, 6 degradates, and 1 synergist). A total of 9 pesticides (5 herbicides, 3 insecticides, and 1 degradate) were detected in suspended sediments in 10 of a total of 60 samples collected during the study period. All collected samples contained mixtures of pesticides ranging from 2 to 26 pesticides per sample. From a total of 154 target parameters, 100 compounds were never detected in any of the samples.
Nutrient loads are an important water quality management issue in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and there is consensus that the current monitoring activities do not collect all the information needed to answer important management questions. The purpose of this report is to use hydrodynamic model outputs to refine recommendations for monitoring nutrients and related conditions in the Delta. Two types of modeling approaches were applied: 1) volumetric water source analysis to evaluate the mix of source waters within each subregion; and 2) particle tracking simulations.The analysis revealed that each Delta subregion has a unique "fingerprint" in terms of how much of its water comes from different sources. Three major recommendations for a future monitoring design were derived from this analysis:
Recommendation #1: The subregions proposed for status and trends monitoring in a previous report should be redrawn to better reflect the mixtures of source waters.
Recommendation #2: Long-term water quality stations are needed in the North Delta, Eastside, and South Delta subregions.
Recommendation #3: Areas with a long-residence time and where mixing of different water sources occurs are potential for nutrient transformation hotspots. High-frequency water quality mapping of these areas has the
This report was prepared as a briefing document for a September 2016 workshop held in Sacramento by the Delta Regional Monitoring Program. The purpose of the workshop was to plan how to invest in nutrients-related studies in order to inform better management of Delta waterways. First, the report compiles information about the major existing nutrient monitoring programs in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Next, it outline options for "no regrets" actions for workshop participants to review. The report summarizes interviews with representatives of Delta monitoring and resource management programs, describes current monitoring efforts in the Delta, and presents the conclusions and recommendations from recently completed data syntheses.
The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) is a novel partnership between regulatory agencies and the regulated community to provide the scientific foundation to manage water quality in the largest Pacific estuary in the Americas. The RMP monitors water quality, sediment quality and bioaccumulation of priority pollutants in fish, bivalves and birds. To improve monitoring measurements or the interpretation of data, the RMP also regularly funds special studies. The success of the RMP stems from collaborative governance, clear objectives, and long-term institutional and monetary commitments. Over the past 22 years, high quality data and special studies from the RMP have guided dozens of important decisions about Bay water quality management. Moreover, the governing structure and the collaborative nature of the RMP have created an environment that allowed it to stay relevant as new issues emerged. With diverse participation, a foundation in scientific principles and a continual commitment to adaptation, the RMP is a model water quality monitoring program. This paper describes the characteristics of the RMP that have allowed it to grow and adapt over two decades and some of the ways in which it has influenced water quality management decisions for this important ecosystem.
Water quality monitoring is a cornerstone of environmental protection and ambient monitoring provides managers with the critical data they need to take informed action. Unlike site-specific monitoring that is at the heart of regulatory permit compliance, regional monitoring can provide an integrated, holistic view of the environment, allowing managers to obtain a more complete picture of natural variability and cumulative impacts, and more effectively prioritize management actions. By reviewing four long-standing regional monitoring programs that cover portions of all three coasts in the United States–Chesapeake Bay, Tampa Bay, Southern California Bight, and San Francisco Bay–important insights can be gleaned about the benefits that regional monitoring provides to managers. These insights include the underlying reasons that make regional monitoring programs successful, the challenges to maintain relevance and viability in the face of ever-changing technology, competing demands and shifting management priorities. The lessons learned can help other managers achieve similar successes as they seek to establish and reinvigorate their own monitoring programs.
The overarching goal of the RMP is to collect data and communicate information about water quality in San Francisco Bay in support of management decisions. The RMP was created in 1993 through Regional Board Resolution No. 92-043 that directed the Executive Officer to implement a Regional Monitoring Plan in collaboration with permitted dischargers pursuant to California Water Code, Sections 13267, 13383, 13268, and 13385. The goal was to replace individual receiving water monitoring requirements for dischargers with a comprehensive Regional Monitoring Program.
The Program is guided by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Regional Board and SFEI, first approved in 1996 and amended at various times since (see Appendix C of this Charter). Section VIII of the MOU states the roles and responsibilities of the Regional Board and SFEI in the implementation of the Program. Participating dischargers pay fees to the Program to comply with discharge permit requirements. The cost allocation schedule for Participants is described in Appendix B. The RMP provides an open forum for a wide range of Participant Groups and other Interested Parties to discuss contaminant issues, prioritize science needs, and monitor potential impacts of discharges on the Bay.
In support of the overarching goal described above, the following guiding principles define the intentions and expectations of RMP Participants. Implementation of the RMP will:
- Develop sound scientific information on water quality in the Bay;
- Prioritize funding decisions through collaborative discussions;
- Conduct decision-making in a transparent manner that consistently represents the diversity of RMP Participant interests;
- Utilize external science advisors for guidance and peer review;
- Maintain and make publicly available the data collected by the Program;
- Enhance public awareness and support by regularly communicating the status and trends of water quality in the Bay; and
- Coordinate with other monitoring and scientific studies in the Bay-Delta region to ensure efficiency.


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Vancouver hockey fans weren't happy to see Roberto Luongo ride the pine during Sunday afternoon's Heritage Classic game against the Ottawa Senators.
Same goes for the Canucks netminder himself.
"Louie's pissed," Vancouver head coach John Tortorella revealed after his team's 4-2 loss. "He's not happy. He's proud. I get that."
