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Where did it all begin?
The world's first sporting arena was at Olympia in the Greek western Pelopponese. A five-day festival of chariot and horse-racing, long-jumping and foot-racing was held every four years from 776BC until the Games were abolished nearly 1,200 years later. Happily, a fair amount of ancient Olympia is still intact. Down the centuries, the site has been hit by two earthquakes and severe floods, and the site was almost consumed by forest fires that engulfed the region last August, claiming 63 lives. The field and the surrounding buildings and temples are now overlooked by a hillside of charred trees.
The flames came within a few metres of the rectangular field that was rediscovered only in the 19th century. Years of careful excavation have made sense of the tangle of fallen columns and stones, assisted by scale models in the adjacent museum. The temple of Zeus, three times the size of the Parthenon, has not survived but another, dedicated to Hera, has been almost wholly reconstructed, and its magnificent 4th-century BC statue of Hermes is on display in the museum. Other sights include a monument containing the heart of the founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who died in 1937. Ancient Olympia (which reopened within two days of the fires) opens every day from 8.30am-3pm (November-March) and 8am-7.30pm (April-October). The admission charge of 9 (6.30) covering the site and museum is waived on Sundays and public holidays.
You can reach Olympia by flying to Athens and travelling overland to the far west of the peninsula. Olympia's largest hotel is the Europa International (1 Drouva Street; 00 30 2624 022650; www.hoteleuropa.gr). A double room, including hot breakfast, can be secured online for 64 (45) until the end of March. A good, family-run alternative is Hotel Pelops (Varela 2; 00 30 2624 022 543; www.hotelpelops.gr), in the heart of the village about 800m from the archaeological site. Double rooms, with buffet breakfast, are 54 (38).
No one with a sense of history or a love of sport will fail to be moved by the experience of standing on the field where man, for the first time in recorded history, found a competitive alternative to warfare.
The organisers of the Athens games in 2004 paid homage to Olympia by staging the shot-put finals there, and in March the Olympic torch will be lit there, from the rays of the sun, before being relayed around the world to Beijing. The first stop will be the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, built around 330BC and gloriously reconstructed for the first modern Games in 1896, thanks to a wealthy Athenian benefactor. In the eyes of Greeks and of the Olympic movement, Panathinaiko has iconic status. Lying just east of the National Gardens, it is the only stadium in the world constructed entirely out of marble. It did further Olympic service in 2004, hosting the archery competition and the finish of the Marathon, but its elongated shape, like a giant paperclip, makes it unsuitable for most modern sports. On 30 March, the 2,300-year-old stadium will witness the passing of the flaming Olympic baton from the Greeks to the Chinese.
The flame takes a 137,000km journey through every continent except Antarctica over a period of four months. The torch is scheduled to pass through London on 6 April, San Francisco (9 April), Buenos Aires (11 April) and Canberra (24 April), before reaching Hong Kong on 2 May at the start of a tour of China and Tibet. The highlight literally will be an attempt to take the flame to the summit of Mount Everest: a second torch will be left with a group of mountaineers who are planning an ascent in May.
Is Beijing ready for the games?
In contrast to Athens 2004, whose Olympic building programme only just met the deadline, the Chinese capital is well ahead of schedule. In fact, some of the 15 new venues were completed more than a year ago, prompting the IOC President Jacques Rogge to urge the organising committee to slow the work down, so that Olympic venues wouldn't be left standing empty for long periods.
The centrepiece is the Swiss-designed National Stadium, handily located in the north of the city near the international airport, with a latticed outer structure resembling a giant bird's nest. It can seat 91,000 spectators, but it's been reported that four times that number of people were removed from their homes to make way for it without being compensated.
The main stadium is not yet finished, but don't doubt for a second that everything will be ready for the opening ceremony, which starts at 08:08:08pm (local time) on, you guessed it, 08-08-08. The airport has a new, third terminal to cope with the Olympic traffic, and Beijing's metro is being almost trebled in size, with seven new lines and 90 new stations. That apart, the most obvious sign that the Olympics are coming to town are the hundreds of official merchandise stores already doing brisk business.
Beijing's urban poor notwithstanding, China has embraced the Olympic movement with enthusiasm, and its sportsmen and women are expected to challenge the Americans at the head of the medals table next year. Sportsworld Travel (01235 554844; www.sportsworld.co.uk) is the official ticket agent of the British Olympic Association, and the only UK company authorised to request tickets from the Beijing organising committee. The company will do this on a monthly basis according to demand, and will organise your accommodation, airport transfers and Chinese visa. Flights to and from Beijing, however, are not included. The cheapest package costs 850, for a four-night visit between August 17-21, just in time to see Paula Radcliffe's attempt to win the women's marathon. If your application is successful, a day watching the athletics finals at the main stadium will cost from 63, including handling charges.
Where best to explore the Olympic past?
The headquarters of the Olympic movement is in a city that has never staged the Games, and is never likely to. Baron de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in Paris in 1894, but it moved to Lausanne after the First World War because of Switzerland's neutrality. In the rolling gardens of Olympic Park, a cunningly concealed piece of modern architecture houses the world's finest collection of Olympic memorabilia. The Muse Olympique at 1 Quay d'Ouchy (00 41 21 621 6511; www.museum.olympic.org) has permanent exhibitions devoted to the summer and winter games, and an Olympic Hall of Fame. Plenty of athletes have provided historic items of kit. On display are Carl Lewis's golden running shoes, Chris Boardman's bicycle, which revolutionised the sport at Barcelona in 1992, and Jean-Claude Killy's boots, which the French skier modified after an injury in a car crash, whereupon he won the slalom, giant slalom and downhill races at Grenoble in 1968. Serious students of Olympic history can pore through some of the uo 18,000 books and 17,500 hours of film and video footage in the library, and enjoy panoramic views of Geneva and the Alps from the rooftop restaurant and terrace. The museum opens 9am-6pm daily (except Mondays between November and March); admission is 15 Swiss francs (7).
Lausanne is most easily reached by flying to Geneva and taking the train direct from the airport station in less than an hour. Alternatively, you can get there by train from London St Pancras via Paris through Eurostar (08705 186 186; www.eurostar.com).
Where next?
All the modern Olympic stadia survive, but some have fallen from grace. The most obscure is Francis Field, which hosted the St Louis Games of 1904. Now used by students at Washington University, safety regulations have reduced its capacity to just 4,000. But it is worth taking a look if you find yourself in St Louis, the "gateway to the West" which has daily flights from Gatwick on American Airlines (08457 789 789; www.aa.com).
The Olympic Stadiums of Antwerp (1920), Amsterdam (1928) and Barcelona (1992) are now the home grounds of lowly professional football teams, although Amsterdam hosted Ajax FC for some years; it also boasts the best Olympic museum outside Lausanne.
The Olympic Experience in the Dutch capital is currently celebrating the spread of the Games to China; it is located at Marathon Port (00 31 20 305 4400; www.olympischstadion.nl) on tram routes 16 and 24 from Centraal station, and opens 11am-5pm daily except Monday; admission 5(3.50).
Another feature of the Amsterdam stadium is its Marathon Tower, with four open balconies at the top which were fitted with what, in 1928, was the novel facility of loudspeakers to keep the crowd informed.
The Olympic Stadium in Helsinki (1952) has a taller tower, 72m high, that still dominates the city skyline. On the outskirts of Paris, the stadium that hosted the 1924 Chariots of Fire Olympiad has been overtaken by developments elsewhere in the city. Known as Stade Colombes, it was the pride and joy of French sport until the Parc des Princes opened in 1972. These days, Colombes has to make do with club rugby, but it still has a special aura about it. The stadium is a 15-minute train ride from Gare St-Lazare, on the line to Ermont-Eaubonne.
None of these ageing venues, however, has suffered misfortune on the scale of Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980). The Montreal Games were in trouble long before a starting gun was fired. Labour disputes and technical glitches delayed the construction of the main stadium an ambitious affair designed with an external tower to control the retractable roof. The Olympics began with neither roof nor tower in place; in fact, the complex took another 14 years to complete, with the cost mounting so high that the city paid off its Olympic debt only in 2006.
As one mishap followed another, the stadium became variously known as "The Big Owe", "Uh-O" and "The Big Mistake": there was a serious fire, bits fell off, beams snapped, the roof didn't work properly, the weight of snow one winter led to a further collapse of masonry, and the floor of one of the Olympic pools fell in during a water therapy session for senior citizens.
Montreal's stadium is now described as a "multi-purpose facility", which is another way of saying it has very little purpose at all, and its demolition has been proposed. However, it remains the city's most eye-catching piece of architecture and a big tourist attraction. Half-hour guided tours of the complex (001 514 252 4141; www.rio.gouv.qc.ca) start at 10am in summer; 11am in winter (C$8/4.10), and you can take a cable car (C$9/4.10) to the top of the leaning tower that looms over the arena like a preying mantis, and provides wonderful views of the city. The nearest Metro station is Vian.
