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First Defiance Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:FDEF)
Q3 2009 Earnings Call
October 20, 2009 11:00 AM ET
Carol Merry - Investor Relations
William J. Small - Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
Donald P. Hileman - Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Eileen Rooney - KBW
Welcome to the First Defiance Financial Corp Third Quarter Earnings Release Conference Call. (Operator Instructions). I would now like to turn the call over to Carol Mary, please go ahead.
Carol Merry
Thank you. Good morning everyone and thank you for joining us for today's third quarter 2009 conference call. This call is also being webcast and the audio replay will be available at the First Defiance website at fedf.com.
Providing commentary this morning will be Bill Small, Chairman, President and CEO of First Defiance and Don Hileman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Following their prepared comments on the company's strategy and performance, they will be available to take your question.
Before we begin I would like to remind you that during the conference call today, including during the question-and-answer period, you may hear forward looking statements related to future financial results and business operations for First Defiance Financial Corp.
Actual results may differ materially from current management forecast and projections as a result of factors over which the company has no control. Information on these risk factors and additional information on forward looking statements are included in the news release and in the company's reports filed with Securities and Exchange Commission.
Now I will turn the call over to Mr. Small for his comment.
William Small
Good morning and thank you for joining us for the First Defiance Financial Corp conference call to review the 2009 third quarter result. Last night we issued our earnings release for the quarter and this morning we would like to discuss that release and look forward to the balance of 2009.
At the conclusion of our presentation we will answer any questions you might have. Don Hileman our CFO will be joining me on the call this morning to give you more financial details on the quarter. Also present this morning for the question-and-answer is Jim Rovers, President and CEO of First Federal Bank.
Third quarter 2009 net income on a GAAP basis was $329,000 or negative $0.2 per diluted common share compared to 322,000 and $0.4 per diluted share in the 2008 third quarter.
For the nine month period ended September 30th, 2009 First Defiance earned 6.6 million or $0.63 per diluted common share compared to $6.5 million or $0.83 per diluted share for the nine-month period ended September 30th, 2008.
Excluding the after tax impact of acquisition related charges in 2008 First Defiance had earnings of 7.1 million or $0.91 per diluted share for the nine months ended September 30th, 2008.
2009 continues to present many challenges to the banking industry with the current economic conditions and for our market area in particular. These challenges are certainly reflected in our results for the quarter.
Our most core-operating matrix were again solid. We felt the negative impact of higher provision expense, additional expenses for OREO and collections, other than temporary impairment charges and lower mortgage servicing rights valuation.
To offset these charges we had an improved net interest margin coupled with a larger loan base resulting in an increased net interest income of over $1.2 million and a $1.4 million increase in total non interest income and overall and over $400,000 reduction in non interest expense compared to third quarter of 2008.
All of this meted out to basically flat net income compared to the prior year period. Credit quality remains the biggest challenge as it has been for the past several quarters. We did see some improvement in lower delinquency numbers in net charge offs this quarter compared to the last quarter and non-accrual loans were flat compared with the length quarter.
We also have not seen any significant new deterioration in the loan portfolio. These are certainly signs of encouragement but we need to see this improvement on a sustained basis to really identify it as a trend.
The primary factor behind the provision expense this quarter is not specific to any particular loans or relationships but a general valuation allowance to inflate the portfolio.
Even with the positive sign I just noted property values continue to show weakness and some collateral dependant loans no longer had enough collateral value to support the outstanding balance.
Based on this and the economic forecast calling for a slow recovery, we felt it was necessary to build our general reserve as we work through this tough economy.
Despite disappointing net income results for the quarter, there were several strong performance indicators. One of the significant positive story in our third quarter was a strong net interest margin.
Net interest margin at the end of the quarter was 3.88%, a 27 basis points improvement over the second quarter 2009 margin. Also our strong performance in generating non-interest income continued during the third quarter even though the record setting residential mortgage reduction experienced it the first half of 2009 has subsided.
Mortgage originations did drop off in the third quarter compared to the first six months of the year but we are still running significantly ahead of the same period last year.
Annualized average balance loan growth was a little over 5% compared to second quarter as borrowers continue to be cautious on taking on new debt. Most of the growth is coming from new relationships where these customers are refinancing existing debt with our bank.
These new loan customers bring along deposit relationships and as a result non-interest bearing deposits were up at quarter end over 10% compared to end of third quarter 2008. Period end total deposits were up about 7.5% over the September 30th 2008 period ending balance.
Total non-interest expense for First Defiance decreased year-over-year and linked quarter due to expense control initiatives and reduced compensation expense. I will now have Donald Hileman to give you additional financial details for the quarter before I wrap with an overview and look at what we see developing for the balance of 2009, Don.
Donald Hileman
The third quarter continued to be difficult as we saw a continuation of high unemployment and weaker economic activity in our market. This has been especially true in Southern Michigan and the extreme North West corner of Ohio for most of the counties are well into double-digit unemployment.
We anticipate overall weak economic activity throughout the remainder of the year in our market area. While we do not have a direct concentration of auto related commercial lending. We do have retail customers whose livelihood depends on the automotive and related industries.
We anticipate more stabilization in these segments as the auto industry improves. As we review our financial performance, credit quality remain a key component, while we also have several other additional significant items that contributed to the year-over-year third quarter core income.
I will begin with the discussion of credit quality. This quarter we had a large loan loss provision with the corresponding build in the allowance for loan loses. In light of the continued environment of higher unemployment, declining real estate values and sustained economic weakness in the mid-west as well as our current regulatory environment, we believe it is prudent to build our general loan loss reserves.
Our provision expense totaled 8.1 million up from 4.9 million in the third quarter of 2008 and 4 million in the second quarter of 2009. Our allowance for loan loss increased to 31.2 million, a 1.92% of total loans as September 30th 2009 and from 25.8 million and 1.6% on June 30th 2009 and 23.4 million and 1.47% on September 30, 2008.
The third quarter provision exceeding that charge offs by 5.5 million. Annualized net charge offs were 66 basis points of loans for the third quarter of 2009, down from 96 basis points in the second quarter and up from 55 basis points in the third quarter of 2008.
The total net chare offs, 57% or 1.6 million were related to four credit relationships of the commercial real estate total charge offs of 1.2 million, 763,000 or 66% related to two of those relationships. A 611,000 or 92% of the total commercial charge offs of 658,000 related to one credit relationship.
We maintain a continuous processes for analysis and review of our loan portfolio and have made decisions to reallocate resources to work with past due clients to determine a course of action that we hope will mitigate potential losses on client relationships.
We have two experienced individuals dedicated to handling problem, commercial credit and developing action plans to move the credit to the workout process. We've also been actively working with residential borrowers to determine qualification for loan modifications. We have modified approximately 93 residential mortgage loans in 2009.
We calculate our allowance for loan losses by analyzing all loans that are classified in special mentioned list and making judgment about the risk of loss based on the cash flow of the borrower, the value of any collateral and the financial strength (indiscernible).
Based on those judgments we recorded specific amount of loan loss against each loan that we analyze. The provision for loan losses is the adjustment we make to the allowance for loans losses necessary for the allowance to be adequate based on the losses we estimate to be in the portfolio.
In our review we have determined that it is appropriate to increase the economic environmental and regulatory factors we use in determining the general portion of the reserve for loan loss or determine the adequacy of the reserve.
We believe this is consistent with the operating environment we foresee the remainder of 2009 and 2010. At September 30th our allowance for loan loss represented 1.92% of the total loans outstanding, an increase of 32 basis points over the last quarter and 78% of our non-performing loans, which is up from 64% of non-performing loans at June 30, 2009.
Non performing assets end of the quarter were 49.4 million or 2.45% of total assets, up from 48.9 million last quarter, which was 2.42% of total assets. Total non-performing loans remained basically flat from last quarter at 40.1 million at September 30th.
The non-accrual loans basically remained flat as well as for the quarter compared to June 30, 2009 and restructure loans decreased 271,000 from last quarter. Restructured loans are considered non-performing because of the changes in the original terms grant to borrowers. These loans are still accruing interest.
This is the way we can work with borrowers that have the ability to repay to mitigate the lost potential. The delinquency rate for loans 90 days past due and were non-accrual decreased slightly to 2.15% this quarter from 2.19% in the second quarter of 2009.
The slight decline in the level of 90 plus days past due from the last quarter, is due to a decrease in commercial real estate past dues of 2.4 million and an increase in commercial 90 days past due of 2 million and an increase in the one to four family residential of 400,000 with home equity and home improvements going down slightly.
The total delinquency rate increase to 2.77% at December, increase from 2.77% at December 31st 2008, to 3.49% at September 2009 but was down from 3.78% at June 30, 2009.
The compensation of the 94 stage past due non-accrual totals at the end of the third quarter breaks down into certain sectors. With the comparison on one quarter basis, commercial real estate 2.90 down from 3.34, one to four family residential 2.50, up from 2.33.
Commercial 1.50 up from 0.94, home equity 0.38 down from 0.41, construction 0.36, up from 0.13, and consumer 0.13 up from 0.10.
We believe that our portfolio continues to be well positioned with a diversified portfolio and low average loan size, very little presence in problematic segments, which is big box retailers in large office buildings and (inaudible) are generally underwritten on cash flow basis that require meaningful equity and personal guarantees.