Fans also voiced their displeasure at seeing the No. 1 goalie on the bench. Cries of "Luuuuu!" echoed inside BC Place when Lack was introduced as the starter and throughout the game.
Despite Lack's struggles during the outdoor match, Tortorella said he'd give his rookie backup the nod again if he had a do-over.
"(Lack) deserved to play this game," Tortorella said. "But Louie has done everything we've asked of him. He's been a pro."
Prior to Sunday, the 26-year-old Lack had been stellar for the Canucks coming out of the Olympic break. In two games, he helped the club to a shutout win and 2-1 shootout loss.
If there's one thing Canucks fans – and Luongo – are used to it's goalie controversy. After the Cory Schneider episode last season, it's easy to understand why many are sensitive to the issue.
Lack, for his part, took things in stride.
"It's their opinion and if they want to give a 'Lu' chant, I am OK with it," he said.


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Supersonic Car Designed to Become World's Fastest
(LONDON) -- The Bloodhound is so fast, its creators needed to reinvent the wheel.
Officially dubbed the Bloodhound SSC -- short for supersonic car -- the pencil-shaped racer is meant to become the fastest car in the world and the first to reach 1,000 miles per hour -- faster than a speeding bullet. A car that fast doesn't just run on tires. It runs on 200-pound circles of aerospace aluminum that can absorb 50,000 times the force of gravity.
"We will have pushed back the boundaries of human endeavor," driver Andy Green, who flies fighter jets as a wing commander in the Royal Air Force in his spare time, told ABC News.
The car's statistics are mind-boggling. The engine is a combination rocket (designed by a 28-year-old self-trained rocketeer), race car engine and fighter jet afterburner that generates six times more power than all the cars in an Indy car race combined.
Individually, many pieces of the Bloodhound have appeared in race cars or missiles before. But the rocket is one-of-a-kind and the pieces have never been combined -- which is why the creators don't know what will happen when the engine is fired up for the first time in western England Wednesday.
"It's a proper mashup of technologies. Formula One technology, military and defense technology, rocket technology which is unique -- and putting all that together is a big challenge," said Pio Szyjanowicz of Cosworth, the company that created the Bloodhound's control system and Formula One engine and makes engines for U.S. Navy drones. "Tomorrow will be a step into the unknown for all of us."
Szyjanowicz acknowledged that while the experiment is expected to work, the risk is large: "We could end up with a big empty space where the rocket and engine used to be."
Here's how you get to 1,000 miles an hour in a 40-foot-long titanium and carbon-fiber car, which the organizers say have taken 30 man-years to perfect:
First, a jet engine from a Eurofighter aircraft -- which is significantly faster than the U.S. Air Force's F-18 Hornet -- accelerates the car to about 300 miles per hour in about 15 seconds.
Green then starts filling the rocket with high test peroxide fuel. So much fuel is needed (one ton in 20 seconds) that the pump to supply it is actually a Formula One engine. The pump technology, Szyjanowicz said, is usually found in an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Green then pushes a button that fills the rocket with fuel and allows it to hit full power. He accelerates from 350 mph to 1,050 in 25 seconds. He maintains that speed for one mile (it only takes him 3.5 seconds to cover the distance) and then he shuts down the rocket, hits the brakes and deploys a parachute designed to decelerate him from 1,050 to zero in 40 seconds. He'll cover 12 miles in 2 minutes.
"You don't feel speed. You feel the acceleration, how quickly you get there," Green said. "Kind of like a fairly aggressive roller coaster ride."
Perhaps only Green would describe a deceleration that will subject him to three times the force of gravity as "fairly aggressive." He has been flying jets for 20 years, and in 1997 became the first person to break sound barrier in a car when he set the current land speed record of 763 miles an hour.
To train for this project, Green has been driving race cars and flying aerobatic aircraft on the weekends. He insists that because of the nature of the rocket, he isn't concerned about his safety.
"This is an optimal way to produce something very safe and very controllable," he said.
Still, it's not just any day that you sit below a jet engine louder than a 747, twice as hot as the inside of a volcano, producing so much force it could suck all the air out of an average-sized house in three seconds.
He and the entire team hope the project will inspire a generation of young students to become engineers. The designers have done their work publicly, posting their blueprints, documenting setbacks, and have partnered with more than 5,000 schools in the United Kingdom and South Africa, where the completed car will finally race in 2014.
"We are looking to inspire young people about the possibilities of science and technology, Green said. "These are the kids who will build and live in the low carbon world of tomorrow … and we aren't training enough in the West. We just aren't getting enough people into science and engineering.
"So sharing the excitement and magic of our car -- live, to a global Internet audience, starting tomorrow -- is an extraordinary opportunity."