At the height of the Cold War, the focal point of Moscow's much-boycotted Olympic Games was known as "The Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium". This is where Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett fought two epic duels over 800m and 1500m, but two years later it was the scene of a ghastly spectator stampede near the end of a football match, which claimed the lives of at least 66 people.
The stadium, now named the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, has since been extensively modernised and is due to stage next year's Uefa Cup Final, but the authorities are still unhappy with the entry and exit facilities.
Which Olympic venues survived the test of time?
Just as London intends to show off the likes of Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace on its planned 2012 marathon route, the organisers of the Rome Olympiad of 1960 made a point of staging events in and around notable landmarks. The Stadio Olimpico itself had already been built in the Foro Italico; the wrestling competition was held in the 4th century Basilica of Maxentius (open 9am-7pm; admission 7.80/5.50); the gymnastics at the 3rd century Caracalla Baths (open 9am until an hour before sunset; admission 6/4.20), and the marathon ended under the Constantine Arch on the Appian Way.
You approach the Stadio Olimpico along a pavement lined with pleasing classical statues, but every slab of paving is dedicated to Mussolini: the slogan "Il Duce ...Il Duce ...Il Duce" dogs your every step. For some reason, the Rome authorities never bothered replacing them. Despite these fascist undertones, the stadium has enjoyed a glittering life, hosting football's World Cup Final in 1990.
The other Olympic city tarnished by fascism is Berlin. The 1936 Games were inaugurated by Adolf Hitler, who was in the stadium to witness the arrival of the first Olympic Torch, borne aloft by an unquestionably Aryan, blond male athlete. Somehow, the giant concrete edifice in the Grunewald Forest west of the city survived the ferocious Allied bombardment of 1945 with only minor damage, and it later survived a strong public campaign for its demolition.
In 2006, like Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Berlin's totally remodelled stadium hosted the World Cup Final. West of the main arena the original Olympic bell tower has been rebuilt, but without the bronze bell that sounded the opening of the Games. This is mounted immediately outside the stadium, with its engraved swastika clearly visible.
The 77m tower (00 49 30 305 8123; www.glockenturm.de) contains a two-floor exhibition of Olympic history in German and English, and a glass lift to an observation platform at the top, which is open every day between 9am-6pm from April to October, and from 10am-4pm on "sunny weekends" in November and December. Admission to both is 3.50 (2.40).
London's Olympic mementoes
There's scant evidence that the city staged the Olympics of 1908 and 1948, although the decision by exhausted, bankrupt Britain to step in and save the Games after the Second World War may well have counted in London's favour when it bid for 2012. Against the odds, the 1948 Olympics (right) were a success, with the "old" Empire Stadium at Wembley the focal point. The Games were cobbled together on an austerity budget. There was no Olympic Village: male athletes were quartered at an army camp in Uxbridge, Middlesex, while the women used dormitories at Southlands College, Roehampton.
The first London Olympics, 40 years previously, had a stadium specially built for the purpose. White City, near Shepherd's Bush, took only 10 months to build and cost a miniscule 60,000, but when it opened it was the largest sports arena in the world, with a vast tank at one end for the swimming events, a cycling track, and a running track. After the Games, White City never found a permanent role, although it kept going until 1978 and even staged a World Cup qualifying match (between France and Uruguay) in the 1966 World Cup.
In 1985 it was demolished to make way for the new BBC Radio headquarters, and the only clue that it once staged the Olympic Games is a list of the gold medal-winners on the wall of a nearby housing estate. Since 1908 remains the only Olympiad in which Britain came first in the medals table, a proper memorial would be fitting.
Britain rewrites the rules
The most enduring legacy of the 1908 Olympics in London is the exact length of the marathon. At 26 miles 385 yards, it's the only Olympic event with an imperial measurement (although it is uncertain whether this will help Paula Radcliffe, above, at this year's Games). In previous Games, the marathon had been 40km (24.85 miles) and then 26 miles, which was roughly the distance from Windsor Castle to the White City stadium. The extra, lung-bursting 385 yards were added when Princess Mary asked the organisers to move the finishing line to a point beneath the royal box. After passing famous landmarks such as Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the 2012 marathon will also finish directly below the royal box at the new Olympic Stadium in Stratford. Plus a change...Reuse content


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More Videos...
GT-R vs. F430 Novitec
09.07.11 Groß Dölln
Nissan GT-R Switzer P800 - Dyno run with backfire!
I've received the video from Totalcarconcept.com of the Dynorun! The Switzer P800 kit turns the GT-R in to a 800 HP monster. With a few PSi more Boost the 840 HP is no problem. They have 98 and 100 octaan fuels. The AMS sportcats are much bigger and give good power, also with sportcat! It's possible, they can do it! :) Video: 1014 HP Nissan GT-R Switzer R1K shooting flames on Dyno, wheelspin in 4th gear! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kJe5rXMlCs&feature=c4-overview&list=UUX0Jgz K2nINOwDpZpXiGkqA "Like" me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Gnepiah Thanks to totalcarconcept.com (producor: Bas Boersma; Youtube.com/basboersma) Facebook page TCC: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Total-Car-Concept/278009428919743 Gnepiah - Supercar Channel "Every video is meaningful. Once you take it, it's already history" Here you will find all kinds of supercar around the world like: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, Maserati, Koenigsegg, Pagani, Bentley, Gumpert, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, Audi, Nissan, Lexus and more! But also: Tuning, prototypes, Formula 1, racing cars, Gumball 3000, Nürburgring/Nordschleife and more!
The Two Second Club -- Bugatti, Nissan and Porsche
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Welcome to our website.In July 2014 Ofsted said:
Pupil achievement is good at both KS1, KS2 and EYFS.
The progress of every pupil is tracked meticulously and a comprehensive range of support is put in place for pupils to help to tackle any underachievement.
Disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as, and often better than, other pupils.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is a strength.
Children enjoy coming to school and learning.
Behaviour is good and so is the school's work to keep pupils safe and secure.
These comments are something we are very proud of.
Our children deserve the very best education in a safe and caring environment and I believe that children learn best when they are happy and having fun.
We aim to provide children with a stimulating environment in which they can thrive and I am proud of how well our staff know the children and how hard they work to meet their individual needs.
With a new school building on the horizon this is a very exciting time for us.
I hope you find the website informative and that you discover what you are looking for. If you need any more information and would like to speak to someone at the school please ring or email on the address provided.
Best wishes,
Mr Hallam
PrincipalDid you know you can train to teach with the Cabot Learning Federation? For more information go to http://www.cabotlearningfederation.net/ then click on CLF Institute


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I don't know! Are we, Catcher? Makes me wonder too.??? lol.<quoted text>
You and Catcher playing the same game?
Catcher has been known to mask himself as a female poster.
It just makes me wonder.???
LOL! Catcher, you shouldn't have asked him if he was a doctor, coz I did, now he thinks we're the same poster.
Should we tell him the truth or mess with his head?


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Editorial: How 'dark money' got that way
The California Fair Political Practices Commission made headlines last week by imposing record penalties against shadowy political nonprofits that funneled millions in so-called "dark money" into state campaigns last year.
The groups collected money from California donors, shifted it to organizations in Virginia and Arizona to protect the donors' anonymity, then sent it back to California, where it was finally spent to fight Proposition 30's income and sales tax increases and to support Proposition 32's attempt to curb the ability of unions to fund political campaigns through automatic payroll deductions from members.
We approve of the FPPC's dogged investigation; tracing the money through this convoluted path shows a creditable determination to shine a light on where the money behind our increasingly costly political battles comes from. But we also need to be frank about why political donors would want anonymity in the first place.
The commission discovered that the donors included stockbroker Charles Schwab, Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad, the family who founded Gap clothing, and others, all anxious to remain anonymous because "they didn't want to face the retribution of the unions," as political consultant Jeff Miller told investigators.
The existence of a big-labor blacklist, revealed by the Sacramento Bee in July, designed to punish political consultants who work against union interests, further proves the unions are serious about retribution for political opponents, and their power to punish can be very real.
In this case, the dark-money donors failed. Prop. 30 passed, giving California the highest income tax in the nation, and Prop. 32 was defeated, leaving unions to continue taking money for politicking from members whether those members like it or not.
Transparency in political spending is vital to fair elections; any investigation that exposes potential undue influence in our political process is to be encouraged. But we must ask: What is more dangerous, wealthy donors supporting political causes they believe in, or public employee unions using money from lucrative government contracts funded by tax dollars to push for higher taxes to guarantee more spending that largely goes into their own pockets?