We've also strengthened our credit review process and increased the overall scoop of loans we individually view on the quarterly basis.
Mortgage banking was still strong in the third quarter, continued momentum from the earlier in the year. We had a gain on sale of income, of 1.5 million in the third quarter of 2009 compared with 2.9 million in the second quarter of 2009 and 624,000 in the third quarter of 2008.
We also recorded a negative evaluation adjustment in mortgage servicing rights of 772,000 in the third quarter compared with a negative adjustment of 36,000 of third quarter of 2008.
As September 30, First Defiance had 1.2 billion in loan service for others. The mortgage servicing rates associated with those loans had a fair value of 8.4 million or 70 basis points of the outstanding loan balance serviced.
Total impairment reserves which are available for recapturing future periods totaled 1.9 million at the end of the quarter. While we are pleased with the mortgage loan activity on the first nine months of the year we have seen signs of slowing refinance activity with the slight increase in purchase activity.
The economic environment continues to add stress on our investment and Trust Preferred Debt Obligations or CDO and require additional other than temporary impairment write downs on the third quarter. The CDOs are made up of pool of investment of trust preferred securities issued primarily by commercial banks (inaudible).
As the issuing institutions experienced financial difficulties they can defer payments in many cases we have seen these institutions default on their issue, which is a negative impact on the collateral supporting the pooled investments.
The other than temporary charge recognized in the third quarter of 2009 totaled 994,000. The other than temporary charge for the quarter related to one security with the book value of 163,000 at June 30, 2009, which was written down to zero in the third quarter and four other Trust Preferred Collateralized Debt Obligations with the remaining book value of 2.2 million.
First Defiance also has another CDO investment that had another than temporary charge in the first quarter of 2009, which has a remaining book value of 243,000 and a market value of 170,000 at September 30, 2009, which is being positive for moving discounted cash flows resulting in no additional, for the quarter and previous quarter. Other and temporary charges are deterioration and the underwriting collateral in relate to the credit (inaudible) security.
The rest of the trust preferred CDO investments in the portfolio have a total book value of 2.9 million and market value is of 1.2 million at September 30th 2009. The decline of value in those investments is primarily due to continued lack of liquidity in CDO market. These investments continue gain principal and interest in importance with contractual terms of the security.
Management has not been the impairment in value of these CDO investments to be other than temporary and therefore has not recognized reduction in the value of those investments and earnings. The other than temporary charge was partially offset by 154,000 gain from the sale of securities.
Turning to other operating results, our net interest income of 17.6 million for the quarter was an increase of 1.4 million on a linked quarter basis and up from 16.4 million in the third quarter of 2008. For the quarter our margin was 3.88% which was a 7 basis point increase from the third quarter of 2008 and a 27 basis point increase on a linked quarter basis.
Falling interest rates continue to impact us on both the asset and liability side. We've been successful on continuing to lower our cost of funds, this remains challenging, we feel that we hit the floor in some place, we still have some opportunities on term accounts.
Fee income continues to be strong, but declined slightly to 2.6 million in the third quarter of 2009 from 3.7 million last year. Insurance revenue was 1.1 million in the third quarter of 2009, (inaudible) with the third quarter of 2008.
Overall non interest expense decreased to 14.8 million this quarter, compared with 15.2 million in third quarter of 2008 and 16.1 million on a linked quarter basis. The third quarter compensation and benefit expense were down primarily due to reversal of variable compensation based on the overall corporate performance as well as reduction of FTEs.
FDIC insurance expense increased to 649,000 in the third quarter of 2009 and 327,000 the same period of 2008 as the result of FDIC rate increases and higher insured deposit balances (inaudible) linked quarter basis, from 1.5 million which had a five basis points special assessment of 900,000.
We are still waiting for the final determination of any future special assessments. Other non-interest expense increased to 3.7 million in the third quarter from 2.8 million in the third quarter of 2008.
Increase in expenses of 778,000 for credit collection in OREO, 462,000 related to deferred compensation valuation, which was partially offset by cost reductions and (inaudible) such as advertising and loan related expenses.
We saw balance sheet growth with total asset growing 95.4 million from September 2008 2.02 billion, 6.1 million on a linked quarter basis. Bearing deposits grew a 107.3 million from September 2008, but decreased 7.1 million on a linked quarter basis, which is somewhat reflective of our pricing decision and efforts to reduce our cost to fund.
Loan balances increased 13.2 million on a linked quarter basis or cash in equivalent decreased 11.5 million. We are pleased with the loan growth and the new activity during the quarter. We have been able to develop strong new relationships with good commercial clients.
We believe that control growth is reflective of the environment and we are well positioned for future growth. That completes my overview for the quarter and I'll turn the call back to Bill.
William Small
As we progressed to 2009, we will continue to address the challenges that face us. The overall economic climate throughout our market area continues to be tentative, but we have seen some signs of improvement. Unemployment numbers continue to run higher in this region compared to national numbers, but seem to have at least leveled off.
Some manufacturing entities in automotive related industries that recalled employees in recent weeks and agriculturally the harvest season is facing weather challenges following a good growing season, the crops that have been harvested have produced good yield.
So there are some positive indicators out there, however we remain cautious in this economic environment and expanded our credit monitoring functions even beyond our traditionally focused approach.
Additional asset review functions and more delinquent loan reporting requirement have been added to assist in this monitoring. Detailed action plans are been utilized on all (inaudible) and are updated monthly to chart the progress.
We continually review credit concentrations by industry and have placed limitations on lending within certain industry segment. The large provision expense this quarter positions us to work out the problem credit and dispose of OREO properties.
We are seeing more interest from buyers for these properties and we hope to continue working and getting these non-performing assets off the book. We worked hard to execute our strategy in this challenging environment and to adapt to the fluctuations in the business cycles.
This was a disappointing quarter from an earnings performance perspective and certainly not acceptable to us, but I believe it is a time of opportunity for community banks like ours.
We remain well capitalized and First Federal Bank and First Defiance are positioned to be able to attract new relationship and grow by following the business plan that has prepared us for times like this.
Our core fundamentals remain strong and the underlying strengths will keep us on course for the future. In addition to working to improve our asset quality we are focused on finding and growing revenue sources as well as focusing and operating efficiently to step up and meet today's challenges. There's certainly better environment to operate in, but we will continue to work with our customers and offer the best in products and services as we look forward to better times.
We thank you for joining us this morning and now we will be happy to take your questions.
Question and Answer Session
(Operator Instructions). Your first question comes from Eileen Rooney - KBW.
Eileen Rooney - KBW
If you could us the amount of that comp reversal that was in the compensation line.
William Small
It was approximately 800,000.
Eileen Rooney - KBW
What was the inflows into non performing this quarter.
William Small
I can't remember off hand. Really I can't give you the specific credits that would (inaudible).
Eileen Rooney - KBW
Okay, I know I was just kind of wondering the dollar amounts, if you took out charge-off and all if you back that stuff out?
William Small
The non-performing were essentially flat and we had charge-offs of well 2.5 million right. So I would say that if they were flat then we've added inflow about 2.5 million into the non-performing.
Eileen Rooney - KBW
Okay, I just wasn't sure if there were things that paid down or moved for you.
William Small
Some of it, so it's probably a little north of that but not a lot.
Eileen Rooney – KBW
Question on loan growth this quarter, I'm sorry if I missed this in your comments. The commercial real estate category seem to have a quite a bit of growth. I was just wondering where that was coming from, what types of credits, any particular region?
William Small
The commercial real estate loans that we are booking now are primarily are multi-family residential apartment complexes that's a category that's performed well for us. There is a major real estate developer and owner in the Toledo area that passed away and literally put about 30 million of the apartments complexes on the market. So we've financed a few of those for good borrowers, that's a category that has performed well for us.
Donald Hileman
We have, how we underwrite those credits over the course of this year and in line with the economic environment that we are in and we've improved and required with more down payment, we require more collateral, little stronger guarantors on some of those credits I think we newer credits are underwritten a little bit stronger than they were in prior periods.
Eileen Rooney – KBW
And what would be like a typical under value you know?
Donald Hileman
Maximum 80, more in cases 75% and then cases were it's a property that needs improvements, we require in that case to be put an upfront, we hold back until the improvements are made.
(Operator Instructions) It seems you have no further questions.
Carol Merry
All right, if we have no other further questions, we'll thank you for joining us today and this will conclude our conference call. You can now disconnect.
Thank you very much.
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SPOTLIGHT ON: John Pipkin
What: The debut novelist reads from and signs 'Woodsburner,' his novel based on an episode in the life of Henry David Thoreau
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.
Where: Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St.
Judith K. Schafer signs 'Brothels, Depravity, and Abandoned Women: Illegal Sex in Antebellum New Orleans,' today, 5-6:30 p.m., Maple Street Book Shop.
The New Orleans Museum of Art Book Club discusses 'The Tale of Murasaki,' by Liz Dalby, Thursday at noon at the museum.
There will be a welcome/reading reception for the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, featuring Jim Duggins ('The Power: A Novel of Voodoo') and Steve Scott ('Cafe Respect' and 'The Glad Hand Saloon'), Thursday, 5-6 p.m., Faubourg Marigny Art and Books.