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


text: HKSS.com | Community > Discussion Forum > View topic - $50 Apple laptop sale sets off violent stampede Home Community Superstars Music | What's New | Help HKSS | Search* Discussions | HKE Chat | Reflections of Life | Virtual Cards | Member Galleries Please excuse our mess. HKSS is currently under re-construction and some links/sections don't work yet. What's New: Latest updates | Member Galleries | Music | HKE Chat | About HKSS.com Community Discussions HKE Chat Reflections of Life Member Galleries Virtual Cards* Play Music Superstars Profiles* Galleries* Reviews Gossip & News Other Privacy Policy Terms of Use Link to HKSS* HKSS.com What's New About Contact* Advertise* Help HKSS Links YesAsia yuenStudios Do you like HKSS? My Watched Topics | My Favorites | My Profile Private IMs Register Log in Help | Stats | Members | Groups Search Forum $50 Apple laptop sale sets off violent stampede HKSS.com Forum Index -> Gossip and News View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message Mikey_Life is good. Be inspired.Joined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 1322Location: Fountain Valley, California (USA) Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:29 pm Post subject: $50 Apple laptop sale sets off violent stampede People trampled, beaten with folding chair as 'total chaos' takes over A crowd rushes through as the gates are opened at the Richmond International Raceway complex in Richmond, Va., Tuesday. All were hoping to get a used Apple iBook for $50. RICHMOND, Va. - A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far as to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line. ?This is total, total chaos,? said Latoya Jones, 19, who lost one of her flip-flops in the ordeal and later limped around on the sizzling blacktop with one foot bare. An estimated 5,500 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting their hands on one of the 4-year-old Apple iBooks. The Henrico County school system was selling 1,000 of the computers to county residents. New iBooks cost between $999 and $1,299. Officials opened the gates at 7 a.m., but some already had been waiting since 1:30 a.m. When the gates opened, it became a terrifying mob scene. People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A little girl?s stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to drive his way through the crowd. Seventeen people suffered minor injuries, with four requiring hospital treatment, Henrico County Battalion Chief Steve Wood said. There were no arrests and the iBooks sold out by 1 p.m. "It's rather strange that we would have such a tremendous response for the purchase of a laptop computer ? and laptop computers that probably have less-than- desirable attributes," said Paul Proto, director of general services for Henrico County. "But I think that people tend to get caught up in the excitement of the event ? it almost has an entertainment value." Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself. "I've never been in something like that before, and I never again will," said Alexander, who brought her 14-year-old twin boys to the complex at 4:30 a.m. to wait in line. "No matter what the kids want, I already told them I'm not doing that again." Jesse Sandler said he was one of the people pushing forward, using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him. "I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,'" the 20-year-old said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook, as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station. "They were getting in front of me and I was there a lot earlier than them, so I thought that it was just," he said. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8973616/ That's so sad... Michael Back to top EddyInsane MemberJoined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 327 Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 7:53 pm Post subject: How much do you think they can still sell the iBook on ebay for nowadays? Back to top Mikey_Life is good. Be inspired.Joined: 04 Oct 2003Posts: 1322Location: Fountain Valley, California (USA) Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 11:26 pm Post subject: $150, $200 or so. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First HKSS.com Forum Index -> Gossip and News All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Entertainment----------------All EntertainmentReviewsGossip and NewsIdol DiscussionsMusicMoviesTV Shows Non-Entertainment----------------General DiscussionsNew MembersFun and GamesReflections of LifeHobbies, TravelFood and CookingHelp!Websites HKSS.com----------------Announcements/ What's New?Help HKSS.comFeedback/ Contact HKSS.comWishlist You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Back to top Copyright © 1996-2014 HKSS.com™. All Rights Reserved. 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Haven't found anything yet?
Get a modern living ambiance by using the wallpaper 31948-6 of the collection Vision by Lutèce. The wallpapers graphic design embodies a vivid character and highlights your room in a beautiful way. The wallpapers colouration of turquoise and is stressed by a glitter surface. Furthermore, the wallpaper convinces by its excellent material characteristics. The German brand product is highly washable, dry strippable and has a good lightfastness.


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NEH Digital Humanities Grantees in the News
In the past few weeks, I've been following two big news stories involving NEH grantees.
On November 12, there were articles in both the NY Times and the London Times Online about the Rome Reborn project, which was created by the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH) at the University of Virginia. The articles included interviews with project director Bernie Frischer who noted that Rome Reborn is now available to the general public via the popular Google Earth platform. In related news, Google announced the "Ancient Rome 3D Curriculum Competition," which will award prizes to K-12 educators who best combine the Rome Reborn materials with their classroom curricula. IATH has received numerous NEH grants, including a major Digital Humanities Challenge Grant in 2006. Congratulations to the IATH staff for this accomplishment!
"We've been Slashdotted!" These words usually signal a combination of both fear and joy for any webmaster. In case you haven't heard the term before, Slashdotted means that your Web site is suddenly overwhelmed by thousands of visitors who read about you on the popular Internet technology news site, Slashdot. On December 9, the University of California at Santa Barbara found itself Slashdotted when thousands of people tried to access their scholarly Web site, The Agrippa Files, which documents the history of the well-known book and poem released in 1992 by William Gibson, Dennis Ashbaugh, and Kevin Begos, Jr. The reason for the sudden surge in visitors? A major new discovery about the poem announced by three NEH grantees, Matt Kirschenbaum, Alan Liu, and Doug Reside. The announcement was picked up not only by Slashdot, but also by Boing Boing and several other high-profile news and blog sites. Kirschenbaum, from the University of Maryland, received an NEH Fellowship for his research on Gibson. Liu, from UCSB received an NEH Teaching and Learning Resources grant for his Transcriptions project, of which The Agrippa Files is a part, and Reside, also from Maryland, is the project director for two Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants. Congratulations to all!


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You can watch Ma online for free on megashare by clicking the play button above. This movie is hosted on vev-io and was not uploaded by us or any person affiliated with us. If the stream is too slow, try another link found on the left. Here you can see other hosters which might be faster! If you're trying to watch Ma and it isn't loading, please check our Help section before reporting it as a broken link.
Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her "safely" behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest's holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits ...
Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Almost four decades after they drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST ...
A mother gives her 13-year-old son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.


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Whenever we drive through new neighborhoods I love to look and see how people decorate their front porches. A personal touch makes a home feel welcoming. So you'd think when we bought our little fixer-upper house the first thing I'd decorate was the porch, right? Wrong. There was so much to be done to the inside that other than a good cleaning and a few coats of paint the porch was forgotten. And now 4 years later, it's finally getting a little attention. I started developing the plan for the bench last year because I wanted something to put my seasonal pillows on.