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Complex Processes in New LanguagesJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2009; US$ 158.00
This paper addresses the issue of complexity in language creation and the time it takes for 'complex' structures to emerge in the history of a language. The presence of morphological material is often equated to a certain degree of complexity or is taken to signify a certain time-depth in the history of a language (e.g. Dahl 2004; McWhorter... more...
Noun Phrases in Creole LanguagesJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2007; US$ 188.00
In this Postface, one of our primary objectives as editors, is to weave together into a coherent whole the insights and analyses of our contributors. We aim to show how the chapters in the volume complement each other, highlighting both similarities and differences in the patterns of the nominal system of various creole languages. A second objective... more...
The Syntax of Cape Verdean CreoleJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2003; US$ 180.00
This book offers an in-depth treatment of a variety of morpho-syntactic issues in Cape Verdean Creole (CVC) both from a descriptive and theoretical perspective. The investigated topics include the determiner system, Tense, Mood, Aspect markers and pronominal paradigms. The study of TMA markers reveals morpho-syntactic configurations with interesting... more...
The Syntax of Jamaican CreoleJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2008; US$ 165.00
This book offers an in-depth study of the overall syntax of (basilectal) Jamaican Creole, the first since Bailey (1966). The author, a Jamaican linguist, meticulously examines distributional and interpretative properties of functional morphology in Jamaican Creole (JC) from a cartographic perspective (Cinque 1999, 2002; Rizzi 1997, 2004), thus exploring... more...
Case-Marking in ContactJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2011; US$ 158.00
Until recently, mixed languages were considered an oddity of contact linguistics, with debates about whether or not they actually existed stifling much descriptive work or discussion of their origins. These debates have shifted from questioning their existence to a focus on their formation, and their social and structural features. This book aims to... more...
The Defective Copy Theory of MovementJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2012; US$ 158.00
Within the framework of Chomsky?s Principles and Parameters Theory and the Minimalist Program, this work presents a detailed discussion of the different types of wh-question formation and relativization strategies in Cape Verdean Creole (Santiago variety), especially focusing on wh-movement of PPs. The book explores the Copy Theory of Movement, discussing... more...
Origins of a CreoleDe Gruyter 2012; US$ 137.95
This study embarks on the intriguing quest for the origins of the Caribbean creole language Papiamentu, casting new and long-lasting light on the issue. Embedding exhaustive and rigorous linguistic comparisons in a detailed and novel historical framework, the study convincingly argues that Papiamentu is genetically related to the Portuguese-based... more...
The Morphosyntax of Reiteration in Creole and Non-Creole LanguagesJohn Benjamins Publishing Company 2012; US$ 158.00
Pichi, an Afro-Caribbean English-lexifier Creole spoken on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea, features four types of reiteration. Amongst them, reduplication and repetition can be distinguished on formal and semantic grounds. Reduplication is a derivational operation consisting of self-compounding and tone deletion. It is restricted to dynamic... more...
Creolization and Language ChangeDe Gruyter 1994; US$ 116.72
Creolization and Language Change. more...
Generative studies on Creole languagesDe Gruyter 1981; US$ 116.72
Generative Studies on Creole Languages (Studies in Generative Grammar [Sgg]). more...


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openerp v7 - edit 'delivery slip' pdf template to include 'Customer Reference'
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We are typing our websales orders into OpenErp and use the Customer Reference field of the OpenErp sales order to record the websales order number.
We need this order number on the print out pdf : Warehouse->Delivery Orders->Delivery Slip.....
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Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Texas Judge Cleared in Facebook Case
This past April, I reported on this blog that a Texas district judge had been publicly admonished by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for posting on her Facebook page information about a case she was trying. The district judge appealed that reprimand and on September 30, a three-judge Special Court of Appeals found that the Commission, "failed to meet its burden of proving the [Judge] violated the Canons of Judicial Conduct or Article V, Section 1-a(6)(A) of the Texas Constitution." The Special Court dismissed the Commission's public admonition and found the Judge not guilty of all charges.
The Commission's public admonishment is here and the Special Court's judgment dismissing that admonishment is here.
See Also:
- Judge Admonished for Facebook Post
- Judge's Comments Raise Ethics Questions
- Tennessee: Judge's Facebook Use Does Not Lead To Recusal
- Facebook Friendship Leads to Disqualification
- Judge is Disqualified After Sending Litigant a Facebook Friend Request
- Texas: Facebook "Friendship" Alone Does Not Require Recusal
- Extraneous Remarks Leads to Remand for Re-Sentencing
- Estlinbaum, Social Networking and Judicial Ethics
- Florida: Facebook Friendship Leads to Judicial Disqualification
- Social Networking Judges and Attorneys
- Judges and Facebook
October 13, 2015 in Current Events, Ethics, First Amendment, Interesting Cases, Judges, Texas Law | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Illinois: Free Speech Symposium
University of Illinois Law Review has published an online symposium with four essays in response to Alexander Tsesis's book, Free Speech Constitutionalism. The essays are collected in the most recent issue of the journal's online companion, Slip Opinions. Contributors are Mark A. Graber, David S. Han, Helen Norton and Margot E. Kaminsky.
September 8, 2015 in Book Reviews, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Law Professors, Law Review Articles | Permalink | Comments (0)
Friday, March 21, 2014
Illinois Declares Eavesdropping Law Unconstitutional
Yesterday, a unanimous Supreme Court of Illinois declared the state's eavesdropping law to be unconstitutional. The case is Illinois v. Melongo, No. 114852 (Ill., March 20, 2014).
The statute reads:
(a) A person commits eavesdropping when he:
(1) Knowingly and intentionally uses an eavesdropping device for the purpose of hearing or recording all or any part of any conversation or intercepts, retains, or transcribes electronic communication unless he does so (A) with the consent of all of the parties to such conversation or electronic communication or (B) in accordance with Article 108A or Article 108B of the "Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963", approved August 14, 1963, as amended; or
(3) Uses or divulges, except as authorized by this Article or by Article 108A or 108B of the "Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963", approved August 14, 1963, as amended, any information which he knows or reasonably should know was obtained through the use of an eavesdropping device.
The defendant argued that the statute violated the first amendment both as to the recording provision in (1) and the publishing provision in (3), both facially and as applied. The court observed that the law's stated purpose was to protect conversational privacy. The law, however, "deems all conversations to be private and, thus, not subject to recording absent consent, even if the participants have no expectation of privacy." The court held that the statute, "burdens substantially more speech than is necessary to serve a legitimate state interest in protecting conversational privacy." Therefore, the recording provision violates the first amendment on its face. The court reached the same conclusion regarding 14-2(a)(1) in a different case presenting different facts the same day in Illinois v. Clark, No. 115766 (Ill. Mar. 20, 2014).
The State conceded that if the recording provision fails first amendment muster, the publishing provision must too fail, due to a U. S. Supreme Court decision on point. Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514 (2001). In that case, "[t]he Court held that under the first amendment, the state may not bar the disclosure of information regarding a matter of public importance when the information was illegally intercepted by another party who provided it to the disclosing party. The Illinois court determined that because Melongo was in the innocent party's position due to 14-2(a)(1) being declared unconstitutional, a bar against publishing the recording subjected her to a, "naked prohibition against disclosure."
In a Chicago Tribune report on the case, Steve Schmadeke notes (link added):
The decision comes two years after a federal appeals court in Chicago found unconstitutional the law's ban on recording police officers in public. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling prohibited enforcement of that part of the law shortly before Chicago hosted the NATO summit in May 2012.
March 21, 2014 in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Interesting Cases | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Harvard Symposium: Freedom of the Press
Harvard Law Review will host its Symposium 2014: Freedom of the Press this Saturday, February 15 at Harvard Law School. The Symposium's focus will be the 50th Anniversary of the landmark First Amendment case New York Times v. Sullivan. Here is the Symposium webpage.
Acknowledgement: Ronald L. K. Collins at Concurring Opinions.
February 10, 2014 in Conferences, Faculty, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, July 22, 2013
Targeting Union Employees For Layoffs Violates The First Amendment
We ourselves have stated thatit cannot "be questioned that the First Amendment's protection of speech and
associational rights extends to labor union activities." Conn. State Fed'n of Teachers v.
Bd. of Educ. Members, 538 F.2d 471, 478 (2d Cir. 1976); see also Int'l Longshoremen's
Ass'n v. Waterfront Comm'n of N.Y. Harbor, 642 F.2d 666, 670 (2d Cir. 1981) ("The
First Amendment's protection of the right of association extends to labor union
However, we have never articulated a standard for determining whether, and under
what circumstances, a public entity's employment decisions violate this right to associate
in unions. With respect to a public employee's right to associate with political parties, the
Supreme Court stated in Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois that government employers
may not "condition[] hiring decisions on political belief and association . . . unless the
government has a vital interest in doing so." 497 U.S. 62, 78 (1990); see also Branti v.