Maple Street Book Shop presents a reading from 'Submerged: Tales from the Basin,' an anthology created by more than 30 women to benefit Hurricane Katrina survivors, with Shannon Kelly Gould, Lauren Gonzalez, Carla Porch, Rebecca Johnson, and performers from the Crescent City Drag Kings, Thursday, 7 p.m., PJ's Coffeehouse, 7624 Maple St.
Algiers historian Kevin Herridge presents a workshop, 'Tips on Researching Your Family, Your Home, Your City & More,' Saturday, 10 a.m., at the Carriage House behind the Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan, Algiers Point.
The Octavia Books Book Club discusses 'Fair and Tender Ladies,' by Lee Smith, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Dani Dickie presents a story time Saturday, 11 a.m., Maple Street Children's Book Shop.
Kit Wohl signs 'New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups,' Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Aunt Sally's Praline Shop, 2831 Chartres St.
Andrew Fox signs 'The Good Humor Man,' Saturday, 2-4 p.m., Barnes and Noble Booksellers/West Bank.
Poppy Tooker signs 'The Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook,' Saturday, 1-3 p.m., Maple Street Book Shop and Sunday, 1-2 p.m., Borders/Uptown.
The International School for Bottom Up Organizing hosts a lecture and book signing for 'The Bottom Will Rise and Create a New World,' Saturday, 4-6 p.m., the Community Book Center. The book includes writings that come from the direct experiences of bottom-up organizing in post-Katrina New Orleans.
• The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, the Louisiana State Museum and Faulkner House Books present an appearance by novelist Michael Malone ('Four Corners of the Sky') and architect Arthur Q. Davis ('It Happened by Design'), Sunday, 3-5 p.m. at the Cabildo.
Lou Hoffman signs 'Josephine Crawford: An Artist's Vision,' Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Octavia Books.
Jerald and Glenda Horst discuss and sign 'The Louisiana Seafood Bible: Shrimp,' Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Algiers Historical Museum behind the Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan St., Algiers Point.
Saints and Sinners Literary Festival
The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered writers, publishers, readers and friends, gets under way Thursday at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel and other French Quarter locations, and runs through Sunday. This year's line-up includes Elana Dykewomon, Michael Thomas Ford, Ellen Hart, Greg Herren, Ali Liebegott, Radclyffe, J.M. Redmann, and Jess Wells.
The Neighborhood Story Project's Write-A-Thon
The Neighborhood Story Project is hosting its inaugural Write-A-Thon on Sunday, 2-5 p.m., at its office, 2202 Lapeyrouse St., to raise money to finish" 2½-years-in-the-making masterpieces" by John McDonogh students. Participating writers will compose letters, e-mails, postcards, novels, to-do lists or whatever suits their writing needs. Writers from the new HBO series "Treme," Tom Piazza and Lolis Eric Elie, will be participating, and Elie will offer free consultations to participating writers.
Symphony Book Fair
The 56th annual Symphony Book Fair will be Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Delgado Community College Student Life Center. There will be more than 100,000 items -- books, music, art and collectibles, puzzles and board games -- for sale. $10 entrance fee for opening day only. Proceeds benefit the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. For more information, call the Symphony Book Fair Warehouse at 504.861.2004 or the LPO office at 504.523.6530.


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AVON LAKE – A beach party like no other will showcase the beauty of Lake Erie and the importance of its conservation during the first Lake Erie WaterFest on Saturday, Aug. 9. The free event will take place at Miller Road Park from noon until sunset.
The event is presented by Avon Lake Regional Water in partnership with the city of Avon Lake and Friends of the Parks. The event is aimed at making conservation fun by offering attendees new ways to interact with Lake Erie, including recreational adventures, children's activities, art and food.
Ohio Sea Grant, Ohio State University's Stone Lab, U.S. Coast Guard, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Lorain County Metro Parks and others will provide family-friendly activities. Among the scheduled events:
- Master sandcastle builder Carl Jara will create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Kids can build their own in the adjacent play area.
- Eco-recreation experts LoCo Yaks, West River Paddle Sports, Hooks for Hunger and Firelands Fly Fishing will provide clinics to help get your whole family ready to explore Ohio's waterways. There will be kayaking clinics, paddleboarding demonstrations, child/parent fishing clinics, and fly fishing demonstrations.
- Follow the Fish, a local art and conservation organization, will bring nature-themed art projects and an art shop, showcasing artists from around the region as well as artwork from Eastview Elementary School students.
- Tours of the historic Peter Miller House, along with rain barrel and composting demonstrations, will be conducted.
- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will conduct free boat inspections.
- Lorain County Metro Parks will present its Predators of the Sky raptor experience.
- The University of Akron Steel Drum Alumni Band is scheduled to perform.
- A yoga session for all ages will take place at sunset. There is no cost but you must RSVP. Click here to sign up.
- Food will be available from food trucks Get Stuffed Solar-Powered Mobile Eatery and Mobile Sushi Bar, as well as other vendors.
Learn more about all of the events, including the WaterFest Triathlon that will precede the events, by visiting www. avonlakewater.org/waterfest.
Forecast is "cloudy" for movie event: Friends of the Parks and First Federal of Lakewood are hosting the final Movie Under the Stars event of the summer on Aug. 8 at Weiss Field. The featured movie is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." Three Sheets to the Wind will provide live music and attendees can dine on spaghetti and meatballs before the show. Pre-show activities begin at 8 and the movies begins just after sunset.
Strike up the band: On Aug. 3, the Patriots Symphonic Band will perform at Miller Road Park Gazebo as part of the Summer Concert Series. The band is northern Ohio's largest and most active non-profit, volunteer musical ensemble. The free concert begins at 6 p.m.
Art exhibit honors World War I: In honor of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, the Avon Lake Public Library is hosting a special art exhibit in the Waugaman Gallery. The collection of the late William Marsalko, an award-winning WWI aviation artist from Cleveland, will be on display from Aug. 1-27. Marksalko's art featured a special technique of mixed media that combined watercolor, colored pencil and tempera paint. Prints of his work hang at the Pentagon, a number of Air Force bases, and aviation museums in Dayton, North Canton and New York.
Read to a therapy dog: The Avon Lake Public Library will welcome four-legged friends Emma and Milo for a special children's reading event in August. Children can sign up for a 10-minute reading slot with the certified therapy dogs. Emma will be at the library on Monday, Aug. 4 and 11 from 7 to 8 p.m. Milo will be there Thursday, Aug. 7 and 14 from 2 to 3 p.m. Registration is required in the Children's Department or by calling 440-933-8917.
Jeremy Cares hosts golf outing: The seventh-annual We Love Jeremy golf outing is Aug. 9 at Bob-O-Link Golf Course in Avon. Cost is $340 per foursome and includes 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, soft drinks/beer and dinner. The event is hosted by Avon Lake-based Jeremy Cares Inc., which is a non-profit organization that helps enrich the lives of families whose loved ones are battling illness in Northeast Ohio. Learn more or register for the outing at www.jeremycares.org.
Drum corps step off on Aug. 2: Music and pageantry will be on full display at the third-annual Shoremen Brass Classic Drum Corps International competition at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2. Pre-show activities start at 6 p.m. and the main show begins at 7 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are available at www.dci.org, or via the DCI link at www.shoremenbrassclassic.com. Cost is $8 (general admission) and $12 (premium seating), plus shipping and handling. Avon Lake band students are selling presale tickets at the same price with no service charge. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 and $15. To find an Avon Lake band student for presale tickets, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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[197-] · n.p.
n.p., [197-]. 1.25 inch diameter pin, depiction of African woman facing Asian woman. (Inventory #: 207174)
by Nader, GeorgeNew York : G. P. Putnam's Sons , 1978
by Rodrigue, Wendy [Wolfe], and George RodrigueLafayette, LA : University of Louisiana , 2013
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Voters hold sway over 20 percent of school district funding
The San Juan Island School District is asking voters to approve renewal of the four-year maintenance and operations levy at the polls on Feb. 11.
The levy will raise $2.1 million in 2015, and is anticipated to rise in stages to $2.3 million by 2018.
The money raised by the property tax comprises more than 20-percent of the district's budget of about $8.8 million. The 2015 levy will raise about $100,000 more than it did in 2011, the first year of the current M&O levy, which expires at the end of 2014.
Among other things, the school district points out that the levy will help fund additional teaching positions, staffing for music, visual arts, libraries and technology programs, Advanced Placement and community-based courses, and extended and alternative learning opportunities.
Noting that a 30-student enrollment reduction in SJISD classrooms has reduced the amount received from the state by a corresponding amount, district Superintendent Richard Thompson emphasizes that the levy is crucial "to stabilize funding and to maintain as best as possible the local funding source which goes to support high quality education."
A supplemental source of funding made available to public school districts, subject to local voter approval, the M&O levy is one of several tax-supported revenue streams at work for San Juan Island schools.
In 2012, voters passed a four-year Capital and Technology Levy that will raise $3.76 million over four years for facility improvements and for technology. Two-thirds of the electorate voted for the C&T levy. Revenue generated by this levy went to pay for recent upgrades to Friday Harbor Elementary School such as the siding, windows, roof, restroom, and HVAC improvements.
