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"The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have sav'd my life." – Falstaff in the Henry IV, William Shakespeare.
It is not often that we get placed in situations in Scouting that call for serious decisions to be made, decisions that may be the difference between fun and adventure and getting someone hurt.
Rule #1. Have fun
Rule #2. Be Safe
Beyond that it comes down the Scout Oath and Law.. that is all the rules we have in our Troop. Before every outing we go through, albeit not a formal process of assessing risk. Typically there are measures that can put in place to reduce risk or minimize those risks so the outing is fun, meaningful, and achieves its goals.
It is not often, in fact in 10 years we have reacted to risk by moving locations, changing the dates, or changing the focus of our activity to meet the assessed risk, maintain the learning objectives, and achieve the desired outcomes of our Troops outings.
Today, for the first time in 10 years the risk could not be mitigated and the better part of valor was to walk away, literally hike out and call it a day.
This weekend was out monthly camp out. The plan was to camp up in the Zig Zag canyon on Mt. Hood. A great trek in that we have done in the past. For a month now, we have trained for the outing. Learning cold weather skills, first aid, and how to use the gear that would need up on the mountain in January. The Scouts learned the signs and symptoms of cold weather injuries and how to prevent them. They learned tips to use ordinary camping gear for winter such as adding guy lines to a 3 season tent that will add to the strength of tent, keep it dry, and equip it for harsh conditions.
So we practiced and shook the Scouts down nit-picking at gear choices, uses, and what they thought would be acceptable versus what we know to be worth taking on a mountain trip in January.
The Troop was ready.
Change #1. Location. Due to the lack of snow, we determined that it would not be possible to go into Zig Zag canyon. Getting in would be fine, getting out would be another story. With the lack of snow we would not be able to hike out on the rock in the conditions that currently are hitting the mountain. So we moved the location to another camp area familiar to the troop on the slope of Mt. Hood. It would afford us the ability to achieve our goals and get good practical experience in winter camping for the Scouts. We decided to hike into Devils Half Acre. A camp area on the Historic Barlow trail. It has a good snow park, good trail, and plenty of camping area.
This morning we departed our meeting hall. In the early morning hours we began our adventure. A light rain was falling and the forecast was calling for heavy rain in the valley, rain on the mountain with heavier rains coming over night as well dropping temperatures. It's all good, we are prepared.
We arrived at the snow park to a light rain and moderately cool temperatures. The thermometer was hovering around 38 degrees.
As we hiked into the camp area, a steady drizzle accompanied us. We got camp set up, dinning flys, and water boiling for hot chocolate. Everything was going well. A little wet, but we have camped in the rain before.
The Troop ventured off on a hike stopping along the way to practice skills and learn about ways to make winter camping enjoyable.
While we hiked the rain increased. We arrived back at camp and checked the gear and started the process of getting lunch prepared.
I did a walk around camp with the Troop Leadership Corps. I wanted them to develop the critical eye on what right looks like. We discovered that many of the Scouts while setting up took some costly short cuts. In their haste to get set up and under the protection of a tarp, they neglected to think about their current location, situation, and consequence. They did not use the extra guy lines as we trained, they picked locations that we not optimal for the rainy weather and as a result we had wet tents.. on the inside. That also meant that we had several wet sleeping bags.
Not catastrophic at that point.. but then we started to put fixes in place. We reached a point were we knew that for some of the sleeping bags there was no way we could get them dry.
We began to reevaluate our risk and assess what our plans were going to be in the event that the temperatures dropped and the rain did not let up. Hypothermia kept creeping into the conversation. Pack and hike now or pack and hike in the middle of the night It really came down to our willingness to accept risk or not.
We decided the better part of valor was discretion. Ensure that learning objectives happened, find the teachable moment, and live to have fun another day.
We gathered the Scouts around and demonstrated what we were seeing versus what we expected. We talked about the desired outcomes of all the training and preparation and how we may have failed in the execution. Then we packed up and hiked out.
First. We talked about leadership. All of the issues we discovered came down to leadership.
Second. We reinforced our leadership principles and how they applied in this and most situations.
We focused on the first three. Become a Life Long learner, Learn to lead yourself, and Model Expected Behavior.
Learning and retaining things that make you better. Practicing what you learned so you can test and reevaluate what you have learned. Leading yourself so as to be that person that others are willing to follow. And of course, modeling the behavior that you want to see from those you lead. If you maintain those three principles in what you do.. you will not only effectively lead, but will have a great time doing it.
After those lessons were, pardon the pun, soaked in, we packed up ensuring it was done right and departed.
Even though it was a short outing relative to our normal camp outs, it became one that will live in the memories of our Scouts as a learning event. Everyone learned something today, and that made this "Camp out" a success.
Looking back now just hours from the event, I see great value in taking some risk. I also see a lot of value in evaluating and reevaluation of that risk. It is through that process that we learn and discover. It opens up opportunity to teach and reinforce key leadership and camping skills.
I don't want to have to do this often, but when we have to.. we know we will do what is right. The better part of valor is discretion. And live to camp another day.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
It is always a great idea to take time a do some reflection. I do not want to get to deep here, but reflection is a big part of learning and getting better.
We do reflections after Scouting activities, games, events, and circumstances that put us in a position in which decisions are made and out comes may be different.
Sunday I had the pleasure of presenting a class at the current Wood Badge Course. When I walked in I was greeted by my Wood Badge friends and of course we all shared a laugh and a story or two.
Before I left, my good friend Steve handed me a piece of paper. On it was a couple reflections that they used the previous night after the "Game of Life" was played. Now for those of you that have been to Wood Badge, you know what I am talking about, for those of you that have not yet gone… well I will not spoil it for you other than to maybe give you a nice thought to remember as you go through your daily "Game of Life".
It is from an anonymous source so I have no idea where it originated, but it works.
In life we do things. Some we wish we had never done. Some we wish we could replay a million times over in our heads, but they all make us who we are, and in the end they shape every detail about us. If we were to reverse any of them we wouldn't be the person we are. So just live, make mistakes, have wonderful memories, but never ever second guess who you are or where you have been.. And most importantly where it is you are going.
I would only add that Character will be your underlying guide. With Character you never need to second guess.
This is why we teach and hold dear our Scout Oath and Law.
Just a little reflection.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
The STEM Push
The other night I held a couple Scoutmaster Conferences, both for Scouts earning the Star Rank and both of the Scouts good young men. During our discussion the subject of merit badges came up as you need them for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks.
One of the young men asked me why certain merit badges were Eagle required, while others were not. We looked at the merit badges that were on the Eagle required list and I explained to him that these are important merit badges that support the goals of Scouting.
Citizenship in the Community, Nation, and World focus not on teaching you about citizenship, but what your obligations are as a Citizen.
First Aid, Camping, Life Saving, Hiking, Emergency Preparedness, Swimming, Cycling, Personal Fitness and Cooking all focus on the Scout being fit and self-reliant. Communication, Family life and Personal Management focus on how he acts in the world. These are important.
Finger printing, art, music, basketry, and astronomy are just cool things that spark interest in the Scout.
I have noticed that there is a big push on the STEM programs in Scouting. As if Scouting was becoming a vocational arm of the education system. Now before I get hate mail, I am all for the Science and technology stuff, I am fascinated by what engineers can do. But this is Scouting dang it. I don't want to take my Scouts to Summer camp and have them sit in class all day learning about how to split an atom. I want them out there enjoying the outdoors. The go to School from September to June… July and August are times for them to be boys!
The STEM push has taken over and I want it to back off a bit. Even in our Council STEM is all over the place. We have great STEM partners in our areas that are assisting young men in cranking out merit badges. But are they learning anything? My guess is no.
