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Think your job is stressful? Put yourself in the place of the eight unemployment hearing officers summoned to the Blaine House last month:
You get an email from your boss telling you that Gov. Paul LePage would like to dine with you. And by the way, your presence isn't merely requested — it's required.
Then, over the course of an hour, you listen while the governor and Jennifer Duddy, chairman of the Maine Unemployment Insurance Commission, tell you they're none too happy with the way you've been doing your job.
Their beef? Your rulings are too friendly to employees who have lost their jobs, and not friendly enough to the employers who had good reason to show those deadbeats the door in the first place.
"In the decades I've been doing this work, I've never seen anything like it, from either end of the political spectrum," wrote Wayne Reed, one of the hearing officers, in an email obtained by this newspaper last week through a Freedom of Access Act request.
Reed continues: "For the purposes (of) keeping political pressures/bias out of quasi-judicial process within the Maine Department of Labor, these are dark times."
Indeed. And while LePage tries to make them even darker with his call for a top-to-bottom, "blue ribbon" review of Maine's unemployment compensation system (see: Smokescreen/Political), two questions now loom over this administration like a storm a' brewing:
Exactly what happened at that now-infamous lunch meeting inside the governor's mansion on March 21?
And just as important, when are state and federal investigators going to start showing a little curiosity about what one group of attorneys is already calling a blatant violation of the law?
"Governor LePage (is) intentionally interfering with the neutrality and basic fairness of the appeals system in order to favor employers over workers. Federal law clearly prohibits such interference," wrote David Webbert, president of the 50-plus member Maine Employment Lawyers Association, in a letter last week to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the Inspector General.
Even a month after the lunch took place, on-the-record reports of who said what are hard to come by. The hearing officers, who collect evidence and, much like a judge, rule on disputed unemployment claims, have so far said they're too fearful of retribution to go public.
But like so many pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, the 3-inch stack of emails released last week and not-for-attribution contacts with the media are coming together to form a troubling picture of state government at its worst.
To wit: Unemployment Insurance Commission Chairman Duddy, a LePage political appointee, was asked by LePage at one point in the luncheon to give a brief presentation on Maine's unemployment compensation program.
Duddy, whose commission handles appeals of the hearing officers' rulings, instead lambasted the hearing officers for not conforming with her interpretation of the law — contained in a lengthy critique and analysis she'd earlier provided to the LePage administration.
Linda Rogers-Tomer, the Maine Department of Labor's chief administrative hearing officer, spoke with Duddy about her remarks the next day.
"I asked why, when the governor asked her to give an overview of the unemployment program, she felt compelled to so publicly criticize DAH (Division of Administrative Hearings) in the presence of the highest elected official in the state rather than what the Governor asked her to speak to," Rogers-Tomer wrote in notes after the 17-minute conversation. "She responded that she did not think it appropriate to give an overview to the hearing officers who have been doing this work for many years."
So Duddy, a political appointee of the guy seated at the head of the lunch table, used her time to throw the hearing officers under the bus.
Then there's LePage himself, who at one point was asked by a hearing officer what to do if an employer demanded more time to prepare a case than the federally mandated, 30-day deadline for holding an appeals hearing.
"LePage, who is not a lawyer, said that if allowing additional time for employers meant missing the federal deadline, 'so be it,' " attorney Webbert wrote in his request for an investigation.
LePage also told his captive audience that he had once called in a Maine judge to discuss a specific case.
"The clear message he was intentionally sending the hearing officers is that all judges in Maine are answerable to him and must do his bidding or else," Webbert wrote.
But wait, it gets better. It turns out the judge cited by LePage was none other than Maine Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Leigh Saufley — which, not surprisingly, comes as news to Maine's highest-ranking judicial officer.
"I can tell you, unequivocally, that the Chief Justice never discusses specific cases with anyone outside the court," said Mary Ann Lynch, director of court information, in an email Friday. "She is scrupulous about not discussing cases with anyone. I have witnessed the Chief Justice stopping conversation and leaving a room, when others wish to discuss legal issues before the court."
Meaning LePage must have made it all up. Imagine that.
The governor, of course, would have us believe that this whole lunch thing was simply an open and honest exchange with a group of quasi-judicial officials charged with deciding who gets unemployment benefits and who doesn't.
The problem is that by all accounts, it was much more one-sided than that. Even the ultraconservative Maine Wire, invoking LePage senior economic adviser John Butera, reported thusly: "The meeting was prompted by constituent complaints — business owners who told the Governor that the unemployment system in Maine was unfairly hurting their bottom lines, said Butera."
Which brings us back to that second question: Where are the government watchdogs charged with making sure Maine's unemployment system remains a fair and impartial process, free of political meddling by the Big Guy?
Webbert's request for a federal investigation has been taken, as they say, under advisement — although two auditors from the U.S. Department of Labor who came knocking last week will be followed this week by an attorney from the department's Office of the Solicitor.
And the Maine Attorney General's Office? Well, let's just say butterfly season seems to have come early this year.
"We have contacted the (hearing officers') union rep, the union legal counsel and (Webbert), told them what the hearing officers' options are and urged them to have anyone with firsthand knowledge to call us," Attorney General Janet Mills said in an email Friday.
She continued, "We have yet to receive a call, and we have been informed that the hearing officers choose not to speak with us at this time. This Office has never, to my knowledge, commenced an investigation or inquiry based solely on hearsay in the news media, especially if witnesses are unwilling to talk."
That, we can only hope, will soon change — either by the AG reaching out directly to the hearing officers, or vice-versa.
Otherwise, we'll be left only with the wistful words of Hearing Officer Reed.
Upon learning that his emails were about to be made public as part of the FOAA request, Reed wrote, "Although what I had to say in the (post-luncheon) email about political pressures may be of concern to some, it should at least provide assurance to the public, should it become public, that hearing officers are not caving to political pressures on behalf of any favored constituency. I am, as I believe all our hearing officers are, devoted absolutely to preserving the integrity of the hearing process."
Quick — someone give that man a medal for bravery.
And a little something for his indigestion.
Columnist Bill Nemitz can be contacted at 791-6323 or at:
Correction: This column was revised at 1:56 p.m., April 22, 2013, to state that John Butera is Gov. Paul LePage's senior economic adviser.
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1001 Inventions Announces Three-Year Tour of Malaysia
Asian debut for award-winning show
Kuala Lumpur, 22nd Nov 2012: The award-winning blockbuster exhibition, 1001 Inventions, about the achievements of Muslim Civilisation in science and technology, will be launching a three-year tour of Malaysia in early 2013 for its Asian Premiere. The announcement was made at Pusat Sains Negara – Malaysia's National Science Centre – and witnessed by representatives from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).
Opening Hours - Admission - Location (Map)#]
Pusat Sains Negara, the National Science Centre,
hosted the launch event for 1001 Inventions in Malaysia
(image source)
Recognised as the world's best touring exhibition by the Museum and Heritage Excellence Awards in London last year, the ground-breaking 1001 Inventions show has already received more than three million visitors during record-breaking residencies in London, Istanbul, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC and the Middle East.
The Malaysian tour of 1001 Inventions will be produced in partnership with Kuala Lumpur-based Science Discoveries Sdn Bhd, which has previously brought several science exhibitions to the Malaysian market in partnership with the London Science Museum.
"1001 Inventions: Kegemilangan Tamadun Muslim" is the Malaysian version of the ground-breaking production that has wowed audiences across Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Speaking on behalf of 1001 Inventions, Producer and Director Mr. Ahmed Salim commented: "We are delighted that our award-winning 1001 Inventions show will be enjoying its Asian Premiere in Malaysia. The scientific golden age of Muslim Civilisation was fueled by a diverse world of men and women of different faiths, cultures and ethnicities."
He continued: "1001 Inventions brings to life pioneering men and women from the history of science whose achievements have had a huge but hidden influence on the way we live our lives today. These role models serve as an inspiration for young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics thanks to the modern, engaging and highly interactive 1001 Inventions experience. We're excited to be working with Science Discoveries Sdn Bhd to bring this ground-breaking exhibition to Malaysia."
Dato' Dr. Zakri Bin Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Malaysian Prime Minister, said: "On a recent visit to New York City, I was able to visit the fascinating exhibition 1001 Inventions. We are all familiar with the stories of 1001 Nights but less so with any that is associated with inventions. Science flourished in the Muslim world in those days because individual creativity was appreciated, and science and innovation were seen by the political leadership as expanding knowledge in the interest of society as a whole. We need to bring back those days of enlightenment which would contribute not only to our own prosperity but also make this world a more peaceful place to live in."
Speaking on behalf of Science Discoveries Sdn Bhd, Director Mr. David Oh said: "We are honoured to be bringing this internationally acclaimed show to Malaysia for its Asian debut. Hosting the world's best touring exhibition is a genuine milestone for Malaysia's exhibition industry, and demonstrates the country's credentials as a host nation for world-leading scientific and cultural events."
He continued: "Science Discoveries Sdn Bhd has a proven track record for showcasing science exhibitions in the region and the launch of 1001 Inventions in Malaysia continues our tradition of supporting the national objective of encouraging the development of a knowledge economy in our home territory. More than three million people have already visited the exhibition in the last three years and we anticipate that 1001 Inventions Malaysia will continue that success. Our team is thrilled to be introducing this show to the Malaysian people."
~ Click here for Media/Press Coverage ~
The 1001 Inventions brand has received recognition from industry leaders, statesmen and academics from around the world including public messages of support from HRH Prince Charles (UK), Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
1001 Inventions is a family-friendly educational brand supported by an international network of academic experts, which ensure that the content of 1001 Inventions productions is of the highest possible academic standard.
The content of all 1001 Inventions productions has been researched by academic experts and then peer reviewed by a network of specialist academics from respected Universities and Museums around the world. In addition, the Science Museum in London employed a panel of renowned experts to review and verify the content of the 1001 Inventions exhibition prior to its six-month residency there.
The Malaysian version of the exhibition will feature more than sixty exhibits providing visitors of all ages with a hands-on, interactive and state-of-the-art family-friendly experience. Different zones dedicated to Engineering, Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics, Geography and Agriculture will highlight the many ways in which Muslim Civilisation helped lay the foundations for the European Renaissance and has had a profound impact on the modern world.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a 20ft-tall replica of the 13th century "Elephant Clock", invented by Master Engineer Al-Jazari, which incorporated technologies from many ancient civilisations and pioneered the concept of automation. Al Jazari also serves as the central character in the exhibition's orientation film, "The Library of Secrets", which stars Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley and won more than 20 industry awards including "Best Film" recognition in Cannes, Los Angeles and at the New York Film Festival. To date, the movie has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
1001 Inventions is based on two decades of research by more than a hundred leading academics and educationalists from around the world, and is supported by the UK-based Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC), an international network of academic experts, as its Global Knowledge Partner. The content of the 1001 Inventions exhibition was reviewed and approved by an independent panel of academics from the London Science Museum's and was also reviewed by academic experts retained by California Science Center. Further information is available from the official website www.1001inventions.com/references.
Duration: 6 months (ends 28th February 2014)
Opens 9am-5pm daily
FREE ENTRY to Pusat Sains Negara with every purchase of 1001 Inventions tickets
For other ticket purchases anf for more information please click here.
Pusat Sains Negara (National Science Centre)
Pusat Sains Negara Persiaran Bukit Kiara, 50662
Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Kiara, Malaysia