This is my makeshift bench from last year (behind the adorable little cowgirl.)
I looked and looked at thrift stores to find something I could re-create but didn't find anything that would fit this little space. I then asked Matt's dad to make the bench. He collects wood so he had a ton in his garage but due to time and health issues he was unable to finish it. So this is where the bench was when I got it. He had already cut the legs. Because they were thick, my circular saw may not have been able to cut them properly.
The seat was one long board he cut in half and connected to make it wider. I'm not sure what the technical term for that joint is but doesn't it look cool?
Had he not of done the initial work on it, I would have connected the seat boards by screwing 3 smaller boards underneath the seat across the middle of the two seat boards and used thinner legs so I could cut them with the saw I have. So if you wanted to make your own bench, the first thing you would need to do is determine the size of your seat and cut your wood accordingly. If you buy the wood from Lowe's or Home Depot they will cut it for you (time saver!). My seat measures 33"x17 3/4". You also need to determine how tall you want it to be. I measured another bench I already had and decided to make it the same height (17 3/4"). You would just subtract the thickness of the seat and cut your legs that length. My seat board is 1 1/2" thick so the legs are 16 1/4" tall. I flipped the seat over and put the legs in the corners where I wanted them to go and measured the boards for the apron. I wanted the apron to be 1" from the edge on all sides.
I measured from the outside of the legs on the two short sides, and on the long sides I measured from the outside of the aprons on the shorter sides (see above photo). That way from the front of the bench you would just see the front apron. The two long sides were 31" long. And the two short sides were 13 1/2" long.
I cut the boards using my circular saw. (This table is another side of the road find that has yet to be redone.)
Then I put them back in place on the bench and screwed them into the sides of the legs through the outside of the apron using 2 1/2" wood screws.
To connect the legs to the seat I used scraps of wood and cut them to fit in-between the apron. I'm gonna call these the bottom boards to help explain this. These are 13 1/2" (the same as the side apron pieces). I screwed the bottom boards into the seat using 2" wood screws. Make sure the screw is short enough so it doesn't come out the other side. Then I screwed the apron to the bottom boards from the outside. This is also how I would have connected the seat boards had they not already been joined together. I would have just added a 3rd board to the middle and screwed them all into the seat at the beginning.
Here's a close up of one of the bottom boards. I used 3 screws to attach the boards to the seat and then where the board is touching the apron on the sides I used two, screwing them in from the outside. I know you probably aren't suppose to see the screws but I'm a beginner and it didn't bother me that you could see them. I'm going for the rustic look anyway.
After every thing is secure, flip it over and hope it doesn't fall apart! This was my first piece of furniture so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Matt actually stood on it and said it felt sturdy.
I washed it off, stained it and gave it 2 coats of polyurethane. Here's a closeup with my pillows.
The chalkboard I made from our first "launching pad." You know, the place where you put your keys and stuff you need right before you walk out the door. It had been in the attic waiting for a redo. More on that later.
I added some random fall items I found in my seasonal stash that didn't make it to the attic last year. So what if it's 90 degrees outside, fall starts in September right?
Here is the mason jar lantern I made by just tying some wire I found in my picture hanging kit around the top of the jar.
Now I just need to get started on my fall wreath for the door and get the rest of the fall decor out of the attic so I can get started on the mantel. September 24 Pumpkin Patches are open here!! Woohoo! I can't wait!
You might also like how to make an upholstered ottoman.


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New Mexico PBS' Mission is to inform, engage, educate and connect New Mexico's diverse communities, reflecting their interests and needs through quality programming, services, and online content that can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
New Mexico PBS will invest its resources to enrich the lives of viewers through engaging content and services that expand horizons, stimulate local culture, foster public dialogue, encourage civic involvement, and advance the quality of life for all.
Since 1958, New Mexico PBS has been a leader in public television with a history of innovative services connecting the people of New Mexico.
New Mexico PBS provides New Mexicans with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; we convene community dialogue, and engage audiences to share their stories. We help students and teachers thrive in 21st century classrooms, and take people of all ages on journeys and exploration – exposing them to new people, places and ideas. We are leaders in using emerging technologies to bring benefits in the digital world and inspire community engagement. We act on the belief that place and community matter.
In 2014, New Mexico PBS provided these key local services: A trusted source for in-depth news and election coverage and information. As the largest provider of preschool education in the state, New Mexico PBS engaged the community to broaden and deepen its impact and create dialogue. This included parent education and professional development workshops, public screenings, multimedia resources and special events. Extensive local productions and community engagement activities that addressed important issues in the state such as the drop-out crisis, literacy, hunger, empowerment of the future workforce, water resources and more.
New Mexico PBS is one of the most watched public television stations in the country reaching almost 700,000 households each week with 20,000 members in central and northern New Mexico. newmexicopbs.org provides users with a place to interact, learn more, and connect with others and has over 80,000 page views per month. New Mexico PBS has extensive partnerships throughout the community. These partnerships include the K-12 community, higher- education, dozens of community service organizations and more.
Learn more about how New Mexico PBS reaches 700,000 households each week.


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What is it with Complementary & Alternative Medicine communities and their crazed fixation on only ever coming into to contact with absolutely, scrupulously and perfectly pure water? And why does no-one ever point out that the minute they pour it into a glass, kettle or pot of dried lentils, all the effort to purify it has gone out the window?
The company I'd like to introduce you to is PureH20. Alas, the interweb has ensured that '2' rarely gets to be subscript.