I asked this young man in our conference which merit badges he had earned (looking at his history I knew the answer). He had really not got much out of the "filler badges". He did talk about First Aid and the Citizenship badges though.
I am not against the STEM Program, but I personally do not want Scouting to become the math club. Scouts get enough School. They join Scouts to get adventure and that is what we need to give them.
Sit a Scout down for an hour and teach them about anything.. they want to get up and run.. give them an adventure and in the process teach them life skills and appreciation for the outdoors and you have captured them for life long Scouting.
STEM is not going away.. this is the world we live in, but let's do more Scouting!
Just my opinion and thoughts.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Bad Week as a Scouter
I should start by saying no one got hurt, no one died, and no one is going to jail…
It was August and we were heading home from Philmont Scout Ranch. Our two crews from the Troop stopped in Grand Junction, Colorado to eat at the Golden Corral Buffet, a restaurant that our Scouts came to love on the trip down to Philmont. I sat at a table with a handful of older Scouts and one in particular, I will call him Phil. Phil was a life Scout and a real active member of the Troop. Phil is a Senior in High School now, but at the time was enjoying his summer and just had a great time at Philmont. Phil has a little brother in the Troop that is real motivated and did a great job in pushing Phil to get going on advancement and taking a more active role in the Troop. So Phil and I started talking about his 18th Birthday and soon it would be on us. We talked about his goals and what he was planning on doing after high school. He stated that he was planning on joining the Army. Immediately I had some advice for him and we started talking about wrapping up his last requirements for Eagle. He had 8 months till he turned 18 and if he got going, he could knock out those last merit badges and focus on his Eagle Project.
About a month ago Phil decided that he really wanted to earn his Eagle rank. So, we started looking into how he could finish the merit badges and get the project rolling. Phil showed moments of absolute motivation and effort that I wish all our Scouts had in them. He also showed moments of "let it ride". He fell into the trap of Maxing the minimum. Last week he got some critical merit badges complete and his Eagle Project approved. This week he hit a road block when he discovered that he was going to have a challenge that time would not allow him to over come. Tonight, he decided, along with discussion with his Dad and then me, that he could not finish before he turns 18 on Sunday.
Tonight I went to his home and sat and talked with him, his brother, and his Dad. We talked about the lessons learned through this process and that although he will not be an Eagle Scout, he has learned much from Scouting and that he is a better person for it. I shared with him that I am not an Eagle Scout.. in much the same fashion, I ran out of time when I was approaching my 18th birthday. I to joined the Army and turned 18 while in Basic Training. Instead of Eagle Scout, I earned Private First Class. All was not lost though.. the things that I learned in Scouting made me a successful soldier and in 24 months I achieved the rank of Sergeant. I shared all of this with Phil to reinforce that even though he can't be an Eagle Scout he can take what Scouting gave him and what he learned and earned and apply it for the rest of his life.
Over the past few weeks and in particular the last few days, I have done everything that I can possibly do to assist this young man in becoming an Eagle Scout. I have looked for loop holes and work arounds and at the end of the day the lesson learned is that there is a process and that process needs to be done right. No short cuts, no loop holes, and no work arounds. With every thing we had we tried, we could not help the Scout that waited.
This is the first time I have ever had to look a young man in the eye and say that I am sorry he can not be an Eagle Scout. This is the first time that we have run the course and not succeeded. Not that the Scout is a failure, but that the Scout did not finish in time.
I am exhausted. This young man has worked hard, but he started to late to get motivated and get it done. I have seen a strong work ethic emerge in this young man and I hope that he learned that when he puts his mind to it, he can and will be successful. This short fall is not the end of the world and a great lesson in life.
He's going to keep working on his project so it will benefit the community. That is a great thing. His service will be lasting, something he learned along the way in Scouting.
What I have learned in this process is that I need to do a better job of setting the Scouts up. I will not do the work, nor will I nag the Scout.. but what I will do, and what our Troop will do from this day forward is simple. On their 17th birthday we will sit down with the Scout and his progress record. We will explain the process and encourage them to start getting real serious if they want to be an Eagle Scout. They will have 365 day notice that time is running out. They will know beyond a shadow of a doubt what they need to finish and we will give them the tools to be successful. What they do with it from there is up to them.
I will not scramble like this again. I will not get in a position of working merit badges with a Scout 3 days before his 18th birthday. It is not the way the process is designed and does not demonstrate what it takes to be an Eagle Scout.
I feel real bad for Phil. I wish he was planning an Eagle Court of Honor right now. What I know for sure is that Phil has learn some valuable life lessons this last month and I feel that he will go on to do great things with his life because of it. I certainly hope so.
Scouting was real good for Phil. He did well. He just came up short. That's life.. as hard as that is to hear. What he does with that knowledge is up to him now.
I gave him a coin tonight, it is the coin that I was allowed to have made when I became a Command Sergeant Major. I can't award him the Eagle Medal, but the coin is to serve to him as a reminder of hard work and dedication and the rewards for effort. I am not an Eagle Scout, but I made it to the very top in the Army, so can he… if he wants to.
This has been a bad week for me in Scouting… but one that I learned alot and I hope that Phil did to.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Guided Discovery
This weekend at the Trainers EDGE training we got into a discussion about "letting Scouts fail to learn". About half of the room agreed with the idea and the other half agreed that the Scout needs to learn, but using the term 'fail' did not sit well with them.
I think its semantics but the goal is to get the Scout to learn. In Scouting we call it Guided Discovery. Allowing the Scout to learn by making mistakes, problem solving, and executing solutions to the situation. The adult leader is there to maintain safety, offer advice, and keep the Scout heading in the right direction. The leader does that in a subtle way, not doing the task, making the decision, or being up front. The leader is there to keep the Scout 'in bounds' so to speak. The Scout knows he has a safety net.
So how does this "Guided Discovery" concept work or get put into action. It is not about letting a Scout hang in the wind. It is not about allowing failure to occur just for the sake of letting a Scout fail. No, Guided Discovery happens when we ask questions. This implies that the leader is engaged fully in this process. Now that does not require the leader to hover and maintain an arms reach distance. It simply forces the issue through leading questions to assist in the Scout finding the answer.
Problem solving and role-playing can play a big part in guided discovery. Many times I ask a simple question, what do you think? Not what do you think is right.. rather, what are you thinking? Most of the time this question provokes enough thought and produces a clearer picture of the desired outcome. Problem solving and role-playing can spark thought and allow the Scout (s) to see possible out comes both good and bad and allow the decision making process to happen. This is not lofty and can happen at every level.
Using the Start, Stop, and Continue assessment tool in the middle of a task is also a great way to discover solutions and assist in decision-making. The leader can act as a referee in some cases and step in with a well placed questions that may get the group thinking about alternative solutions.
The goal to allow the Scout to make decisions and learn. Through Guided Discovery, we teach, coach, train and mentor the Scout to better understanding of skills, leadership, and self-reliance.
So.. what are you thinking? Let us know, leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Have a Great Scouting Day!


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A disaster mitigation drill using microblogging site Twitter for purposes including finding shelters and locating the injured was held on Wednesday in Tokyo's Roppongi area.
The training, organised by Twitter's Japanese unit, major real estate developer Mori Building Co, internet service company Yahoo Japan Corp, and others, aimed to enhance participants' readiness to make use of social media in a disaster.
During the March 2011 crisis in northeastern Japan, a lot of information was sent out via tweets, but some of it was incorrect.
About 100 people solicited from the public participated in the drill, which was based on the scenario that the Japanese capital has been struck by a major earthquake.