subset: commoncrawl


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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. PRYOR. Sorry, a little belated, as it was the 1st of the month. Mine is tomorrow. I am honored to share your birthday week. We get name checked on E! – it happens at the same time, along with Woody Allen and Walt Disney, but I like you the best. What can I say to thank you? How can you put laughter and salvation and the transcendental power to forget race, even for just a moment, the truth of the human condition made hilarious because of its fearlessness, the eternal power of your voice and the gratitude that I have for all you gave me and the world – in a box? Is there one big enough? I need a big ass bow on it and shit. Not one you stick on, but actually get a ribbon and tie on, with your finger in it making the bow old school correct. Do you want some Gevalia coffee or the flowers that they would send you once a month or maybe a vase with marbles in it? A huge ass Hershey's chocolate kiss?
How can this girl send you a gift that is worthy of my love? Because my love is big. There is nothing that I can think of in the material world valuable enough that would represent the size of this love. So here it is.
From, Margaret
I will hang onto the receipt in case you want to exchange it for something else. I don't know, you might prefer D.L. Hughley's love, or Gene Wilder's love. I am just leaving you some options. I wouldn't be offended in the least.
Mr. Pryor, I met you one time at this big benefit for some shit. The Hollywood players love the benefit even though we are not sure to whose benefit they be for, but they do benefit those that need publicity, so there we are. You took my hand and you looked me in the eye. We said nothing and that moment was everything. Paul McCartney kissed me that night too, told me I was a pretty girl, and I was elated, but I forgot about him when I saw you. I remember running to get to you, and then I was before you, my knees shaking, and hands sweating, thinking of how if you hadn't done what you had done, the work you gave the world, the man you are – I wouldn't exist, not in the way I do now, not in the way I wanted to, needed to. I might not even have lived. Thank you for my life, along with all the other things I am trying to thank you for.
I saw your movies, the first one "Live at the Sunset Strip," changed my life, my destiny. It was the first time I realized who I was, and what I would be. I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up because I never saw anyone that made me want to grow up, and then there was you. You were telling your tales, making motherfuckers helpless with laughter in the aisles. Black people, white people, everyone, right at the time when we all had a hard time sitting together, we came to see you, because you were beyond race, you disarmed us, we couldn't hang on to our guns because we were trying not to pee from laughing.
Historically, you were the bridge between the Civil Rights Movement and the America that wanted finally to be itself. The stories you told were the ones that united the Black Panther and the 'honky,' the feminists and the pimps, the playas and the fools, the us and the them. There were no more race war/battle of the sexes when you took the stage, there was just you, sweating like Muhammed Ali, because you were a fighter, but also a lover too, as you stopped our fighting, and started us on the idea that we could love each other. Because we laughed at the same things, we realized we had a lot more in common with each other than we thought. I count you among the others that brought change to the world that so badly needed it, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Gloria Steinem, Rosa Parks – fuck it – Ghandi. You the man Mr. Pryor. As important as any founding motherfucking father, any "Give me liberty or give me death" fool. You should have money with your face on it. It should be a big ass bill too. Like the $1,000,000,000,000 bill should have you on the front. Even that wouldn't be enough.
Thank you for the truth you told, the bravery that you had, the big balls and the brains to make the ways you almost took yourself out, killed yourself, fucking funny as fuck. How did you make the fact that you were dying from freebasing, even set yourself on fire, burning like a KKK cross running down the street – funny?!!!!!! The poet you are, the genius you are, the beauty you are – is worthy of shock and awe. You gave birth to the kind of comedy that is real, that is life, that loves the listener, loves the laugher, that has no bullshit, no front. You had the courage to be vulnerable, which nobody had, certainly not stand up comics – maybe the dude that sang "When you come to San Francisco, wear flowers in your hair," whoever the fuck he was. He was vulnerable, but who gives a shit?
You were talking about the things that hurt you in life, your lovers, your past, your addictions that were taking you away from yourself, big Jim Brown who helped you and loved you and made us all wish we were Jim Brown because you held him in such high regard and you made his voice and character so full of heart and help, your monkey that the dog ate, and the dog that was sorry about it, who would stop chasing you for that day, just to mourn the loss with you, and we could laugh and cry with you. Mudbone, who broke the stereotypes that were so long held by white people about the Black man, who was a character not a caricature, who was a man not a cartoon, who was not blackface, but a man with a Black face. Mudbone was a genius and a player, a hustler and an honest man, a joker and a sentimental fool. You changed the way we viewed race. You changed the way we laughed. You changed the way America looked at Americans. You gave us new glasses. We could see ourselves as we actually were, just human and no different from each other, regardless of what color we were, who we loved, what we did, who we were, who we thought we were.
I owe a great debt to you, because I carry on what you did so beautifully, and I try to think "What would Richard Pryor do?" Many comics follow in your footsteps, but you got the huge shoes to fill. I got some big feet though, and I think I can do it. I am like a nasty Bigfoot Cinderella. Whenever I go on stage, I thank you, silently, in the dark velvet of the wings, because you gave me the blueprint of how to tell the truth and make it funny. You taught me to be a teacher and I am there at school every day. Sometimes I get a shiny red apple on my desk. Humbly, my wish is to be the one who goes forth and continues your work. I want to carry your torch and I will not set myself on fire. People who love you have said it. Seinfeld said to me once, "You are like Pryor at his best." It was a compliment I couldn't even get my head around. Who knew, that this little, confused, sad, ugly, crazy, unwanted, unloved Korean American girl from the cloudy side of San Francisco could one day be compared to you? "I have a dream" are the only words that come to mind.
Happy Birthday Mr. Pryor. I am out of words. All that comes now is love and tears, and one last thank you.
Thank you.