The website has a myriad of bullshit, fear-mongering, pseudoscience and amazing state-the-bleedin-obvious facts like
Water is absolutely vital for healthI would honestly like to know if there is anyone to whom that comes as a revelation. And I mean anyone in the whole world.
Did you know that
most of us have lost our proper thirst reflex by the end of our childhood?
or that
Bottled and tap waters contain many impurities like heavy metals and inorganic minerals that are likely to have an adverse effect on your healthSo no shortage of bullshit to keep you entertained. Their purification system is definately a first in chemical synthesis though:
Water filtered using our patented system removes all the chemicals and impurities, both organics and inorganics, to provide you with one hydrogen atom and two oxygen atoms(my bold)
Oh. I assumed they were selling water rather than HO2, who'd have thunk? As if all the sillyness wasn't enough we get:
The fifth function [of water] - that of an electronegative enhancer (something which increases the negativity of red blood cells thereby maintaining the optimum distance between each cell and could therefore reduce the risk of clotting) - was first documented by renowned chemist Thomas Riddick over 100 years ago. Subsequent studies confirm that when water was consumed in its purest form, i.e. Pure H2O, it has remarkable and unique health benefits.
Needless to say there's no pointer to the studies (and I reckon no point in discussing further).
We all know there are dangers with drinking too much water - Nutritional Therapist Barbara Nash settled out of court with the family of Dawn Page who had suffered brain damage following Nash's "Amazing Hydration Diet". (Of course the media ran this story, seemingly blissfully unaware of how their own repeated pumping of uncritical fawning towards similar 'miracle cures' had in some part lead to the situation arising). Nash was an Alumnus of the College of Natural Nutrition - avid TiD readers will remember Nash's teacher, Barbara Wren happily telling people that a urine press placed on the neck will combat thyoid cancer. She also had plenty to say about her own fetish for pure water.
So how can a company like PureH20 (or is it HO2?) manage to write such drivel without a challenge? Well, some rebuff came today in the form of an Advertising Standards Authority ruling from a magazine advert.
Here are a few of the claims which were 'questioned':
Clinically proven to reduce LDL cholesterol and blood pressure...Help prevent cancer by acting as an antioxidant...reduce stress levels...Reduce your body pollutants and can help reduce urinary infections ... Help prevent, ulcers, IBS and constipation
Now of course, not *all* water does this, that would be silly, only PureH2O's special water does this. (Although it's not the first time the ASA slapped down a company for claiming water could lower cholesterol)
So, let me just reiterate what they saying: Water - good against cancer, cholesterol, blood pressure, stress, and others. I'll put it to you there isn't a person with any of these problems who *isn't* taking water. And if they aren't, their disease profile is irrelevant, as they'll die of thirst.
What about if I want to drink mineral water - have you any advice or fear for me?
Water can be bad for you ... Every time you drink mineral water, a high level of minerals, such as calcium, are deposited in your body. Every time you drink a glass of tap water, you're digesting contaminants such as salts, minerals, metals, pesticides, microbes, hormones and parasites ... Your body becomes toxically overloaded ... Over time, this build up can contribute to chronic kidney disease, heart failure or skeletal fluorosis...a toxic cocktail
Toxic cocktail, eh? Mineral water? They're really spreading the stupid on thick.
The Pure H2O Co. said the claims were supported by a thesis on Pure H2O for the British Institute of Homeopathy and Westbrook University, USA, carried out as a PhD by Dr Purkait from the University of Surrey. I suppose if anyone knows about pure uncontaminated water, a homeopath would. Sensibly, the ASA noted:
[the claims were] from a manufacturer of a water purification system whose promotional literature also appeared in the thesis, and considered it was therefore not sufficiently impartialCheap hucksterism and nothing more.
As usual the ASA has done a sterling job of smacking down the quacks. As always, my irk is that they have no power and little influence but to continue playing whack-a-mole (whack-a-quack?) with the snakeoil sellers. Not quite selling snow to eskimos, but water to idiots.


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Stacy needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 75 designs submitted by 33 freelance designers.
Logo devlopment for NPA. The group is call Neuro Psychiatric Associates, but the name should not displayed anywhere in the logo. Using warm colors.
The logo is going to be used on a new website which has not yet been developed. No actual colors have been decided upon, but suggestions for blues, greens, and maroon were given by the company.
They really don't associate the word "Neuro" in their name at all anymore. They would like to get away from it, but they are already known in the industry by that name, so they are sticking with it.
- A logo that is warm and inviting
- a cold, corporate logo
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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I got email from a friend of mine that I haven't had contact with for ages. We worked together on a couple projects in the past so I was delighted to hear from him. What follows is the exchange we had concerning his love interest. (All names have been changed.) I share all of this with you because I know other people, gay and straight, who have found themselves involved with someone they probably shouldn't be involved with. Perhaps my friend's dilemma will strike a chord with others in my audience.
I think it's been about 13 years now since we worked together. Ahhh the good ol' days, and oh how I miss them.
I came across a recent post of yours on Google + and it reminded me I could use some of your professional guidance.
I don't want to bias my story any or waste your time with unimportant details as to the nature of events. I would like you to hear (read) my situation word for word, exactly as it has been playing out.
I have about 50 pages of text messages compiled in PDF format over the past year or so between me and a guy I really like. I don't want to walk away from him too soon, also don't want to wait around for something that may never materialize (It's been 3 years since we first started having sex).
Could I ask you to review these texts and give me your thoughts about it all?
Thanks for your time
(PS this 40y.o. guy I like identifies as being STR8, he is a total redneck, he is married to a younger 27-year-old female, he loves to fuck me and be fucked by me, he loves to suck cock and get his sucked too, he is hard from minute he walks in my door…it is the best sex of my life no question about it. And that's sayin' something.)