The participants simultaneously received the initial report of an earthquake via a smartphone application for emergency alerts provided by Yahoo before moving to a shelter set up by Mori Building.
The training required participants to frequently check Twitter updates by Mori Building on appropriate evacuation routes and also to send out tweets on the whereabouts of the injured they encounterd.

subset: commoncrawl


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Telefunken TH-120
" Telefunken TH-120 Quick Review Full Review at http://www.head-fi.org/t/658969/telefunken-th-120-review Thanks to Topdogheadphones for the sample. Brief: A no holds barred party IEM. Price: £52 for no mic, £60 for the mic one. Roughly US$79 or US$91 Specification: 10 mm speaker, 16 Ohm+/-15%, 102..." --mark2410
Telefunken TH-110T
Driver: 9mm speaker Impedance: 16 Ω +/- 15% SPL: 98 dB +/- 3dB @ 1kHz Frequency response: 20 - 22.000 Hz cable length: 1,2 m Jack plug: 3,5mm
In Ear iPhone Headphones with Microphone and Play/Pause Button in Aluminum on White
The UM1 is a single balanced armature driver universal-fit earphone offering excellent sound at an entry-level price. With comfortable Comply tips, the UM1 provides hours of fatigue free listening with up to 25 dB of ambient noise reduction. The UM1 is the perfect entry-level earpiece for performing and personal listening. Equipped with a durable 50" stereo "Y" cord and a 3.5mm...
Telefunken TH-140 Review
" Full disclosure: I received these for free from Topdogheadphones after my review won a DUNU Tai-Chi review contest. I was offered a prize valued at £35 and I chose the Telefunken TH-140 and was asked if I could review them as well and I accepted. Introduction Telefunken isn't a name I've often heard in the headphone business. In fact, before receiving these, I hadn't heard it at..." --TheGame21x


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- annunci
naturally like your website but you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to tell the truth however I'll certainly come back again.
Fuck you all madonna's fans . You can stay here and enjoy all the haters but you. Can't take it when I express myself. I'm leaving this website forever , and you can enjoy your hasbeen as much as you want , cause it's getting boring to surf in a fansite of a person that hasn't been relevant since forever. And yes even though Britney can sing , she actually sounds decent in her albums and is still more relevant than all those pop newbies whom I enjoy a lot . So go to he'll bitchesss . Your queen is flopped so hard , ananan so hard yeah yeah. Oh wait is that a hit by Rihanna that wasn't counted with the preorders of an album oops sorry . I guess I am very exited to see Mariah this Saturday , a girl who actually has talent unlike hasbeendonna . Bye bitchez.
- day4night
Shee hired 60 dancers for this show. it's a fucking circus
You have te worst english i've ever seen in my whole life.
- day4night
no, you do bitch
- Raphael
HOLY SHIT!, i think thats Celebration =) or music one of them =)
- lois_lisbon
hum really the setlist ??!!
where is love spent. the magic track ))


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Craft beers are taking the brewing world – and Ireland – by storm. So join other beer lovers in tasting the delicious wares of the island's microbreweries and small-scale producers
Think you're a beer buff? Think again. There are people out there who take this stuff REALLY seriously. "They call themselves the beer-nerds. Nice guys," says bartender Joann Erickson of the people who pop into her pub – notebook in hand – when the seasonal craft beers come in.
But just because you don't travel around bars with a notebook at the ready, doesn't mean you can't join in.
Prop yourself up at Joann's place of work, Dublin's JW Sweetman, and you can get an instant tutorial in microbrewing. Shining copper tanks bulge inside the pub, and you can often see the head brewer at work on the very ales you're sipping.
JW Sweetman's five in-house brews range from a classic Irish stout to a crisp lager, and the five-sample tray is the best way to experience the lot.
Think a friend might enjoy this article? Click to save and share
"The whole artisan beer scene is going into orbit in Ireland," wrote the Godmother of Irish cooking, Darina Allen in the Irish Examiner. And with a discerning population to taste it, and the world-famous Irish pub to sell it in, it's a wonder it took so long.
If you're looking to get acquainted with what's out there, amble down to the Oslo Bar and microbrewery in Salthill, just outside Galway city. Oslo is one of six pubs operated by the Galway Bay Brewery between Galway and Dublin, all guaranteeing extensive menus. In their Black Sheep Pub in Dublin, there are 23 craft beers on tap and over 110 craft brews on offer.
The staff is the real prize here, though, eager to assist navigation of the numerous choices.
Cork city holds dear its Franciscan Well Brewery and brewpub. The stout is piped straight from the brewery, while hulking, holding tanks of ale glimmer behind the bar.
Northern Ireland's largest microbrewery, Whitewater, runs the White Horse Inn, as well as supplying casks to the likes of Belfast's Crown Bar Saloon. The gas-lit, handcrafted wooden interior is one of the prettiest places to taste Whitewater or Hilden's latest brews. Molly's Chocolate Stout is a taste for the adventurous, though, and is best experienced at Molly's Yard pub next to Belfast's College Green microbrewery.
After The New York Times pulled up a chair at the bar of Dublin's L. Mulligan Grocer recently, it listed some local craft brews it would love to drink when back in the America. The wish-list included Belfast Blonde, Galway Hooker, and Eight Degrees Knockmealdown Porter.
Ireland's craft beer revolution has even hit Reddit. A recent thread about Irish craft brews elicited the following response from one user: "I really hope Irish craft brewing takes off to the point where I can find a few in the US."
Here's hoping.
For the original, though, you know where we are.
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Weekend Predictions: Greeks and Persians vs. Peabody and Sherman
March 6th, 2014
There are two wide releases this week, 300: Rise of an Empire and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Mr. Peabody and Sherman is opening in nearly 4,000 theaters and is earning better reviews, but 300: Rise of an Empire will likely open faster at the box office. The three holdovers in the top five, Non-Stop, Son of God, and The LEGO Movie, should also do well earning more than $10 million each over the weekend, so overall the box office should be strong. Unfortunately, this weekend last year, Oz the Great and Powerful earned just shy of $80 million over the weekend. There's no way either new release will match that. In fact, it is likely both new releases combined won't match that. 2014's winning streak will end, but not to panic, it still has a large lead and while March doesn't look great, April should be better.
300: Rise of an Empire is the second film in the 300 franchise. The first film won over moviegoers and critics, for the most part. (On the other hand, historians were known to go into seizures from watching the movie.) Rise of an Empire's reviews started out strong, but have fallen considerably. At the moment, it has 46% positive reviews, which isn't bad for a popcorn flick, but if it falls too much further, then even that lower expectation level won't be met. On the other hand, there are some who think this film will come close to $50 million at the box office. I'm not that bullish, but a start of just over $40 million will give it hope to reach $100 million overall.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman takes a five-minute cartoon short series and tries to expand it into a feature-length film. That's a risk, but the reviews seem to suggest it works out. (Wisely, the writers have the characters bouncing around to different time periods, so they don't have to stretch any one time period too long.) How well it will pay off at the box office is yet to be seen. On the high end, the film could top $10,000 on the per theater chart, which would give it an opening weekend of $40 million. This isn't out of the question, but unlikely. On the low end, it could fail to reach $25 million over the weekend. Earning more than $30 million is more likely, let's say $32 million.
Non-Stop opened with $28.88 million last weekend, but this weekend it has to deal with direct competition, which will hurt it at the box office. A 50% drop-off isn't out of the question, which would leave it with $14 million over the weekend for a total of $51 million after two. Since it cost $50 million to make, the studio should be really happy with this start.