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Silver King Cocktail
The Juice of 1/4 Lemon.
1 Teaspoonful Sugar. (1 teaspoon caster sugar)
2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (2 Dashes Bitter Truth Orange Bitters)
The White of 1 Egg. (White of 1 egg)
1 Glass Plymouth Gin. (1 oz Plymouth Gin, 1 oz Bols Genever)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Genever? What the!?
David Wondrich has a big article about Gin in the April, 2010 issue of Saveur Magazine. He makes the point several times that the character of Plymouth Gin has significantly changed since the 19th Century. In the article he has a quote from William Terrington's 1869, "Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks," which describes historic versions of Plymouth Gin as a Gin which, "closely resembles Hollands" and another quote from 1867, which describes it as "flavour[ed] with the wash of whisky distilleries".
With that in mind, I thought I would give what would end up a fairly plain gin sour a bit of interest by blending in some Genever with the Plymouth.
Never having made a Genver Sour, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Pretty darn tasty, as a matter of fact! The Bols Genever gives the Silver King more malty complexity and a bit of earthy character.
This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.


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Blog - Latest News
You are here: Home / BAYCAT Events
Who We Are
Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT) is a nonprofit social enterprise that educates, empowers and employs young people from historically underserved Bay Area communities in the digital media arts including: video production, music production, animation, graphic and web design.
We believe in running a nonprofit like a business, and in changing the philanthropy model. That's why we created the "clonor" model, where clients become donors, and donors become clients.


text: Ulcers Non-healing skin ulcers typically result from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) but can also be a result of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Arterial ulcers occur when blocked arteries starve the lower extremity of oxygen-rich blood and this leads to tissue ischemia (decreased blood supply). Venous ulcers are also a result of tissue ischemia but the underlying mechanism is valvular dysfunction or previous deep vein thrombosis. Chronic leg or foot ulcers can be difficult to heal without appropriate medical care. The specialists at the St. Joseph Hospital Vascular Institute are dedicated to preventing the loss of limb through a proactive approach to managing ulcers. Risk Factors If you have circulatory problems, such as PAD or CVI, you may be at risk for non-healing skin ulcers. You also may be at risk for non-healing wounds if you have diabetes, as this condition can hinder the body's normal healing processes. Other risk factors include cigarette smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sedentary life-style. Symptoms Wounds/skin ulcers that persist for greater than 4 weeks are a problem that requires further medical attention. Screening and Diagnosis Our physicians and staff specialize in the diagnosis and prevention of the following types of ulcers and non-healing wounds: Arterial disease Venous disease Vasculitis Infection Neuropathy Treatment Physicians at the St. Joseph Vascular Institute will first determine the cause of the ulcer and ensure that you receive appropriate treatment. Conservative measures include wound dressings, off-loading of the involved extremity and non-invasive evaluation of the arterial and venous systems. More aggressive treatment is often required to affect complete wound healing. For information on St. Joseph Hospital Wound Management Services, click here.


text:
Richard asked about
Abstract formatting lost paragraphs?
Hi there,
I am very pleased to see that my thesis has now been published at http://hdl.handle.net/2100/1305 . Thank you for taking the time to review and prepare it for publication.
However I note that my abstract, which was formerly 3 paragraphs, has now been squished into one block of text. Is there any way we could retain the 3 paragraph formatting?
1 answer
35655 views


text:
A Super Bowl championship paid off handsomely in the financial ledger for the Green Bay Packers, who reported a record $42.7 million profit for the fiscal year that ended March 31.
The Packers won the Super Bowl after the 2010 season, and they went 15-1 in 2011 before losing to the New York Giants in the NFC divisional playoff round.
Team president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy credited booming merchandise sales at Lambeau Field as well as online, plus record attendance at the team's Hall of Fame and for Lambeau tours.
"We did set records in terms of local revenue, total revenue was the first time ever over $300 million, and the profit from operation was at an all-time high of $43 million," Murphy said on a conference call.
Even one negative from last year turned out to be a positive for the Packers from a financial standpoint. The 2011 NFL lockout led to reduced operating costs for a chunk of the year.
"It wasn't unusual for departments to be deferring projects, waiting to see the outcome," vice president of finance Paul Baniel said, according to Bloomberg.com. "Some of the decline is just due to the fact that we were in a slower state for those first four months."
The Packers reported a $17.1 million profit in the previous fiscal year. Total revenue for the latest fiscal year was $302 million, after it was $282.6 million the prior year.


text:
Historic Talmadge gets its name from three silent film stars – Norma, Natalie, and Constance Talmadge. In 1927, the sisters opened the Talmadge Park real estate development, which contains streets named for each of them. The neighborhood's architecture is eclectic, with styles ranging from Spanish revival and California bungalow to Cape Cod cottages and Normandy style homes. Cliff May, a renowned Southern California architect, designed several homes in Talmadge. The community is centrally-located with easy access to all things San Diego.
Commercial-Res Income, MLS# 180063102
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Residential, MLS# 190007169
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Residential, MLS# 190011007
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This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You should rely on this information only to decide whether or not to further investigate a particular property. BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER DECISION, YOU SHOULD PERSONALLY INVESTIGATE THE FACTS (e.g. square footage and lot size) with the assistance of an appropriate professional. You may use this information only to identify properties you may be interested in investigating further. All uses except for personal, non-commercial use in accordance with the foregoing purpose are prohibited. Redistribution or copying of this information, any photographs or video tours is strictly prohibited. This information is derived from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) service provided by Sandicor®. Displayed property listings may be held by a brokerage firm other than the broker and/or agent responsible for this display. The information and any photographs and video tours and the compilation from which they are derived is protected by copyright. Compilation © 2019 Sandicor®, Inc.