The M&O levy rate starts at $.78 per $1,000 of assessed value, or about $234 on a home assessed at $300,000. In 2018, the last year of the four-year levy, that rate is expected to be slightly more that $.81 per thousand, just over $243 on a $300,000 home.
The district also receives funding from grants and private donations. A special state grant will pay $1 million for renovating the building to provide the future home of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum. Island Rec provides about $250,000 to the high school's athletic programs through its levy, approved by voters as well, and a private benefactor recently announced a $1 million challenge grant to finish the Carter Street athletic fields, owned by the school district.
Prior school levies have passed with 65 to 70 percent of the vote. Since 2008, school levies need only receive a majority of "yes" votes, not the 60 percent of votes previously required.
— Steve Wehrly
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Among the questions many will ask is one that haunts PlayhouseSquare: "Are we safe?"
The answer, according to a Plain Dealer computer analysis of crimes reported in the area during theater hours in 2009:
It's safer to attend "Billy Elliot," which officially opens tonight, than to live in some of the suburbs many of the theater district's patrons hail from.
Which is not to say there aren't a few trouble spots on a map of reported incidents of crime in the district last year.
Or that visitors to PlayhouseSquare shouldn't use common sense, put their GPS devices in their car trunks and hold on to their wallets and handbags.
But no matter how you crunch the data, crime in PlayhouseSquare is lower than many think.
And it appears to be getting safer. The only homicide reported in the district in 2009, for instance, prompted a crackdown at East 13th Street and Chester Avenue that has apparently cleaned up what was the district's worst violent-crime trouble spot.
The office of Ron Ledin, president of Middough Inc., an architecture, engineering and management firm, overlooks the building where the shooting occurred. He's well known to the Cleveland Police Department as one of the district's most vigilant, and vocal, watchdogs.
But now Ledin sounds more like a kitten:
"CPD and PlayhouseSquare and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, they've been very aggressive keeping the peace in the area in the past six to 12 months. Whatever that element was that thought this was its gathering place, they've gone elsewhere or went away altogether."The analysis In the common wisdom of Northeast Ohio, the theater district is dangerous.
The news last spring that the Cleveland Play House will move next year to the district's Allen Theatre, for instance, touched off a minor storm in the blogosphere and among Play House patrons.
The consensus: The theater district is a den of iniquity.
These perceptions, PlayhouseSquare officials say, are fueled by the history of 1960s inner-city disorder; a few highly publicized incidents, such as a 2008 armed robbery of two cast members of "A Chorus Line"; and visitors being "outside their comfort zones."
To test the popular perceptions, The Plain Dealer analyzed all the police reports taken in 2009 within the area used by PlayhouseSquare patrons for parking, dining and walking. It is delineated on the north and south by Payne and Prospect avenues and on the east and west by East 21st and East 12th streets.
Those boundaries expand slightly in the northwest to include the Reserve Square apartments, where many connected with PlayhouseSquare shows stay, and in the southwest to include a few more parking lots.
The analysis looks only at crimes reported between 5 p.m. and midnight Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to midnight Saturdays and Sundays, when the vast majority of visits to PlayhouseSquare take place.
And to provide an accurate picture relevant to theater patrons, it counts only the number of visitors to PlayhouseSquare events last year, 850,343. It excludes thousands more who work or live in the district, or who visit for other purposes.
Using those criteria, the violent-crime rate in PlayhouseSquare last year was five incidents per 100,000 visitors. The property-crime rate was 16 incidents per 100,000 visitors.
Those statistics are infinitesimal compared with the FBI's national crime rate per 100,000 people for 2009: 429 for violent crime, 3,036 for property.
Even when compared with Solon, which the FBI says is far safer than the country as a whole, PlayhouseSquare wins.
The eastern Cuyahoga County suburb has a rate of 41 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. (Solon has only 22,000 actual residents, but crime rates are measured per 100,000 people, requiring an extrapolation.)
Which means that, according to the analysis, a Solon resident would be eight times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime if he stayed in his hometown than he would be while seeing a show at PlayhouseSquare.
Because they are very different kinds of communities, the Solon/PlayhouseSquare comparison is not quite apples-to-apples. Some factors slightly skew the data in PlayhouseSquare's favor, while others give Solon the advantage. Statistically, it's a wash.
But to further test The Plain Dealer analysis, let's say that all the crime reported in the theater district during 2009 took place over just two average months, when attendance would be about 142,000, one-sixth of the annual number of visitors.
Doing that skews the PlayhouseSquare crime rate upward sixfold, lopsidedly tilting the playing field in favor of Solon.
Even in that rigged comparison, a Solon resident would still be about a third more likely to be mugged, robbed, raped or killed in Solon than if he went to PlayhouseSquare.
Any reasonable interpretation of the data leads to only one conclusion: If you want to avoid crime, seeing a show at PlayhouseSquare is a good bet.Taking care of business All of which is hardly surprising, considering the security in place in the theater district.
In addition to officers from Cleveland's 3rd District and its Downtown Services Unit, which has headquarters nearby, Cleveland State University police also patrol much of the district.
The nonprofit Playhouse Square Foundation has a security force of 15 full-time employees and 36 part-timers, 25 of them armed off-duty cops, PlayhouseSquare's Tom Einhouse said.
PlayhouseSquare also has an array of surveillance cameras on its buildings, including its parking deck at East 15th Street and Dodge Court, Einhouse said.
Then there are 30 Downtown Cleveland Alliance "safety ambassadors."
Trained by police and armed with walkie-talkies and palmtop computers, the ambassadors hit the streets every day from 7 a.m. until at least 10 p.m., and until 3:30 a.m. on weekends, alliance spokesman Josh Taylor said.
Despite these precautions, The Plain Dealer analysis identified several crime hot spots.
Property crime, for instance, was slightly elevated in 2009 in three parking facilities on the district's fringes.
As for violent crime, the worst hot spot was in and around the old Allerton Hotel at 1802 East 13th St., just outside Middough Inc. President Ledin's office window.The Allerton situation The once-swanky 18-story Allerton was converted into nearly 200 apartments where the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidizes rents. In 2007, 25 drug-related crimes were reported there, more than any other address in the city.
The residents, largely single mothers and their children, were not the problem, police say. It was current and former boyfriends and husbands visiting or hanging around outside.
The Allerton situation came to a head last year a week before Christmas, when an 18-year-old was shot to death in a hallway; two men, ages 18 and 20, were arrested and charged with murder.
Although the homicide took place inside the building, posing no direct threat to downtown visitors, Ward 3 City Councilman Joe Cimperman called a "come-to-Jesus meeting" in January. More than 50 people attended, including HUD officials and two owners of the building.
"The Joint Chiefs weren't there, but everybody else was," Cimperman said. "I got a little tough. I had had enough."
Said Einhouse: "Joe told everybody going away from that first meeting to not come back until we had a viable plan."
By February, they did -- and by the time the group met the last time, in spring, the plan was showing results.
The building owners agreed to hire off-duty police. The officers ask visitors for IDs and run checks on anyone they suspect. After a rash of arrests on outstanding warrants, word got out: The Allerton was no longer cool.Getting better The theater district, officials said, is likely to continue getting safer as PlayhouseSquare, already a major owner of downtown property, expands further.
PlayhouseSquare, the Play House and CSU are renovating the Allen Theatre. Two buildings at Euclid and East 13th are being renovated. PlayhouseSquare is in negotiations to buy the Middough Building to renovate it into support spaces for the Play House and CSU.
These projects will bring 140,000 more visitors to the district, along with more lighting, and more PlayhouseSquare security forces and CSU police presence.
And the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is installing surveillance cameras along the Euclid Corridor.
Middough's Ledin is a convert.
"I live here 10 or 11 hours a day, six days a week," he said. "And I can say without equivocation that there has been significant improvement. No question."
Which is why, despite selling the building, Middough Inc. will be a tenant in it. Ledin and his 300 employees will stay put -- in the safety of PlayhouseSquare.
Crimes reported within the Theater District in 2009, according to Cleveland police records. Click the pointers to se the type of crime. Locations might be approximate.
View Cleveland Theater District crimes in 2009b in a larger map


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The Wire
Webmaker Generation: Notes from the Mozilla Festival
"We want to move people from using the web to making the web."
-Mark Surman, Executive Director of Mozilla
(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_clarke/)
It's been over a week since I returned from the Mozilla Festival in London and it is still the only thing I can talk about to anyone (apologies to friends and co-workers). And so! To continue to spread the nerdy post-#Mozfest joy, here are some of the highlights, tools, and projects that will hopefully inspire you to join the Mozilla Webmaker movement too.
What is Mozilla Fest?
First, you need to know Mozilla if you don't already. You've heard of Firefox, right? Well, Mozilla is the nonprofit organization - and open-source software pioneer - who built the Firefox web browser and so so much more. Mozilla's mission "is to promote openness, innovation & opportunity on the Web." The annual Mozilla Festival brings together programmers, educators, developers and anyone else who's interested learning about and playing with the future of the internet.
(photo credits above and to the right: hacktivate learning tumblr)
Why was Mouse there?