The LEGO Movie also has to deal with direct competition, but kids movies tend to have better legs, so it shouldn't completely collapse. Additionally, its reviews are the year's best so far. I'm expecting $13 million over the weekend for a running tally of $227 million. It is on pace to reach $250 million, but it will likely fall out of the top ten before then.
Son of God should round out the top five. It isn't dealing with direct competition, but it has awful reviews and its internal multiplier wasn't strong last weekend, so it could have a Fanboy effect like fall. Look for $12 million over the weekend for a total of $44 million after two. This is great for a film that is just a re-cut of a TV mini-series.
One last note, Frozen is expected to earn about $3 million over the weekend placing as high as sixth along the way. The film is on Video on Demand, but it is still expected to earn multimillion box office this weekend. That's impressive.
Filed under: Weekend Preview, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Frozen, 300: Rise of an Empire, The Lego Movie, Non-Stop, Son of God, 300


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MONTREAL—The Parti Quebecois is moving to restore faith in the province's police forces, tabling Bill 12 on Thursday to create an independent body to investigate deaths and serious injuries at the hands of police.
Under the planned law, civilian investigators would be named by the government and would work under an independent director. The system would mark a serious break with Quebec's current situation, where a police force is called in to investigate mistakes or shootings by other forces.
That situation was seen as unfair by many Quebecers, including the province's ombudsman. The new police force will be able to ask police for expertise.
"I would say half of the investigators will be retired police officers, retired investigators on criminal affairs," said Public Safety Minister Stephane Bergeron. "Specialized services will still be provided by the Surete du Quebec, the Montreal police and Quebec City police."
Some critics though, many of them police officers themselves, have said it's not right to have civilians because civilians aren't trained for this kind of work. The PQ says it has taken those concerns into account, and not all of the investigators will be civilians.
According to the opposition Coalition Avenir Quebec's Jacques Duchesneau, building a squad of civilian investigators could be difficult.
"Good detectives could not work at the homicide squad too long, because people are afraid of dead bodies, they cannot cope with he stress of going to court," said Duchesneau, who is the CAQ's public safety critic. "It's not an easy task to go explain to a jury the things that you discovered."
Bill 12 will also give financial help to pay the legal expenses of families who have to go through a coroner's inquest into a relative's death.


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Curbing crossings hopeless
Regarding the article on border security (âPlan aims to stem illegal crossings,â April 11), despite the commendable efforts of the Border Patrol, as long as California and other states make life better for illegal aliens than they have it in Mexico and other Latin American countries, theyâll keep coming.
Owen J. Murphy
Traffic nightmare looms
The 5,387-home Butterfield project will be a traffic nightmare (âHousing will roil traffic,â Your Views, April 11). Although it will be in Banning, it will impact Beaumont even more.
This will be a nightmare to Beaumont as commuters travel to all the other on- and off-ramps in Beaumont and Cherry Valley to access the freeway.
The school traffic on Beaumont Avenue and Cherry Valley Boulevard will be multiplied many times over as folks head to Redlands and other areas in that direction to go to their jobs.
Brookside Avenue, which is already not the finest road, will be overwhelmed, and will need to be widened and repaved.
This will be congestion on a major level, and then goodbye to our pleasant little Beaumont. Weâll also see more in the way of juvenile crime as well-meaning parents who want to get their families to a safer way of life are actually bringing the problem with them.
Elizabeth Johnson
Cherry Valley
Jeffries offers double talk
As Kevin Jeffries runs for Riverside County supervisor, why is it that even though he has been in elected office in the Assembly for nearly six years, he did not want to list his profession on the ballot as assemblyman, but rather as âsmall business ownerâ (âSome ballot language banished, but âbusinessmanâ is OK,â April 9)?


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Shimmer - Women Athletes Vol 26 DVD
Features MsChif vs. LuFisto for the SHIMMER Title; Ashley Lane & Nevaeh vs. The Canadian Ninjas for the SHIMMER Tag Titles; Sara Del Rey & Amazing King vs. Serena Deeb & Mercedez Martinez; plus more.
- Jetta (with Lacey) vs. Daffney
- Daizee Haze vs. Rayna Von Tash
- Four Corner Survival: Jennifer Blake vs. Melanie Cruise vs. Jessie McKay vs. Kellie Skater
- Nikki Roxx & Portuguese Princess Ariel vs. Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka
- Rain (with Lacey) vs. Tenille
- Sara Del Rey & Amazing King vs. Serena Deeb & Mercedez Martinez
- Knockout or Submissions Match: Wesna Busic vs. Cheerleader Melissa
- SHIMMER Tag Team Title Match: Ashley Lane & Nevaeh vs. "The Canadian Ninjas" Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews
- SHIMMER Title Match: MsChif vs. "Super Hardcore Anime" LuFisto
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My position is in fourth grade in an ESL class. I currently have 20 students, equally split between girls and boys. And, what was most surprising to me being in San Antonio is that the overwhelming majority of my ESL kiddos are not Hispanic. Most of then are Asian and Indian but have an excellent command of the English language already. I only have one little sweetie who seems to still have significant trouble with the language, but apparently she has made huge gains over the summer as well. I have one student with special needs in my class as part of his inclusion. He is wonderful! I am only responsible for his science and social studies grades, but he is doing so well, that we are trying out increased inclusion time, and so far so good. I have one sweetie with some pretty severe learning disabilities and (according to the notes some behavioral issues although I haven't seen them yet), but he gets lots of support through the learning lab. Essentially he participates in my lesson and then goes to the learning lab with a modified assignment to complete there. My biggest issue with students this first week is one little boy who lacks confidence in his own abilities (and he has lots because he has already shown me). If he thinks he can't do something, he will shut down and not even try at all. I am showering that sweetie with as much positive attention as possible hoping to build up that confidence.
I took the class over from a teacher who was leaving because she was offered a position as a math specialist at another campus. So, lucky me, she didn't need many of the things from her classroom. So even though I stepped in after school had already started, I took over an established class in a mostly set-up classroom. I don't think it gets better than that. She left student mailboxes, turn in bins, completed bulletin boards, a classroom library, and many supplies. My only "complaint" (if you could even call it that) is that she was not a cutesy teacher at all so nothing has any sort of a decorator or fun touch at all. Well, I wouldn't say I am super cutesy, but I certainly wanted my classroom to feel a little more homey and decorator-y.
I set goals for myself that I was going to do a little decorating at a time for several reasons: 1) It can be expensive to do all at once, 2) The students had a huge disruption with a teacher change, and I want to limit the surrounding changes, and 3) To conserve my own energy and prevent too many late nights at school. After a week, I now have a few of my own academic posters on the wall, have added my classroom management system, writer's process chart, and some curtains. One little tip on the curtains: I went looking for anything based on the bulletin board color scheme already in place, and what I found were shower curtains. Sound funny? Well, they are the plastic ones, but not the hard, crinkly, smelly plastic. And they were a lot cheaper than curtains and come in lots more cute designs. I found some with my reds and browns and fun tropical tiki designs on them. My only issue with them is they are about three feet too short since my windows go ceiling to floor. I was worried, but once I got them hung, it really doesn't bother me too much. The change in ambience outweighs the extra space at the bottom for me. And my students love them! I hung them when they were out of the room, and when they entered, it was a chorus of ooohs and ahhhs! They decided our room is now a tropical island paradise. Even the "ugly" light brown rugs now serve as our sandy beaches. So, now I guess I have inadvertently created a tropical beach theme for my classroom. Was that what I envisioned as my first classroom theme? No, not at all. But it works, and I love it!