Finkel, 445 U.S. 507, 520 (1980) (holding that termination of public defenders because
they were not affiliated with Democratic Party violated First Amendment); Elrod v.
Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 372-73 (1976) (holding that public employees who alleged they
were discharged because they were not members of sheriff's political party stated a First
Amendment claim); Keyishian v. Bd. of Regents, 385 U.S. 589, 609-10 (1967)
(invalidating state university system's prohibition on membership in Communist Party).
The Supreme Court was concerned that the government would "wield[] its power to
interfere with its employees' freedom to believe and associate," Rutan, 497 U.S. at 76,
and noted that "conditioning public employment on the provision of support for the
favored political party 'unquestionably inhibits protected belief and association,'" id. at
69, quoting Elrod, 427 U.S. at 359. It therefore held that hiring based on political party
affiliation was subject to strict scrutiny and must be "narrowly tailored to further vital
government interests." Rutan, 497 U.S. at 74; see also Branti, 445 U.S. at 515-16
(requiring "an overriding interest of vital importance" to fire a public employee solely for
his private beliefs (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)).
Conditioning public employment on union membership, no less than on political
association, inhibits protected association and interferes with government employees'
freedom to associate. It is therefore subject to the same strict scrutiny, and may be done
only "in the most compelling circumstances." Rutan, 497 U.S. at 76.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
July 22, 2013 in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Public Sector Labor Law, Unions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Supreme Court Takes Government Prayer Case
Thirty years ago in Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983), the Supreme Court held in a divided opinion that opening legislative sessions with prayer did not violate the Establishment Clause. But can the government open such legislative sessions with prayers exclusively with one faith? The Supreme Court will decide this question next term in Town of Greece v. Galloway. Last May, the Second Circuit held in the case that the town's practice to begin council sessions with prayer exclusively of the Christian faith violated the Establishment Clause. Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog described the key holding in the circuit court's decision to be:
The Circuit Court stressed that it was not ruling that a local government could never open its meetings with prayers or a religious invocation, nor was it adopting a specific test that would allow prayer in theory but make it impossible in reality.
What it did rule, the Circuit Court said, was that "a legislative prayer practice that, however well-intentioned, conveys to a reasonable objective observer under the totality of the circumstances an official affiliation with a particular religion, violates the clear command of the [First Amendment's] Establishment Clause."
It emphasized that, in the situation in Greece, New York, the overall impression of the practice was that it was dominated by Christian clergy and specific expressions of Christian beliefs, and that the town officials took no steps to try to dispel that impression.
Since the Court announced the decision to grant certiorari earlier today, the case has generated substantial buzz in the press, print and online, and promises to a significant and closely watched decision in the October 2013 term.
May 21, 2013 in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Interesting Cases, Religion, Supreme Court | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Third Circuit Reverses Contempt Conviction Against Trial Judge
An interesting Third Circuit case from earlier this month raises the question whether a lower court judge can be held in contempt for openly criticizing a higher court for reversing him in a pending case. The case is In re: Kendall, No. 11-4471 (3d Cir. April 3, 2013).
The contempt holding arises from proceedings in a murder prosecution. The case's procedural history is long, convoluted and filled with hints and allegations suggesting misrepresentations and misconduct far and wide. Of particular relevance, after some back and forth in plea negotiations between the prosecutor and the defense, the trial judge ordered the prosecutor, against the prosecutor's wishes, to follow through on an oral plea offer allowing the defendants to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a lesser charge to murder.
To this the prosecutor objected by filing an application for writ of mandamus to the Virgin Islands Supreme Court. The high court granted granted that application on grounds that the government generally may unilaterally withdraw a plea offer, as the prosecutor had done in this case, and that any exception to that general rule did not apply.
The writ of mandamus, however, turned out not to be the end to the matter. Upon return to the trial court, the prosecution and defense made a plea agreement for the defendants to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, still a lesser charge, but a more serious one than involuntary manslaughter. The trial judge, after receiving the prosecutor's proffer supporting the plea, rejected that plea bargain and memorialized that rejection in a 31-page opinion that, among other things, characterized the Supreme Court's reasoning in issuing the mandamus as "erroneous, 'improper,' having 'no rational basis,' lacking 'merit,' and 'making no sense." The judge went on to add the opinion was 'contrary to law and all notions of justice." The judge then recused himself for a number of reasons. Ultimately, one co-defendant died before trial; the other was acquitted by a jury.
Back to the story - the Virgin Island Supreme Court, after getting wind of the 31-page opinion, charged Judge Kendall with crimnial contempt, three counts. The counts were:
- Obstructing the administration of justice by issuing the 31-page opinion critical of the Justices' writ of mandamus;
- Failing to comply with the writ of mandamus by refusing to schedule the case for trial, refusing to consider a change of venue or continuance to minimize pretrial publicity, and recusing himself to avoid complying with the writ of mandamus, and
- Misbehaving in his official transactions as an officer of the court by issuing the 31-page opinion and disobeying the writ of mandamus.
The Virgin Islands Supreme Court appointed a Special Master to preside at Judge Kendall's trial. The Special Master recommended Judge Kendall be acquitted on all counts. The Virgin Islands Supreme Court, however, rejected those recommendations and found Judge Kendall guilty on all counts.
Judge Kendall's appeal to the Third Circuit followed.
The Third Circuit agreed that Judge Kendall's comments in the 31-page opinion were speech protected by the First Amendment. In fact, the Court held that because Judge Kendall's comments were "pure speech on public issues," the opinion held, "'the highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values," and is thus 'entitled to special protection.'" Such speech, the Court held, is entitled to protection from criminal punishment unless the speech, "poses a clear and present danger to the administration of justice."
Whether it is good practice for a lower court judge to be openly and caustically critical of a higher court remains an open question, perhaps, but the Third Circuit here resolves that such speech, was lacking decorum, remains First Amendment protected, except in likely rare cases where the speech "poses a clear and present danger to the administration of justice." Kendall certainly is an interesting case and a recommended read.
April 20, 2013 in Criminal Law, First Amendment, Interesting Cases, Judges | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Charleston Law Review: "Thirty Years with the Endorsement Test"
Charleston Law Review is hosting a symposium on April 15, 2013, titled "In Search of A 'Grand Unified Theory': Thirty Years with the Endorsement Test." Scheduled speakers include The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (ret.), who is slated to deliver the keynote address. For more, including a conference agenda and registration information, click here.
April 4, 2013 in Conferences, CLE, Conferences, Faculty, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Fired Principal Lacks First Amendment Claim for Unprotected Speech
March 13, 2013 in First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, October 15, 2012
Holding Graduation In Church Violates First Amendment
Doe v. Elmbrook Sch. Dist., No. 10-2922 (7th Cir. July 23, 2012) (en banc). The Seventh Circuit held that a Wisconsin school district violated students' rights under the Establishment Clause when it held graduation ceremonies for two of its high schools at a local Christian church.
After analyzing the facts under the test established in Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), and the endorsement and coercion tests, the majority concluded that the sheer religiosity of the church ran afoul of the "primary effect" prong of Lemon, in that it created a likelihood that high school students would perceive a link between church and state, conveying a message of religious endorsement. The majority stressed that its ruling was of limited scope, and should not be read as constitutionally condemning any government use of church-owned facilities, nor "as critical of the cases permitting governmental use, in the proper context, of certain church-owned facilities." The decision also contains a concurring and three dissenting opinions.
October 15, 2012 in First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Oregon federal magistrate recommends that First Amendment free speech claim based on bus driver's termination for Confederate flag display should proceed to trial
Webber v. First Student, Inc., No. 11-3032 (Aug. 2, 2012), is an interesting case. An Oregon U.S. Magistrate Judge has recommended that the district court should deny the motions for summary judgment filed by a school district and private contractor, and that a school bus driver should be allowed to proceed to trial with his Section 1983 First Amendment claim regarding his suspension and termination for refusing to remove a Confederate flag from display on his vehicle while parked at work. The magistrate stated there was a sufficient factual dispute that: (1) the bus driver's employer, a private contractor, acted under color of state law under either the "compulsion" or "joint action" test; and (2) the bus driver's free speech rights were violated under the five-part test established in Pickering v. Board of Education, 391 U.S. 563 (1968), when he was disciplined and later discharged.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
October 10, 2012 in Education Law, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Fifth Circuit Upholds Texas Open Meetings Act
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday issues a 3-0 decision upholding the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) over a First Amendment free speech challenge. The case is Asgeirsson v. Texas Attorney General, No. 11-50441 (5th Cir. Sep. 25, 2012).