Mouse joined our friends in the Hive Learning Network NYC (including the Global Action Project, Rev-, and Radio Rookies) to each host working tables in an area of the festival called the "Hacktivate Youth Laboratory" for anyone who agrees that web literacy is a critical addition to the "3 R's" (Reading, Writing, and aRithmatic). To find out more about all of the Hive member projects in our MozFest area, check out Hacktivate Learning Tumblr.
At Mouse's table, I teamed up with fellow educators and Mozilla programmers to brainstorm new tools, activities and methods for teaching young people how the web works. Our session ended up with with tons of amazing ideas including a quick and fun "SEO Battle" lesson-plan (available on the MozillaWiki as a Hacktivity Kit here) where you practice Search-Engine-Optimization by competing to design a website in Thimble that becomes the top search result in Google. In addition to adding webmaker tools like the Hackasaurus X-Ray Goggles to Mouse Squad curriculum this past fall, we look forward to using the ideas sparked at this session in more Mouse curriculum and beginning to build a Webmaking Specialist Badge in the future.
So, how can my squad start Webmaking?
There were so many ridiculously awesome projects at MozFest that it is impossible to share them all, but here are a few tools that your squad can start playing with now to make the web your own.
Mozilla's X-Ray Goggles and Thimble:
These easy-to-use, no-download tools let you remix existing websites (X-ray Goggles) and build and share out your own (Thimble). Mouse Coordinators: Want curriculum to help you integrate these tools into your squad meetings? Check out the Hacktivate Learning section of the Mozilla Wiki for activity ideas and lesson plans.
Mozilla Popcorn:
Ever want to "view source" on videos the way you can with websites? Well, Popcorn lets you remix and enhance video - building interactive, easily shareable and collaborate-able media online. The brilliant Georgiana from Rev- taught me how to use Popcorn and in 15 minutes we released this silly 'popped' video about dinosaur extinction (which you should immediately hack and add to yourself).
Meemoo is a web-based, open-source creative tool maker that lets you open, hack, and remix web apps - like Arduino but for the web. Folks at MozFest used it to make hilarious animated gifs, but the possibilities to make awesome webstuff are limitless. Check out this demo to learn how to use Meemoo. Or click here to make a flipbook (like the Mouse Squad one to the right that I did in 3 minutes).
Still in its "alpha" stage, Waterbear is an open-source web-app that makes programming fun and easy. Similar to Scratch, you use drag-and-droppable blocks of code to make apps that you can use and share anywhere with an internet connection. It even works to program Arduinos - so Garage Robotics Specialists should definitely check it out. So so amazing.
MaKey MaKey:
For everyone who has ever wanted to use a banana as a spacebar (I know you've all thought about it) or buckets of water as a game controller - MaKey Makey has the invention kit just for you. Turn the random stuff around your school into touchpads that can play with the Internet using the MaKey MaKey board and some alligator clips.
No more downloading the 1,000,000MB Processing app to get started on your Arduino projects - Codebender lets you program Arduino code online! Hooray! They are working on building tutorials - but there are plenty of sample libraries to learn from here.
For more info about Mozilla, the festival, and international community of makers and educators who attend every year - go to www.mozillafestival.org.


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Hampden's Jordan Frazier led of the bottom of the eighth inning with a single and scored on a wild pitch to give Hampden a 2-1 win over Mechanicsburg in the Cumberland County Legion baseball winners' bracket final on Saturday.
On Sunday, Mechanicsburg will host Red Land at 1 p.m. The winner of that game, in addition to clinching a spot in the Region 4 tournament, will move on to the championship game at Hampden at 5 p.m.
If Hampden loses the late game, the final two teams will play again on Monday to finish off the double-elimination tournament.
With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Frazier singled through the left side of the infield.
"I was just trying to get on base any way, with a hit or a walk," Frazier said.
He reached second base on a throwing error from Mitchell Lacey's bunt. Ryan Gray bunted as well, but beat it out for a infield single to load the bases.
"Mitchell and Ryan put down good bunts for the situation," Frazier said.
With Michael Adams batting, Frazier was able to score when a wild pitch went out of play.
Adams pitched the first seven innings, allowing just one run and five hits while striking out seven batters.
He pitched out of trouble in the second inning, when Mechanicsburg put runners on second and third with one out. Adams got a pair of strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
Matt Davis pitched the eighth for Hampden and picked up the win.
"[Frazier] was done," Hampden head coach Dean Adams said. "Matt was going to go one, then Lacey, but I wanted to save him for [Sunday]."
Davis did allow a leadoff single to Zach Ross, who got to third with one out. But Davis struck out the next two batters to keep the game tied 1-1.
Ben Dubas went the distance for Mechanicsburg, striking out three batters.
"Ben's a kid who's not typically in our rotation, but we knew he was getting the ball up there good," Mechanicsburg head coach Mike Jones said.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hampden took a 1-0 lead when Tyler Heisey reached base on an error and scored on Jake Raber's single over the shortstop. Raber was 3-for-3 with a double.
Hampden might have scored more, but Mechanicsburg left fielder Brian Kessler made a leaping catch of Matt Davis' deep fly ball to end the inning.
Mechanicsburg responded with a run in the top of the sixth. Bob Mentzer singled and was replaced by courtesy runner Michael Beatty. Beatty stole second ands scored on Dustin Daihl's triple to right field.
Daihl was 2-for-3.
Red Land defeated Newville 9-2 in the losers' bracket game on Saturday.
ON TWITTER: @David_Bohr
ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/DavidBohrPAMedia


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In 1957, Linda Wilson graduated from Newcomb College with a degree in chemistry -- with honors -- and a Phi Beta Kappa key.
Forty-eight years later, as a member of the Board of Tulane, she participated in the trustees' unanimous vote to close the liberal-arts college for undergraduate women, as proposed by Tulane President Scott Cowen's restructuring plan in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
That and Cowen's recommendation to close three of the school's five engineering degree programs remain the most controversial moves of a 16-year tenure that ends June 30.
(Read John Pope's profile of Scott Cowen.)
It was tough to vote to shut down her alma mater in December 2005, Wilson said in an interview. "No one likes to see change that may dim the light of an organization that has been important to you."
But, she said, it was for the greater good because the college's replacement - the Newcomb College Institute - offers programs for all undergraduate women, and not just those pursuing liberal-arts degrees at Newcomb. Also, Newcomb-Tulane College was established as the co-educational academic home for all undergraduates.
Cowen's post-storm strategy also included provisions to lay off 230 faculty members and eliminate eight sports. Cowen justified the sweeping action to cut Katrina-related losses, eventually estimated at $650 million, and retrench in a smaller city with different needs.
"I deeply regret that employee reductions were necessary to secure the university's future," Cowen said in a statement after the board's vote in 2005.
The angriest reactions seemed to be reserved for the decisions to close Newcomb in 2006, when it would have marked its 120th anniversary, and get rid of the engineering programs. Eliminating engineering majors in a New Orleans college seemed especially ill-timed, protesters said, as engineering failures in floodwalls and levees flooded 80 percent of the city.
Engineering Dean Nick Altiero said he initially was angry and ready to fight, "but I came around pretty fast. Decisions needed to be made, and we needed to do things. The situation was dire."
While engineering students and alumni protested, irate Newcomb alumnae filed suits - first in federal court, then in state court - to try to keep Newcomb alive. The state litigation lasted nearly five years before the state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the closing order.
Renée Seblatnigg, a Newcomb alumna and a lawyer who led the organization that underwrote the litigation, declined to comment for this article. So did a few other vocal opponents of Cowen's recommendations.
Josephine Louise Newcomb established the college for young women as a memorial to her daughter, Harriott Sophie Newcomb. The college, which opened in 1886, also was designed to mold women's leadership skills and provide character-building programs.
But in the years before Katrina struck, when Wilson was a member of Newcomb's Advisory Committee, she said she realized that many Tulane women in other disciplines weren't taking advantage of these offerings.
Until then, she said, "I was not aware that students in other areas did not have the advantages that Newcomb was offering. That was a major factor in my thinking."
Streamlining also was a consideration in the decision to close Newcomb, Cowen said.
Before the storm, undergraduate men in liberal arts and sciences enrolled in the Paul Tulane College, and men and women in other fields applied to those divisions of the university. This was replaced when Newcomb-Tulane College was established for all undergraduates.
Unlike Newcomb College, the School of Engineering has remained on the Uptown campus, but there have been substantial changes. Three departments were shut down, leaving only biomedical engineering and chemical engineering, and science programs were brought in to create the School of Science and Engineering. About three dozen faculty members and staffers were let go, Altiero said.
The three departments that were eliminated - civil and environmental engineering; mechanical engineering; and electrical engineering and computer science - were closed because, Cowen told him, they didn't have enough faculty members to be competitive with other schools' programs and there was no money to enhance them.
"Right from the start, I knew that the decisions made sense," Altiero said. "It was the way to go."
It was bitter news for engineering alumni, especially those whose majors had been obliterated, said Robert H. Boh, a past chairman of the Board of Tulane who earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering at the university.