*Classroom Pictures to Come Next Week*
The craziest thing about landing a job is how quickly it all happened. I was called for an interview the Friday evening before Labor Day. I had to wait the whole long weekend (which gave me soooo much time to research and prepare) before I interviewed Tuesday late afternoon. They gave me no indication on how I did except to say Human Resources was taking a while to contact new hires and to be patient. The next day, I tried to occupy myself by working on some products and accepting an emergency half-day sub job for a friend. As I was walking out the door to that sub job, I got the call from Human Resources... less than 24 hours after I had interviewed! I was so excited and surprised, when he said they would like to offer me the position, all I could do was yell, "Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!" He laughed and said, "I'll take that as a yes then." So then I started by shadowing the leaving teacher on Thursday and have been on my own since. The only catch was that I then had to go this last Monday to sign the paperwork since they rushed me into the classroom, and I still am not officially set up in the system for computer log ins and such. I am set up in the payroll system, so that is all good.
Reflections on Landing This Job
Since I know many of you are still in the position I have been in for the last four years, I thought I would make this an extra long post today to be able to try offer some insight on how I landed this job. What was different between this one and all the others I didn't get.
1) I had lots of time to prepare, and I used it. Like I said, I had the whole three-day Labor Day weekend to prepare for the interview. I researched the school, the principal, the other teachers on the team, the fourth grade curriculum in the district, and the fourth grade state-mandated standardized tests. Through the blogging and subbing world, I have made lots of amazing teacher contacts, and I called on all of them. Once I had done the research, I studied like it was a test (interviews kind of are, aren't they). I went over and over my notes until I knew everything by heart.
2) I answered questions briefly and honestly, using as much of teacher-y language as I could. I think sometimes in the past, I may have been too casual about answering questions.
3) I interviewed with a panel of people... the principal, vice principal, and the other three fourth grade teachers. Although this can be overwhelming, I was thrilled that teachers were in on the process. I think in the past, I have always made good impressions with teachers, but have had more trouble making that same impression on principals (even though I have always gotten positive feedback).
4) I ended the interview my giving them a brochure I created about myself. It just included about seven bullet points highlighting my experience and photos of some student work. I think it just was a nice way to make sure they didn't forget who I was.
5) As soon as I got home, I sent thank you emails to every single person I interviewed with (not just the principal and vice principal). After I got hired, they told me they were very impressed with that.
Of course, as always, I dressed professionally. I wore a jacket even though it was like a million degrees outside that day. I arrived early. And I made eye contact with every person in the room as I talked.
Will these help you? Well, I hope so, but honestly my experience with the process for so long has told me that often it's more about being in the right place at the right time, or as I say it, getting the stars to align correctly. I am not even sure that it has much to do with who you know since I didn't know anyone who I interview with. And so much of that is out of your control. So many people told me the "right" classroom was out there waiting for me, but honestly I never truly believed that (the realist in me also thought, what if these are all signs that I wasn't meant to be a teacher). Well, I can happily say, I guess, that they were right and I was wrong. I am more than happy to admit being wrong if it results in such an amazing teaching position.
My favorite inspirational quote of all time is:
Well, I spent four years dancing in the rain metaphorically. And ironically, this week it actually rained for the first time in a long time in San Antonio. So, now I am literally dancing in the rain.
Happy job hunting to all of you! May the perfect job be just around the corner for you too.


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CHADES CHALLENGE XVII: Loopy Gangsters
Next week: more loopy gangsters!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Nerd Fan-Art
I've been talking with friends about how great it would be to see a run of X-Men comics set when the series began in 1963, focusing on the assassination of JFK and the whole civil rights movement seen through the allegory of mutants like the X-Men. We figured a great villain for the first story arch would be Nimrod, a precursor to the Sentinels. It's a cool challenge, trying to get that 60s robot feel, while keeping him fairly scary looking. To re-cap: my last two posts have been about Dungeons and Dragons and the X-Men.
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A transgender woman was found dead in her Fontana, Calif. home Tuesday, and witnesses say they saw the suspect take clothes, a computer and the victim's car to get away.
Police found Domonique Newburn's body at around 4:30 p.m. after responding to domestic disturbance reports. Inside, they came across a grisly scene: there wasblood on the porch and the door was left wide open, reports CBS Los Angeles. The position of Newburn's body also indicated to investigators that she appeared to be trying to escape through a front window before she died, reports KTLA in the video above.
Now Fontana police are on the hunt for Newburn's car, a black 2004 Mercedes C240, hoping it will lead to the suspect seen leaving her apartment. The license plate is 7AAY925 and the suspect was described as a "bare-chested" African American man in his late 20s or early 30s, reports CBS Los Angeles.
The San Bernardino County coroner's office said that Newburn had sustained trauma and was pronounced dead at 4:38 p.m. An autopsy to determine cause of death is pending.
Fontana Police are asking that anyone with information about the case contact them.


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wfedstaff | June 3, 2015 9:53 pm
By Jared Serbu
Federal News Radio
Terry Halvorsen, about three months into his new job as Department of the Navy chief information officer, told a convention of Defense information technology professionals in San Diego last month that the organization he now leads has done a terrible job of telling its IT story.
"Who runs the single biggest integrated network in the world? The Department of the Navy runs it," he said. "I guarantee you if you go into the halls of the Pentagon or other places and ask that question, rarely would you get the answer…we haven't made our case very well publicly." That may be why Halvorsen's office released full transcripts and audio of the San Diego sessions this week.
Read the latest on Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.
"Who has more enterprise services than anybody else? Department of the Navy." he said. "There's this big belief that the Army is way ahead in identity management. The fact is, I believe, we in DoN are way ahead of the Army in identity management."
But despite Halvorsen's pride in the department's IT capabilities, he said it has a lot of work to, and fewer resources than it would like to do it. The framework he said he wants to use for IT ventures falls under a single Department of the Navy IT enterprise, one that leverages the capabilities of both the Navy and the Marine Corps.
"We are going to focus on what I call the Big E" he said. "I like it because it makes a neat acronym-it's the Department of the Navy Enterprise, the DONE. I believe there's really great power to get more effective and efficient in using the department of the Navy enterprise approach. That said, I also understand that bigger is not always better. So where do we make the right choices?"
One way to answer that question, Halverson said, is a new mission business case analysis tool. He said its task would be to evaluate whether a particular system would save money while also meeting the department's missions.
"When [the mission business case analysis tool] is approved, I'm going to share it with everybody," he said. "I'm going to share it with industry as soon as the lawyers tell me I'm allowed to do that. I think they ought to know, this is what I want. They can't give me what I want until I tell them what I want.
These are the factors we've got to look at. How do we grade all those factors, how do we grade the score that says this may be less expensive, but it fails mission. Well, that's off the table." When the department does decide to make IT buys over the next few years, Halvorsen said they will most likely be in small, staggered, incremental chunks rather than large infrastructure investments.
"We're in a financial crisis. That is a fact," he said. "You will hear some people say it's a zero-sum game for DoD. My personal belief-I am not quoting the Secretary of the Navy-my personal belief is we are not in a zero sum game. We're in a negative game. We're going to go down. DoD and DoN are going to have less money. We are going have less people than we have now. That's a fact. That's not a zero-sum game."
Halverson said the department's IT side is simply going to have to decide to stop doing some of the things it's doing now. He said none of its activities are unimportant, but some are less important than others.
He did not give many specifics on what he thinks the Navy should stop doing. One, however, is creating, and running redundant applications on its networks. Another is running ad-hoc applications that the one Naval organization created to serve a specific purpose and don't work very well.
"We are running many instances of the same or slightly modified applications over our networks to the degree that many cases it's crippling the network," he said. "That's got to change. In some cases we're running applications to our fleet Marines and fleet sailors that do not work. That is an inexcusable thing to let happen. We are going to go after that one–that is a jihad. We are going to get at the applications because that is day-to-day stopping sailors and Marines and civilians that in many cases are out at the deployed front line from getting what they need. We cannot tolerate that."