TOMA provides that most government meetings be open to the public, and provides that violations are punishable by a $500 fine and up to six months in county jail. Asgeirsson and other municipal officials challenged this penalty as violating free speech. The appellate panel rejected the argument, finding the prohibitions against private meetings to be a permissible, content-neutral time, place or manner restriction. The court also rejected claims that the TOMA public meeting requirement is unconstitutionally overbroad or vague.
More at Grits For Breakfast and Dallas Morning News Investigates Blog.
September 26, 2012 in Constitutional Law, Current Events, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
2d Circuit Narrowly Construes First Amendment
Kiehle v. County of Courtland, ____F.3d____(2d Cir. July 2, 2012), Download Kiehle (2) is an important case and I am amazed that the court chose not to offically publish the decision. In this case, the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a case where a Department of Social Services social worker was--by the employer's admission--fired for truthfully testifying in family court. The court reasoned that this was part of his job even though he was not testifying at the request of his employer. In fact, his testimony was opposite of the employer's position. I understand that the attorney handling is petitioning for reargument/en banc consideration. This is just another example how Garcetti has all but gutted First Amendment protections.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
September 20, 2012 in Employment Law, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Arizona: Tattoo Artists Enjoy Free Speech Protections
In an important free speech case yesterday, the Arizona Supreme Court held that tattooing is protected free speech under the First Amendment and Arizona's state constitution. The case is Coleman v. City of Mesa, No. CV-11-0351 (September 7, 2012).
Plaintiffs in the case sued the City after being denied a permit to open a tattoo parlor. The city's controlling ordinance effectively bans certain specified uses, including tattoo parlors, unless the city council grants a permit for the use. The Supreme Court, after finding tattooing to be constitutionally protected expression, held the city's permitting scheme vested unbridled discretion in city officials and failed the First Amendment's time, place and manner test. The Court reversed the trial court's dismissal for failure to state a claim and returned the case to that court for further proceedings.
The Arizona Court considered three approaches to the issue: (1) tattooing is purely expressive activity fully protected by the First Amendment; (2) tattooing is non-expressive activity not First Amendment protected; and (3) categorization on a case-by-case basis. Notably, the Court cited a student comment, Ryan J. Walsh, Comment, Painting on a Canvass of Skin: Tattooing and the First Amendment, 78 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1063 (2011), for the third approach.
September 8, 2012 in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Interesting Cases, Law Students, Recent Developments | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Madonna Faces Public Insult Lawsuit in France
From The Guardian (links added):
A recent concert in Paris has proven to have fallout for Madonna who is expected to be sued by France's Front National party for screening a video with an image of right wing politician Marine Le Pen with a swastika superimposed on her face.
The public insult cause of action in France made news recently when a French court convicted a government minister of the offense in May, fining him five euros for referring to ferry operators as crooks.
Le Pen had warned Madonna against using the image in France prior to the show, so Madonna likely made a calculated risk at her show in Paris last Saturday when she defied the warning. The story, however, is another reminder that rights Americans take for granted, like the right to free speech, generally extend only as far as our borders.
July 17, 2012 in Current Affairs, First Amendment, Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
6th Issues Interesting 1983 Case On Qualified Immunity
Baar v. Jefferson Cnty. Bd. of Educ., _____F.3d____ (6th Cir. Mar. 7, 2012), is an interesting case. The Sixth Circuit held that school officials who prohibited a teacher from attending meetings of a local club were entitled to qualified immunity from his suit alleging that their actions violated his First Amendment rights. The panel concluded that even though the prohibition imposed on the teacher violated his First Amendment rights, those rights were not clearly established at the time school officials decided to impose the ban.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
May 20, 2012 in First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
5th Circuit again determines school board members not entitled to immunity from employee retaliation claim
Juarez v. Anguilar, ____F.3d____ (5th Cir. December 22, 2011), is an interesting case. The school board members, all named defendants in a retaliation suit brought by the school district's former chief financial officer (CFO), argue that the district court should have granted them summary judgment, as they are entitled to qualified immunity.
As it had determined in the previous decision in September 2011, the panel ruled that precedent from the Fifth Circuit as well as the Supreme Court clearly indicate that a school board's informal actions can result in liability. This precedent was sufficient to provide the board members with fair notice that even an informal decision to retaliate against the former CFO would violate his First Amendment rights. Accordingly, found the panel, the district court did not err when it denied summary judgment on the board members; qualified immunity defense.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
April 14, 2012 in First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Federal district court grants preliminary injunction ordering Missouri district to halt Internet-filter system blocking websites with positive LGBT messages
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. v. Camdenton R-III Sch. Dist., ___F. Supp.2d___(W.D. Mo. Feb. 15, 2012), is an interesting case First Amendment case. A federal lower court in Missouri granted a preliminary injunction to a group of organizations whose websites provide resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Specifically, the court ordered that the school district disable its internet-filter system that blocked the groups' websites. The court concluded that the current internet filtering system constitutes viewpoint discrimination.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
February 25, 2012 in Discrimination Law, Education Law, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
9th holds that School Did Not Violate Teacher's Rights By Ordering Removal Of Classroom Religious Banners
Johnson v. Poway Unified Sch. Dist., No. 10-55445 (9th Cir. Sept. 13, 2011), is an interesting case. The 9th Circuit held that a California school district did not violate a high school teacher's free speech or equal protection rights when the school's principal ordered the teacher to remove banners displayed in his classroom that contained religious references. In regard to the free speech claim, it concluded that the lower court had erred by applying forum analysis. The panel found that the speech issue should be analyzed in accordance with the multi-prong test established by Pickering v. Bd. of Educ. of Twp. High Sch. Dist. 205, 391 U.S. 563 (1968) and its progeny.
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
December 1, 2011 in Education Law, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Missouri court issues preliminary injunction barring state from enforcing new teacher social networking law
Missouri State Teachers Ass'n v. State of Missouri, No. 11AC-C00553 (Cir. Ct. Mo. Aug. 24, 2010) is a very interesting state court decision out of Missouri. A Cole County Circuit Court has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the State of Missouri from enforcing that portion of § 162.069.4 RSMo., which states: "No teacher shall establish, maintain, or use a non-work-related internet site which allows exclusive access with a current or former student." Finding that the breadth of the law's coverage is "staggering" and that social networking is utilized extensively by educators, the court concluded that the law would have a chilling effect on speech. It also concluded, given the fundamental right implicated, that the "chilling effect" would be sufficiently immediate and irreparable to support the injunction.
This would have been an important decision to watch. Frankly, I am surprised it has not attracted more media attention. However, the matter has been resolved by the legislature. (See above post).
Mitchell H. Rubinstein
October 30, 2011 in Education Law, First Amendment | Permalink | Comments (0)


text:
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in
the sky
It means the rain has gone away
And now the sun has come
I go and play, laughing
Under the sun's golden ray's
I skip and run around the earth
Until I reach a big pit
And suddenly, in soggy ground, I see
A full rainbow as it truly be
The colors go round and round
A full circle, half above and half below
this forsaken hole.
What a pretty sight!
A full rainbow just before the break of night.
© Copyright 2017 veltzshmertz. All rights reserved.
Status: Finished
Genre: Children Stories
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text:
Colo. Gun Law Going Before Federal Appeals Court
It article seems to indicate that's what the suit is about, however the conversation following it makes me wonder.
This is a discussion on Suing a state that does not issue you a permit within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Has anyone ever heard of an individual suing a state that refused them a permit or license to carry a concealed weapon? I am in ...
Has anyone ever heard of an individual suing a state that refused them a permit or license to carry a concealed weapon?
I am in the process (thinking about) applying for permit in my surrounding states. From Connecticut those would be MA, RI, NY/NYC. MA and NY should be a problem to obtain but NYC and RI are need based.
I was wondering if they deny me and I still visit that city or state would there be grounds for me (or anyone) to sue them if anything were to happen in which could have possibly be averted by me having a weapon.
Does anyone want to speculate? Or does anyone have any knowledge of similar events?
Colo. Gun Law Going Before Federal Appeals Court
It article seems to indicate that's what the suit is about, however the conversation following it makes me wonder.
You can sue anybody for anything but will you win ? I think the first problem that you would have is residency in the state that you where going to sue. You could apply and get turned down for NYC carry but they would issue you a resident permit. Pay the fees and wait the 6 months and barring any felonies or drug convections you would get approved.
You do not know, what you do not know, until you realize that you do not know it
Here is data on the case Peruta vs. County of San Diego (California).
Peruta v. County of San Diego - Calguns Foundation Wiki
And here is a description of the case:Peruta v. County of San Diego is a Second Amendment case challenging the concealed carry license issuing policies in San Diego County. This case was started when Ed Peruta applied for his conceal carry license and was subsequently denied. He wished to carry for defense of self and family.
