text:
January 2013, Vol. 12, No. 1
In this issue:
Washington greets the New Year by assaulting your rights:
- Congress and White House extend domestic military detention powers in NDAA
- Congress and White House extend pervasive domestic surveillance powers in FISA
- BORDC in the news
- Raise your voice to demand the truth about US torture
- Legal Fellow Nadia Kayalli speaks in Seattle, WA
- BORDC supports local coalitions in Alameda County, California
- Read the latest news & analysis from the People's Blog for the Constitution
- Patriot Award: Andrew Bashi
- Mourn an Internet hero and take action in his honor
- Grassroots Updates
- Alameda County, CA: Coalitions mobilize to challenge local surveillance drones, immigration enforcement
- Los Angeles, CA: Broad protests on 11th anniversary of Guantanamo challenge torture and detention under NDAA, while Stop LAPD Spying Coalition continues to mobilize
- Dallas, TX: Advocates host press conference and demonstration to creatively challenge detention, torture, NDAA
- Fayetteville, AR: Communities come together to address anti-immigrant profiling
- Chicago, IL: Coalition rallies first to challenge mass incarceration, and again to confront detention under NDAA and torture
- Washington, DC: Activists mobilize against torture at the release of Zero Dark Thirty
- New York, NY: Coalition presses towards victory on racial profiling as federal judge blocks NYPD profiling in the Bronx
- New Britain, CT: Coalitions address anti-immigrant profiling, military detention without trial
- Alameda County, CA: Coalitions mobilize to challenge local surveillance drones, immigration enforcement
- The FBI vs. Occupy
- Zero Dark Thirty: Kathryn Bigelow and the Senate keep us in the dark about torture
- Programs under development to further erode privacy through cybersecurity, domestic drone aircraft
New Resources and Opportunities
- Want to spy on your neighbor? The surveillance state comes to a store near you
Washington greets the New Year by assaulting your rights
Congress and White House extend domestic military detention powers in NDAA
On January 2nd of this year, President Obama signed the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) of 2013 into law, without any provisions to restore due process in the face of surviving sections of the 2012 NDAA that continue to threaten indefinite domestic military detention. While President Obama strongly criticized the bill that reached his desk, his criticism focused on congressional restrictions on the military's authority to transfer Guantanamo detainees who had been cleared for release. As with prior laws that assault the Constitution, however, he ultimately signed the bill into law.
Bill of Rights Defense Committe Executive Director Shahid Buttar said of President Obama's veto threat:
It's the second time that the president has promised to veto a piece of a very controversial national security legislation only to sign it. He has a habit of promising resistance to national security initiatives that he ultimately ends up supporting and enabling.
While President Obama claims to oppose indefinite detention, his administration has enabled it. He has pledged to shut down Guantanamo, but that campaign promise did not stop him from signing the bill. Worse, it is deeply disturbing that his signing statement voiced no opposition to military detention on American soil.
The administration's signing statement noted that "Several provisions in this bill also raise constitutional concerns," and goes on to list several specific sections, including those that restrict the authority of federal courts to try individuals accused of terrorist acts, or of the executive branch to transfer to foreign countries Guantanamo detainees who have been cleared for release. The domestic military detention powers left over from the 2012 NDAA, however, are conspicuously absent. And the President's silence is deafening.
Congress' record has been similarly abysmal. Even the weak Feinstein amendment that overwhelmingly passed the Senate was removed entirely from the final version of the 2013 NDAA that President Obama signed after the congressional conference committee reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions.
More meaningful amendments by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mark Udall (D-UT) were rejected, reflecting the constitutional ignorance of many Senators.
In the wake of the sad January 11th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, President Obama and Congress have made it clear that civil liberties will remain in the shadows unless a grassroots movement forces a course change in the bipartisan consensus in Washington favoring the executive branch over We the People of the United States.
Fortunately, at least 15 local governments, in addition to four states, have passed resolutions opposing the domestic military detention provisions of the NDAA. The local coalitions that have secured these resolutions continue to gather momentum and build a national voice to restore the Bill of Rights. Find a local campaign to join today, or contact us for help starting one in your town!
Congress and White House extend pervasive domestic surveillance powers in FISA
On December 30th, President Obama signed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act (FAA), extending the National Security Agency's (NSA) program of unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping for another five years. FISA is essentially a codification of the illegal domestic spying program begun in secret under the Bush administration.
In a rare bipartisan moment, the bill sailed through the Senate 73-23 on December 28th, after Senators rejected several proposed amendments that would have shed a modicum of light on the program or protected the privacy of Americans. Four Senators attempted to amend FISA to provide relatively meager protections for privacy and transparency, but all of their amendments were roundly rejected.
Senator and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) submitted an amendment to simply reduce the reauthorization period from five years to three years. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) proposed requiring a search warrant for each instance of wiretapping, as long required by the US Constitution. Senator Jeff Merkely (D-OR) pushed to declassify some opinions of the FISA court to allow public discussion about the types of searches that are currently allowed. Finally, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the leading voice on the Intelligence Committee to reign in NSA abuses, attempted to mandate disclosure of the number of times searches were conducted on United States Citizens. He commented:
This is the last opportunity for the next five years for the Congress to exercise a modest measure of real oversight over this intelligence surveillance law. It is not real oversight when the United States Congress cannot get a yes or no answer to the question of whether an estimate currently exists as to whether law abiding Americans have had their phone calls and emails swept up under the FISA law.
Although FISA nominally only authorizes the monitoring of communications where the target is located in a foreign country, the government in fact uses the program to monitor domestic communications en masse. Treatises on the law make clear that the government interprets FISA to allow at least the incidental monitoring of communications where both parties are within the United States:
For example, an authorization targeting 'al Qaeda' — which is a non-U.S. person located abroad—could allow the government to wiretap any telephone that it believes will yield information from or about al Qaeda, either because the telephone is registered to a person whom the government believes is affiliated with al Qaeda, or because the government believes that the person communicates with others who are affiliated with al Qaeda, regardless of the location of the telephone.
Architects of the NSA's program, however, have described a broader reach of the NSA's spying efforts, including the construction of a huge data center in Bluffdale, Utah to capture and record essentially all phone and computer communications. Whistleblowers includingThomas Drake and William Binney have alleged that the NSA's program essentially knows no limits.
Not only has Congress failed to meaningfully check the executive branch's wholesale violation of your rights, but the courts have also proven ineffective at enforcing the Constitution. Even though every court ever to have reviewed the NSA's program on the merits has struck it down as unconstitutional, appellate courts have ruled that the program's secrecy insulates it from judicial review. This fall, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Clapper v. Amnesty Int'l, which could either formally declare the NSA above the law or allow a court challenge to finally move forward.
With our federal institutions continuing to run roughshod over the Bill of Rights, it is more clear than ever that it is up to "we the people" to defend our liberties and privacy.
BORDC News
BORDC in the news
With the rise of a new year and our 113th Congress, BORDC continues its mission to inform and mobilize the public around significant civil liberties concerns. While mainstream news outlets inundated the national consciousness with discussion of the "fiscal cliff," BORDC occupied the airwaves to promote critical (yet largely ignored) issues facing the American people.
On Thursday January 3, Flashpoints (KPFA 94.1FM in the Bay Area) featured BORDC Communications Specialist Samantha A. Peetros discussing indefinite detention. Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012 could allow the US military to detain anyone in US territory for essentially any reason, without proof of crime. Leary of the national security establishment's broad definition of "terrorism", and vague standards for activities that could be used as a basis for indefinite military detention, a group of journalists and activists initiated Hedges v. Obamato challenge the NDAA's detention clauses as unconstitutional. As Peetros, observed, however, the NDAA's detention powers are:
[N]ot just limited to journalists...not just limited to activists. It applies to all of us. ...It's so broad and it can be applied in almost any circumstance that the government wants....And unfortunately, so far, attempts to constrain that have been eliminated in Congress.
Although the power to indefinitely detain Americans is disturbing, the greatest hope for freedom lies in the American people. Peetros suggests that preserving our rights requires "raising awareness [and] encouraging education", because without a persistent, collective voice, "this [issue] will disappear again and people will forget we are letting Congress erode our civil rights".
Also on Thursday, Samantha appeared on Syndicated News to challenge the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Initially enacted to prevent domestic spying, FISA was re-written in 2008 to authorize the clandestine activity that Congress then intended to prohibit.
On Friday January 4, BORDC Legal Fellow Michael Figura extended the discussion of FISA on Radio Islam. Figura explained:
...every time the courts have examined this on the merits, they said it's unconstitutional. But the problem is the government has claimed secret privilege... what they've said is: because the program is secret, you can't prove you're being spied on, and you can't have your day in court.
Figura's analysis illustrates the treachery of warrantless wiretapping under FISA. Although state secrecy deters government accountability, Figura encouraged Americans to engage in grassroots organization and "stand up against spying by law enforcement", citing demonstrations in California, Massachusetts, and New York City as effective examples of public protest against the curtailment of civil liberties.
Appearing Wednesday January 2 on Al-Jazeera's Inside Story, BORDC Executive Director Shahid Buttar expounded on FISA. Noting that "civil liberties are dead for all intents and purposes," he condemned the obscurity of NSA surveillance and its very real impact on Americans' lives. Buttar observed:
No one knows how much money the NSA squanders to abuse our rights, but it's budgetary salt on a constitutional wound, and either of those elements of secrecy alone should be enough to disqualify this law, and at least force the executive branch to answer the tough questions.…These are questions that gravely concern the rights -- and the pocketbooks -- of all Americans.
Buttar also appeared Wednesday on HuffPoLive the enduring foundation of our essential freedoms, as part of a panel including Georgetown law professor Louis Michael Seidman. Seidman's op-ed in the New York Times, "Let's Give Up on the Constitution," argued that "Our obsession with the Constitution has saddled us with a dysfunctional political system, kept us from debating the merits of divisive issues and inflamed our public discourse." Buttar suggested that the Constitution is hardly an "obsession," and has instead been widely disregarded by administrations and congressional leaders from both parties bent on expanding executive power.
Common Dreams recently higlighted our recent work surrounding the yet-to-be-released 6,000 page bi-partisan Senate report on torture and the 11th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay. The article, "'Injustice and Illegality' Continue as Guantanamo Enters Year 12" address the disregard for the rule of law and human rights at Guantanamo, citing many civil liberties and civil rights groups. BORDC's Shahid Buttar is quoted saying:
January 11 offers a sad reminder of our country's flagrant disregard for justice -- not only for Guantanamo detainees, but also for 300 million Americans subjected to separate systems of law here within the US. Our country loudly claims to be the land of the free, yet conducts pervasive domestic surveillance and imprisons more people than any other country on the planet. Meanwhile, torturers have escaped even mere investigation, and even draw lifetime paychecks on the federal bench! Justice, national security (which suffered due to torture), and the law all require prosecuting US human rights abuses to make sure they never happen again. With the NDAA offering our military the power to detain anyone without proof of crime, every American has a personal stake in this struggle.
In addition to supporting mobilizations in several cities to mark the 11th anniversary of the Guantánamo Bay detention center, we also launched an online petition calling on officials to to release to the public a 6,000 page bipartisan Senate report condemning torture.
For a comprehensive view of BORDC's latest news coverage, and to find out how to reach staff for comment, and more, view our online press resources.
Raise your voice to demand the truth about US torture
Last month, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to approve a 6,000 page report on torture based on a three year investigation that reviewed over 6 million pages of documents from the CIA and other intelligence agencies. While the bipartisan Senate report is sharply critical of torture, however, it remains secret.
Raise your voice today to let the facts speak for themselves. And visit BORDC's People's Blog for the Constitution for further information and analysis.
The secrecy of the Senate report is especially dangerous due to surrounding events. On January 11, the 11th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay's opening, the film Zero Dark Thirty premiered across the country claiming to be a "journalistic film" based on "first hand accounts of actual events." The film includes several depictions of prisoners being tortured in order to obtain information on the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden.
Senators with knowledge of classified intelligence information, however, have explained that torture did not generate useful intelligence, and ultimately undermined US national security and cost American lives. While the Senate report could advance the debate by letting the facts speak for themselves, however, it will not become public unless the White House declassifies the Senate's extensive investigation.
BORDC's online petition calls on the President to declassify the report and enable its release to the public and the press, as required by his repeated pledges to promote transparency:
We urge you to immediately declassify the report and enable its unredacted release to the public and the press.
Your pledge to promote transparency requires no less. So do domestic and international law, which impose an affirmative obligation to investigate all credible reports of torture and pursue prosecution of all culprits, whatever their position or rank. So far, your administration has dramatically failed that responsibility, choosing political expediency over the rule of law.
In your second term, your administration could address this failure by supporting efforts to promote transparency and accountability, starting by declassifying the Senate Intelligence Committee's report in order to enable its vital release to the public.
Simply allowing the press and the public to read the bipartisan Senate report would expose the film's potentially misleading narrative.
Raise your voice against torture and demand transparency from your leaders. Next, share the petition to help your friends & neighbors add their voice to the chorus.
Legal Fellow Nadia Kayalli speaks in Seattle, WA
On January 19th, BORDC Legal Fellow Nadia Kayyali will be the keynote speaker at a forum on racial profiling focusing on the Secure Communities Initiative (S-Comm), which is the leading edge of an FBI-ICE collaboration to create a trackable biometric identification scheme for all Americans, including citizens.
The forum will be an interactive half-day of public education, discussion, and movement building. Nadia will be joined by a panel of local public figures including State Representative Luis Moscoso and King County Councilmember Larry Gossett. They will discuss proposed solutions to protect privacy and public safety, including the Washington State Trust Act. The event will be hosted at University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115 from 9:00am-1:30pm. Please RSVP to email@example.com.
Read the latest news & analysis from the People's Blog for the Constitution
Have you read BORDC's blog lately? The People's Blog for the Constitution has attracted a growing audience that has tripled over the past year. Featuring news & analysis beyond the headlines on a daily basis, it offers a great way to stay up to date and informed.
Highlights from the past month include:
- Changes to S-comm reveal the program's flaws, don't go far enough by Nadia Kayyali
- "Zero Dark Thirty" pushes the torture debate into popular discussion by Alok Bhatt
- Federal court allows government to keep targeted killing justification secret by Michael Figura
- Defense bill halts hope of closing Guantanamo Bay by Annette Macaluso
- Zero tolerance for torture by Emily Walsh
- Don't Get Mad, Get Even: Challenge Prosecutors, not Scapegoats by Shahid Buttar
Grassroots News
Patriot Award: Andrew Bashi
Every month, BORDC honors an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her community to the movement to restore civil liberties and the rule of law. This month, the Patriot Award goes to Andrew Bashi from Chicago, IL for his extraordinary and committed activism and organizing.
- Andrew Bashi is a first-generation American from an Iraqi family who graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in spring 2012. He recently joined the Defending Dissent Foundation (DDF) as the organization's Program and Communications Associate, and is the Loyola Law School Public Interest Law Fellow at Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights (CCDBR).
Bashi works on a variety of projects, at both the local and national levels. His work with CCDBR focuses on local organizing to end police abuse and surveillance. He is working on a program delivering impromptu "know your rights" workshops to grassroots communities in various Chicago neighborhoods to raise awareness about racial profiling and police abuse. He has also developed an after-school program called "Acting Free," in which students learn about the Bill of Rights and perform a play based on what they learned.
Bashi's work with DDF involves developing systems to alert activists and the general public about threats to their civil liberties. To do this, he is developing a new website for the organization, publishing a monthly newsletter, and producing a forthcoming podcast to highlight news, legislation, and inspiring figures building the civil liberties movement.
This prolific activist's passion stems largely from the strong influence of his parents, galvanized by current events. Bashi's parents, who immigrated to the US from Iraq, have experienced war and life under an authoritarian regime. Over the decade since the September 11th attacks, Bashi has observed the US government claim increasingly vast powers, violating the rights of even its citizens. He notes, "I thought things could have been different after September 11th… It could have been an avenue for peace, but it has just been used to create repression."
Bashi knows the importance of basic rights to any political or social movement, and is committed to ensuring that dissent remains viable. Bashi explains that we need to "get off the defensive and start getting offensive" in advocating to restore constitutional rights. BORDC is proud to stand alongside Andrew Bashi in Chicago, and thankful for his invaluable work advancing the movement around the country.
Mourn an Internet hero and take action in his honor
On January 11, our country lost a luminary in the suicide of Aaron Swartz, a brilliant young man who, according to BORDC's Shahid Buttar, "did more for the world in his 26 years than most people do in a lifetime."
Swartz's work included helping co-founding Demand Progress (an allied advocacy group with which BORDC has frequently worked), helping to co-found Reddit, developing the RSS protocol, and championing the principles of open access to information.
He was prosecuted, simply for downloading academic journals to enhance public access to them, by the same US Attorney's office that established the criminality of translating documents the US government does not like.
Swartz's family appropriately blames the federal prosecutors, who placed their careers before the public interest. That, in turn, sparked a remarkably public response not by the US attorney, but by her spouse, described by a former federal prosecutor as reflecting "a complete and utter lack of judgment."
In the wake of Aaron's tragic death, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched an online petition to fix the draconian computer crime law that exposed Aaron to 13 felony counts of hacking and wire fraud for a victimless crime actually committed in the public interest. As EFF's Marcia Hoffman (who also serves on BORDC's advisory board) writes:
The government should never have thrown the book at Aaron for accessing MIT's network and downloading scholarly research. However, some extremely problematic elements of the law made it possible. We can trace some of those issues to the U.S. criminal justice system as an institution...But Aaron's tragedy also shines a spotlight on a couple profound flaws of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in particular....
Grassroots updates
To get involved in any of these efforts, please email the BORDC Organizing Team at firstname.lastname@example.com. We're eager to hear from you and help support your activism!
Alameda County, CA: Coalitions mobilize to challenge local surveillance drones, immigration enforcement
Alameda County Against Drones (ACAD) continues to monitor the Alameda County Sheriff's plans to buy an unmanned aerial surveillance drone. After preparing to mobilize supporters to attend a recent hearing, the coalition learned that the hearing agenda would exclude the drone plans, and is instead preparing for a hearing likely to be scheduled in February or March before the Alameda County Public Protection Committee. ACAD welcomes interested community members and also pursues further mobilization on other privacy issues, including the federal biometric identification schemes implemented under the guise of local support of immigration enforcement.
Los Angeles, CA: Broad protests on 11th anniversary of Guantanamo challenge torture and detention under NDAA, while Stop LAPD Spying Coalition continues to mobilize
Nearly 40 grassroots groups came together on Friday, January 11 to recognize 11 years of human rights violations at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. BORDC's George Friday participated along with attendees from Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, and Amnesty International. They raised a series of demands covered by The ABC and CBS evening news covered the demands of the participants including an end to indefinite solitary confinement in US prisons, accountability for government officials responsible for torture, and repeal of the NDAA's domestic military detention provisions.
On January 19, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition will host a community townhall meeting at Chuco's Justice Center in Inglewood, also including George Friday from BORDC. The coalition has been conducting broad community outreach and public education, as well as a "people's audit" collecting stories from community members. Last month, on December 13, the coalition mobilized at the Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), the local fusion center, drawing hundreds of diverse community members to raise concerns about surveillance by local police. Leaders continue to call out and confront state violence and policy that undermines civil rights. The coalition hopes to strengthen an intersectional movement.
Dallas, TX: Advocates host press conference and demonstration to creatively challenge detention, torture, NDAA
Friday, January 11 witnessed mobilization across the Dallas area to challenge torture with impunity and the looming specter of military detention within the US under the NDAA. After riding the DART mass transit system clad in hooded orange jumpsuits, participants held a press conference and demonstration at NorthPark Centerl, where they held banners reading "Protect civil rights," "Restore the Bill of Rights," and "Close Guantanamo" near a statue of famed civil rights organizer Rosa Parks.
State Rep. Lon Burham (D-Ft. Worth), former Executive Director of the Dallas Peace Center, specifically called on President Obama to fulfill his campaign promises to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and restore constitutional rights & liberties.
Fayetteville, AR: Communities come together to address anti-immigrant profiling
After a coalition strategy and planning meeting last October, activists from across Northwest Arkansas began holding community roundtables to hear the experiences of those who live in neighborhoods most affected by anti-immigrant profiling programs including S-Comm and 287(g). In addition to collecting stories from impacted families, coalition partners aimed to conduct education about options to address these practices, and also encourage participation as the coalition expands. Groups including the Northwest Arkansas Workers' Justice Center have hosted two roundtables, with the next set for January 16.
Chicago, IL: Coalition rallies first to challenge mass incarceration, and again to confront detention under NDAA and torture
Chicago rang in the New Year by calling for justice. On New Year's Eve, activists congregated outside of the Cook County jail in a noise rally to challenge mass incarceration, call for civil rights for all prisoners and release for all including the NATO5. Racial disparities within the Cook County prison system, the infamous and longstanding torture of suspects by Commander Jon Burge and the Area 2 command, and the ongoing legacy of police misconduct and profiling, all prompted the group to mobilize. Despite remaining peaceful, the group encountered an aggressive response by authorities, including police violence and reportedly fabricated felony charges.
Coalition leaders will continue their public education efforts at several events throughout January. On January 11, they organized a combined protest against 11 years of Guantánamo and the opening of the film Zero Dark Thirty, challenging military detention under the NDAA alongside the regime of continuing impunity for human rights abuses and torture. On January 12, diverse allies hosted a prisoner solidarity forum at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square featuring prisoners of conscience and others who have endured torture in US prisons, such as the notorious Tamms supermax prison closed at the of 2012.
Next month, on February 1, the Illinois Coalition Against Torture (ICAT) will hold a panel on Empire, Colonialism, and Torture featuring film producer Oliver Stone. ICAT's Margaret Power, a former BORDC Patriot Award winner, will moderate a discussion featuring José E. López from the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Peter Kuznick from American University, and Mr. Stone.
Washington, DC: Activists mobilize against torture at release of Zero Dark Thirty
On Tuesday, January 8, grassroots activists in Washington DC attended the premier of Zero Dark Thirty, prompting coverage in Politico and other publications after their vigil clad in orange jumpsuits. On Friday, January 11, the coalition mobilized again with a march to criticize torture and military detention.
The march addressed the 11th anniversary of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, as well as the domestic military detention provisions of the NDAA and the continuing regime of torture with impunity. Members of the Montgomery County (MD) Civil Rights Coalition also visited local theaters over the weekend to distribute flyers about torture to moviegoers, prompting readers to take action by pressing the White House to declassify the Senate's torture report and let the facts speak for themselves.
Later this month, on January 21 -- the day of President Obama's second inauguration, which happens to fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the third anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United -- concerned DC, MD and VA residents will rally in Malcolm X park and march towards the inaugural parade. The event will aim to present several issues, including accountability for constitutional abuses and human rights violations, such as extrajudicial assassination via unmanned aerial drones.
New York, NY: Coalition presses towards victory on racial profiling as federal judge blocks NYPD profiling in the Bronx
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) continues to build support for the Community Safety Act, a group of proposals to the New York City Council that would force substantial changes to the NYPD's biased policing practices. In particular, the bills would expand the categories of people protected from police profiling, require written or recorded verbal consent for searches without reasonable suspicion, and create an Inspector General's office to help oversee the NYPD and require offices to actively identify themselves to individuals they stop. The coalition continues to attract new legislative supporters of the bill, and is reportedly nearing a veto-proof majority in the city council.
Meanwhile, a federal judge halted the NYPD's unconstitutional practice of stopping and frisking people outside of "Trespass Affidavit Program" buildings in the Bronx. This legal victory "marks the first time a court has ruled that a substantial part of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program is unconstitutional," according to Chris Dunn from the New York Civil Liberties Union. A larger class action challenge against the NYPD's biased policing tactics will go to trial in March.
New Britain, CT: Coalitions address anti-immigrant profiling, military detention without trial
Over the last quarter of 2012, a diverse array of groups and individuals have come together to form the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA). Latino, Asian, and African-American communities, as well as interfaith and labor communities, are all represented in the coalition. CIRA engages critical challenges such as the profiling encouraged and facilitated by S-Comm, as well as public education to cultivate community awareness. In the coming weeks, CIRA will continue to build upon its foundations to present a formidable force across Connecticut.
BORDC also supports the Connecticut Coalition against Indefinite Detention, which is following up with attendees of its widely attended December conference to help organize local campaigns on policing issues, in addition to its ongoing statewide campaign opposing domestic military detention under the NDAA.
Law and Policy
The FBI vs. Occupy
It's no secret that the FBI and local law enforcement have targeted the Occupy movement since its inception in fall 2011, sometimes to the degree of planting informants and manufacturing criminal charges. However, recently released documents reveal that monitoring by federal law enforcement was even more extensive than imagined.
The heavily redacted documents were the latest release of documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice through its Freedom of Information Act request to federal and municipal agencies. They show that, from the beginning:
the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security [was] treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.
There are several striking features of the documents. First, they show that the FBI and DHS were preparing for Occupy Wall Street several months before it started. Throughout the documents, the FBI refers to Occupy Wall Street as an "anarchist" event, even though myriad political views were represented at Occupy events and encampments around the country. This tendency to politically profile individuals engaging in First Amendment protected activity represents a recurring problem.
Similarly, Occupy is referred to as a potential domestic terrorist threat, reviewed alongside activities of the Aryan Nation. One document, which has caused significant controversy, even seems to show that the FBI was aware of (but seemingly uninterested in stopping) a sniper attack plot against individuals perceived as Occupy leaders.
There are also numerous mentions of strategic meetings between various agencies, particularly involving Joint Terrorism Task Forces around the country. In addition to revealing the extent of monitoring and of the collaboration between local and federal law enforcement, the documents also confirm law enforcement partnerships with the private sector, including companies targeted by activists.
A release from the "Domestic Security Alliance Council" is labeled as being for "the corporate security community" yet contained "sensitive information" that shouldn't be released to the public. The DSAC document described the Occupy Oakland port takeover and plans to takeover other ports. It also described the planned coordination between Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, DHS, and local law enforcement.
Another document about port occupations shows that a port employee attended planning meetings in order to "be a fly on the wall" and report back to his supervisor and the FBI, who make it clear that they can't officially sanction his activity but are happy to have the information.
While these documents paint a chilling picture of suppression of First Amendment activity, buried inside one document is a positive note. A report about the San Francisco Bay area says:
local law enforcement agencies have limited cooperation with ICE/Homeland Security Investigations due to sanctuary policies enacted by local governments.
This makes it clear that the local policies passed by groups, such as the limitation on JTTF collaborations achieved by the Coalition for a Safe San Francisco, and the suspicious activity reporting limits achieved by the Coalition for a Safe Berkeley, genuinely make a difference when it comes to coordinated suppression of political movements.
Zero Dark Thirty: Kathryn Bigelow and the Senate keep us in the dark about torture
Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal's Zero Dark Thirty opens with a title that declares "The following motion picture is based on first hand accounts of actual events." With this title and relentless publicity, Biegwlow has suggested "What we were attempting is almost a journalistic approach to film.''
At the same time, however, Boal has attempted to shirk being held to a journalistic approach to facts, declaring "It's a movie, not a documentary." It's clear from Senators with knowledge of the classified intelligence and Leon Panetta that in fact torture did not produce the information that identified Osama Bin Laden's courier and led to his capture. However, the information will not become public until the Senate Intelligence Committee declassifies its extensive investigation into the United State's use of torture after September 11th. You can demand the release of the report through BORDC's petition.
Reacting to the swelling controversy set off by the film's reportedly inaccurate depiction of torture prompting a key disclosure leading to the capture of Bin Laden, Bigelow has attempted to set up a straw man. At the New York Film Critics Awards she said:
I'm standing in a room with people who understand that depiction is not endorsement, and if it was, no artist could portray inhumane practices. No author could write about them. And no filmmaker could ever delve into the knotty subjects of our time.
However, Zero Dark Thirty not only misrepresents the facts surrounding the role of torture in Osama Bin Laden's capture, it also uses film technique to align the audience with the torturers. The film opens with harrowing audio of the 911 calls of those trapped in the World Trade Center, and then immediately cuts to the brutal interrogation of a prisoner at a CIA black site. This juxtaposition portrays the torture program as a reaction the attacks of September 11th. The films' heroine, Maya, a CIA analyst, is present at the interrogation and watches as the prisoner is waterboarded by another CIA interrogator.
During the scene Bigelow employs objective shots (those which don't come from the point of the view of any of the characters) to show the CIA interrogator threatening assaulting and then water boarding the prisoner. Notably however, the audience is never left alone with the prisoner, the camera comes and goes with Maya's visits. Bigelow aligns us with Maya but cutting to a reaction shot showing her face in distress as the prisoner is water boarded. The audience is meant to identify with her unease with the brutal tactics being employed. However, this changes.
In the following scenes, Maya is present in almost every one, the consistent point of contact for the audience. She questions the same prisoner and another, obtaining information based on the prisoner's fear that they will be again subjected to torture. She then reviews videotaped interrogations of other prisoners (many of whom are being tortured) and instead of now cringing at the torture, she simply nods her head as the information she wants is given. Finally, in another interrogation, Maya directs a military officer to assault and then waterboard the prisoner she is interrogating.
Initially disturbed at the presence of torture, Maya -- and through her character, the audience -- begins to perceive it as beneficial and even routine. All the while, none of the characters object to torture, though we know that in reality many did so. The only voice in the film declaring opposition to torture is President Obama's. A few seconds of an interview where he declares that America doesn't torture play on TV in a meeting of CIA analysts, but one simply shakes her head and then they go back to operational planning.
Demand the full picture on torture by signing BORDC's petition to declassify and release the Senate Intelligence Committee's exhaustive, 6,000 page report on torture.
Programs under development to further erode privacy through cybersecurity, domestic drone aircraft
In 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported on the initial phases of a NSA program now known to be called "Perfect Citizen." Despite its brazenly Orwellian title, the NSA allegedly designed Perfect Citizen to prevent cyberattacks on federal agencies and computer systems that control critical infrastructure. FOIA documents procured by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) confirm the concern with protecting power grids and other vulnerable systems. Extensive redactions, however, and the NSA's legacy of self-serving secrecy raises suspicions about the organization charged with defending our nation.
NSA spokesperson Judith Emmel responded to privacy concerns surrounding Perfect Citizen, assuring that "suggestions that there are illegal or invasive domestic activities associated with this contracted effort are simply not true. We strictly adhere to both the spirit and the letter of U.S. laws and regulations."
Considering the NSA's ongoing warrantless wiretapping program, in the wake of its recent re-extension and previous admissions by senior officials that the NSA has violated the law, Emmel's claims should be taken with a grain of salt. The NSA admits its sensors will scan for 'suspicious activity,' but local police routinely collect intelligence on "suspicious activities" including drawing, taking photographs, or taking notes in public.
The NSA's relationships with private utilities represent another point of concern for privacy rights. Although the NSA denies that Perfect Citizen entails a surveillance component, prior collaborations between the NSA and private utilities have eroded Americans' privacy while remaining cloaked in secrecy.
A more tangible threat to Americans' civil liberties lies not in electronic networks, but instead flies silently over our heads. The Federal Aviation Administration will soon complete regulations for commercializing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as drones. The CIA infamously utilizes armed drones abroad for targeting and killing suspected terrorists, while law enforcement agencies within the US already use drones for investigation and border control.
While the proponents of drones suggest useful applications of the technology, such as search-and-rescue missions and recreational photography, the leading edge of the drone aircraft industry remains law enforcement and domestic surveillance, in particular.
The diversity of drone applications, and the predictable proliferation of drones for each of those applications, complicates the task of crafting regulations for their use. But concerned Americans across the country are forcing the local debate necessary to keep drone surveillance aircraft from coming to a sky near you.
New Resources and Opportunities
Want to spy on your neighbor? The surveillance state comes to a store near you
The next time your family celebrates a birthday, consider a gift for the whole family: a functional aerial surveillance drone.
Verizon Wireless has you covered—you can purchase your very own quadro-copter, along with two HD cameras, online. Verizon describes this cutting edge aerial drone, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, as:
...at the crossroads where high-end technology meets Icarus [sic] dream. View the earth from high above in high definition. Share your experience online with your friends. With the AR.Drone free app for iPhone®, iPad® and Android™ devices, you will be close to flying like a bird.
That's right—you can deploy your very own drone at the touch of a button through your smart phone. The AR.Drone touts not one, but two onboard cameras streaming at 720p high definition, enabled to record and upload video directly to YouTube or Picasa. Though this model only has a 165ft range and a 10 minute battery life, its certainly enough to spy on your neighbor and celebrate the military-industrial complex expanding into the consumer market.
Help BORDC restore the rule of law
- Take action! Volunteer, organize, raise your voice—we have an opportunity that's right for everyone.
- Read our blog. We publish the latest civil liberties news, plus analysis beyond the headlines.
- Support our work! Contribute
securely online, call (413) 582-0110 to donate by phone, or mail a check or money order to:
Bill of Rights Defense Committee 8 Bridge St., Suite A
Northampton, MA 01060
- Follow BORDC on Facebook and Twitter. Connect with other supporters and help build the movement.
- Spread the word! Share this newsletter with your friends and family.
Contributors: Samantha A. Peetros, George Friday, Nadia Kayyali, Michael Figura, Emma Roderick, Shahid Buttar, Barbara Haugen, Corina Leu, Alok Bhatt, Annette Mascaluso
Banner Photo Credit: Storm Front by Matthew Johnston
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Telephone: (413) 582-0110
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Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc.
Offices Of Bank Holding Companies AL, United States
| Nasdaq: AUBN
Similar to: Huntington Bancshares, Inc.
Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc. operates as a bank holding company. The company through its subsidiary, Auburn Bank offers a full range of banking services to commercial and retail customers. It also offers commercial and consumer loan and deposit services to individuals, and small and middle market businesses in East Alabama, including Lee County and surrounding areas. The offers checking, savings, transaction deposit accounts and certificates of deposit, and residential mortgage lending services. Auburn National Bancorp was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Auburn, AL.