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Some fine wines are produced in Carroll County and the surrounding area.
Two local wineries and two wineries just over the river in Vevay and Madison, Ind., won awards at the 2008 Indiana State Fair's 17th annual Indy International Wine Competition this past weekend.
River Valley Winery, owned by Vicky and Krasi Georgiev, took home four medals.
The winery, which operates the Mehana at the corner of Sixth Street and Highland Avenue in Carrollton, took three bronze medals and one silver.
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- 18 dec 2014snom Updates Flagship Phone Product Line
- 27 nov 2014snom Extends 7xx IP Phone Series Capability
- 22 jul 2014Glowing Review For New snom 715 Phone
- 15 jul 2014Multinational Company Picks snom For New Lync Phone System
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snom IP-Based Business Communication
snom technology AG is a highly specialised manufacturer and developer of comprehensive solutions for IP-based business communication. With the ability to be operated with a large number of compatible IP-PBX that support the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), snom customers are given a wide choice of enterprise communication systems that are recognised for their high-quality, security, interoperability and cost-effectiveness.
snom devices are suitable for use in all business environments regardless of size. From home-offices to large corporations, snom can facilitate all types of enterprise globally. snom also works directly with carriers, Internet Service Providers, and OEM customers from its branch networks and partner network to deliver an industry-class IP-based business communication service
snom not only provide VoIP hardware, but develop VoIP telephone software also. The snom OCS edition allows simple integration of snom devices with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, and the snom CTI provides for easy computer-telephony integration especially in the CRM environment.
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snom is differentiated from competition by its strong company ten-year history in the VoIP industry and dedication to high security standards. Founded in 1996 in Berlin, Germany, snom is a pioneer in VoIP communications and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries around the world.
Zycko: snom Distributor
As a dedicated snom distributor, Zycko has the knowledge and expertise to advise you how best to implement snom's VoIP communications. With a dedicated product management team, marketing support and lead generation, Zycko is your ideal choice as a snom distributor.