Hey YOU!
So nice to hear from you after such a long time. Yeah, I hear ya about the good old days. Unlike you, however, I don't really miss them.
I would be happy to help you. Are you sure you just want me to read what you've compiled? Or do you want to talk about it?
Without prejudicing my appraisal of your document, what you tell me is very indicative of a problem that I have seen over and over throughout the years. And it sounds like you've got it bad.
Anyhow, how do you want to proceed? We can set up a Skype call, if you'd like. I do a lot of remote counseling these days, and Skype makes that possible.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Great to hear back from you. A quick note on 'the past', I think what I miss the most is the social life I used to have. I had a lot of friends and always made time to see them.
The last 7 or so years have been very stressful but it's paid off in the end. My home was foreclosed on; I fought hard, went to court many times and it took over two years but I did manage to save it. In 2010 (About a year after getting my home out of foreclosure) the state began a road construction project literally right outside my back door. It caused major damage to my 100-year-old home during the 3+ years the project went on. I am still fighting the state in an effort to resolve the issues that the construction caused.
Lol, I am not all negative like everything is all bad, or I never get a break from the weird stuff, it's just been very unusual for me to have such a string of bad luck.
So back to Kevin & I. Would it be all right if you just read one short recent conversation, and then you tell me if you feel you could help? I imagine it will only take a couple minutes. Basically we are at a point where we get along amazing well in person, sex is incredible, & he loves everything the way it is. (We see each other for sex, nothing more). I, on the other hand, want to hang out sometime besides sex. This text exchange comes after not seeing or talking to him in about 10 days, which is pretty common.
Let me know Dr. 🙂
[Attached to the above email was a lengthy document that contained the contained the transcription of this latest text exchange between Jackson and Kevin. I'll spare you the gory details.]
There's a lot goin' on here…beside the fact that the last part reads like a porn script. 😉
Here's what I see. I see two men who have a "hook" in one another. One is happy on the hook the other is tortured on the hook.
Kevin, despite, or even because, of the hot sex you guys are having, is at a crossroads. If things continue as they are going, he will have to make adjustments to his life and have to make some very painful admissions about who he is at least to himself. He doesn't sound even remotely ready for that. And even if he wanted to make this life-altering decision, he is probably ill equipped to do so. I'm guessing that he has been running from facing his true identity for decades.
You, on the other hand, know exactly what you want and how to get it. For you falling in love with this guy and living happily ever after would be as easy as falling off a log. You're in love and you know how to handle yourself when love happens. We both know this is not your first time at the rodeo.
It's like you're dating a Martian. He only knows how to be a Martian. Despite, or even because, you appeal to him to stop being what he is (straight) and be this other thing with you (gay), he is petrified. And he may actually hate the very thing that you love about him.
Another thing that is really obvious is that Kevin's sex with you is shame-based, not affection-based. He probably does get off on the hot monkey sex you guys have together, but he's also probably crippled with guilt and shame afterward.
Stop and look over the document you sent me. Choose any one of those pages and count the words that you typed and then count the words that he typed. I'm sure that you will immediately see that you overwhelm him. You bare your soul; you write paragraphs of self-disclosure. He responds in monosyllables. I'm pretty sure he can barely stand the barrage. He's trapped between what he wants and what he will allow himself to have and it is sheer torture.
Despite the fact that is wants, maybe even desperately wants, what you have to offer, and not just the sex, he can't allow himself to have it. It would shake his world to its foundation. And since he can have the hot sex without the emotional attachment, he's getting everything he (thinks) he wants. You, on the other hand, are living a life of non-to-quiet desperation. You're at heaven's door, but he won't cross the threshold with you.
If I had to guess, I'd say there's no future beyond the wham-bam-thank-you-sir part bumpin' you're already getting. And I also speculate that this arrangement has a half-life. I'd be willing to guess that ya'll are already past the mid-point. Your dissatisfaction will grow and begin to manifest itself in the way you treat him. There will be an ultimatum. Then there will be an end. With a little luck it will end well, but there is also a big chance that it will end very poorly indeed. Violence is not unheard of in situations like this and I think you know this already.
In his defense, I don't think Kevin is holding out on you. He probably would if he could. But he simply can't. And if I had to guess, he's not ever gonna turn this around. You said he's in his 40's, right? That's a lot of life lived falsely, no? I'd be willing to wager that you aren't the first man he's fooled around with over the years and I don't think you'll be the last. He's gotta have his fix even if it compromises his perception of himself.
I don't envy you this conundrum, my friend. You are in anguish; I hear that. This is not a happy place for you and all I can say is, I hope you don't give up any more ground.
Let me know if you want to talk about this at some point. No need to walk through this on your own if you don't want to.
Good luck.
That gave me chills… Its like you were here the whole time. You identified every detail exactly as I have been living it.
One part in particular, Kevin said pretty much word for word as you did. He said, "I'm not holding out on you. I would if I could, but I simply can't." I got to admit I don't understand.
Tuesday I sent him this text:
"Why is this normal social shit so awkward in your mind? All I want to do is hang out sometime. Let me repeat, I want to do something other than hookup one time. That's it, if you don't like it I won't ask again.
I know you like the other shit more, I likely do as well. But is it that big of a deal to just hang out like regular dudes as well?
I'm not asking for anything else whatsoever no emotional connection or expectations of any kind."
His reply:
"I can't. I'm sorry."
His response blows my mind; it makes no sense. Sounds like an adult telling a child NO! I don't have to explain, no means NO!