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Say What!?
Moms Who Give Babies Pacifiers Need to Clean Up Their Act
Some parents are disgusting. Really disgusting. They'll pick up a pacifier from just about anywhere and pop it in their baby's mouth. But are you ready to be really grossed out, Moms and Dads? You know that pacifier that has turned your screaming baby into a sweet little dumpling who actually sleeps through the night? It's absolutely crawling with germs, and I do mean CRAWLING!
Before you say no, duh, of course there are germs out there, but you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die, I'm not trying to be an alarmist here. But it's time some parents wake up to how absolutely disgusting they are! And you don't have to take my word for it: a new pacifier study out of the American Society for Clinical Pathology should make you clean up your act.
This goes out to all of you who think the five-second rule applies to binkies. Oh, and while I'm at it, I'd like to give a shout-out to the "well, I popped it in my mouth" Moms out there.
We adults ask for a new fork after it falls of the table in a restaurant, but we have no compunction about sticking a pacifier back into the mouth of a baby.
You think it's no big deal. Science says otherwise.
The researchers who took pacifiers actually being used by healthy infants found 40 different species of bacteria on just 10 pacifiers. We're talking really nasty stuff like Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia! And remember, these were healthy kids; it wasn't like they went into a hospital and yanked the binky out of some sick kid's trap.
Excuse me for returning to the second grade for a moment, but ewwwwww! Pneumonia? Staph? Ew, ew, and more ew!
You wouldn't want that in your mouth, would you? Come to think of it, you wouldn't want something in your mouth after it hit the floor of the mall food court either, would you? How about in your mouth after someone else sucked on it?
Kind of makes you want to change your ways, doesn't it?
What's your pacifier prerogative? Do you sanitize that sucky?
Image via porcupinex/Flickr
Piping Hot Posts
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Shandi80November 7, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Don't people wash the pacifiers regularly? That's pretty gross if they don't.
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momtolittlegNovember 7, 2012 at 12:18 PM
I need a comparison. Like, what is the germ content of the baby's thumb or hand or favorite toy- all things that go into his/her mouth.
Germs have been on pacis for ages. Somehow kids have survived. Good thing we have immune systems.
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RosasMummyNovember 7, 2012 at 12:22 PMYeah if it doesn't make them sick and it doesn't taste bad then really I don't care, everybody needs to get over their germ obsession, it doesn't matter how many different types of bacteria there are on something, it only matters if the bacteria are harmful and even then it doesn't matter unless there are the right conditions for them to affect someone to any degree and even then it still doesn't matter cos u can't just wrap ur kid uP in bubble wrap and not let the world touch them
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MrscjonesNovember 7, 2012 at 12:40 PMGerms are a necessary evil. Without germs you'll stay sick all the time. None of the kids was sick and pacifers have been around for a long time. So the point of the story was what to scare people?
- --
ILovemyPaulieNovember 7, 2012 at 12:53 PM
I always washed, sterilized & had a few clean ones on hand just in case one hits the floor. I would rather my kid suck a pacifier than the handle of a shopping cart like I see more than I want to when I am out. That's really GROSS!!!
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MaevelynNovember 7, 2012 at 1:04 PM
I wash when they get older and I sterilize my almost 10 weeks old pacis regularly. If you keep enough on hand it's not hard. Last week at walmart I saw a little girl who was maybe a year and a half throw her paci on the floor and the dad picked it up and PUT IT BACK IN HER MOUTH. I almost threw up. Plus, at a year and a half my kids don't get things back if they throw them on the floor because they are upset. That's call a teaching moment.
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RoxygurlNovember 7, 2012 at 1:10 PMI throw them in the dishwasher daily
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jec72579November 7, 2012 at 1:12 PM
I have 2 kids. My 1st (poor kid, she's 12, and I'm surprised she survived with me!) wasn't allowed to have a pacifier, because they are so bad, because they ruin kids teeth, they don't let babies learn how to calm themselves, and... because of the germs... By the time I had my second, however, that all went out the window.... EXCEPT the germ thing... I always carried extra binkies with me though, for when he dropped them. I never gave it to him after he dropped it, I would give him a fresh clean one, and then, only if he needed it. Normally, they were reserved for when we were in public and he was screaming...
I always thought it was pretty nasty when I sawa baby drop a binky on a dirty ground, a mother stick the binky into her equally dirty mouth, and then shove said binky back into her child's mouth! ICKYYYYY !!!!!
- -- Nonmember comment from
MammaMelNovember 7, 2012 at 1:13 PMPACIWIPES!!! They are AMAZING!
- --
LSeabolt1982November 7, 2012 at 1:19 PM
I always thought it was pretty nasty when I sawa baby drop a binky on a dirty ground, a mother stick the binky into her equally dirty mouth, and then shove said binky back into her child's mouth! ICKYYYYY !!!!!
Guilty. Judge me all you want. It is what it is. My child is almost 4 and never had a sick visit to the Dr and has never been on an antibiotic. DEADLY germs must be doing something right... I get so sick of all the high and mighty parents out there. Last person that I knew that was perfect walked on water....