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All The Business Wisdom You Need From 4 Famous Entrepreneurs
Combine the knowledge of the greatest entrepreneurs with your own hard earned lessons.
There's a lot of deification of entrepreneur "personalities." The truth is that a few entrepreneurs, in my opinion, are probably luckier than good. But, some of the praise and deification is warranted. There have been some fantastic business leaders in this country, and one can learn a ton from studying them. Below, I've compiled a list of the four entrepreneurs who have taught me the most over the years.
Become Your Best In Business
How can you streamline the actions you take in your business?
A few of the primary keys to becoming successful in business include having a clear intent or purpose, a truly inspiring vision, a grand message to share, a genuine social calling and a targeted niche to serve. From these initial basics arise the primary strategic objectives you would love to accomplish or achieve and a plan for their implementation. But before these objectives can be met, the mastery of the mind is to be initiated.
True business leaders are those who are congruent and integrated and who can organise and lead their inner parts purposefully. Once leaders govern themselves, they can govern others.
Time Is Life
When you loaf about, your mind starts thinking about all kinds of doubts, insecurities, fears, other people's beliefs and worries about what's happening and what isn't happening. Such dead time can zap your energy and confidence levels and distract your mind from your purpose. Any time or space that's not filled with high priorities often automatically becomes filled with low priorities.
Have you noticed that when you're busy, you often accomplish and create much more? The more intensely you're focused and active and the longer you maintain such a focus, the faster your accomplishments (time x intensity = results). Time spent on doubt, fear, or low-priority actions slows down your accomplishment process.
When you take your mind off your focus, all you see are obstacles. When your mind is focused on your dreams, you don't have time for the many self-doubts that block them.
Raise Your Standard
Anything you do consumes time. To maximise the value of your time, prioritise your interactions. People who seem less busy and want to consume your time may think you're being rude when you say no to their invitations, but busy people understand immediately that you're just choosing to prioritise and wisely manage your time.
People who don't value their own time want to take up yours with small talk, and if you keep associating with people who talk small, you could end up with a small life. You'll find out what kind of people they are by putting a fee on your time and raising that fee regularly. If people really value your skills and time, they'll pay for it.
"A man's growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Efficiency and Effectiveness
Often when you perform a service for less than you feel you deserve, you lower your worth and enthusiasm and slow down your business. Even though you may be working like a 'dog', it's neither efficient nor effective.
Any aspect of your work that pays less than you truly feel you deserve can become the weak link of your business. In addition to undermining your motivation, inefficiency and ineffectiveness can also reduce profit margins. When you or your employees perform effective actions in an inefficient way, ineffective actions in an efficient way or ineffective actions in an inefficient way, your business becomes undermined. Your worth can be determined by how efficient and effective you are at performing high-priority actions. Business masters are those who love what they do, do what they love, and work efficiently and effectively. They delegate everything else to those who desire to do the same.
How can you streamline the actions you take in your business? Ask yourself, "What can I delegate?" You'll be far more productive, energised, and inspired at the end of the day when you can stick to actions you deem to be high-priority. Unless you value your time, neither will the world.
For more information on Dr Demartini's teachings, visit www.drdemartini.com
How To Be A Leader
Lead by example and you'll win the respect and loyalty of your staff.
Being a successful entrepreneur is not about locking yourself away in your workshop and bringing a great innovation to life. Certainly, you need a must-have product that will have customers beating a path to your door. But you also need the business skills to ensure you can scale up production – and the leadership skills to motivate the staff you have employed to help you make this happen.
It is rare to find these three key skills balanced equally in an entrepreneur. Most have more of one quality than another – but there is one of these qualities that we tend to fool ourselves about.
Most of us know whether we have creative skills that can produce great innovations or whether we need to improve our business skills. Almost all of us assume we can be leaders if circumstances mean we have to step up to the plate. However, almost all of us are wrong about that.
Leadership skills are something that you develop and hone as your career progresses. You might think that being head girl at school, rugby captain or president of your Toastmasters' branch means that you have got leadership nailed.
You would be right that you have some leadership experience. But you are wrong because so much about leadership depends on context. Just as what works on the rugby field and what works in the debating chamber are not the same, so what works in business is different.
In part, it can depend on the size and sector of your business. That in turn is partly because your understanding of the context – your business savvy as opposed to your business skills – is as important as your credibility as a leader.
But there are some common traits in leaders that work in all business contexts. Once you have these nailed, you will find that you can reuse them in different businesses as you expand your entrepreneurial interests.
Here are three starter principles to put into practice today:
1. Be first
Get to work first and leave last. As an entrepreneur, one of the prime qualities you need is energy. You need to put mental and physical energy into knowing the detail of what is going on in your business. Listen to the insights of your staff as to how your systems are taking strain or could be streamlined. If you are serious about growing your business, you cannot expect to achieve this as a sleeping partner who drops by the business premises at best once a week.
2. Be a team player
Make it clear that you are not giving yourself privileges just because you are the boss. If your business involves any kind of production line, whether actual or virtual, you should be able to pitch in and help out if there is a rush of demand or an unusual number of staff hit by the virus that is going round. This is also an opportunity to check personally on the effectiveness of the systems you have set up and make tweaks where you see bottlenecks or downtime occurring.
3. Be last
As well as leaving work last, you should also pay yourself last. Consider this part of your investment in your business – and also an investment that will pay dividends in consolidating staff loyalty.
Peak Performance – How To Become A Strong And Legendary Business Leader
The starting point is to consistently and constantly build and mould an unshakeable character and add a clear strategy for your personal life and your business.
'Leadership is a potent combination of Character and strategy'
– General Norman Schwarzkopf
Leadership has long fallen into the category of the enigmatic. It is no longer the case considering the 'deep dive' neuroscientists, psychologists and industrial psychologists have taken into understanding the brain and human behaviour in general.
For those that have a deep and driving desire to understand themselves better volumes of highly beneficial research are available to you. How willing you are to seek for and apply the infinite amount of knowledge out there is dependent upon your priorities, your 'grit' and your level of desire to personally transform and be impactful in this world.
Most of all a strong belief in your own abilities to become a legendary business leader is a basic requirement for the alchemy from follower to leader to take place.
The human nature guru Robert Greene describes a strong character as follows:
"Strong character has a tensile quality like a good piece of metal – it can give and bend but still retains its overall shape and never breaks"
Character is who you really are, not what you want others to think of you. Who you truly are is especially revealed under the most challenging circumstances. How your investors, co-founders, employees and clients view you is highly dependent upon your actions during times of business crisis, failure or when you as an entrepreneur are faced with turbulent personal circumstances.
The ability to authentically and empathetically (towards yourself and others) take a stand for your beliefs, admit (to yourself most of all) to your mistakes, rectify them (the highest and truest form of an apology) within times of strife and difficulty leads to a strong and un-breakable character.
Through this writing you are strongly urged to reflect on the fact that a strong character will not fall from the sky and simply be bestowed upon you, instead a strong character, akin to steel, is moulded and shaped by fire meaning that your character is mostly shaped by challenging times.
As the late master poet Leonard Cohen said –
'There is a crack in everything that is where the light seeps in'
Nothing is perfect and when you truly learn from failures and mistakes your wounds can become blessings, your tests can become testimonies and you can lead others to achieve the same.
Those that have a slight and very determined smile on their face and maintain belief and even dramatically increase their levels of performance the moment they recognise that they have arrived within a highly challenging space are the ones that have trained for that exact moment.
The Navy Seals say:
"You do not rise to the challenge you fall to your level of training"
All external information gathered within each moment enters the brain and is processed through the Amygdala first – that part of the brain that provides housing for the 'fight or flight' response. Information is first filtered through your very own doubts, fears and insecurities.
If you have not worked on your own fears diligently and instilled habitual mechanisms of effective action triggered by fear your re-actions of lack of action (procrastination) will not be optimal at all. 'Grit' is born at the intersection of passion and perseverance and can be trained. Bravery can be trained. Leadership can be trained. Character although influenced by genetics can be trained.
All tools to succeed at the aforementioned subjects are within us all, in a lot of cases lying dormant and anxiously awaiting your increased levels of awareness which will empower you to use the tools required effectively.
As a practical example I coach my 'Peak Performance' clients to train for Grit in the following way – Choose a day of the week when you are especially tired and not in the greatest of moods force yourself to the gym and train the toughest muscle group for you (usually legs) and where you normally do three sets of squats do seven and make those sets harder than before in every way.
Or again choose a day of the week again where you are very tired and instead of taking a plunge onto the couch to watch 'Game of Thrones' or whatever it is, go and hike, a long tough hike that will really test you.
It does sound harsh but you will thank yourself when the tough times occur and they will, that you have willingly trained yourself for grit.
On to the subject of Strategy which forms a potent combination with character and results in Leadership.
Dictionary.com defines strategy as:
A plan, method, or series of manoeuvres or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result.
For a strategy to be effective a basic requirement of many requirements is that a clear and highly specific end vision and/or goal, and/or result must be defined. Visions, goals or desired results are often vaguely defined because the often subconscious fear of clearly defining our failures by setting clear and measurable goals plagues us.
The mind struggles with finding solutions, answers and strategies when vague goals are set. It is also very hard to retain focus on anything that is very vague. As the importance of an effective plan to achieve your well defined Vision and goals cannot be overstated I strongly recommend getting expert help to facilitate a future session.
Once the desired end result, goals and vision is crystal clear we can 'reverse engineer' an effective plan that can actualise our dreams. We need to create a metric system that constantly, consistently and visibly measures our progress and success of our plan. The metrics will notify us of challenges and will signal a need for adjustments within our strategy.
The very good news emanating from this article is that anyone can be a legendary leader should they not only sincerely wish to be a leader but also take effective action on becoming one. The starting point is to consistently and constantly build and mould an unshakeable character and add a clear strategy for your personal life and your business.


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The game started as a defensive slugfest. Union received early interceptions from Jafar Johnson (Albany, NY) and Cam Johnson (Berlin, CT) only to see the Engineers come up with consecutive 4th-and-1 stops inside their own 30 yard line.
Union finally broke the scoring drought midway through the second quarter when T.J. Franzese (Allendale, NJ) rushed in from six yards out capping a 10-play 75-yard drive that lasted 5:22. WPI quickly countered with 4:44 to go in the half when Chris Turner(Manchester, CT) scampered in from 17 yards out to make the score 7-6 as the extra point was missed. The scoring drive totaled 57 yards on six plays in 2:30.
The Dutchmen completed the second quarter scoring frenzy when Eck hit Kyle Reynolds(Delray Beach, FL) in the front corner of the end zone with a 26-yard strike with just 1:12 to go before intermission.
Eck scored the final touchdown of the day, capping of a 12-play 64-yard drive that took 5:11 off the clock when he rolled to the right on a designed quarterback keeper midway through the third quarter.
WPI had a pair of chances inside the red zone in the fourth quarter but Union buckled down. The first chance was extinguished on a fourth down at the 10 yard line and then, after a blocked punt gave the Crimson and Gray the ball at the UC 19, Jafar Johnson registered his second pick of the day on the very next play.
Eck finished the day completing 16-of-23 passes for 173 yards to go along 75 yards rushing. Franzese paced the Dutchmen running attack with 97 yards on 20 carries while Reynolds finished the day as the game's leading receiver with seven catches totaling 79 yard, including the touchdown.
Turner had a career day on the ground for WPI, totaling 154 yards on 20 carries, including the Engineer's lone touchdown of the day. John Antonopoulos (Cambridge, MA) came off the bench and completed 8-of-16 passes for 63 yards. Trev Rancourt (Nashua, NH) and Aaron Marshall (Acushnet, MA) each had two receptions for the hosts.
The Engineers were led defensively by Shane Grogan (Dalton, MA) with nine tackles, as well as Mitch McClune (Pembroke, MA) and Michael Grasis (East Brookfield, MA) who each tallied eight. Noah Joseph (Chevy Chase, MD) spearheaded the Union defensive effort with eight tackles while Jeff DeVico (Greenwich, CT) chipped in with six and Casey Muse (Oklahoma City, OK) and Kevin Calello (Freehold, NJ) both added sacks for the Dutchmen.
Turner took home the Robert Pritchard Award as the Most Outstanding Back on Homecoming while Nick Chambers (Braintree, MA), who had two sacks, won as the Most Outstanding Lineman.
After a bye week WPI returns to the field when they travel to take on Merchant Marine at 2:30pm on Saturday, October 20th. Union also on a bye next week will host Rochester the same day at 1:30pm.
Chambers and Turner Shine for WPI on Homecoming Against Union
|Union (3-3)
The game started as a defensive slugfest. Union received early interceptions from Jafar Johnson (Albany, NY) and Cam Johnson (Berlin, CT) only to see the Engineers come up with consecutive 4th-and-1 stops inside their own 30 yard line.