I think the truth is he just doesn't WANT to do anything, even though he surely could. Ughhhh anyway.
I want to talk more with you about this Richard. I'll hit you up later about the Skype thing. Thanks for being a sounding board for me.
Wow, that is interesting. Poor guy!
Again, in Kevin's defense, he does have a wife. Maybe he thinks if he keeps his sex with you on the down low it's not really infidelity. You know, guys doin' guy things together. An emotional attachment to you would blow that delusion out of the water. It's like being between a rock and a hard place. He can't win for losing.
Anyhow, thanks for entrusting your woes with me. I look forward to connecting with you on Skype in the near future. All the best till then.


text:
Fantastic find, Joel!
Funny how you kill yourself in this heat for such a tiny payoff at Fourr's, only to stumble on this other great find. But thats the way it is out there!
I'm guessing mining activity stopped sometime in the 60s judging by the plastic dinnerware and the 50's era truck near the end. Those bottles are interesting, could be from the same era? If they looked really old, I'd be begging you for directions! (Not that I would make it in this heat!)
While I was posting this you posted more pictures. Maybe someone took the wheel off the wheelbarrow to repair it, got drunk and forgot where they put it. I found it a little eerie about the redcent tow away. It must take a super heavy duty truck to drag a wreack from that place, and , from what my (highly trained mechanical expert) eyes could see, nothing there was even the least bit salvageable!
On to the next one!


text:
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The federal government's new administrative law governing contraception coverage in health insurance plans has caused a great deal of controversy. For some, it is truly a troubling issue. Others are displaying some serious faux outrage in yet another attempt to paint President Obama as some left wing radical. For those of us who have retained the abilities to think rationally and have an adult conversation, this little dust-up has provided us with the opportunity to discuss government power and individual freedoms.
Despite what the screaming heads of conservative talk radio are bellowing, the Obama Administration did not just invent this power to regulate health insurance and compel compliance with the law. As a matter of fact, the power to force compliance despite religious objection was restored to the government during the George H.W. Bush Administration. But that's the end of the story, let's start from the beginning.
In 1874, Congress passed a law that outlawed polygamy. At the time, Congress was directly governing the Utah Territory. Many Mormons practiced polygamy at the time, so they challenged the law in court on the grounds that it violated their freedoms under the "Free Exercise" Clause of the First Amendment. In 1879, in the case of Reynolds v. United States, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law. The court said "Congress was deprived of all legislative power over mere opinion, but was left free to reach actions which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order." In other words, while individuals were free to believe whatever they wished under the Free Exercise Clause, this did not grant them the freedom to act any way they wished. This "test" is known as the Valid Secular Policy test. Under this standard of review established by the court, a law is presumed to be valid if there is a rational basis for the law and it is generally applicable to all persons and does not single out a particular religion. The burden of proof is placed on the individual to show that they should be exempt from the law based on religious reasons. This is a broad view of government power.
The Valid Secular Policy test remained in effect all the way to the early 1960s when the Warren Court, which generally held more liberal views on civil rights and liberties, began to alter the standard. Although a few previous cases hinted at a change in the way the Supreme Court viewed the Free Exercise Clause, it was not until 1963 and the Sherbert v. Verner case that the court's new view came to full fruition.
Adell Sherbert was a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and observed Saturday as a religious holiday. According to her beliefs, she could not work on this day. She had trouble finding work in the South Carolina textile mills because they all were in operation on Saturdays. She eventually filed an unemployment claim. She was denied by the state and took her case all the way to the Supreme Court.
The court took the opportunity provided by this case to completely overhaul the precedent established under the Reynolds case. The Warren Court found the test too restrictive of religious freedom, so they created a new standard. Under what is known as the Sherbert-Yoder test, government may enact laws that restrict the free exercise of religion, but they must be pursuing a compelling government interest and be doing so in the least restrictive means possible. The Sherbert-Yoder test provides for expansive claims of religious freedom and places the burden of proof on the government to show that they are acting properly.
Sherbert-Yoder remained in effect through the late 1980s, when conservative Reagan and Bush appointees pushed for a change to the standard. That change came in 1990 in the case of Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith. In this case, Native American employees of a drug rehab service were terminated from their jobs for using peyote, a controlled substance in Oregon, during a religious ritual. When they applied for unemployment, they were denied. They challenged this decision under the Free Exercise Clause and cited the Sherbert-Yoder test.
Newly appointed conservative Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion in the case. In doing so, Justice Scalia jettisoned the Sherbert-Yoder test, saying "We have never held that an individual's religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the state is free to regulate." With this decision, Justice Scalia returned the Supreme Court to the view it had adopted in the Reynolds case, the Valid Secular Policy test. If the government is exercising a power it has been granted, a law will be upheld even if it incidentally interferes with religious practices.
Fast-forward to today and the controversy over contraception and women's health coverage. Conservatives are hopping mad about the blanket coverage rule, but the Smith decision is still the precedent being used by the courts. Ironically, it was not some liberal firebrand who limited the reach of the Free Exercise Clause, but the one justice who conservatives most admire, Justice Scalia.
In this situation, the Obama Administration is following what the Supreme Court has said was valid action. The federal government certainly has the power to regulate interstate commerce. The healthcare industry accounts for nearly one-fifth of the entire US economy. Policies pursued and laws enacted regarding healthcare under the Commerce Clause would certainly appear to fall under the Smith Test.
So, rather than screaming at all of us to "read the Constitution", talk radio conservatives and their followers would do well to research the case law and trajectory of Free Exercise jurisprudence before launching into their sermons. They would certainly look less foolish if they did so.