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Government shutdown a 'plus for the market'
If things close down temporarily, it might show we can do the same with less, a fund manager says. Plus: Video on the budget stalemate.
By Robert Holmes, TheStreet
Eric Singer, the manager of the Congressional Effect Fund (CEFFX), laughs when he recalls the government shutdown in November 1995, during which he sat with a congressman on Capitol Hill.
During the very public battle between then-President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, expectations were that the stock market would be crushed as Americans lost confidence in the ability of the government. In addition, after threats Gingrich made about refusing to raise the debt ceiling for the Treasury Department, there were fears interest rates would head higher.
Singer says the major networks began scrambling to find video footage of a tangible change in function of the government to show U.S. viewers. The results, Singer says, were unintentionally hilarious.
Post continues after video on the budget showdown:
"Finally, they showed a guy in a station wagon pulling up to Yosemite National Park in the middle of November so he could go camping," Singer says. "That became the video for why a government shutdown is so horrible. That was the only thing they could come up with."
The effects of government shutdowns more than a decade ago were minimal on the market. During the first five-day work stoppage, from Nov. 14 to 19, 1995, stocks rose slightly. The second, more prolonged shutdown from Dec. 16, 1995, through Jan. 6, 1996, saw minuscule gains for the three major market indexes, a far cry from the investor calamity many pundits had expected.
Among the best-performing stocks during the first furlough of federal employees in 1995, Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Chesapeake Energy (CHK) rose more than 14%. Other energy companies like Southwestern Energy (SWN) and Baker Hughes (BHI) were also big winners. Techs like Microsoft (MSFT), JDS Uniphase (JDSU) and KLA-Tencor (KLAC) were the biggest decliners. (Microsoft owns and publishes MSN Money.)
During the more prolonged government shutdown that lasted into early 1996, both Chesapeake and Gilead outperformed, along with Biogen Idec (BIIB) and Celgene (CELG). Tech stocks were once again weak, with Adobe Systems (ADBE) and Symantec (SYMC) each down more than 30%.
Singer, though, doesn't expect U.S. citizens to fret as much over a government shutdown as they did then.
"The public expectation in 1995 was that the market was going to go crazy," Singer says. "Now the idea that Congress is so dysfunctional that they can't cut their budget by more than 1% or 2%, when you contrast that to the re-pricing of the entire housing stock for the U.S., it's a complete disconnect."
As the manager of the Congressional Effect Fund, Singer knows plenty about the role government plays in the stock market. Singer's investing mandate is to capture the historically higher returns on out-of-session days and avoid political risks when the House and Senate are in session. It is the first mutual fund that explicitly attempts to minimize exposure to the potentially negative effect of Congressional legislation. According to his data, annualized daily price gains on the S&P 500 from 1965 through 2009 are 16% on days when Congress is out of session, compared with less than 1% on days when Congress is in session.
The Congressional Effect Fund is small ($14 million in assets) and has a fast turnover rate because of the nature of the investment theme. Singer's fund is in cash or Treasurys or is neutral (for dividends) when Congress is in session. When Congress is out of session, the fund goes long the broader U.S. market through S&P 500 ($INX) exchange-traded funds. The strategy resulted in a 15.2% return for the fund last year, matching the S&P 500. Since its inception in May 2008, the fund's return of 2.9% through Dec. 31 topped a -1.7% return on the broader index.
With his historical knowledge of the most recent government shutdown and his experience managing money around Congress sessions, Singer says U.S. investors should welcome a government shutdown with open arms this time, saying it would actually be bullish for the market, as it would be a litmus test on how well the U.S. can function with smaller government.
"A shutdown is the sign that we're going to have a more serious discussion," he says. "On balance, the government shutdown is probably a plus for the market. If the government does shut down, the market will view it as a first indication that the United States will begin to seriously think about what is the appropriate size of government."
The government is now acting like any other business in the U.S. Singer notes that businesses have shutdowns all the time. "They shut divisions, they lay off people, they manage the actual resources they have," he says. "The beauty of a government shutdown shows how much we can get by with a smaller government."
While the general media play up the effects of a government shutdown -- most notably decreased spending, the closing of national parks in the U.S., unprocessed passports and uncertainty of Social Security payments -- Singer notes that most government functions are local.
"The kids won't stop going to school. The cops will still be on their beats. The garbage will still be collected," he says. "Life goes on."
Related Articles
Government spending is like 'Bleeding' was to the medical profession. It drains the economy of economic activity and destorys real demand, and it its place creates temporary false allocation of capital to meet utopian government projects...
In a nut shell, we added 4 trillion to the deficit in the last two years and almost killed the patient...
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Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
As geopolitical tensions threaten to spin out of control, investors are wondering how best to position their portfolios for the global turmoil.
Top Stocks provides analysis about the most noteworthy stocks in the market each day, combining some of the best content from around the MSN Money site and the rest of the Web.
Contributors include professional investors and journalists affiliated with MSN Money.
Follow us on Twitter @topstocksmsn.