"It was a real blow," he said. "We've tried to move on because there's nothing else that we can do. People have made their feelings known, but it was clear that nothing could be done. . . . Cowen made a proposal to the board, and they approved it, and there wasn't anything to start a protest over."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the duration of Scott Cowen's tenure at Tulane University. It was 16 years.


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Newegg.com - A great place to buy computers, computer parts, electronics, software, accessories, and DVDs online. With great prices, fast shipping, and top-rated customer service - once you know, you Newegg.
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Jack's Country Store Seller Profile 888-665-4989 Email This Seller See all products from Jack's Country Store
Founded in 1885, when the area was still part of Washington Territory, and now thought to be the oldest continuing retail business in the state, Jack's Country Store maintains traditions of rural America. Our general mercantile is the real thing, a fact that becomes immediately evident to first-time visitors who marvel at the wood floors, rolling track ladders, enormous oak showcases, and a beautiful stained glass ceiling, all functional fixtures in the store.
To rate this seller or report a problem, please use the link provided in the order confirmation email or the order history section located in your account settings.
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2. On 'Compose Message Page', verify the order number you want to request return on the top of the page, choose 'RMA Inquiry' from the drop down menu, provide the item# (you can find on your order invoice e-mail) and the reason you want to return, and indicate you want to return for replacement or refund before click 'send message' button.
3. Once our Customer Service Representatives receive your inquiry, it will take us 24 - 48 hours to respond to your inquiry.
4. Once our Customer Service has verified your order information and approved for you to send the merchandise back to us, you will be provided with Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number for your return through e-mail. The e-mail contains RMA number, RMA details and important return shipping instruction. Read the instruction carefully before you ship your return merchandise back to us.
5. We strongly recommend you return your item in the same or similar packaging as they were delivered to you with all the original parts, accessories and menu/documentation included (any missing parts or accessories may result your return being rejected or your refund/replacement being delayed). Re-using the package your item came in is acceptable, as long as the packaging is in good condition and all previous addresses, tracking information and labels are removed.


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Berkeley College recently recognized Nicole Turnbull, Director, Multicultural and Community Affairs and Director, Student Development and Campus Life, New York City, with the 2012 Student-Centered Associate of the Year Award.
The award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond to serve Berkeley College students.
Turnbull is a resident of Millburn.


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In this day and age of social media, blogging is still a viable way of generating income. Like always, though, the key is promotion. And, like in any business, the product that you are promoting – in this case your blog's content – must be attractive to your blog's visitors. Therefore, updating your blog regularly with fresh, relevant, high-quality content is the first priority in blog promotion. Visitors are not likely to revisit a blog if it is outdated and its content is of poor quality, no matter what strategy you used to get them there the first time.
Ironically, one of the best promotion tools that today's bloggers have are social networks. What began as a forum for exchanging thoughts, ideas, and images by ordinary people has morphed into a fertile consumer breeding ground to be exploited by the business community. Consequently, mainstream businesses – who initially shunned social networks – have done an about-face and established their own social media presence. Therefore, any serious blogger would be remiss if he neglected to take into account the potentially explosive impact social networking sites could have on his blog's traffic.
The question now becomes, just how does a blogger take advantage of this smorgasbord of potential viewers? Well, one of the newest and more innovative ways of generating traffic is through YouTube views. YouTube is the largest video networking site in the world with millions – if not billions – of views each day, creating an almost limitless supply of viewers for your blog. But, just how do you go about tapping into this limitless reservoir and translating video viewers into blog readers? Simple: create a video highlighting what your blog has to offer.
For example, you can produce a video overview of you explaining what your blog is all about. It may even be a good idea to read a couple of your articles, and some of the responses, on the video to give the viewer a more in-depth look at what he'll find there. Also, and this is extremely important, make sure that your blog's web address is prominently displayed on the video so that the viewer can easily find it.
However, just making a video and uploading it to YouTube isn't enough. Millions of videos are uploaded to YouTube each day. So, just how do you keep yours from being lost in the mix? Well, there is a way.
Have you ever wondered why some videos seem to go viral almost overnight and others never see the light of day? Well, the producers of those videos have learned a secret that you, too, can now take advantage of. All that is required of you to level the playing field is for you to make small investment to jumpstart your video's viewership. Then, sit back and watch your YouTube views multiply exponentially. And, since you were wise enough to include your blog's web address in the video, tens of thousands of interested viewers will now be exposed to it.
Now you're probably wondering just how to go about buying YouTube views. Well, that's the easy part. Since the secret of jump starting video viewership was discovered, a number of web sites have sprung up where you can buy YouTube views cheap. A simple web search is all it takes to find one. Once there, you'll find a number of pricing packages to choose from. Simply choose the one that best fits your budget and watch your blog's viewership take off!
In recent years public relations has abruptly changed. The great cyber effect on the present-day PR impelled Roman to found a marketing company that would offer such services as to buy YouTube views or Facebook fans, so that people could easily integrate into the online environment by promoting their social account. Now he owns Frozzo marketing company that helps its customers to reach online success.


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2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the LOOK brand's first victory at the Tour de France with the KG 86 frame, ridden by Greg Lemond.
Bikes, bikes and more bikes. Eurobike is the biggest bike show in the world and today we look at some of the best and brightest machines on display from Germany with new models from LOOK, Canyon, DeRosa & Nevi plus a host of WorldTour bikes direct from the peloton.
Today's Readers' Rig is a look at one of the most innovative designs in the modern peloton, the LOOK 795. One man who has fallen completely for its unique style is PEZ fan, Peter from California and today he shows us his 795 decked out with Dura Ace Di2, ENVE wheels and more.
LOOK is happy to announce its partnership alongside MASERATI for PARIS-MODENA™ that will take place from 4th to 9 th July 2015.
Copies of LOOK 695 frames are being offered for sale in Asia and Europe.
Eurobike, it's the biggest bike show in the world and once again PEZ was there in Germany checking out all the latest gear. Today we have a closer look at some of the beautiful bikes on display from LOOK, Cinelli, Ridley, Canyon, Scappa, Caterham and more.
LOOK have a long history of innovation and their latest bike, the 795 Aerolight which was just launched is surely the most innovative bike yet from the French team. Aero, light, responsive and totally unique with its 11 patents this is a bike that has been designed as 'The best aero road bike ever made'. PEZ was there at the launch in Paris to check it out and then take it for a ride to put those claims to the test.
Do you have a LOOK 675? Tell us what you think about your bike, contribute to the next mini-site devoted to our LOOK 675 bike, on-line as from February, and win one of these many prizes in the final draw.
Cranking out the in depth gear reviews we've become famous for takes more hours than you'd guess, but there's a lot of cool gear that comes across the desk that's actually better served in small bites like the new TDF range of Tees from Apres Velo, LOOK's Keo 2 Max pedals in limited edition colors and Tate Lab's Bar Fly 2.0 Garmin mount.
The KEO FLEX is a budget priced, lightweight clipless pedal that has a lot of people talking about its one-piece body and lever design. It's another new patent by LOOK that's worth a closer look by PEZ.
More from the shores of Treasure Island, this round brings a look at the latest from Look Cycles, chunks of hunks from Bonk Breaker, a feather in Cane Creek's cap, and slick skins from Twin-Six...
The course profile promised the best day of racing and the best chance for a non-bunch finish: 152 km from Stockton to San Jose, two KOM climbs and the race's hardest ascent, the 4 mile (6km) grind up Sierra Road - a perfect day to test LOOK 595 and find just how tough the parcours are.
SEARCH TAG / TERM: look


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Institution of marriage: An issue of human rights
In the 1950s and 1960s, conservatives argued that interracial union was a threat to the institution of marriage. Legalizing interracial marriage has not diminished or threatened our culture in any way. The institution improved, when it became accessible to more people.
In similar fashion, we will strengthen marriage by allowing it to include same-sex unions.
The fight against domestic partnership is not about protecting a societal institution; it is about denying people rights. Without a strong domestic partnership law, a partner could not make medical decisions on behalf of an ailing spouse, receive health benefits through their spouse's employer, etc. This is not an abstract theological debate; it concerns real people and their basic human rights.
Two adults supporting each other through the practice of a lifelong committed relationship is a cause for celebration, whatever their sexual orientation may be. We will be writing our representatives to encourage them to pass the Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill, and we encourage others to do the same.
Rosa Blair and Grisha Krivchenia
San Juan Island
UPDATE: The bill passed the Legislature and now awaits approval from Gov. Chris Gregoire.
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Sandra Black, a renowned labor economist whose research examines how family background and early childhood experiences affect people's lives, has joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin.
Black will be a professor in the Department of Economics and will also be affiliated with the Population Research Center (PRC) and the Center for Women's and Gender Studies (CWGS). A graduate of Harvard University and a former economist with the Federal Reserve, she has been on faculty at UCLA since 2001.
"I was really drawn to the academic environment in Texas. I see interdisciplinary and policy opportunities I don't see elsewhere, and it feels like a true academic community," Black says.
Black's research attempts to identify the role of family characteristics, such as birth order, family size and birth weight, on the longer-run outcomes of children. In addition to the role of family characteristics, she also examines the role of education policy, including the effect of school starting age and compulsory schooling laws.
Her hiring reflects the university's emphasis on interdisciplinary studies through which scholars from different fields work collaboratively.