Ed then started the internal appeals process with the license division for the sheriffs office. He painstakingly exhausted all administrative options for appealing the denial of his concealed carry license. After which Ed hired an attorney and filed a civil rights case in federal court. Both the County of San Diego, and Sheriff Gore himself are defendants in this case. The lawsuit was later amended and added several other plaintiffs including the CRPA Foundation which helped strengthen the case for the general public.
This case was lost in U.S. District Court on December 12, 2010. On December 14, 2010 and a Notice to Appeal has been electronically filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th circuit.
Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty's Teeth." - George Washington
Victory For The Constitution in Maryland
We just received word that the United States District Court for the District of Maryland has granted a motion for summary judgement for plaintiff Ray Woollard in the Woollard v. Sheridan case that challenged the good and substantial requirement for issuance of a permit to carry a handgun.
A copy of the opinion can be found here.
Here are some important excerpts from the opinion:
"Because the ―good and substantial reason requirement is not reasonably adapted to a substantial government interest, the Court finds this portion of the Maryland law to be unconstitutional. Woollard is entitled to summary judgment. "
"A law that burdens the exercise of an enumerated constitutional right by simply making that right more difficult to exercise cannot be considered ―reasonably adapted‖ to a government interest, no matter how substantial that interest may be. Maryland's goal of ―minimizing the proliferation of handguns among those who do not have a demonstrated need for them,‖ id. at 40, is not a permissible method of preventing crime or ensuring public safety; it burdens the right too broadly. "
"At bottom, this case rests on a simple proposition: If the Government wishes to burden a right guaranteed by the Constitution, it may do so provided that it can show a satisfactory justification and a sufficiently adapted method. The showing, however, is always the Government's to make. A citizen may not be required to offer a good and substantial reason why he should be permitted to exercise his rights. The right's existence is all the reason he needs."
You can sue, but a snowball in you know where probably stands a better chance.
Freedom doesn't come free. It is bought and paid for by the lives and blood of our men and women in uniform.
USAF Retired
NRA Life Member
Interesting post Bikerdan. Thanks.
I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding the situation in post 1, or I should say the intention desire and intention
expressed in post 1.
Moreover, and worse, there are some complexities about whether someone in state B can sue State A or a resident of State A can sue State A.
The 11th amendment and sovereign immunity both come into play in ways that are beyond the comprehension
of mere mortal non-constitutional law specialists. Our Supremes just issued a ruling (a few days back)
on a non-gun case that made no sense to me as a matter of fundamental fairness, or even as a matter of
plain reading of the text; but there it was and the citizen-plaintiff lost and was refused his ability (I guess I can't use
the word right) to sue because he lacked the right to sue on constitutional grounds. (That's the best I could
comprehend of what occurred from the newsy story... which means I might actually have no idea what really
The take home lesson would be that if you want to sue you need to make sure you pick a lawyer who will familiarize
himself with the 11th amendment issues and the sovereign immunity issue.
If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and determined by the sword.
Andrew Jackson
I wonder if someone could go after some of these states under US Title 42 section 1983? It basically allows for civil action against anyone who causes a deprivation of rights we are entitled to under the Constitution. Might be worth a look.
Rather than listening to a bunch of arm-chair internet law gurus, I would pay for a consultation with a lawyer that specializes in 2nd amendment cases in the state you want to pursue.
Frankly, without the ability to represent you in court, our word is worthless in this matter.
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
- Roy Batty


text:
Orange-Glazed Carrots or Sweet Potatoes
Quick look
- prep 15 min cook 30 min
- serves 8
Skip the coriander and switch the mint to parsley or dill for a more traditional taste.
- 2 pounds carrots or sweet potatoes, peeled
- 1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1
If using carrots, halve lengthwise and cut into 2-inch lengths. If using sweet potatoes, cut into eighths lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch lengths.
- 2
Combine carrots or sweet potatoes, orange juice concentrate, ground coriander, and salt in a large skillet. Add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 15 minutes.
- 3
Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
- 4
Add oil and cook, swirling pan, until vegetables are glossy and sauce is creamy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in mint.
How to make it 45 minutes
Nutritional Information(per serving)
- Calories: 105
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Cholesterol: 4g
- Sodium: 362mg
- Carbs: 22g
- Protein: 2g
- Fiber: 4g
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text:
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There are serious challenges to overcome in order to achieve smart manufacturing. Some of the challenges include economic instability, changing workforce, the need for greater than incremental increases in productivity, pressures to minimize environmental impacts and an increased focus on safety and risks of accident.
Manufacturing ought to be safe, because working safely is more profitable and more economical. Manufacturing ought to be smart. The data that is being continuously generated by smart machines and transmitters must be translated into actionable information. Manufacturing ought to be responsible. Manufacturing ought to be sustainable. Energy and waste reduction savings go straight to the bottom line.
So what is smart manufacturing, and how do we get there? Download this presentation and find out how Walt Boyes defines smart manufacturing and what suggestions he gives to get there.06/24/2010
Transient Surges and Surge Suppressor Technologies: Comparing Apples to Oranges
The suppressor to protect a specific point upon an electrical distribution system must be selected accordingly to its physical location.
The sole function of a quality surge suppressor is to protect sensitive electronic equipment from transient overvoltages that are present on AC power circuits. It is irrelevant whether these overvoltages are generated by lightning activity or are induced upon the AC power lines by utility grid switching, power factor correction actions, power cycling of inductive loads, or from other sources. A quality surge suppressor must limit transient overvoltages to values that do not surpass the AC sine wave peak by more than 30% as it initially absorbs intense amounts of transient energy. The suppressor must immediately respond to transients before they reach their uppermost voltage values. Suppressor performance should not deviate or degrade with use when called upon to divert extreme levels of transient current.01/07/2008
Internet Access in a Process Control Environment
Industrial automation is no longer limited by the walls of a production facility. More and more automation is being handled via remote communication, whether it's from the office or from the comfort of your own home. Today's PLCs give you the ability to access your control system to handle such tasks as monitoring via a website to determine the condition of a machine or check other statistics. With the latest PLC technology, almost anything that can be accomplished next to the machine can be accomplished wherever there is an Internet connection.01/07/2008
Industrial Ethernet more than just another fieldbus system
This whitepaper talks about how today Ethernet-based fieldbus systems perform basic task and so much more.
As Ethernet continues to gain momentum in the industrial automation market, it's changing the way control engineers utilize their fieldbus systems. In the past, fieldbus networks were considered one-dimensional - they performed one task and did it very well - transferring process data between networked devices in a fast and deterministic manner. Usually these devices were on a local segment, isolated from higher-level networks. Nowadays, Ethernet-based fieldbus systems perform this basic task and so much more. With industrial protocols like Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP, and PROFInet process data is sent over standard, off-the-shelf Ethernet hardware. No longer are users forced to buy proprietary fieldbus components from a handful of vendors.01/07/2008
Removable Storage Media Add Flexibility to Modern Day PLCs
Why cant my PLC interface easily to off-the-shelf devices?01/07/2008
Things Go Better with S88: A New Approach to the Engineering Process
Investments in process control systems will claim a large percentage of capital investments in modern manufacturing facilities. In order to maximize return on these investments, automation concepts must be developed at the early stages of the project and detailed in parallel with the process, equipment, and facility components as the engineering work progresses. However, it is difficult to illustrate control strategies for complex batch operations on PFDs and P&IDs, therefore the control system Functional Specification must come to life early and be used more effectively as a living document which is developed together with the process design. This paper presents a case study on the application of S88.01 in the design of a multi-product biotech manufacturing facility, where flexibility, modularity, and CGMP compliance were major objectives. It shows how the models presented in the standard can be applied to develop automation concepts, which are defined in a Functional Specification that supports effective review and input by all members of the project team. This approach ensures that the automation strategy meets the project objectives, and that important concepts are not lost or mistranslated in the transition from concept through detailed design and final implementation.08/26/2008
Radioactive Isotopes in Process Measurement
An Objective Look at the Roles of Cesium-137 and Cobalt-60 in Nuclear Measurement Systems for Industrial Processes
Level and density measurements in process control are performed by a number of technologies. When the process temperature, pressure, or chemistry is an issue, then nuclear measurement systems have the advantage. These are non-invasive to the vessel and unaffected by the process pressures and chemistries.
Overall, a nuclear measurement system used for process control consists of a gamma energy emitter and detector. An emitter is placed on one side of a vessel to broadcast a beam of energy to the opposite side of the vessel. The detector is placed in the beam on the opposite side of the vessel. The detector will scintillate in the presence of gamma energy and register counts proportional to the field strength. When the process value (level or specific gravity) is low, the detector will register a high number of counts since less gamma energy is blocked by the process material. When the process value is high, more of the gamma energy is blocked which leads to fewer counts.