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You've learned how to cook, but can you cut up a whole chicken?
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
Inspired by this post by Eating Well on The Huffington Post, I thought I'd share a few ideas on what we do to save money on food without even noticing.
My No. 1 way to save money is learning how to cook. You might have a hectic schedule and be exhausted at the end of the day, but push yourself to prepare a nice meal. You'll get to enjoy it, expand your knowledge about cooking, and eat better than ordering it from some fast-food place.
You won't be good at it in the beginning, but over time your skills will improve and you'll enjoy it even more.
Use a leftover calendar. The No. 2 tip by Eating Well was to minimize waste.
So far there's no clear leader in the annual race to be the 'must-have' toy.
This post comes from Truman Lewis at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us maneuver to win the hearts, minds and credit cards of holiday toy shoppers.
Wal-Mart staged a pre-emptive strike on Target over the weekend, slashing some of its prices to within a few cents of Target's. But, hoping to be a moving target, Target is putting about half of its 2,000 toys on sale this year, double last year's number.
Google and 3 airlines offer a deal. You might be able to get a cheap flight this week, too.
Here's a holiday gift from Google Chrome, AirTran, Delta and Virgin America: free GoGo in-flight wireless service on flights Nov. 20 to Jan. 2.
This is the second year that Google has offered a free wireless promotion. This year's promotion adds two additional airlines (AirTran and Delta) but doesn't include the airport Wi-Fi freebie from last year.
GoGo charges $4.95 for one short flight or $11 for 24-hour access, so the deal could save you $22 on a long round-trip flight.
For the first time in its long history, the retailer will be open for part of Thanksgiving Day.
This post comes from Melinda Fulmer of MSN Money.
Sears is taking over turkey day. For the first time in the 85 years the retailer has operated stores, it will open its doors on Thanksgiving.
According to Sears spokesman Tom Aiello, the retailer will be open from 7 a.m. until noon on Nov. 25 to offer customers more "options" for holiday shopping.
Forget spending time with family watching the Macy's parade or roasting the bird.
Consumers can search database of payments made by pharmaceutical companies to health care providers.
A major investigative project by ProPublica and five news organizations has compiled a searchable public database of payments to individual doctors from U.S. drug companies.
While the project includes only seven companies, or about one-third of the market, it still provides an important look into the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical firms.
Consumers can search the data to check whether their doctors have received money.
What's better than a Segway tour? A deeply discounted Segway tour, that's what.
I just bought $40 worth of Mexican food for the equivalent of $16.92. Or rather, I've arranged to buy the food in January, when I visit my daughter and son-in-law in Phoenix.
I've written before about social buying, the act of getting deep discounts on products and services through the power of bulk buying. In this case it's $20 gift vouchers to a Scottsdale restaurant for $10 apiece.
Nearly half of cell phone users with contracts said they would consider switching whenever the early-termination fee is no longer a factor.
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
A constant source of irritation for cell phone customers is the two-year contract, and a hefty early-termination fee if you break it.
So perhaps it's not surprising that a new survey of cell phone customers suggests that one in five consumers with contract-based service -- an estimated 24.6 million American adults -- is likely to switch in early 2011 to less expensive unlimited prepaid wireless service with no early-cancelation penalty.
Imagine a college that is so inexpensive, you don't need loans. A company has come up with a low-cost alternative.
This post comes from Brandon Ballenger and Stacy Johnson at partner site Money Talks News.
Lately we've been exploring "disruptive innovation": major changes that improve a product or service or lower the cost in such a fundamental way that it has the ability to permanently alter the playing field.
Last week we showed you a company that's offering health care without insurance for $50 a month. In this installment we explore "college without loans" -- a partial solution for spiraling tuition.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
The Fed's latest statement confirms that it won't be coming to the rescue of depositors soon, but these institutions are worth following anyway.
- Best rates on savings
Find the highest rates on savings accounts, CDs and money market accounts.
- Are you saving enough for retirement?
- Find a great credit card
- Car insurance premiums by model
- Video: Easy DIY smoked meats at home
A charcuterie master shares his process for cold-smoking meat at home.
- Jetpacks about to go mainstream
- Weird things covered by home insurance
- Bing: 70 percent of adults report 'digital eye strain'


