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QM, QRM to Lock in Tight Loan Standards
Home mortgage originations will shrink by up to 20 percent and the economy as a whole clipped by 1.1 percent over the next three years if federal regulators proceed with their proposed qualified mortgage (QM) and qualified residential mortgage (QRM) rules, and international regulators proceed with implementation of international capital standards under Basel III.
That's the assessment of analysts with American Action Forum, a public policy institute. The analysts say QM, QRM, and the Basel III standards, if implemented in their current form, would effectively lock in the extremely tight credit standards lenders have put in place since the mortgage crisis.
"One way to think about the impact . . . is that the rules essentially make permanent current credit conditions in which originators have independently scaled back activity in response to the legal and reputational costs associated with GSE [Fannie and Freddie] 'put-backs' and the risk thereof," the analysts say in their October 2012 report, "Regulatory Reform and Housing Finance: Putting the 'Cost' Back in Benefit–‐Cost," released yesterday. Authors are Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Cameron Smith, and Andrew Winkler.
"The bottom line effects of [QM, QRM, and Basel III] may include up to 20 percent fewer loans, resulting in 600,000 fewer home sales," the analysts say. "In turn, the resulting tightened lending and reduced sales are estimated to cost up to 1,010,000 housing starts, 3.9 million fewer jobs, and a loss of 1.1 percentage points from GDP growth over the next three years.
"Taken as a whole," the report goes on, "QM, QRM, and B3 [Basel III] will limit the amount and variety of mortgages that banks will hold in portfolio. They will also cause banks to be cautious in how they originate loans for sale to the GSEs [secondary mortgage market companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] and FHA for fear of writing loans that will not be accepted and would then have to be held in portfolio."
QM, QRM and Basel III are slated to be released in early 2013. Banks have said they're already locking in their tight credit standards in anticipation of the rules. NAR has taken issue with QM and QRM as proposed, because they would lock in rigid and overly tight down payment and debt-to-income ratios and limiting lenders' flexibility in providing reasonably priced loans to borrowers with less than stellar credit profiles. QM sets underwriting standards to ensure lenders only make loans to borrowers who have the ability to repay them, and QRM sets additional standards for loans that are securitized for sale to investors. For securitized loans that don't meet QRM, lenders have to hold back 5 percent of the value of the loans on their books, making them prohibitively expensive for borrowers.
This is a great report let's hope the White House policy people read it and take heed.
Great post, these new rules will eventually lead to more deterioration in the housing market, I agree with Kermit. Thank you for this information!
the nar, mba, and any other lobbying groups that have the will and the backing to do so may want to blow the wad on this one before it is too late. if you think our bond market meltdown as well as metals and stocks have had bad days recently, just wait until this starts. buy now or start saving. a lot.


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Last week I was reading Barbara Jacksier's blog and she said she was getting on a plane from New York to San Francisco to go to Carmel for a photo shoot for her book. My thoughts then turned to Carmel...I love Carmel. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I only live an hour away from Carmel and I hadn't been there for a few years. So, Saturday my daughter and I drove to Carmel. We packed a picnic lunch and ate on the beach, walked around town, drove around to take pictures of some cute cottages and then went on the "17 Mile Drive". We even took our dog Beau because Carmel is a very dog friendly town. A lot of the shop owners put bowls of water outside their doors for the dogs. We had a great day and I took a lot of pictures to share with you.
There are a lot of cottages with beautiful wavy roofs like the one below.
It was a really overcast day so the pictures aren't very clear. It was about 68 degrees.
Isn't this full size bronze park bench with an elderly couple cute? Look at her purse sitting next to her.
These white and green hydrangeas were so beautiful. I would have got a closer picture but we were in the car driving by.
Tree art...
If there are hydrangeas in the yard I have to get a picture....
The yard in the picture below was so beautiful.
At the end of the "17 Mile Drive" you come to the Pebble Beach Golf Course.
I think this was a tea room.
There are so many beautiful places in Northern California. I'm going to try to get out more and enjoy them.
Here's Beau on the beach.

subset: commoncrawl


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Description de l'emploi
The role will also be responsible for calculating bonus payments, inputting and analyzing data for quota setting and implementing revenue and quota adjustments for bonus payouts in internal compensation tools. Cooperates with the FCA to ensure on-time payment of incentive bonuses to plan participants and quota set up.
The analyst has a key role to play in the monthly rhythm of the business cycle to ensure high accuracy of data is maintained for sales participants to support operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Execute a group of key Core Tasks
·Participants Set up and Quota assignment
·Segment & Account based territory creation
·Accounts maintenance
·Report Refresh
·Quota Audits
·Revenue Reconciliations
·Manual Revenue Adjustments
·Quota Adjustments
·Bonus Calculation & Submitting to payroll
·Resolve to seller enquiries within SLA
Other responsibilities include but are not limited to:.
- Manage the ongoing link between sales quotas and territories, roles, and personnel information.
- Ensure all data in systems are up to date and reflect all changes needed
- Help monitor and validate revenue and quota data integrity and accuracy to ensure correct and equitable payouts.
- Provide data support as required by FCA
Core competencies:
·Analytical Problem Solving - Systematically considers the implications of problems and solutions in more than one domain at a time and does not solve a problem in one domain in a way that causes a problem in another
·Communication - clear communication skills both written & verbal
·Confidence - Acts confidently in uncertain circumstances; works effectively in ambiguous situations
·Cross-Boundary Collaboration - Seeks support for collaborative activities from managers; Impact and Influence - anticipates others' reactions and adjusts approach accordingly
Basic qualifications include (specific to each area):
- Bachelor's degree an advantage but not essential
- Proven background in a finance setting
- Proficiency using Microsoft Excel
- Detailed oriented & thorough
- Excellent planning and time management skills, the ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects with aggressive timelines and be able to prioritize work accordingly
Preferred qualifications include:
- Industry knowledge in High-Tech
- Incentive compensation experience
- Familiarity with a sales culture environment, strong business acumen