For example, CWGS is broadening its gender-related research to include more quantitative social sciences such as economics. Black's work will be a major part of that effort.
"Sandy's research helps the university broaden our areas of specialization. She's a good community builder who will help make connections with other departments," says Vice Provost and former CWGS Director Gretchen Ritter.
"The kinds of questions she works on are absolutely the kinds of questions we're interested in -- and they're not limited to any one academic field," says PRC Director Mark Hayward, a sociologist. "She's a natural to the work we do here."
Black is the first female full professor in the Department of Economics and her hiring reflects the College of Liberal Art's ongoing commitment to eliminating gender inequality among faculty.
She earned her doctorate at Harvard in 1997 and was a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York before going to UCLA. She has also been a visiting economist at Princeton University and is a fellow at the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, associate editor of Labour Economics and Review of Economics and Statistics and an affiliated professor with the Norwegian School of Business and Economics.
She was a visiting professor at The University of Texas at Austin last year and taught a class on the economics of gender. This coming year, she will teach graduate labor economics.
"Moreover, Sandy will take on a leading role in recruiting faculty and raising the department's international reputation," says Economics Chairman Dale Stahl.
"Sandy is a world class scholar who will be a great asset to the university," adds College of Liberal Arts Dean Randy Diehl. "She brings a collegiality to her departments. And her decision to come to campus reinforces the idea that The University of Texas at Austin is the place to be to conduct cutting-edge research."


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While science-fiction and period costume can sell to collectors at auction for tens of thousands of dollars, the future of contemporary costume from the contemporary drama, comedy and thriller genres is unclear. Costumes from films set in the modern age … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Bruce Willis
Alpha Papa: Dress like a Partridge
Stone slacks, leather cardigan, pale denim – who wouldn't want to dress like Alan Partridge? This may be dad brand clothing, but it announces you as the most confident man in the room. Driving gloves? That's nothing. Try removing your … Continue reading
Hollywood Costume Exhibition Opens at the V&A in London
A rundown of why Hollywood Costume at the V&A is the best event you will see all year. Continue reading
Looper: Costume Designer Sharen Davis Reveals Inspiration
Costume Designer Sharen Davis talks us through her retro-vision for Looper. Continue reading
Review: Looper
A mishmash of sci-fi conventions and clichés cobbled together as something we have never quite seen before. Continue reading
Review: Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson's most sartorially significant film yet. Continue reading
War Horse: Exclusive Interview with Kathleen Kennedy
Kathleen Kennedy chats exclusively to Clothes on Film about her experiences and understanding of costume design. Continue reading


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Q: Does Charles Foster Company have a South Carolina Employment Agency license issued by the SC Secretary of State's office?
Q: How is Charles Foster different from other placement agencies?
Q: How long does it take to find a candidate once I place a job order?
Q: I'm looking for an executive in the six-figure income range. Can you help me?
Q: I want to reward or praise the temporary employee just like I handle my staff employees. Can I do this?
Q: How do I discipline my Temporary employee?
Q: Why is a CPA or CSP more valuable than an individual who probably could do the same job?
Q: Exactly what are the "extra steps" associated with Certification?
A: Yes. All permanent placement recruiting firms located in South Carolina must have a license. To find out if an agency has a license, contact Doug Renew at 803.734.1728. Employment agencies operating without a license will be contacted by the South Carolina Secretary of State's office immediately.
A: Charles Foster is a local, woman owned small business that has been serving the Lowcountry from our office in Charleston since 1969. We are the premier source for semi-professional and professional personnel in the Trident area. We have specialized departments that recruit for Admin/Clerical, Accounting/Finance, Engineering, Information Technology, as well as Human Resource Professionals. Our recruiters are certified or in the process of becoming certified.
A: Charles Foster has built its reputation on locating the most qualified candidates to fit your personnel needs and company atmosphere. We specialize in Temp, Temp- to- Hire and Direct placements. We have an extensive database of skilled candidates and are able to accommodate your immediate staffing needs. If your position requires special experience or qualifications, Charles Foster will recruit the very best professional to meet the needs of your company.
A: CF has a Department dedicated exclusively to executive placements and is staffed with professional recruiters who have industry specific specialties.
A: Absolutely - Simply inform us of your intentions prior to taking action.
A: Let us know of the problem and how you would like it to be handled. As the employer of the Temp, we will handle any disciplinary action for you including dismissal if that is what is required.
A: CPC's, CSP's and CTS's have taken the extra step to provide their clients with "leading edge" expertise, making their services even more valuable in an ever-changing market. This designation is the industry's badge of professionalism and seal of excellence. It is recognized as the industry's highest standard, and it is the public's assurance of quality service.
A: Knowledge of current employment laws and procedures, as well as business operations and ethics; Education continues after an all-inclusive exam is taken and passed. Certified professionals must also agree to participate in mandatory continuing education, at least 50 hours every three years to keep current with changes in laws and regulations, Experience of at least two years in the profession, Service of the highest quality to meet the needs of both candidate and company, Ethics by adhering to NAPS Standards of Ethical Practices, Commitment, Credibility and Dedication to the Industry.


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|Crank up tower raising fixtures
|firstname.lastname@example.com (David L. Thompson)
|Wed, 10 Jul 1996 13:28:10 -0400
I have an old Tristao which is very close to the current TX series with the tower raising fixture. I used to use the tower raising fixture to lower the tower or raise the tower to a position to add the mast and antennas. My first antenna was a 4el Gem Quad. From the first I always put props under the tower legs to take the strain off the raising fixture legs and the actual wire rope and clamp. I moved and did the same with a Mosley TA36 with 40 meter element and then with a Hornet 4el TB-4H and a 2 el Mosley 40. What finally broke was the Tristao supplied wench. The 40 meter beam elements stopped the fall so only the 40 meter was damaged not the TB-4H. I bought a much bigger Fulton Wench which I still have today. Early on I changed out the wire rope to a much bigger size, too...but if you do this make sure the clamp is secured correctly. My next door neighbor at the time was a plant manager and he had the correct equipment to do the job. A friend used a boat place and his failed the first time. The moment of pull away from horizontal is much greater than pulling a boat on a straight line! When I moved to my current location I decided the strain on the tower raising mechanism was too great ( I was installing 10, 15, and 20 KLM Big Stickers) so I found I could access the tower from my roof even better anyway. Even after my neighbors complained about too many antennas and I went to the KT34XA and Cushcraft 2 el 40..I decided that putting them on from the roof is better and safer. I use strong steel pipe to wedge the crank up and take the strain off the wire rope system and allow me to climb up to the 40 meter beam on the WD9IIX ladder mast. A guy on St. Simons Island has two of the HDX series and he uses the platforms as another approach. NEVER>>>NEVER Climb on the actual tower sections of a crank up even if wedged and lowered to minimum height!!!!!!!! Except for losing the wench on the raising fixture and replacing the wire rope on the tower several years ago I can say that the tower has served well for 27 years at 4 locations! Lou Tristao designed a solid tower and his design still works at US Tower. 73, Dave K4JRB
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Past Events
Wednesday, April 29, 2015: New Approaches to the Agunah Problem,
Spring Seminar Talk, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Director, Dr. Lisa Fishbayn Joffe.
The HBI Project on Gender, Culture, Religion, and the Law is generously funded by a gift from the Dan Fischel and Sylvia Neil Philanthropic Fund. The Seminar on New Approaches to the Agunah Problem is also supported by gifts from Estanne Fawer and the Phyllis and Michael (z"l) Hammer Fund.
Open to the public, lunch served.
Liberman-Miller Lecture Hall
Epstein Building, Brandeis University
515 South Street, WalthamFinal Workshop presentation by seminar scholars, Dr. Susan Weiss, Dr. Haim Sperber, Rabbi Aryeh Klapper and GCRL
The 2011/2012 Diane (Dina) Markowicz Lectures on Gender and Human Rights:
The Woes of WOW: The Women of the Wall as a Metaphor for Diaspora Relations - Professor Pnina Lahav
Sunday, Jan. 25, 2012
Cosponsored by: the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life; the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project, which is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation; the Near Eastern and Judaic studies department; the film studies department; the National Center for Jewish Film; women's and gender studies; the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance.
Watch the "Black Bus" film trailer
Read a recent JTA article that highlights bus segregation in Israel
See the official Bet Shemesh flashmob in Israel
Sign the online petition protesting the gender segregation of women in Israel published by Kolech, the Orthodox Jewish feminist organization in Israel.
Please participate in The New Israel Fund's campaign to restore images of women in advertising in Jerusalem.
For more information and other ways to get involved, see the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance website.
The 2010 Diane (Dina) Markowicz Lectures on Gender and Human Rights:
Polygamy and Gender Justice in the 21st Century: Reflections on Basic Principles - Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010
Dr. An-Na'im, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory Law School, will speak on "Polygamy and Gender Justice in the 21st Century: Reflections on Basic Principles." Approaching the issue with a radically open mind, he will examine how polygamy compares to monogamy in social and personal terms and discuss the implications for the theory and practice of human rights.Additional support and co-sponsors: the Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University; the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project at Brandeis University, which is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation; the Near Eastern and Judaic studies department at Brandeis University; and the West African Research Association.