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Complete forecast by
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Cream Cheese Dainties
Comment on this recipe
These cookies are great. I went to a get-together about 4 years ago where they were served. The gal said the recipe came from her mom.
1/2 butter or margarine
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal, coarsely crushed
Red and green candied cherries
Cream together butter or margarine, cream cheese, sugar and almond extract until light. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into butter mixture just until combined. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Shape into balls; roll in cereal and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Top each with a cherry. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 4 dozen.
Beverly Kiehna
Turkey Frame Soup
(More recipes)
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The Knitter's Handy Guide to Yarn RequirementsThis leaflet contains yarn yardage requirements for eight of the most popular knitted items: sweaters, vests, mittens, gloves, socks, scarves, tams, and hats. Learn More
Item Number: 04KN9
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The Knitter's Companion Deluxe Edition with DVDNow with an instructional 2-disc DVD set, this is every knitter's perfect reference guide, complete with techniques, illustrations, definitions, and everything needed to knit with confidence. Learn More
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Knitting Off the Axis Projects and Techniques for Sideways KnittingLearn new techniques for knitting sideways and every-which-way Learn More
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200 Fair Isle Motifs A Knitter's DirectoryExplore the color-rich world of knitting with Fair Isle motifs. Learn More
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The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and GaugesDiscover top-down knitting from the ground up with expert Ann Budd! Learn More
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Pop Knitting Bold Motifs Using Color & StitchRevolutionize your knitting! Discover what innovative stitch techniques can do for your knitted designs. Learn More
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The Knitter's Handy Book of PatternsMore than 350 options for caps, tams, and more will satisfy your need for basic projects in multiple sizes and all weights of yarn. Learn More
Item Number: 02KN2
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Knitter's Handy Book Of Sweater Patterns Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and GaugesThis book was created for knitters who want standard sweater patterns in a variety of sizes and gauges, as well as those who want a template from which to develop their own design ideas. Learn More
Item Number: 04KN1
Availability: In stock
Was: $26.95
Sale: $18.16
Knit Fix Problem Solving for KnittersKnit Fix puts together all the guidance novice knitters need to become independent and all the advice experienced knitters need to take their projects to the next level. Learn More
Item Number: 06KN12
Availability: In stock
Was: $19.99
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Knitting Green Conversations and Planet Friendly ProjectsRefreshing ideas and projects for earth-friendly knitting. Learn More
Item Number: 10KN01
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Was: $24.95
Sale: $22.46