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James Fogle dies at 75; 'Drugstore Cowboy' author, career criminal
James Fogle was serving a 16-year prison term for robbery at the time of his death. His book about a band of pharmacy-robbing junkies became a movie.
James Fogle in court in 2011 while waiting to be sentenced for what would be the last time. (Ken Lambert / Seattle Times / March 4, 2011)
James Fogle, a career criminal and writer who blew every chance he had to go straight, including the brief period after his manuscript about a band of outlaw junkies, "Drugstore Cowboy," was made into a well-regarded 1989 movie, died in prison Thursday in Monroe, Wash. He was 75.
His death was confirmed by the Snohomish County medical examiner's office, which said Fogle hadmalignant mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer often associated with asbestos exposure. He died at the Monroe Correctional Complex, where he was serving a 16-year term for robbery.
"Drugstore Cowboy" told the story of two couples who joined forces to support their habits by robbing pharmacies. They were a quirky foursome with superstitions and their own ethical system whose exploits were laced with humor, pathos and sheer bad luck.
Made into a film by director Gus Van Sant, it starred Matt Dillon as the leader of the pack, who Fogle loosely modeled on himself and a longtime cellmate. It earned enthusiastic reviews, including one by Sheila Benson in the Los Angeles Times that called it "an electrifying movie without one misstep or one conventional moment." The screenplay, co-written by Van Sant and freelance writer Daniel Yost, won honors from the Los Angeles, New York and national societies of film critics.
Novelist William Burroughs had a small part in the movie and praised the book, which was published in paperback in 1990, for its "hallucinatory reality." It was Fogle's only published novel out of 11 he wrote in prison.
"His characters were so perfectly real," Van Sant said Friday of Fogle's fiction. "He was a pretty good writer who could channel his own experiences through these novels."
Fogle's life of crime began when he stole a car at 12. He spent his youth in a series of juvenile lockups and reformatories, an experience he later described as "like going to school to learn to be a thief," Yost said in an interview.
Born Sept. 29, 1936, in the tiny rural Wisconsin town of Elcho, Fogle was a difficult child who, he once told the Chicago Tribune, "couldn't relax … couldn't stand still." His father, a welder, beat him, and Fogle stole cars to escape.
In the mid-1950s he was serving time for auto theft at McNeil Island in Washington when he learned from fellow prisoners how to use drugs — and how to break into pharmacies to procure them.
He became a "drugstore cowboy" in 1963 when he burglarized a pharmacy in suburban Los Angeles. His haul was "humongous," he recalled, and "I spent the rest of my life not looking back."
He was involved in drugstore heists up and down the West Coast for the next four decades, rarely spending more than a year out of prison. He favored opiates such as morphine, but also used cocaine and heroin.
"It's a sensation probably between alcohol and sex," Fogle told the Seattle Times in 1992 of the hold that drugs had on him. "Most people don't know how they're gonna feel one minute to the next," he said, quoting a line spoken by the Dillon character in the movie. "The dope fiend has a pretty good idea. He just has to look at the labels on the little bottles.... It's almost like having a future."
During the 1960s, he decided he could write better than the authors whose works he had been reading behind bars. By the early 1970s he had produced a novel, "Satan's Sandbox." He sent it to Thomas E. Gaddis, who wrote the bestselling 1955 prison biography "Birdman of Alcatraz."
Gaddis sent the manuscript to Yost, then a freelance writer for the Portland Oregonian, and suggested he help Fogle rewrite it, which Yost did. Fogle sent him "Drugstore Cowboy" a few years later.
"He only had a sixth-grade education. He had a lot of problems with grammar and some plot holes," Yost recalled. "But I thought his novel was amazing … because of the uniqueness of the world he wrote about, an alternate world where there are just a different set of rules."
Fogle was married a number of times — "He was charming, women liked him," Yost said — but information about survivors was not available.
Like the characters in his novel, Fogle often found himself in situations that would have been laughable if they hadn't ended so badly.
One time he broke into a drugstore by cutting a hole in the roof and lowering himself with a rope. Police found him asleep in the store with $10,000 worth of loot in paper bags.
In 2010, after his longest stretch — three years — out of prison, a BB-gun-toting Fogle and an accomplice held up a pharmacy in Redmond, Wash. A silent alarm quickly drew police officers, who caught him with a pink bandanna over his face and rubber gloves on his hands, hauling two trash cans full of pharmaceuticals out of the store. He was convicted in 2011 and sent to the Monroe prison.
During one of his prison stints, Fogle learned to be a machinist and worked as a steam pipe fitter. According to Yost, his doctors believed that work exposed him to asbestos and caused him to develop the lung tumor.
"I had everything going for me," Fogle said some years ago about the possibilities for a new life after "Drugstore Cowboy" hit movie screens. "But it wasn't really different.... I always went back to what I knew."


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Education & Public Programs
The Saratoga Automobile Museum presents a wide range of public programs for audiences of all ages throughout the year, including gallery tours, exhibition talks, and tech sessions for general audiences, as well as programs for curriculum-based programs for grades K-12 and can be customized for school groups or home-school families.
SAM's public programs are designed for car enthusiasts and life-long learners, and highlight the Museum's featured exhibitions and various automotive topics. Throughout the year, SAM offers drop in tours of current exhibitions on Thursday and Saturday afternoons, led by museum staff or trained volunteer docents. During the summer months, you'll find a car-related program or event at SAM on just about every weekend.
Guided group tours are offered to organized groups of 10 or more. To schedule a tour for your group, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com, 518-587-1935 X30
Please check the calendar of events for upcoming programs and events.
Learn * Discover * Explore at SAM's Garage
"Cars move kids through life"
They start as our passengers and will soon be… our drivers… engineers… designers… mechanics… our future!
SAM's Garage is a place where children learn about cars while gearing up for life. Our programs provide non-traditional, multigenerational learning opportunities for children and families utilizing historic automobiles. The goal is to help students increase their understanding and proficiency in math, science and history, while helping them to improve their desire to stay in school, develop strong leadership skills and healthy community relationships.
Previous hands-on projects include the restoration of the iconic Ford Model TT Popcorn Wagon seen at many of the Museum's summer auto and lawn shows, and a Model A Huckster built from scratch. The Museum also works with local Scouts groups and has served as a host for the Pinewood Derby. For older kids and teens, SAM's automotive safety programs complement school and community safety initiatives.
Please check the calendar of events for upcoming programs of interest to families and children.
SAM Education programs provide an ideal platform to augment STEM and humanities lessons and are designed to support New York State Learning Standards. Prior to each visit, the Museum education staff will work with the organizing educator to clarify goals for student learning and to tailor the field trip to the unique needs and interests of each group.
Grade/age level specific field trips for school groups and homeschoolers have been designed to engage and educate all students. Hands-on activities integrate history, art, science and design concepts to illustrate "real world" applications of classroom lessons. Each program begins with an introduction to our Museum and the history of the automobile in New York State, followed by a guided tour of each exhibit. Programs conclude with a "Traffic Safety" music and craft project (for pre-k and elementary students) and a "New York State Auto Archaeology" scavenger hunt for middle-high school students.
Field Trip Fee: $5.00 per student (chaperones free). To schedule a field trip or school program please contact Melissa Murphy: email@example.com, 518-587-1935