The two most common gamma emitters used for level and density process measurements are isotopes of cobalt and cesium. The goal of this article is an objective comparison of the roles of cesium-137 and cobalt-60 in process measurement. This will be accomplished by reviewing the properties of the two materials and then comparing the use of the materials in process measurement.11/05/2012
North American markets for industrial electronic monitors, operater interface terminals, and software
This recently completed study provides research findings on North American markets for industrial electronic monitors, operator interface terminals and related application software. The findings are contained in two report volumes, one on the electronic monitors and operator interface terminals, and the second on the application software.08/22/2006
Batch Modeling in Pharma Industry: The Role of the Engineering Company
The S88.01 rule is today a well accepted standard all over the world: all qualified engineers involved in the design of a batch control system are getting familiar with the terminology and models therein described. The focus is now on the implementation. As a matter of fact, the S88.01 standard is not a prescriptive guideline. This means that engineers must define, for each project, which documents are to be produced, by whom and with which formalisms.06/23/2008
The pros and cons of alarm management projects
Although a lot of alarm management projects start and fail due to poor understanding of the scope of the probelm, lack of resources or money, loss of momentum, and no identifiable return on investment, the real key to success is to establish responsibility.05/10/2005
Control systems cyber security awareness
This White Paper is the first installment in a series intended to provide relevant cyber security information to the control systems community. It raises cyber security awareness through discussion of control system cyber security trends and provides information on Homeland Security and federal partner programs designed to enhance the cyber security posture of control systems within critical infrastructures.07/10/2006
Suppressing nuisance alarms
This White Paper outlines the requirements for an alarm management system, provides a detailed description of the intelligent alarm management system, and offers results and conclusions for the improvement in nuisance alarm suppression.12/15/2005
The Characteristics of PID controllers
This tutorial presented by the University of Michigan's School of Engineering will show you the characteristics of proportional (P), integral (I), and derivative (D) controls, and how to use them to obtain a desired response.12/07/2005
Unraveling the complexities of level detection
Sensing options enable users to choose the sensor most appropriate per application. However, making this choice is not often easy. This paper helps unravel the complexities and differences between sensor types and applications in which they are used.05/23/2006
Types of Pressure: When and Why Are They Used
Without measurement there is no control. As with any type of measurement, results need to be expressed in a defined and clear way to allow everyone to interpret and apply those results correctly. Accurate measurements and good measurement practices are essential in industrial automation and process environments, as they have a direct effect on the success of the desired outcome. Pressure, the measure of a force on a specified area, is a straightforward concept, however, depending on the application, there are many different ways of interpreting the force measurement. This white paper will identify the various units of pressure measurement, while discussing when and why certain pressure measurements are used in specific applications.07/10/2013
Choosing the Optimal Pressure Sensor
This white paper identifies different types pressure measurement devices and discusses when and why certain types are used in specific applications.08/21/2014
Tray Cables, a Practical Introduction
The purpose of this article is to improve the understanding of tray cables by defining them, describing the five different types of tray cables and providing accepted uses and standards, including environmental considerations, for each of those types.09/24/2014
Batch Manufacturing in the Biopharmaceutical Environment
The operations and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals is a complex process combining the capabilities of multiple systems that extend the boundaries of batch processing. The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) receives information from the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and creates the necessary production orders, maintains material tracking/genealogy and coordinates key manual activities. The automated batch control system sequences the phases, controls the devices and captures the necessary history. These systems come together in the operation of Biopharmaceutical production plants, which require a very specific architecture that leverages standard batch products that are tightly integrated with MES capabilities. This is driven by the upstream and downstream processing specifications of such plants, the detailed compliance requirements and the benefits achieved in maximizing automated functionality. This paper explores the unique requirements of batch manufacturing in the biopharmaceutical environment.06/23/2008
Top Five Missed Opportunities with HMI Alarms and Events
With any new tech device, whether a cell phone or plant-floor controller, there is inevitably a helpful feature or two you overlooked while reading the manual or taking the introductory tutorial. Although these technological devices still perform their desired, basic functions - discovering an underutilized feature makes you wonder how you ever operated the device without it.
Interacting with alarms is one of the basic functions your operators expect from their human-machine interface (HMI) software. However, if you're only using the standard alarming functions, you may be missing out on lesser-known features that could help you save time, ease troubleshooting and reduce headaches. The five FactoryTalk Alarms and Events functions listed below are often overlooked and underutilized. See where they fit and if you can find some hidden tools in your plant-floor applications.08/29/2012
Emerging Trends In The Petrochemical Industry
Changing market conditions are forcing batch-manufacturing facilities to modify the way they conduct business. The demand for software and hardware vendors to provide a higher level of batch automation is increasing. This demand is being fueled by a shortage of knowledge-workers coupled with the demand for flexible manufacturing environments. Industry standards for software and batch-control are emerging rapidly. These standards are helping to improve the interconnectivity of many products. E-commerce will be the area for growth during this decade. Many companies are already buying and selling products through business-to-business portals on the Internet. The ability for a company to respond to ever changing manufacturing demands will determine their success or failure in the future. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these business trends along with the impact of new standards on the batch industry. The paper describes several examples of companies that have been able to leverage infrastructure investments while successfully applying these emerging standards.08/26/2008


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Vince Camuto
Stripe Blazer
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Crisp nautical stripes pattern a notch-collar blazer in a short, fitted silhouette tailored from a supple knit.
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Alma College offers over 50 academic programs including a wide selection of majors, minors and several pre-professional courses of study. The Alma Commitment guarantees that you can complete a standard 136-credit major in four years or we will cover your tuition for an extra term in the fifth year.
We educate for careers and for life.
With small classes and a 12-1 student to teacher ratio, Alma College provides guidance and focus that prepares students not just for a career, but for life.
What you learn in the classroom truly comes to life through experiential learning, including internships, study abroad, research fellowships and many other options. We are so committed to this concept that we promise every student up to $2,500 to support an experiential learning opportunity, funded through the Venture Grant program or other college-sponsored grant programs. What amazing experience will you pursue?
You'll move on to greater things, too. Ninety percent of all Alma College graduates report working in full-time positions or attending graduate school within six months of graduation.
Long-time faculty members Julie Arnold, Joseph Beckmann, Myles McNally and William Palmer are awarded emeritus status.
Repealing Obamacare may not be as easy as the Republicans suggest, and replacing it has many risks and uncertainties, says Alma College Professor Tom Ealey.
Anthony Collamati's short film, 'Break My Bones,' produced with a crew that included Alma College students and alumni, has been screened at several notable film festivals.
Alma students analyze drinking water for lead, test streams and rivers for unhealthy nutrients, and illustrate their data with GIS software. Gratiot County is their "lab" for real-world learning.
"Community awareness of water issues is high at this time, and our students are participating in research that is addressing a contemporary issue." — Tim Keeton
What are you interested in?
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Ongoing Programs
Library Book and Media Sale
Looking for great deals on used books, movies and other media? Want to help support the library and its programs? Check out our monthly book and media sale near the library foyer. Proceeds from the sale support Orem Public Library by helping to fund library projects and programs. Great bargains starting at 50 cents. Magazines and empty DVD and CD cases sell for 10 cents each.
Look for great finds and support the Library! Thanks for your support!
Shelves Restocked: February 1
New Items Out: February 1-10
Regular Prices: February 1-18
½ Price: February 21-24
$1/bag: February 25-27
Free: February 28
Shelves Restocked: March 1
Storytime & Laptime at the Orem Library
Laptime: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10:00am in Liger's Den. A 20 minute program for babies, toddlers & their caregivers with songs, fingerplays & short stories to introduce our youngest patrons to the world of words.
Storytime: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10:30am in the Storytelling Wing. A 30 minute program for preschoolers & young school age children with stories, puppets & activities to engage youngsters & highlight the joys of books & storytelling.
Open Chess
Want to stretch your mind and improve your mad game skills? Come to the Main Library on any Thursday for your chance! Bring your own board if possible, and meet from 6:00 - 9:00 pm in the Book Discussion room in the South Wing.
Shared Reading
We don't just do summer reading programs here. Our Shared Reading program is designed to help your child keep up the good reading all year-round. The simple program encourages you and your child to become reading partners, as together you set reading goals and talk about what you read. You can create your own reward system for meeting your goals, but the library, through generous donations from local businesses, also provides several prizes for your child to choose from once a month. Sign up at the Children's Reference Desk.
Children's and Teen Summer Reading Programs and Rewards
Each year, starting in early June, you can sign up for Summer Reading at the Orem Library! Kids and teens can earn weekly rewards such as coupons to local restaurants, arcades and museums when they set and meet reading goals. Come to the library often throughout June and July to attend a variety of free programs for kids and teens, including storytimes, games, art workshops and other events.