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It seemed that whatever item Mark Shurtleff pointed to in his office, it held a story of second chances.
There's the twice-autographed Arnold Friberg painting. The once-confiscated and then-returned Golden Spike desk ornament commemorating completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in Utah. And then there's the Aztec Eagle medal — bestowed on him by then-President Vicente Fox of Mexico in 2006 and the highest honor that government can give to a non-Mexican.
It was all being packed up Thursday morning — mover Jose Chavez preparing to bubble-wrap the medallion ensconced in a display case — as Shurtleff finished out the last of his days as Utah attorney general.
Shurtleff asked Chavez if he knew the story of what happened to the medal. Of course, Chavez didn't. Of course, Shurtleff was going to tell it to him.
Shurtleff, dressed in tan parachute pants, a black shirt and sneakers, told Chavez that after he got it, he took it to a friend in Springville to have it framed.
"Guess what happened?" Shurtleff asked. "It was stolen. Someone broke into the studio. They stole La Águila Azteca."
"Oh crap," Chavez said, studying the encased ornament.
"So, it was gone for two years," Shurtleff said. "And I didn't want to tell Mexico because I'd be like 'Can I get another one because mine got stolen?' I thought they'd be mad at me."
The other two movers packing boxes had slowed down to listen in. Shurtleff smiled at the growing audience.
"So they say Mexico is dangerous but it got stolen in Springville, Utah," Shurtleff said. "So, two years later — two years — I get a call from the man saying he came to work one morning and found a paper bag on the front step of his shop. Águila Azteca was in there."
The attorney general was still smiling. Chavez gave it another look and began wrapping it up. The movers began rolling 12 years of his life out the door on dollies and into storage. For the first time in a long time, Shurtleff wouldn't be an elected official. Instead, he'll start with a law firm, splitting his time between Washington, D.C., and Utah.
"I'm a little nervous," he said. "Will I be any good in private practice?"
Shurtleff's style • When Attorney General-elect John Swallow is sworn in Monday, Utah will get as deep a contrast in styles as one can imagine from the post's new occupant.
Swallow is a taciturn, reserved man who eschews the public eye. The 55-year-old Shurtleff, by comparison, can seem like a reality television star prone to polarizing audiences the moment he speaks.
Or tweets.
In his three terms, Shurtleff has been prolific and controversial on Twitter, outspoken against conservatives in his own party on gay rights and immigration, enraged at critics and media questioning ethics amid his fundraising prowess and very public about his recoveries from a motorcycle crash that smashed his leg and a diagnosis of advanced colon cancer.
That last one, coming in 2010, shattered his sense of immortality.
"It was a shock. Motorcycle accidents, 25 surgeries — busted my sternum and ribs — I've done a lot of stuff like that. Scuba diving, jumping out of planes — but I never thought I could be killed," Shurtleff said. "It never entered my mind. But then the doctor says you have a 50 percent chance of dying without chemo. Really? What is [the chance of survival] with chemo? He says, 'Maybe 60 [percent].' What? Sixty? I want to hear 90. It was an eye-opener. Yeah, I'm mortal."
It was during that cancer treatment that Shurtleff tapped out one of several tweets that dogged him and, at one point, had his staff confiscate his smartphone and limit his social media interactions for a while.
Debra Brown was convicted in the 1993 murder of 75-year-old Lael Brown and was sentenced to life in prison. But a judge in 2011 found her factually innocent of the crime and, from his hospital bed, Shurtleff tweeted.
"In the interest of justice and mercy, the time has come to bring closure to Debra Brown and everyone," he wrote.
That set off a flurry of meetings and eventually a press conference where Shurtleff recanted his tweet and explained that his office would appeal the judge's decision. Paul Murphy, his longtime spokesman, said it was one of many examples where Shurtleff's gut reaction was on public display.
"When I first started working for him, one of my big fears was about how this guy cries all the time," Murphy said. "He wears his heart on his sleeve, and people attack that vulnerability. That's the thing that hurts the most — he's attacked in the area that's the strongest part of his character."
Shurtleff said it's always been a delicate balance between being the state's top law enforcer and staying true to his human instincts.
"I was letting my emotions inform my decision in that regard. The problem is, in this job, you can't make decisions based on emotion — it has to be on the law and facts," he said. "After my wife and I saw 'Les Miz' — which is about justice and mercy — I immediately thought of Debra Brown. Was I so much rule of law, the law and the facts that I couldn't bring in the mercy? That became the big question."
To this day, he said the main concern was about the precedent set by the factual-innocence statute and what the judge's decision meant to future cases.
He said then — and now — that he's not that interested in seeing Brown return to jail.
"This isn't Javert — 'prison, damn it! That's the only thing that's good for you!' " Shurtleff said. "This was the very first time factual innocence had been used by a judge, and the argument to me was he didn't follow the statute."
But Shurtleff has used Twitter the other way, too. In 2010, he tweeted about the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner.
"I just gave the go-ahead to Corrections director to proceed with Gardner's execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims," Shurtleff tweeted. In hindsight, he said he was still new to the social-media scene and might've done things differently.
Immigration wars • In 2010, it was Stephen Sandstrom facing off against Shurtleff over Utah's enforcement-only immigration law.
Sandstrom, a Republican state representative from Orem, had crafted a bill inspired by Arizona's SB1070 law that required local police to check the legal status of people they pulled over. Shurtleff didn't like the law and battled its passage.
But Sandstrom, who has since come around closer to Shurtleff's position on illegal immigration, said at the time they had a series of private sit-down meetings to discuss the issue.
"Mark is an extremely caring person and on the issue he wanted to push it and let the chips fall where they may," Sandstrom said. "We talked a lot, and many of the changes I made to my bill came because of those meetings."
The friendship was tested when, in December 2011, a group of lawmakers sought to bring in private lawyers to defend Utah's enforcement-only law HB497. Shurtleff was incensed and, after talking with Sandstrom, the legislator said he would only support the attorney general defending his law in court.
One of those who thought Shurtleff wouldn't defend the law — which will now be argued in federal court on Feb. 5 — was Chris Herrod, a former Republican state representative from Provo.
He thought Shurtleff had been tepid in defending it in court.
"He met the bare minimum of what he was supposed to do," Herrod said.
Shurtleff argued he has been defending HB497 vigorously because it isn't the same as SB1070. He also has been a force on immigration reform — in the state and nationally — by helping craft The Utah Compact and testifying for Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City, on her legislation that sought to grant work permits to undocumented immigrants in Utah.
Robles said his role in the immigration debate can't be overstated and pointed to his support for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, support for driver-privilege cards and backing Utah's guest worker law HB116 — set to take effect in July, though there are rumblings the Legislature will revise the measure.
"He is literally a hero in the Hispanic community," Robles said. "Even in the worst moments of his party and the chaos of the anti-immigration movement, he has always been on the same message and I have tons of respect for him doing that."
Moving on • Swallow met with Shurtleff in his office Thursday afternoon and noted that, as attorney general, he'll take a pay cut from $71 an hour to $49 an hour. Shurtleff countered that, when he joins the Troutman Sanders law firm, he'll make a far bigger salary.
But he said he wonders about the impact he'll have on lives. At a recent meeting of Safety Net — a group established in 2003 by Shurtleff to build bridges between polygamists and opponents — Anne Wilde, a polygamy proponent, made him a scrapbook and hugged him and had her photo taken with him.
Shurtleff, at times getting teary-eyed as he was lauded at the meeting, quoted Rudyard Kipling's "The Ballad of East and West" — a poem about enemies finally meeting. He smiled at an update about a boy he knew who was abandoned by his polygamy-practicing mother and is now an adult in the U.S. Navy and who just bought a house.
"I'll never have anything that compares to this job — knowing you've had an impact one way or another on people's lives, saving people's lives … whether it's the work we did on meth or substance abuse or suicide prevention or Internet crimes against children ... that gives me great satisfaction," he said.
One thing about the public job he won't miss is the constant scrutiny by some news reporters he believes are hostile to him. Shurtleff is a big defender of the media in general but believes some of the coverage about campaign donors who have been crosswise with state regulators or charged by federal prosecutors has been malicious and irresponsible.
Still, when asked if he would ever run for office again, the outgoing attorney general and former Salt Lake County commissioner said he wouldn't rule it out. He also said he hasn't made any plans to "get out, make money and come back in six years."
That, coincidently, would be when Sen. Orrin Hatch would finish what he has said will be his last term in the U.S. Senate.
Twitter: @davemontero