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The history of civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans took a dramatic turn on June 26, 2013. On that date, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which since 1996 had defined marriage as being between one man and one woman. The Court also let stand a lower ruling that declared Proposition 8—the 2008 voter referendum outlawing same-sex marriage in California—unconstitutional.
The two legal victories rode momentum that had revved and sputtered ever since the early hours of June 28, 1969, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village ushered in the modern gay civil-rights movement by resisting a police raid. Hopes rose with the 1977 election of openly gay Harvey Milk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, but his murder a year later dealt a psychological blow. In the 1980s and 1990s, the AIDS crisis brought urgency to the task of seeking equality, while bold tactics by groups like ACT UP and Queer Nation forced the country to listen to a community fighting for its life, and the courage of coming out to gain wider acceptance became a matter of survival.
The 2009 decision by legal titans David Boies and Ted Olson to lead a federal lawsuit, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, to overturn Proposition 8 may be looked back on as a moment when the LGBT civil-rights movement—and the quest for marriage equality in particular—found renewed energy. With Perry v. Schwarzenegger, Boies and Olson pursued a strategy most established LGBT organizations, such as Lambda Legal and Freedom to Marry, and the wealthy donors to OutGiving, the biannual conference that counsels rich gay men and lesbians on their political philanthropy, viewed with suspicion and actively resisted. They preferred to stick with the gradual, state-by-state approach they adopted since a 1993 ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court declared that it was discriminatory to prohibit marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Intense backlash against the Hawaii decision was what had led to the passage of DOMA and to 31 states banning legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples.
Instead of picking off DOMA state by state, Olson and Boies pursued a national media strategy that placed them and their palpable sense of self-regard at its center as a political odd couple. Odd because the two were best known for their historic Supreme Court clash in Bush v. Gore, which put George W. Bush, Olson's client, in the White House after the contested 2000 presidential election against Boies's client, Vice President Al Gore. That Olson is a conservative Republican was viewed as essential to the duo's effort to change minds on same-sex marriage, not just in law but in the court of public opinion.
The enterprise was as bold as it was risky. Boies and Olson wanted the Supreme Court to rule on a constitutional right for same-sex marriage. In Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality, Boies and Olson express no doubt in their strategy and their ability to get the job done. The perfect illustration of their faith comes early in the book from Boies. "It was essential that the case that was decided first be prepared, tried, and presented on appeal as perfectly as possible," he writes. "With our experience, and with the unparalleled resources our two firms offered, we were confident that we could prepare, try, and appeal the case as well as, and probably better than, any alternative team." The LGBT establishment's fear of adopting such a distant goal was understandable: Failure at the high court could be a setback akin to Bowers v. Hardwick, the devastating 1986 ruling that upheld the constitutionality of state sodomy bans, extending a criminalization of gay sex that would not be overturned until the landmark Lawrence v. Texas decision in 2003.
The team got half of what it wanted. The Court eschewed the push for a blanket constitutional right to marry in favor of allowing same-sex marriage to resume only in California; the proponents of Proposition 8, it said, lacked standing to argue the case before the Supreme Court. Still, Redeeming the Dream is the story of Boies and Olson's righting a wrong, albeit one told through a subjective lens where their arguments are always sound and their clients and witnesses are beyond reproach.
Redeeming the Dream opens with a recounting of how Boies and Olson went from strangers battling each other in court to close friends whose families vacation together. They had a lot in common. Both were born in Illinois. Both moved to California with their parents at an early age, and both "felt deeply that Proposition 8 was wrong and fundamentally at odds with our vision of America, and of our understanding of California and Californians," Boies and Olson write.
In separate chapters, each explains why he felt compelled to sign on to the case. Olson was brought in by director Rob Reiner, one of Hollywood's most politically active figures. Proposition 8's passage at the same time as President Barack Obama's history-making election had deeply depressed Reiner. Over lunch at the Beverly Hilton a few days later, Reiner and his wife dined with Chad Griffin and Kristina Schake, partners in a public-relations firm who had been part of the failed effort to defeat the anti-gay proposition. It was during this lunch that they hatched the plan to mount a constitutional challenge to Proposition 8. At first rejecting a friend's suggestion that they reach out to the conservative Olson, Reiner sent Griffin—a former Clinton administration staffer who worked for Reiner after leaving the White House (Griffin has since become head of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights advocacy organization)—to Washington to take Olson's measure. The meeting between a lion of the Republican Party and the young, openly gay Democrat was surreal for both.
Olson's and Boies's respective explanations for taking the case are earnest. Olson, firm in his conservative belief that marriage brings stability to family and communities, writes that he "did not think that the right to marriage should or could constitutionally be withheld from homosexuals. And I could only begin to imagine the hurt, pain, anguish, isolation, and alienation that is created when that relationship is denied to two loving individuals." For Boies, "It was the easiest decision of my professional life. … The movement to end antigay discrimination is the defining civil rights issue of the first half of the twenty-first century."
In his chapter, Boies takes the reader on a brisk journey through the history of the LGBT-rights movement. He starts with the formation in 1950s Los Angeles of the Mattachine Society, one of the nation's first gay-rights groups, moves through Stonewall, Milk's election, DOMA's passage, and the revolutionary moment in February 2004 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco ordered county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Boies also covers legal cases that awakened his support for marriage equality, and Supreme Court cases that informed his and Olson's strategy to ensure that a federal challenge get quickly to the high court.
By paying homage to people and events that shaped the LGBT movement, Boies and Olson might inoculate their book against the criticism from writers Andrew Sullivan, Noah Feldman, and others that dogged the April release of Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality by reporter Jo Becker of the New York Times. Becker's book chronicles the same events, stars the same cast of characters, and features criticism similar to Boies and Olson's of the LGBT establishment's incrementalist strategy. But Sullivan, the former editor of The New Republic who made a pioneering call for marriage equality in a 1989 piece for that magazine, and Feldman, a Harvard law professor, criticized Becker for what they view as her complicity in an effort by Boies, Olson, and Griffin not only to marginalize those who have been in the movement for decades, but to take credit for their work. They accused Becker of rewriting the entire history of the decades-long quest for marriage equality. But this is not the book she wrote. Rather, because Becker was embedded with Boies, Olson, Griffin, and the plaintiffs throughout the litigation, hers is an insider's view of a key case in the movement. The skepticism and harsh reaction to Becker's book is no different than that showered on Olson and Boies by the LGBT establishment when they began their push for a Supreme Court showdown. The accusation of hogging the limelight leveled against Olson and Boies, on the other hand, is tough to counter.