The Navy as a service also is pursuing some of the same IT efficiency goals as the rest of DoD, and the rest of government. As Federal News Radio first reported in January, the department has ordered a halt to new spending on servers and data centers. It is also pursuing a data center consolidation initiative with a target of a 25 percent reduction.
Janice Haith, the director of assessments and compliance in the office of the deputy CIO for the Navy told Federal News Radio in a January interview that the service ordered senior commanders to draw up plans to increase virtualization by between 40-and 80-percent, increase and server utilization by between 50-and 80-percent.
"We can't have data center consolidation without those two things happening first. We'll fail," she told the San Diego conference. "This is not a data center consolidation effort where we're going to forklift a server from one building to another and call it success. That's not data center consolidation. That's just moving and closing buildings. That's not efficient, and that's not going to gain us anything."
The Marine Corps has its own network and data center consolidation plan. It plans to bring its number of networks from five down to three, and move to just a single data center in Kansas City. The Marines also will lead the department's effort to tackle enterprise software licensing and develop a single licensing program across the department of the Navy. Microsoft licenses will be the first targets, Haith said.
Halverson said his department also needs to work a lot more closely with industry in figuring out how to field new IT products and services more quickly and more economically, and in refining requirements into tightly-defined descriptions.
"What we tend to do is we write a requirements definition, we throw it over the rail, industry grabs it, they come back with an answer, and we miss a whole bunch of dialogue in between," he said. "We need more dialogue about what do we need, what do you have, and then dialogue about what do we really need? One of the things I think we are guilty of, is we pick a technology and it's going to do X for us. Then we get really bright and say it could do X plus Y, and then it could do X plus Z, then we start at the beginning of the alphabet. By the time we're done, we have forgotten what we really wanted it to do to begin with, and we have a system that really doesn't do any of the things that we want."
Halverson said it's also his view that the Navy department will be less willing to spend money on the development of theoretical, unproven IT systems, instead leaning more toward commercial off the shelf products in many areas. He said when vendors present such unproven technologies, he would ask industry to first put some of its own capital at risk.
This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.
(Copyright 2011 by FederalNewsRadio.com. All Rights Reserved.)
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they ninja nerf chaos wave (which could global people)
and ignore frost bomb (which can global people)
they ninja nerf chaos wave (which could global people)
and ignore frost bomb (which can global people)
He said he was prot because it INCREASES the damage of bladestorm. So it would of done less damage as arms.
Also it was a set up game, if you notice the nelf even sits down at the end (This I believe makes the crit chance 100% or used to).
Don't get me wrong I don't really like swifty or think 30m crits are ok, but it a completely scripted BG with huge buffs and de buffs to flag holders it is in no way a reflection on PVP.
How would you fix this? Nurf bladstorm in BG's?
PvP trinket, str potion, str flask, avatar(20% dmg), reck+skull banner (crit+10%dmg), kings, battle shout, str food, glyph of rude interruption(6% dmg), berserker buff(30%dmg), colossus smash, orb debuff(5000% dmg), orb buff(100% dmg), berserker rage(10% dmg), tricks of the trade(15% dmg)... yeah, warriors are broken... that must be it.
Wrong. The main change was taste for blood was changed to only go to 3 stacks now instead of 5.
As I already explained to you twice already in this thread the orb buff in that battleground is a STACKING buff. In that video both players have been sitting holding the buff for 20 mins. This gives something like 5000% increased damage done and damage taken.
I actually agree warriors are broken in PVP along with some other class abilities. However you are using a bad video to try and prove your point.
I explained to you 3 times now. Please spend a few minutes and at least try and understand something before you keep saying stupid things.
Holding an orb in Temple grants you 30% increased damage done and 5% increased damage taken. Now I don't exactly know how much stacks of it you can get but for the sake of an argument lets say that they go to 5. So at the end you get 150% damage done and 25% more damage taken.
Berserking buff gives you 30% damage done and 5% damage taken.
Now take in consideration that Swifty sports full PVP gear with t2 weapon which would net him around 55% PVP power. He also has all buffs in the game available for him including flasks and variety of potions.
Target he's hitting has all the debuffs (including the orb and berserking debuffs making him take 30% more damage just from that) and is naked, sitting on the ground where he gets 100% critical strike chance.
Now we have witnessed movies with warrior hitting for 250K with only self buffs (colossus smash, recklessness, skull banner and avatar). Multiply that damage with all the buffs he has and the debuffs his target has, and voila you'll get that insane damage.
Swifty made those kind of movies in Cataclysm where warriors were utter shit, and no one complained about it and warrior being OP.
EDIT: Looks like that debuff from holding the orb in Temple is much bigger damage taken increase which even further makes sense.
and yet everyone ignores the Dakkroth / Tosan videos
Until this can happen in an actual arena game, I don't really care... PvP shouldn't be balanced around BG's... it needs to be balanced around 1v1, 3v3 and 5v5.
Most likely the wisest Enhancement Shaman.
The one irony is that Swifty his vids are completely isolated, out of context events, yet at the same time they are eerily representative for the state of current PvP: Lacking in utter balance.
And even though PvP should be balanced around Arena, the Arena representation of both the types of teams and classes already shows the fact that balance is a faraway concept.
Last edited by Myz; 2012-12-04 at 09:42 PM.
Why would people want to see the whole thing? Every video Swifty puts out is somewhat the same. Highest dmg possible with buffs or Arena.
We all know what Swifty does and how he does it...... everyone can do it.
Blitzking, are you new to WoW and just saw Swifty for the first time and thought that would explain why you keep getting your ass handed to you in pvp? Do not blame everyone else for your shortcomings.... learn to build your character with the right stats and stop whining.


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Ex-suburban homebuilder becomes the biggest in Portland
"When Renaissance Homes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008, the builder was known for its sprawling subdivisions on the fringes of the Portland market," The Oregonian reports.
"Two years after emerging with a reorganization plan, the company has positioned itself as the No. 1 builder within the city of Portland—building mostly one-off houses in long-established neighborhoods," says the paper.
The company's president, Randy Sebastian, thinks the days of building on the fringes is coming to an end. Reporter Elliot Njus says it's unusual for a builder the size of Renaissance to make such a switch. He explores the pros and cons, including longer waits for permits in the city, a frequent need for increased sewer or electric capacity, and narrower margins. Infill is more difficult to construct, but it enables the 27-year-old company to avoids the perils of a shrinking suburban market.
For more in-depth coverage on this topic:
• Subscribe to New Urban News to read all of the articles (print+online) on implementation of greener, stronger, cities and towns.
• Get New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide, packed with more than 800 informative photos, plans, tables, and other illustrations, this book is the best single guide to implementing better cities and towns.
• See the July-August 2011 issue of New Urban News. Downtown makeover, agrarian urbanism, bike sharing, bike-ped issues, TIGER III livability grants, unlocking remnant land value, selling the neighborhood, Landscape Urbanism vs. New Urbanism, new urban resort, granny flats, The Great Reset.