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She's hit upon a winning style formula and it seems Michelle Williams is set to continue in the same vein.
The 30-year-old actress attended a New York gala on Tuesday night wearing a pretty black lace dress that perfectly complemented her elfin cropped hair.
The outfit bore a striking resemblance to one she wore the night before at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards.
With her blonde locks and barely-there make-up Michelle has proven she's well on her way to style icon status.
Photo: © Getty
Wednesday January 12, 2011
Previous News In Pictures:


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Jan 2012 Rescue
by Tim Ajax, Director
Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary
Some people monkey around a little, some people monkey around a lot, and then there's Tim. He's a prince among primates, presiding over hundreds of fellow bipeds in the often-brutal Texas outdoors. There's no ape escape for Tim and his crew, but no matter. They love to help macaques, baboons and vervets live out their lives with as much freedom as possible. And like peeling a banana, Tim's blogs take you to the good stuff inside — with a steady supplement of Texas weather updates, of course!
Mississippi Macaque Rescued!
The macaque before his rescue.
(Photo courtesy of HSUS)
A monkey in Mississippi, long subjected to absolute misery in a cage, on Jan. 25, 2012, began an incredible journey toward living in open spaces along with members of his own species at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary.
Our friends at The Humane Society of the United States came across this adult male rhesus macaque after conducting an undercover investigation of the Collins Zoo, where they documented deplorable conditions. The monkey — currently unnamed — was confined to a small cage (watch him frantically pace in the tiny enclosure). Lions, tigers and other exotic animals exhibited signs of malnourishment and neglect, and venomous snakes were held in unsecured enclosures. A black wolf, whom the investigator pointed out to zoo owners as needing veterinary care, was not treated and a few days later died.
Authorities Swarm Mississippi Facility to Rescue 11 Animals
The macaque is sedated Jan. 25,
2012, the day of his rescue.
(Photo courtesy of HSUS)
(The following is a news release issued Jan. 25, 2012, by the Humane Society of the United States, which coordinated the rescue effort in which the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary is assuming lifetime care of an adult rhesus macaque.)
The Humane Society of the United States joined with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, Carolina Tiger Rescue, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation and Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary to rescue 11 exotic animals from the Collins Zoo, an unaccredited roadside facility.


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We have an update on the search for a convicted felon in Lincoln County.Investigators say 27-year-old Dustin Carl Elsholtz has been taken into custody.
Elsholtz was wanted for violating his probation in September. Investigators also say they want to talk to him about a number of burglaries in the county dating back to August.
Elsholtz was arrested Sunday night. He ran away from police on Thursday during a traffic stop.
He is currently in the Lincoln County Jail.


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A picture shows a monumental installation of interconnected bicycle frames by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei installed in the riverside courtyard of Palazzo Franchetti on September 29, 2014 in Venice. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE, MANDATORY CREDIT OF THE ARTIST, TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTIONTIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.
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On March 11, a 9.0 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan near the city of Sendai. The earthquake generated a massive tsunami with waves as high as 30 feet, immediately resulting in floods, fires and the closure of airports and transit systems. Thousands of people are either dead or missing, and homes, fields and towns have been destroyed by flooding.
Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund is responding to the needs of survivors through medium-term to long-term recovery projects for the affected communities. The fund is founded by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios. Dice was also behind the 2008 Totoro Forest Project to help preserve Sayama Forest in Japan and the Sketchtravel Project.
We are partnering with Give2Asia, which has a local team based in Tokyo, to assess the current situation and to obtain more information on the needs of survivors. Give2Asia helped the Totoro Forest Project, well-known in the animation industry, efficiently send funds to Japan in 2008 and has a great reputation when it comes to humanitarian efforts in Asia.
Terms and Conditions: By clicking the above link or making a donation I agree to Give2Asia's terms and conditions.
OTHER WAYS TO GIVE: Make a donation by check, wire transfer or securities transfer. Click here to learn more.
VISIT THEIR WEBSITE: artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com


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…the new progressive era will need a fresh and gutsy generation of candidates to seek election victories not through wealthy campaign financiers but through free social media. A new generation of politicians will prove that they can win on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and blog sites, rather than with corporate-financed TV ads. By lowering the cost of political campaigning, the free social media can liberate Washington from the current state of endemic corruption. And the candidates that turn down large campaign checks, political action committees, Super PACs and bundlers will be well positioned to call out their opponents who are on the corporate take…Those who think that the cold weather will end the protests should think again. A new generation of leaders is just getting started. The new progressive age has begun.
JEFFREY D. SACHS, in the New York Times. (via thesmithian)
I'm really intrigued by this. The next several months (and year or two) will only tell if we can see the culture in Washington change. More importantly, it'll tell us if the culture of the everyday America changes - is Occupy Wall St. a movement that will demand change and a better America or go with the season? The Arab 'Spring' has certainly had lasting power, but it's seemed to take Americans the longest to finally start standing up for governmental change. Reports of protests from Europe and South America (for mostly financial and austerity reasons) then the Arab world (for social rights reasons) flooded our browsers and television screens for months, yet here, where much of the economic disaster began years ago, we're just now seeing people get angry.
It used to be that a sworn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution was the only promise required to become president. But that no longer seems to be enough for a growing number of Republican interest groups, who are demanding that presidential candidates sign pledges shackling them to the corners of conservative ideology. Many candidates are going along, and each pledge they sign undermines the basic principle of democratic government built on compromise and negotiation. […]
The oldest and most pernicious of these modern oaths was dreamed up by Grover Norquist, the leader of Americans for Tax Reform, who has managed to get 95 percent of all Republicans in Congress to pledge never to raise taxes for any reason. If they end tax deductions, Mr. Norquist's pledge-takers say they will match the increase in revenue with further tax cuts.
That pledge is the single biggest reason the federal government is now on the edge of default. Its signers will not allow revenues in a deal to raise the debt ceiling.
Its success has now spawned dangerous offspring. There is the Susan B. Anthony pledge, in which candidates promise to appoint antiabortion cabinet officers and cut off federal financing to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. It has been signed by Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum. There is the cut, cap and balance pledge to gut the federal government by cutting and capping spending, and enacting a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. It has been signed by all of the above candidates, plus Mitt Romney and Herman Cain.