Where the skepticism of gradualism is expressed in Becker's account by people like Academy Award-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, activist Cleve Jones, and Griffin, in Redeeming the Dream Olson and Boies speak for themselves. They wanted to move quickly: A second California Supreme Court case (Strauss v. Horton) challenging Proposition 8 was about to be decided. The decision in that suit, which argued that the change to California's constitution banning same-sex marriage was done improperly, was expected to uphold Proposition 8. Olson and Boies believed such a ruling would give them the opportunity to challenge the state law in federal court and argue for a right to marriage for same-sex couples under the U.S. Constitution. They wanted to be first because they were concerned that "other lawsuits would only confuse matters without contributing any meaningful benefits."
Despite opposition to their lawsuit from "many in the gay community, including most of those who had long led the fight for equality," Boies laid out four reasons the team decided to proceed. They believed they would win. They believed this was the time to push for a constitutional right to marry. They believed the case "would advance the cause of equality and public support for it." They believed "there was no way that a federal constitutional challenge could be avoided."
What follows is Olson and Boies's triumphant version of the events that led to the Supreme Court's ruling in their case. They explain the creation of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), an organization that supplied fundraising and communications support behind the case. They recall the quest for two perfect clients, "mature adults with a strong and deep desire to be married" who would be able to "remain together for the three to five years the process would require." Kris Perry and Sandy Stier (married in 2004 and raising four boys) along with Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami (a Burbank couple who came to AFER's attention after their memorable YouTube response to the pernicious pro-Proposition 8 commercial, "A Gathering Storm") fit the bill.
Olson and Boies revisit the secretive, suspenseful launch of the suit in San Francisco in 2009 by Enrique Monagas, one of many lawyers on the team. When the clerk commented that "it must be an important filing" since it was coming in so late on the Friday before Memorial Day, "Enrique surreptitiously crossed his fingers and said, 'I haven't even read it.'" Monagas was able to sneak a peek at the clerk's screen to see which judge was picked to take the case: "VRW." Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, a 1987 appointee of President Ronald Reagan whose nomination was initially opposed by Democrats (renominated by George H.W. Bush, he was confirmed in 1989) because of his membership in an all-male athletic club and his work on a case that blocked the use of the word "Olympics" by the Gay Games. Walker would come out publicly after the case's resolution.
Rather than go for summary judgment, Walker insisted on conducting a trial and asked both sides' lawyers to submit evidence on 19 specific questions about homosexuality, discrimination, the impact of marriage on gay and straight couples, and raising children. Boies and Olson make it clear that this was a great development for their case. The evidence and testimony compiled during trial in answer to those questions, and the legal record they created, would prove vital to subsequent courts and to the public's understanding of marriage equality. They liken the benefits of Walker's move to the famous Scopes trial of 1925 that educated the public on evolution, creationism, and the role of science in public education.
Each played a distinct role as the drama unfolded. Where Boies was the grand inquisitor who tore witnesses apart on cross-examination, Olson was the closer, shaping testimony into a potent argument. Olson and Boies heap praise on the skill and credentials of their opposing counsel Charles Cooper, a conservative luminary and a longtime friend of Olson's. They then gleefully recount Cooper's team's every misstep: how its witnesses fell apart either during pretrial hearings or on the stand and how they succeeded in turning its expert on marriage and children into their best witness on the state ban's harm to same-sex couples and their families. (They got him to admit that "adopting same-sex marriage would be likely to improve the well-being of gay and lesbian households and their children.")
But it would be an answer from Cooper that, as Boies and Olson write, would "produce one of the most memorable and decisive moments in the case." When pressed by Judge Walker on what impact same-sex marriage would have on the procreative purpose of opposite-sex marriages, Cooper replied, "Your Honor, my answer is: I don't know. I don't know." That response, which got to the heart of the case for both sides, would haunt Cooper all the way to the Supreme Court.
But do yourself a favor when reading Redeeming the Dream. Have Becker's Forcing the Spring close by. Reading Boies and Olson, I was struck by how breezy it is compared to the detailed, in-the-room nature of Becker's recounting. The legal odd couple present events from their victorious point of view, while Becker gives you a wider spectrum of opinions and recollections and a more complete picture of what happened.
For instance, Boies and Olson present the selection of Perry and Stier and Katami and Zarrillo as the lead plaintiffs as a flawless operation. Instead, Becker describes in detail the "mad dash" to find the perfect clients as the clock ticked toward a ruling in Strauss v. Horton. In fact, the "dream couple—a Latina lesbian and her white partner who had been together forever"—backed out of the case. Of Perry and Stier, Becker reveals that Griffin "knew that the couple wasn't perfect" because Olson didn't want couples with children and because of concern that Stier's previous marriage to a man would complicate their argument that being gay was not a choice. "At this late date, they would do," Becker writes of Griffin's initial decision to see if Perry wanted to join the federal suit.
In another instance (which I pointed out at PostPartisan on washingtonpost.com), in which Boies and Olson write how happy they were that Walker wanted a trial, Becker writes that Olson "was not initially keen on the idea of a trial." His goal was to get the case to the Supreme Court. So eager was he to circumvent a trial that, Cooper told Becker, Olson suggested they jointly oppose Walker's push for one. "We don't want to have some Scopes Monkey trial here, do we?" Cooper recalled Olson saying.
When Boies and Olson filed their case in May 2009, marriage equality was legal in only Massachusetts, Iowa, and Connecticut. As of this writing, it is legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, while statutory and state constitutional bans on same-sex marriage have been overturned in Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, among others. That there are so many cases on the docket is testament to the state-by-state strategy credited to advocates such as Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry. The number of cases speaks to the DOMA ruling's power as well. Essentially, that decision, in United States v. Windsor, came down to a tax case: Plaintiff Edith Windsor was legally married to her spouse Thea Spyer. When Spyer died in 2009, Windsor was hit with a $363,053 estate tax because the couple's marriage was not recognized by the federal government. The nine federal and state judges who have declared state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional all cited the Windsor case argued by attorney Roberta Kaplan in her first appearance before the justices. Olson and Boies failed to secure a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples. Instead, they won because the justices ruled that the proponents of Proposition 8 lacked the legal standing to defend the initiative. Still, it was a historic ruling. As a result of their case, marriage for same-sex couples resumed in California, the nation's most populous state.
Since the June 2013 rulings on Proposition 8 and on DOMA, the LGBT-rights movement seems to have revved into overdrive. Public support for marriage equality, which inched over 50 percent for the first time two years before the Supreme Court's hearing of the Proposition 8 case, has jumped to 59 percent, according to the latest Washington Post–ABC News poll. That same poll showed that 50 percent of those surveyed believe that equal protection under the law guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution extends to the right to marry for same-sex couples.
Last September, Boies and Olson joined the Virginia case, known as Bostic v. Rainey, which overturned that state's same-sex marriage ban in February. This tells me two things. One, after reading Redeeming the Dream, I have no doubt that the case will go to the Supreme Court. Two, the justices will not be able to dodge the question the two men asked them in Perry v. Schwarzenegger: Is there a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples? Olson and Boies have made the case in court and in their book. All that's left is for the Supreme Court to rule in the affirmative.


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