• See the June 2011 issue of New Urban News. Mid-rise living, elevated walkways, Jane Jacobs and observational urbanism, Affordable transit-oriented development, the coming housing calamity, rental and TOD to dominate market, New Town in bankruptcy, regional approach for high-speed rail, the civic costs of sprawl, redevelopment of mall


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2012-04-04, 09:58 | Link #1 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Age: 31
Daily Life With A Monster Girl (Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou)
Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou (Daily Life With A Monster Girl) by Okayado Serialized in Comic Ryu Okay first off I'd like to point out that even though on the page says "Everyday that their is a monster girl" I assure you that is a mistranslation on the the part of the mangaka. Quote:
A social group dedicated to the series and the monster girl fandom in general has been started! http://forums.animesuki.com/group.php?groupid=843
Last edited by Dark Wing; 2013-03-14 at 09:05. |
2012-04-04, 12:24 | Link #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
From reading the chapter, it seems more like the coordinator brought Mia to him by mistake. He didn't volunteer for the program but he's stuck with it now that Mia likes him / likes living with him.
I wouldn't put it past the story going that he volunteered by signing some paper he thought was something else though. Terrible situation, a loving Lamia living with you and yet you'll be separated and likely sent to jail if anything happens between you.
2012-04-04, 12:39 | Link #8 | |
btw this premise remind me to the pic i saw with same premise, but focus on sex between species of sexy monsters ranged from Centaur, Minotaur (cow), Spider woman (Jorougumo) - Dullahan - Slime - and Lamia with human male well, I'm looking forward to this series Last edited by surerman; 2012-04-04 at 12:57. |
2012-04-04, 15:40 | Link #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Gensokyo
/a/ and their love towards monster girls, makes me remember when Monmusu quest got released huuhuuhuu.
Well since I don't hate Lamia I will read it. Well after reading it, it wasn't so bad. Not especially good, but I got the general thing, it's still above average thanks to the pictures. Last edited by Zakoo; 2012-04-04 at 16:28. |
2012-04-04, 16:12 | Link #15 | |
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Chile
About reading this, it's a little bit more interesting that what it seems, the comedy value seems pretty promising, and I'm so utterly envious of them having such a ridiculously large bath, let alone taking a dip together . edit : This hasn't been added to manga updates (I mean, the translation). I suppose that it would be easier to find if that happens? I have absolutely no clue on how to do that, though.
2012-04-04, 19:47 | Link #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Age: 31
I think had he just met her on the street there wouldn't be a problem however since he's her exchange "family" it'll look REALLY bad if they start going at it because people will say he took advantage of a naive monstergirl or something.
Also updated Serialization info!
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ecchi, harem, monster girl |
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Sports cancellations for Friday, April 20
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The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services ("OCR") has issued final regulations modifying the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") Privacy, Security, Breach Notification and Enforcement Rules to implement changes under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the "HITECH Act''). Group health plans and business associates who use or disclose protected health information ("PHI") (including electronic PHI) in performing services for group health plans should take action immediately to ensure timely compliance with the final regulations.
The final regulations have a general effective date of March 23, 2013, and covered entities such as group health plans and business associates must come into compliance by September 23, 2013, with some exceptions. Most notably, group health plans that already have agreements in place with business associates have until September 23, 2014, to bring those agreements into compliance with applicable changes under the final regulations.
A thorough overview by the Health Care Practice Group at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP of the final regulations and corresponding compliance issues for all covered entities (including group health plans and healthcare providers) and their business associates may be accessed here. While much of the existing compliance framework for group health plans remains unaltered by the final regulations—that is, group health plans still must maintain policies and procedures for privacy, security, and breach notification compliance; maintain agreements with business associates; train members of the workforce to use and disclose PHI according to HIPAA regulations; and distribute the notice of privacy practices to plan participants at applicable times—the final regulations do introduce certain changes as well as new compliance obligations that will require timely action by health plan sponsors. Some of the most significant compliance concerns applicable to the administration of group health plans are described below.
The final regulations substantially alter the compliance landscape for the business associates of group health plans. Third-party administrators, actuaries, accountants, and any other consultants or health plan service providers that have access to PHI in performing services are now directly liable for the civil and criminal penalties for certain violations of HIPAA. Previously, compliance was merely a contractual obligation pursuant to the required written agreement with the covered entity relative to HIPAA compliance. As a result, business associates must establish and maintain policies and procedures to implement required safeguards, train their workforce to carry out duties consistent with the policies and procedures, and document compliance. Business associates are also required to enter into written agreements with group health plans to maintain such compliance systems and with their own subcontractors to ensure compliance with HIPAA. In most cases, business associates will have a critical role in breach notification compliance for group health plans.
The new compliance landscape for business associates also has a significant impact on action items for group health plans as existing business associate agreements must be reviewed and revised as necessary. The final regulations include new required content for business associate agreements. Sponsors of group health plans should also take steps to ensure that other related matters are covered in its agreements with business associates, including indemnification for HIPAA violations by business associates. Moreover, to the extent a group health plan's third-party administrator plays any role in compliance with the new breach notification rules, the respective responsibilities of the parties should be spelled out in detail. The Department of Health and Human Services has posted sample business associate provisions here.
The final regulations implement rules under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 ("GINA") as it applies to the use and disclosure of PHI by group health plans and business associates. In particular, PHI that is genetic information may not be used or disclosed for underwriting purposes. The final regulations clarify that an authorization cannot be used to permit a use or disclosure of genetic information for underwriting purposes. The notice of privacy practices distributed by group health plans must also now include a provision describing PHI disclosure restrictions under GINA.
In a significant change from prior rules, group health plans that post the notice of privacy practices on a website may now post a material revision of the notice to the website by the effective date of the change and notify individuals of the revision in the next annual mailing to individuals covered by the plan. This is a modification of the earlier rule that required health plans to provide a new notice to individuals within 60 days of a material change. The final regulations require a group health plan to include in its notice of privacy practices with respect to underwriting a statement that the plan is prohibited from using or disclosing PHI that is genetic information about an individual for underwriting purposes. A statement that the health plan is required to notify affected individuals following a breach of unsecured PHI must also be added.
The final regulations made important changes to the interim final rule implementing the breach notification provisions of the HITECH Act. In particular, the final regulations modify the factors that plans and business associates should consider in conducting a risk assessment to determine whether a breach requiring notice to affected individuals, the Department of Health and Human Services, and in some cases the media, has occurred. Under the final regulations, a breach requiring notice will be presumed to have occurred whenever PHI maintained by the plan or business associate is acquired, accessed, used, or disclosed in a manner that violates the privacy rule. The presumption may be rebutted if the plan or business associate can demonstrate, pursuant to four factors provided under the final regulations, that there is a "low probability" that PHI has been compromised.
The final regulations include the civil and criminal penalties that apply to HIPAA violations by group health plans and their business associates. Monetary penalties vary according to the number of violations, the cause of such violations (e.g., whether or not the violation arose from "reasonable cause"), and whether the group health plan or business associate takes timely action to correct the violation. A table of applicable penalties may be viewed here.
The final regulations require immediate action by group health plans and their business associates to confirm compliance with new requirements applicable to the use and disclosure of PHI. Group health plans must review and revise existing policies and procedures and business associate agreements as necessary to implement new obligations under the revised privacy, security, and breach notification rules. Business associates must establish such policies and procedures to demonstrate compliance with the final regulations. Notices of privacy practices must be revised and provided to individuals covered by the plan.
Regardless of all these changes and new obligations, however, what has not changed is that group health plans still must comply with the HIPAA privacy, security, and breach notification requirements. Given the renewed emphasis on enforcement, including OCR audits and the financial penalty scheme affirmed in the final regulations, compliance is now more important than ever. The issuance of the final regulations is then a great opportunity for group health plans to audit existing compliance and ensure that all is in order. It has been several years now since the initial effective dates of the privacy and security rules under HIPAA. Some plans may have neglected HIPAA since the first wave of compliance or even neglected to implement subsequent compliance obligations, particularly under the HIPAA security and breach notification rules. Now that there are greater penalties, a greater emphasis on enforcement, and the probability of more audits in the future, all group health plans should make it a priority to act now and confirm good compliance. Many group health plans may find it useful to confirm:
If you have any questions about compliance with the final regulations, please contact any of the attorneys in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP.