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Avid modder, working on several mods in a little group called Evil Turtle Productions/Studios. I also make music and play in a band.
0 comments by EvilTurtle on Aug 19th, 2012
Arrr ye mateys!
Lots of projects going on:
- Draconian Empire (HW2 mod)
- "NoName" a currently untitled horror-survival game with a focus on object-interacted-survival and lights
we are currently working on implementing some basic idea's in CryEngine 3.
- and last but not least:
the Draggie Engine 1
This is my first full C++ project in wich i'm attempting to write my own WYSIWYG 3D engine from scratch in a simple as possible code wich i have written myself entirely (no copy-pasting! i want to learn stuff!) except for maybe some libraries and using barely any extensions (so far im only using GLUT).
The beta will (hopefully) feature:
- modular structure so that users can mod certain aspects (so far no open-source planned!)
- basic OpenGL graphics with basic shaders/lightning
- basic collision detection
- basic camera movement
- WYSIWYG ingame editor:
- Save/Load system for maps made in the editor using a custom file extension (.MRA)
- the ability to spawn primitives (cube, piramid, sphere) and edit these
- Import function for either 3DS of OBJ files (or both)
Well thats the update for now!
I now be a 'Designer'
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Zac Dickey rushed for a pair of touchdowns and passed for two more scores to lead No. 4 Pitt State to a 38-17 road win over Central Missouri Saturday (Oct. 22) at Audrey J. Walton Stadium.
The win helped the unbeaten Gorillas improve to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. while the Mules fell to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the MIAA.
Pitt State scored 17 unanswered first-half points to turn a 7-3 margin into a 24-3 halftime margin. The Gorillas piled up 239 rushing yards in the first half and finished the game with 366 yards on the ground.
Briceton Wilson broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown run for the Gorillas first score with 7:37 to play in the first quarter. Dickey , who carried 22 times for a game-high 111 yards, added a 2-yard run early in the second quarter. He also tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Eric Love with 2:56 to play in the half, after the Gorillas recovered a fumble in UCM territory.
Jon Thomas added a 70-yard touchdown catch, surviving a hard smashing hit from UCM's Karl Parker 10 yards up field and then scooting untouched the rest of the way for the long score and a 31-10 lead with 3:54 to play in the third quarter.
Dickey, who completed nine of 13 passes for 155 yards in the game, capped Pitt State's scoring with a 10-yard run with 12:49 to play in the contest.
Pitt State limited the Mules to 111 rushing yards and just 292 total yards in the contest, with 59 yards coming on UCM's final cosmetic score with 3:26 remaining in the game. The Gorillas harrassed UCM quarterback Tommy Corwin into 17 of 39 passing in the contest. Jamar Howard, who came into the contest averaging 124.5 receiving yards per game, did not make a catch.
The Gorillas will enjoy a bye week on Oct. 29 before returning to Carnie Smith Stadium to host No. 3 ranked Washburn on Nov. 5 at 2 p.m.


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Blogger Angie McGowan of Eclectic Recipes makes a simple, homey pot pie that you can bake right away or freeze for later.
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You can omit the wine and increase the amount of chicken broth to 1 cup.
Place the foil-wrapped pot pie in a resealable freezer plastic bag; seal tightly. Label and include the date so you know how long you can store it.
Refrigerated pie crust can be frozen up to 2 months; or if planning to make the pot pie ahead, wait to purchase the refrigerated crust until ready to bake.
Prepare recipe as directed—except do not cover with crust. Pour chicken mixture into pie plate. Cover tightly with foil; freeze 2 to 3 months. Freeze pie crust separately. Before baking, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Heat oven to 400°F. Place pie crust over chicken mixture as directed. Bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes to baking time.
© 2014 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved


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Surveying Producers
The winter Producer Attitude Survey, a nationwide survey of 1,200 beef and dairy producers conducted by the independent firm Aspen Media & Market Research, is in the field now through mid-January. Results from the survey will be released during the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention in February. Click here to view past survey results.


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The dash footwell is the resting space for the feet of the child on board in the main seat.
This parts includes the fabric footwell only, the dash plastic footwell can be ordered separately.
Thanks %user_name%
Your review has been sent for 'review'!
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Posts Tagged 'wine accessories'
The Bev Wizard Wine Pourer – Fun With Magnets
All right, folks, listen up, because today we're gonna get some CULTURE. The field of "wine accessories" isn't actually a very widely traveled one, especially around here. But as it turns out, a myriad of different gadgets can ...


text: Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2012, 7:20 am S.I.S.T.A.H.S. use fashion to help others heal Comment on this story By Leon Lagerstam, email@example.com Photo: Ymesa Martin, a member of the S.I.S.T.A.H.S. women's group at People's Missionary Baptist Church in Rock Island had fun last year preparing balloons released at a Fashion Share event. This year's 4th annual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the church, 553 23rd St., Rock Island. Organizers are collecting donations of new or gently used clothes to give away to women and children from local domestic abuse shelters who will be invited to the event. Photo: Paula Davis, National Baptist Fashion Share coordinator, motivational speaker Cynthia Green, and Olivia Jones, first-lady at People's Missionary Baptist Church in Rock Island, participated in last year's annual Fashion Share event at the church. This year's 4th annual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the church, 553 23rd St., Rock Island. To prepare for it, event organizers seek donations of new or 'gently-used' clothing to give to women and children attending the event. ROCK ISLAND -- Women and children from local homeless shelters will share some new fashions and release some symbolic balloon burdens next month at Peoples Missionary Baptist Church.The church's women's group, called S.I.S.T.A.H.S., will host its 4th annual Fashion Share event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the church, 553 23rd St., Rock Island. To prepare for it, event organizers seek donations of new or ''gently-used" clothing to give to women and children attending the event.Toiletries and jewelry are also sought by group members, whose acronym comes from their mission statement: ''Seeking, Impassioned, Strengthened, Thankful, Available, Happy and Studying to serve.'' Donations can be dropped off at the church from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, event chairwoman Tochcia Butler said.Nothing will go to waste. Any leftover clothes, supplies or accessories will be taken to local shelters to be given to people unable to attend the event, Ms. Butler said.About 40 women from local shelters attended last year's event, which has grown each year, according to the church's education director and first lady Olivia Jones.The guest speaker this year will be Elizabeth Williams, of Tulsa, Okla., best known for her role as an NBC news reporter, Mrs. Jones said.National Fashion Share program founder Paula Davis of Detroit won't be able to attend this year's event, as she has in past years, but she and Mrs. Jones had the chance to compare notes recently during a Baptist national convention in Atlanta over the Labor Day weekend.Ms. Davis began the Fashion Share program 16 years ago as an idea to ''reach out, and then reach back to follow up on women and children it helped,'' Mrs. Jones said. Getting abuse victims back on their feet is what the program is all about, she said.Some women seem a little nervous or scared before they attend a Fashion Share event, ''but once they get here, they feel it's quite a positive experience," Mrs. Jones said.They will get treated to a free fellowship lunch and will participate in a balloon release, symbolizing the release of any burdens that they feel are holding them down, Ms. Butler said. Transportation for women coming from local shelters will be provided. Some of the women will win free makeovers, she said.Helping other people is the real fun part, S.I.S.T.A.H.S. member Frankie Pass said, and is why she returned to help for a second year.S.I.S.T.A.H.S. have plenty of fun preparing for the event, Mrs. Jones said. ''All the fellowship time we spend washing and ironing clothes to get ready for it are so much fun for us,'' she said.It's also fun when they see the women they helped return to visit the church later, Ms. Butler said.''Last year, three women wound up joining the church,'' she said. ''We also saw three kids come to church after last year's event because they remembered how nice they were treated. We had a group of our older teens help out with the kids last year to give their moms a chance to take a break. When they're in shelters, mothers have to stay with their kids at all times, so this gives them a chance to be without their kids, if only for a brief time, and do some clothes shopping.''


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Home > POWER ELECTRONICS > DeciElec: The international B to B Meetings for Embedded Sy...
Jan 25th, 2013
DeciElec: The international B to B Meetings for Embedded Systems
Save the date for DeciElec, April 17th & 18th 2013 in Tarbes, FRANCE.
After 11 editions, DeciElec is recognised as the referent event dedicated to embedded systems, energy management and energy conversion.
Users and providers of Embedded systems, Power electronics & Energy management systems will meet up in Tarbes for « DeciElec » B to B Meetings & International Congress.
The Congress held by experts within the market. 2 days to get the know about and trade information on power electronic and energy management systems along with its application in Industry, Transport – railways, aeronautics and automobile.
You also, benefit of the unique concept of B to B meetings:
Are expected 500 participants in DeciElec Embedded Systems.
Contractors present this year:
Abb France - Pole Foudre Soulé & Hélita; Aeronext; Airbus Operations; Aircelle ; Alstom Transport; Cassidian Test & Services; Daher Socata ; DCNS ; DGA Essais En Vol ; Eads Astrium Satellites ; Eads Astrium Space Transportation ; Freescale Semiconducteurs ; Herakles ; Hispano Suiza ; Lacroix Defence & Security ; Latelec
For more information:
Sources :
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The TAG Campus Barista of the Year Competition
The 2013 TAG Campus Barista of the Year Competition has come to and end, with the winner recently decided at CampusLink 2013, our industry conference and trade fair on the Gold Coast .
Congratulations to Adrian Chua from Murdoch Guild of Students in Perth, who put in a very strong perfermance to defeat defending two-times titleholder, Crystal Dempsey of uwsconnect, as well as baristas representing UQU and Flinders One.
Internal heats were held on campuses across the country, with state heats contested at the end of August. The state winners were flown to the Gold Coast to contest the finals, which was proudly supported by our coffee partner, Grinders Coffee, andParmalat Australia.
After a fun, but challenging two hours, with coffee after coffee being presented to the panel of judges led by Michaela Gerard of Grinders Coffee, with Tony Strickland from Coffex Coffee and Hannah Fielding of Mocopan, the winner was finally announced from the closely-scored field.
Congratulations again to all finalists, who proved that coffee on campus in this country can match the best on offer anywhere. Adrian's prize was the TAG Campus Barista trophy and a $500 cash prize.
Click on the picture below to see highlights of the 2013 finals.