Jewish and Muslim Women Reclaim Their Rights
The first release in the HBI Series on Gender, Culture, Religion, and Law, "Citizenship, Feminism, and Faith: Jewish and Muslim Women Reclaim Their Rights" is the first book to examine religious feminist activists in Israel, the United States and Kuwait. Author Jan Feldman and Islamic law specialist Zainb Alwani discussed the creative strategies these women employ to balance their desire for gender equality with their commitment to traditional religious observance.
The 2009 Diane (Dina) Markowicz Lectures on Gender and Human Rights
What History Teaches Us: Gender and Human Rights in the New Century - Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Justice Abella's theories on gender equality have influenced courts and legislatures around the world. The first Jewish woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, she was previously a family court justice of the Court of Appeal. Justice Abella has chaired the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Ontario Law Reform Commission and the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment. Her recent opinion in the landmark case of Bruker v. Markowitz (2008) recognized the rights of Jewish wives to sue for damages in circumstances where their husbands use their power under Jewish law to deny them divorce.
Co-sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life at Brandeis University.
The 2008 Diane (Dina) Markowicz Memorial Lecture on Gender and Human Rights
Nobel Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams
Monday, April 14, 2008
An Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her significant and pioneering efforts in democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children. Jody Williams is the Sam and Cele Keeper Endowed Professor in Peace and Social Justice at the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. She was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, leading to the creation of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.
In 2006 Ebadi and Williams founded the Nobel Women's Intiative to use the visibility and prestige of the Nobel prize to promote, spotlight and amplify the work of women's rights activists, researchers, and organizations worldwide.
Dr. Ebadi has recently been subjected to increased persecution in Iran.
Untying the Knots: Theorizing Conflicts between Gender Equality and Religious Laws
Brandeis University, April 14-15, 2008
An international conference brought together theorists, policymakers and activists to discuss ways of conceptualizing and engaging with gender and culture/religion conflicts. Speakers discussed struggles in Canada, Iran, Israel, Senegal, South Africa, and the U.S.A.
Keynote Lecture: Is Pluralism an Ideal or a Compromise?
Professor Martha Minow, Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Professor Minow writes about human rights and advocacy for members of racial and religious minorities and for women, children and persons with disabilities. She is the author of many books including "Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence" (1998), which was awarded the American Society of International Law Certificate of Merit, 2000. She served on the Independent International Commission Kosovo and helped to launch Imagine Co-existence, a program of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to promote peaceful development in post-conflict societies. She recently completed a five-year partnership with the federal Department of Education and the Center for Applied Special Technology to expand access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities. She directs the Seevak Fund for Facing History at Harvard Law School. Minow's research interests include: equality and inequality, human rights and transitional societies, law and social change, religion and pluralism, civil rights, privatization of governmental activities and the rule of law.
Read Professor Minow's keynote address (pdf)
Additional Featured Speakers:
Fatou Camara, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, (Senegal) on The Temple of Initiated Women: A Framework for Culturally Meaningful Feminist Expression in Rural Areas (pdf)
Ronit Ir-Shai, Bar-Ilan University/Harvard Divinity School, on Women's Dignity and the Philosophy of Halakhah: What is the Right Question? (pdf)
Norma Baumel Joseph, Concordia University, on Civil Solutions to Religious Problems: A Feminist Perspective (pdf)
Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Bar-Ilan University, on Gender and the Struggle Over Jurisdiction Between Rabbinical Courts and Civil Courts in Israel
Irit Koren, Columbia University, on Orthodoxy, Feminism and the Traditional Jewish Wedding Ritual: What it Takes for Foster Change in a Religious System. (pdf)
Rashida Manjoo, University of Cape Town, on The Recognition of Muslim Personal Laws in South Africa: Implications for Women's Human Rights (pdf)
Likhapha Mbatha, University of the Witwatersrand, on Recognition of Polygamous Marriages in South Africa
Linda McClain, Boston University, on Marriage Pluralism in the United States (pdf)
Michal Roness, Nishmat Women's Hotline, on Institution of Change: On Being a Yoetzet Halacha (pdf)
Anne Saris, Université du Québec à Montréal, on Between State and Religious Orders: The Resolution of Family Conflicts by Canadian Muslim Women (pdf)
Susan Weiss, Centre for Women's Justice, on How the Tort of Get-Refusal can Help Unravel the Israeli Version of the Multi-Cultural Dilemma: Theory and Practice (pdf)
This conference was generously funded by gifts from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Hadassah Endowment and the Dan Fischel and Sylvia Neil Philanthropic Fund.
This conference was co-sponsored by the following:
Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center for the Study of Women in Judaism at Bar-Ilan University, The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.
Days of Study on Women and Religious Law
These one-day intensive programs bring together scholars and the public for a day of learning about gender and religion conflicts in a particular context. The format is designed to include lecture, discussion and arts elements. 2007 – Day of Study on Women, Gender Equality and Jewish Law Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Chair of the Rackman Centre for the Advancement of Jewish Women at Bar Ilan University on discrimination against women in Israeli rabbinical family courts. Screening of "Mekudeshet: Sentenced to Marriage" and "The Cohen's Wife," and panel discussion moderated by Lisa Fishbayn with Halperin-Kaddari and Rabbi Susan Fendrick of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education.


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Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's irritation with the state Council on the Arts is no secret, but The Auditor was surprised to learn the council had been banished from the Department of State website.
The day after the arts council voted to hire a former Democratic legislator from Massachusetts, Nicholas Paleologos, as its executive director — since Guadagno forced out the last one — its name and internet link vanished from the list of agencies within the Department of State. In addition, Guadagno's name was removed from the council board, though she is a non-voting member in her role as secretary of state.
Speculation swirled that the council was being pushed out of the department as the result of Guadagno's displeasure with the choice of Paleologos, whose résumé includes a Tony Award and running the Massachusetts film office. But Judi Leone, the chairwoman of the search committee that selected Paleologos, told The Auditor that Guadagno and her staff had vetted all the finalists, including Paleologos.
The Auditor asked Gov. Chris Christie's press office to explain the strange business. Within hours, the arts council was back on the website and the lieutenant governor's name was restored to the board.
"An error occurred that has since been corrected," said Ernie Landante, a spokesman for the Department of State.
Paleologos is expected to arrive this month, and The Auditor suggests he awaken those dormant political skills before he exits the Turnpike.
The hatchet is buried where?
The bad blood between Christie and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is considered common knowledge in political circles.
So it came as a surprise when the governor offered only kind words about the senator in a Star-Ledger interview The Auditor sat in on.
After all, Menendez is up for re-election in November and may well wind up facing state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), who is one of Christie's closest friends.
"He works very hard," Christie said. "He and I disagree on almost everything philosophically, and ... he's had his differences with me over time that he's expressed publicly. I don't know if I've ever said anything about him publicly outside of the ARC tunnel back-and-forth because I have respect for his service."
While Christie said he couldn't imagine voting for Menendez, he has "no personal animosity" toward him.
The Auditor wondered if Menendez feels the same way since it was Christie, as the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, who dropped a subpoena on him two months before Election Day in 2006.
Although the investigation was closed this fall, Menendez apparently hasn't forgotten since it was revealed on Friday that the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit was being held up by the senator. Shwartz once worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office and her boyfriend, James Nobile, ran the unit that investigated Menendez.
For his part, Menendez dismissed the suggestion that the two were linked.
As for Christie, Michael Soliman, the state director for Menendez, told The Auditor that "the feeling is mutual."
Talk about fringe benefits
When retired cops from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey filed suit to preserve their right to free tolls — in addition to their generous pension and health benefits — they raised a number of eyebrows that seemed to say, "Isn't that just a little nervy?"
Well, there's more. One retired detective who filed suit, Michael Shuhala, earned a law degree at Seton Hall with help from the Port Authority.
"They only paid for half," Shuhala told The Auditor.
The fight over the toll benefits, it turns out, is not his first scrape with management of the Port Authority. When he applied for the tuition assistance for law school, he was turned down, so he filed a grievance and won. He says he then did exactly what he's doing now with the tolls: insisting on receiving a benefit that he earned, fair and square.
Shuhala is one of the heroes of Sept. 11. He was on the 77th floor of the North Tower during the attack, and led people to safety.
Shuhala retired as a detective in 2003, and is now a lawyer and municipal court judge in Cliffside Park.
A disconnect
How fitting would it have been if Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) represented the Warren County township that bears his family name?
The Auditor thought it would be nice and so did Patrick Murray, director of polling at Monmouth University.
The map proposed by Democrats to reconfigure the state's congressional districts put Frelinghuysen the town in the district of Frelinghuysen the congressman. The Republicans' map did not.
John Farmer Jr., dean of Rutgers School of Law-Newark — whose job it was weeks ago to break the tie — went with the Republicans, so the congressman remains disconnected (at least politically) from the town, named for his great-great-great uncle, Theodore Frelinghuysen, a former state attorney general, senator, Newark mayor and Rutgers College president.
"It was not to be," lamented Murray.
The original version of this story incorrectly described the actions of Michael Shuhala. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was on the 77th floor of the North Tower and led people to safety. He did not charge up to the 77th floor. This error has been corrected above.