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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Jose Mourinho has coached in four of the world's biggest leagues, so when he speaks about which one is the most difficult to win, his words carry some weight.
Not only has the 50-year-old coached in four different leagues, but he's won titles in all four as well, earning silverware in Portugal with Porto, in England with Chelsea, in Italy with Inter, and in Spain with Real Madrid.
Mourinho, now back managing Chelsea, offered some perspective on the current European landscape following his team's 2-0 win over Inter in the Guinness International Champions Cup.
"I think the Premier League is the most difficult because there are more teams that can be champions," he said in his post-game press conference.
The Portuguese manager then went on to list the number of teams he felt were capable of winning titles in each of the top European leagues at the present moment.
"In Spain there are only two," Mourinho said. "in Portugal there are two, in France there is one. Italy, right now I don't know but when I was there, there were three. Germany [there are] two, and in England I think there are five. For this reason it's a very difficult championship."
Presumably, The Special One was referring to Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Porto and Benfica in Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain in France, and Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Germany.
With the exception of France, where nouveau riche PSG recently bolted ahead of its competition, the last outlier in any of the leagues mentioned to win a title was Wolfsburg, which won the Bundesliga in 2008-09.
In England, it's slightly less cut and dry, but the presumed top five includes Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Mourinho's Chelsea side starts its quest for the team's first EPL title since 2009-10 when it takes on Hull City on Aug. 18. For Mourinho, it can't come soon enough.
"I don't like friendlies that much," he said. "I like serious games much more."


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The United States is today one of the more religious countries in the world. Even recent surveys that show a diminution of religious sentiment do not diminish the religious fervor in this country as compared to other countries, such as those in Europe. Americans have a strong belief in God and a belief that religion should play a major role in their individual lives. But what is the proper positive role for religion in public life? In an interview with America, Vice President Joe Biden makes a strong case for how his Catholic faith informs his own life in politics.
Biden believes in the goodness of people. He feels if they are given real opportunities, they will want to take responsibility for themselves. He believes government needs to promote policies that will enable those in need to have a real chance to succeed. He does not see government's role as one of prohibiting and punishing certain behaviors, but of promoting the general welfare so all citizens can be free to live in accordance with their own consciences.
The vice president references his Catholic family and his Catholic education as what has formed him into the person he is. President John F. Kennedy inspired him to enter politics, which he saw as a noble profession. Living through the civil rights struggle and following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced him that through politics, he could change the world for the better.
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Catholics of our era did not see the world as an evil and dangerous place to be avoided by the Christian. Instead, someone like Joe Biden believed his vocation was to get involved in the world. He saw an obligation to speak out against injustice. Catholics had a strong sense of idealism and faith in themselves and the future. If as Catholics we thought about sexual issues, it was to worry about our own sins and failings. It was not to think about condemning our neighbor.
Those who seek to return the church to a pre-Vatican II era know little about what the church of the 1950s.was like. We grew up in a very pastoral church. While the rules were clear, they were not rigid, and they were implemented in a common-sense fashion. We were also conscious of growing up in a multicultural society. We understood that we needed to respect the beliefs of others and acknowledge and value individual differences.
There can be no doubt that our religion impacts who we are and what we do. As an elected official, the vice president performs his duties from the perspective of a practicing Catholic. That does not mean he will pursue policies to ensure that all Americans adopt uniform Catholic beliefs. Growing up, we learned we were to lead and teach others through our example. As scripture reminds us, "You will know they are Christians by their love." That represents quite a challenge for all of us. As Biden suggested in his debate with Paul Ryan, imposing one's values on other free people is not part of how religion should impact the public policy forum.
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text: Apple's Gestapo Chief "Steps Down"Jesus Diaz11/04/11 12:23pmFiled to: Appleglobal securityApple Worldwide Loyalty TeamApple gestapoGestapoLeaksmoles50EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink John Theriault—vicepresident of Apple's Gestapoarian Global Security services—has "stepped down." Theriault was under the command of Bruce Sewell, who is Apple's General Counsel Senior Vicepresident. Sewell used to report directly to Steve Jobs. Jobs' Gestapo chief was a special agent in the FBI. He joined Apple in 2007 after a decade working as the Chief of Security at pharmaceutical company Pfizer. At Apple he oversaw all of its security, from anti-counterfeit operations to the not-so-secret internal police force that controls Apple's own employees, the infamous World Wide Loyalty Team. We originally reported about the World Wide Loyalty Team in 2009.Theriault has resigned now, after the lost iPhone 4S prototype case and the search that followed. After an employee lost the iPhone prototype last August, three Apple security bullies allegedly flashed "badges" to get into the house of Sergio Calderon. Apple's goons thought that Calderon was connected to the case, so they searched the house while San Francisco Police agents waited outside. The scandal that followed may have been the last nail in Theriault's coffin. Previously to that, Apple's security thugs also tried to enter into the house of the person who found the lost iPhone 4 prototype at Gourmet Haus Staudt, a biergarden in Redwood City, California. That iPhone prototype was lost by Apple's engineer Gray Powell. The finder's roommate refused the entry to the Apple's agents. While Apple has not made any statement about Theriault leaving Apple, the connection with these two fiascos seems too obvious. [9 to 5 Mac]Reply50 repliesLeave a reply


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Movie SummaryAway We Go
Web Site: http://filminfocus.com/film/away_we_go Description: This funny and heartfelt film follows the journey of an expectant couple as they travel the U.S. in search of the perfect place to put down roots and raise their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time. Movie summaries and listings powered by Cinema-Source
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By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES — A trial is needed to determine whether the longtime producer of the Golden Globe Awards had the rights to negotiate a deal keeping the glitzy awards show on NBC through 2018, a federal judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank issued two rulings in a lawsuit over whether a 1993 agreement granted the show's longtime producer, dick clark productions, the right to negotiate an extension with NBC last year. She refused to side with either dick clark productions or the show's organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Fairbank's rulings, released Tuesday, state there are issues a jury should decide in whether the agreement and the later actions by both sides meant the production company has rights to work on the show for as long as it airs on NBC.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has argued it did not intend to give away its broadcast rights to the production company indefinitely, although attorneys for dick clark productions argue it was a reward for restoring the show to a major network after scandal knocked it from airwaves in the early 1980s.
The judge stated she found support for both sides' interpretations of the contract and could not resolve the issue before a trial.
"The court finds that the disputed portion of the 1993 amendment is reasonable susceptible to the interpretations of both parties," the ruling states.
Her ruling rejected a motion by the production company to dismiss the case because it the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had waited too long to bring its case.
The association of foreign journalists sued dick clark productions, also known as dcp, in November claiming the company improperly negotiated a seven-year extension to air the show on NBC. The association contends its relationship with the producers ended after the 2011 show, but producers point to language in the 1993 document that they claim gives them rights to work on the show "in perpetuity" as long as it airs on NBC.
If the agreement is interpreted as the producers want, argued that it would lose crucial rights to its signature property _ a glitzy awards gala that is worth millions of dollars each year.
"We would be at their mercy," association attorney Daniel Petrocelli argued during a daylong hearing last week. "Forever."
Brad Phillips, an attorney for dick clark productions, argued the 1993 agreement made sense because the production company "had accomplished essentially miracles for this show."
The company is now owned by Red Zone Capital Partners. Dick clark productions has produced the show since 1983 and splits revenues from the broadcast 50-50 with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.