Film Screenings
Catch regular screenings of Hollywood classics, blockbuster hits, and the finest of cinema from around the world each week, Monday and Friday evenings at 6:30 PM in the Media Auditorium.
Tutoring and Homework Help
CoderDojo: Weekly Coding Club for Kids
Wednesdays, 4:00–6:00pm, Storytelling Wing. Are you a coding ninja? Would you like to become one? Join us Wednesday afternoons to meet other computer coders and mentors, learn new languages, and work on your own projects such as games and mods. Kids 8 and up are invited, as well as teens and parents. All levels and abilities are welcome. Bring your own computer if possible.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
The concept is simple, read a book (any book) to your child - infant, toddler or preschooler - until you have read 1,000 books together. You might ask, "What? 1,000 books? That's so many. How can we do it?" If you read one bedtime story a night for three years, you will have read over 1,000 books. If you read four books each day, you will have read over 1,000 books in one year. Reading 1,000 books will help your child develop a larger vocabulary, increase language skills, and strengthen parent to child bonding. You can do this! The library is here to assist you. We have booklists available at the library, and our staff love to give book recommendations.
How does the program work?
1. Come to the Orem Public Library's Children's desk.
2. Pick up your first 100 books log.
3. Check off each book you read (re-reading counts!)
4. Check off every book read to your child—include books from daycare, preschool, or storytime
5. Finish the first 100 books, come in and pick up the log for the next 100 books.
6. Repeat.


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The 50PX990's endorsements don't end with THX, either. For it also sports a couple of preset picture slots designed for use by the Imaging Science Foundation - a result of the ISF having been satisfied that the 50PX990 has sufficient calibration tools to be professionally adjusted by one of its engineers.
Among these tools are a pretty full colour management system and a series of gamma controls, all of which can yield definite improvements to the TV's picture quality.
Other potentially important tools in the 50PX990's arsenal include '600Hz' sub-field drive technology for reducing judder, and the inclusion within the plasma panel of one of LG's TruBlack filters. These filters distinguish LG's flagship plasmas from models one step down the range, and are designed to reduce ambient reflections and boost contrast.
There are two more things to note about the 50PX990 before we start checking out its pictures, one good, one bad. The good thing is how superbly easy to use it is, thanks to a superbly presented and well-organised onscreen menu system. The bad news is that LG's NetCast online system continues to severely underwhelm, with mere YouTube, Picasa and AccuWeather support. Hopefully LG will deliver on its promises of a much-improved online platform for 2011.
Kicking off our assessment of the 50PK990's picture quality with those THX-endorsed 3D images, we immediately scanned our 3D sources for evidence of crosstalk noise. And two things become quickly apparent.
First, the 50PK990 suffers markedly less with crosstalk than any of LG's other, non-plasma 3D TVs bar the non-HD, passive 3D model, the 47LD950. It also suffers less with crosstalk than LCD TVs from other brands. This immediately makes its 3D images look more credible and more detailed. Even better, it means you can watch 3D for long enough stretches to actually enjoy a 3D film from start to finish without a break/Nurofen. Handy.
However, before you get too carried away, it's also clear that the 50PX990's 3D pictures aren't as completely crosstalk-free as those of Panasonic's 3D plasma sets - a fact which is enough in itself to justify the higher price of Panasonic's 3D sets.
The 50PX990 is more of an unqualified success with the brightness and colour of its 3D pictures. In both these respects it actually outperforms the Panasonic 3D class leaders. The extra brightness in the LG's 3D pictures means, too, that there's a bit more shadow detail in dark scenes than you get with the Panasonic sets.
The 50PX990's 3D pictures are similar in terms of crosstalk levels to Samsung's recently reviewed PS50C6900, but the LG feels slightly richer than that model when it comes to black level response.
It's now become pretty much de rigueur to include 2D to 3D conversion processing on 3D TVs (unless you're Philips). Personally we're not fans of these systems, since no matter how well they work, they're no match for a true '3D from source' experience. But if you really do fancy watching EastEnders in slightly odd 3D, then the LG converter does as solid a job as most systems.
All in all, while not perfect, the 50PX990's 3D pictures can be classed as very good indeed for such an affordable 3D set.
This TV has quite a few more programs in the NetCast menu. You just need to upgrade the firmware. It is automatic if the TV is on the net.
Why is it that "2D Picture Quality" are often lower than 3D?
Why oh why do manufactures consistently produce tvs with high scores for picture quality but with sound quality scores just above average? Is the sound technology soooo difficult to master? In this day an age it should easily be 9/10 scores.
Good price point given the scores. 50inch 3D tv is equivalent to 40inch tv - in my humble opinion. So well done to LG.
Well done on quoting input lag figures, guys. In my admittedly limited gaming experience, you may be understating the problem at 60ms and IMHO, ideally you don't really wanna go past 40ms for any FPS, but especially for a music game. I assume that was with a gaming mode turned on which is pretty bad, so how much worse was it with it left off, and all the processing bells and whistles slowing it down?
How come this TV is the only one accredited with THX cerification where one of the criteria is the crosstalk issue and at the same time you find that the issue of crosstalk of other uncertified products is much less than this TV.
Are there different standards for different reviewers?
wohoo input lag figures ! I bought my Samsung 120hz 2233 because of low input lag. Nearly 40 and still doing well on twitch gaming - kept my old Sony CRT Trinitron exclusively for that reason alone
Furthermore, why even bother with two puny speakers for 46inch and larger tvs?
"Traditional stereo speakers setups have one shortcoming above all others: to hear the left and right channels in the correct balance you have to sit in a rather particular position, or sweet spot. Stray too far left or right and the spatiality is lost. Not so with the Orbitsound T12 v2 Soundbar; using a nifty technology it dubs 'spatial stereo' the Orbitsound T12 v2 radiates stereo sound the full stereo effect of which is experienced no matter where you place yourself in relation to it." from here http://www.trustedreviews.com/...
Why not leave out the speakers and start supplying as standard a sound bar instead? This is the 21st century! It's even more imperative with 3D tvs.
I bet a decent sound bar doesn't cost any more or much more than the standard stereo speakers.
@Enigma: I know what you mean, but I can't see it ever happening en mass, for several reasons.
Primarily, cost. With soundbars retailing for £150-300, I can't see how that would be comparable to a couple of small in-built TV which are surely included for £20.
The counter argument is that these are "premium" models so you could absorb the extra cost of the soundbar. Fair point, but sadly one of the modern marketing-led sales point is "slimness" and having a 50" hanging unobtrusively on the wall above the fireplace is the appeal for some. Having an external soundbar adds bulk and additional cabling.
I'm sure enthusiasts would love a super-slim bezel by ditching the on-board speakers that all of us never use because we run beefy 7.1 Onkyo receivers but I can also see that some people would say "I'm spending £1,000 on a flatscreen - what's all this other crap? I don't want this mess - why can't they just build it in?"
Tell you what - I'll see if I can get some official comments from manufacturers on this very topic in a couple of weeks when we're at CES reporting on all the 2011 models :)
I quite like Enigma's suggestion about manufacturers essentially offering a TV/soundbar bundle, but it's still very depressing to me that the consensus seems to be for TVs to just give up on the sound component of the experience. I've commented here many times before that televisions should be delivering on the promise of one complete aural-visual experience given how much of that experience is down to sound, in everything we consume - drama, gaming, even the rapturous cheering during the footy. Just turning TVs into over-sized computer monitors, and telling us to sod off and sort the audio side our properly ourselves, sort of breaks the contract with the consumer (or at least this consumer).
Having said that, the tide doesn't seem to be turning, what with the gimmicks of thinness and 3D ruling the roost, so I'd very much like for you to get round to reviewing that Yamaha virtual 7.1 TV stand solution, featured in your news items not that long ago. Seems to perfectly deal with the dreaded mess you refer to, and while it'll never rival an actual speaker and sub setup, I have high hopes for it's sound quality given Yamaha's pedigree.
@Geoff - Thanks for you comments.
The thing is if the retail price of a bar is £150-300 then I bet the factory-gate price is about £20-50!!!
It would be interesting to ask what the factory price of the 46-52inch 3D tvs.
""slimness" and having a 50" hanging unobtrusively on the wall above the fireplace is the appeal for some. Having an external soundbar adds bulk and additional cabling."
Anyone buying a large tv is most likely to ALSO want a sound system. In any case what about wireless soundbars?
I look forward to your reports.
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Can't believe I forgot to post this! I'm sure most of you remember her from my snapchat This was the look we did for one of her pre-wedding functions. Loved the Princess Jasmine inspired hair and her softer less complicated makeup. We saved most of the drama for the actual wedding ❤❤❤ I also posted videos and photos of her wedding and reception looks over the past several weeks, just scroll down my page to find them. Hair & Makeup and Dupatta Setting by me @dressyourface #dressyourface