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Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) arrested a Chauvin man today, Aug. 5 for allegedly falsifying trip ticket information and are transporting him to the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail.
Jessie Lambas, 58, allegedly falsified trip ticket documents dated from May and June of 2009 in order to file a claim with BP America due to the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Lambas was charged with three felonies for filing false public records, injuring public records and theft by fraud. The trip tickets were filed with LDWF on May 27 and represented 5,644 pounds of shrimp with a value of $10,237.50. Lambas stated that he received three payments from BP America totaling $3,000 from May 24 to July 14.
SIU agents met with Lambas on July 26 and 31 after receiving a complaint from the department's trip ticket section that Lambas did not possess a commercial fishing license in 2009. Lambas does have a wholesale/retail seafood dealer's license that allows him access to trip tickets issued to the wholesale/retail seafood dealer.
Lambas stated that he filed trip tickets from 2010, but the department does not have any record of issuing Lambas trip tickets in 2010 according to the arrest warrant. The warrant also states that the trip tickets under question match the 50 trip tickets that he was issued in 2008.
If convicted, Lambas faces fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail with or without hard labor for each charge of falsifying and injuring public records. For the fraud charge, Lambas faces a fine up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in jail with or without hard labor.
"We want to ensure our commercial fishermen and dealers are compensated fairly by using accurate trip ticket information," said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of LDWF's Enforcement Division. "We do not want to see commercial fishermen or dealers tempted to commit felony violations by falsifying trip ticket documents."
LDWF routinely reviews every trip ticket received from the commercial fishing industry to ensure that the most accurate data are collected and properly reflect the important role the state of Louisiana plays in the production of seafood.
These reviews are critical to ensure that commercial fishermen and wholesale/retail dealers are appropriately credited with landings in the event of compensation that results from a natural disaster such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and the current BP America oil spill.
BP America is requesting commercial fishermen to provide landings information from 2007-10 to determine eligibility for financial assistance. LDWF is providing a landings data report back to commercial fishermen, when requested, to assist with this eligibility process.
The review of trip tickets has become even more critical during this time period considering that the previous years are being used to establish eligibility for assistance. Any trip tickets from previous years are being subjected to another layer of review by LDWF staff to confirm their validity.
"The information provided on a trip ticket is the best way for the department to establish the value of Louisiana fisheries and the importance of those fisheries to the nation. Trip ticket data also plays a key role in the managing of fisheries in Louisiana to ensure sustainability," said Michelle Kasprzak, LDWF Trip Ticket Program administrator. "We ask that trip tickets be completed accurately and submitted on time as required. Inaccurate or embellished trip tickets will be investigated by the department's Law Enforcement Division."
Trip tickets are filled out at the first point of sale between a commercial fisherman and wholesale/retail dealer or fresh product license holder and are due on the 10th of every month. Trip tickets are then entered into LDWFs Trip Ticket Program's database.
Commercial fishermen and wholesale/retail dealers may request their trip ticket landings by following the instructions on the LDWF Web site at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/oilspill [3] or calling the trip ticket section at 225-765-2399.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or firstname.lastname@example.com [4].
Release Date: 08/05/2010
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) arrested a Chauvin man today, Aug. 5 for allegedly falsifying trip ticket information and are transporting him to the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail.


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The Best Coffee I Had in Naples, Italy
You want to know what happens when Italy (and its coffee) stops being polite and starts getting real? Check out Naples for an authentic, old-school, and defiantly no-nonsense look at espresso culture.
Everyone who heard I was visiting Naples said the same thing: "Be careful, it' s the most dangerous city in the country." Since I've heard my mother repeatedly say the exact same thing about New York City since I moved here nine years ago, I shrugged it off: "Psshh, how bad could it be?"
Well, okay, so maybe I was a little scared when I got there: The high-speed train spits you out into a distinctly unsavory part of town, and when you're just barely over five feet tall and carrying all of your worldly possessions in a huge standard-issue yuppie REI urban-explorer backpack, you start to feel a little vulnerable. The neighborhood I was staying in was more like a scene out of the Bronx in 1983 than the rolling Tuscan hills I'd motored through a few days ago, and for the first time throughout my trip I was very noticeably the only tourist on the street.
All it took was one surly barista to put me back at home—and boy, do the surliest baristas make the most delicious coffee, or what?
Within moments of depositing my stuff in the hotel and venturing out for one of the classic dark-roasted shots Southern Italy is known for, I smacked myself up against the now-somewhat-shabbily elegant bar at Gran Caffe Gambrinus and ordered un cafe from that ray of sunshine above. I mean, everybody always pokes fun at the too-cool "hipster" baristas back home, but you've got to come to espresso's birthplace if you want to meet a cafe employee as thoroughly disinterested in your bourgie love of espresso as this guy right here.
That said, the man could pull a shot. (And I do mean pull: As with most Neapolitan cafes worth their weight in beans, the machine at Gambrinus is lever-powered, and our man was cranking 'em out one after the other so fast that it was like watching hydraulic pistons on the line at a factory.)
The shot was a classic, and exactly what you'd expect to get from a sourpuss in a tuxedo jacket: Dark and bittersweet, with a long, smoky aftertaste. This isn't the soft-and-sweet coffee of Florence; this is a buck-up shot in the arm that says, "If you can handle this cup, you can handle this city."
Naturally, I fell in love with both on the spot. (And maybe the barista a little bit, too. What can I say: I'm a sucker for a jerk in uniform.)
Gran Caffe Gambrinus
Via Chiaia 1/2, Naples, Italy 80132 (map); 011-39-081-417-582, grancaffegambrinus.com
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