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Paul Tisdale leads Grecians drive to recruit new members to the Exeter City Supporters Trust
PUBLISHED: 11:40 13 November 2012
Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale is leading the drive to recruit new members to the Exeter City Supporters' Trust - by renewing his own membership.
The City boss spoke of his pride at working for a Trust-owned club and outlined how pleased he is that the Trust is working so well with the football club.
He said: "This vision, which is closely aligned to the club's strategic plan and its ambition for Championship football reflects our desire to be a Supporters' Trust-owned club, a financially stable club, and a club that is at the heart of the community."
Tisdale is urging supporters, who haven't signed-up to the Trust to follow his lead, by being part of the 'We own our Football club' ethos. He continued: "The idea that we own our club is unique. It brings a collective group of people together that care for Exeter City – myself included.
"I would encourage all supporters to either join the Trust or renew their membership like me, because this is a chance to become part of the clubs future and help the team achieve success on and off the field."
Our club's Supporters' Trust currently boasts some 4000 members, and the City boss is keen to see the ranks of the Trust membership grow. Tisdale said: "The Trust is vital in terms of the security and future of Exeter City Football Club.
"I believe that the trust brings stability which allows the club to move forward as one. A Supporters' Trust-run club brings decisions to those who have the clubs best interests at heart – the supporters."
The Exeter City Supporters'' Trust has contributed over £1,500,000 to Exeter City since the taking over ownership of the club in 2003. At present, the Trust contributes on average £110,000 a year to the football club, with much of this money going towards the club's pursuit of success on the pitch.
The best way you can support Paul Tisdale and his players is by signing-up to the Supporters' Trust and supporting the team on a match day. You can join the Trust at the Trust stall in Red Square, or by signing up in the main club reception. Details of how to join online are also available at www.ecfcst.org.uk/join


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Visit Aarhus from
Wakeup Aarhus is a new low-cost design hotel in Aarhus C. The minimalist lines give the hotel a unique style and a modern look, and the decor contributes to an atmosphere with a focus on aesthetics and details. In terms of price Wakeup Aarhus is a 2-star hotel, but is to be measured with a 3-4 star hotel experience.
315 hotel rooms in Aarhus city center
Wakeup Aarhus has 315 hotel rooms – all with air conditioning, TV, work desk and free Wi-Fi. The hotel also has its own breakfast restaurant where a delicious breakfast buffet is served every morning.
Are you looking for accommodation in Aarhus city center? Choose Wakeup Aarhus: A cool budget hotel in the heart of Aarhus. Wakeup Aarhus is located as central as possible – with Bruun's Gallery next door. This means that you can relax in your room or take one step out of the hotel lobby and use the city's many possibilities.
Family friendly hotel in Aarhus
Family vacation in Aarhus? Get a great experience at Wakeup Aarhus. All our rooms are equipped with a TV and free Wi-Fi, and if you need some extra space, you can book our larger family rooms. Our budget hotel is easily accessible whether you arrive by car, train or plane. Wakeup Aarhus is a family friendly hotel with low prices, and we look forward to welcoming you and your family.
Wakeup Aarhus, Bruunsgade
If you wish to spend the night in Aarhus city center, Wakeup Aarhus in M.P. Bruuns Gade is the right choice. The very central location of the hotel gives you the absolute best starting point to experience the city, the popular sights, cozy cafes and charming streets with excellent shopping opportunities. Bruunsgade is a very attractive and popular street, where you will find specialty shops with delicious meat, wine and other tasty specialties. If you wish to experience Aarhus on two wheels, you can rent a bike at Wakeup Aarhus and drive around to the various attractions. The central location means of course that you are already close to the city's many sights and can experience a lot by foot. Wakeup Aarhus is the preferred hotel in the city if you want low prices, high quality and a very central location.
Hotel in Aarhus: A getaway with breakfast
Quality, low prices and a central location is not the only thing we offer. Once you have stayed at Wakeup Aarhus (in our really comfortable beds), you can enjoy our delicious breakfast buffet. Book a room incl. breakfast and get an extra good start of your day.


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Build Your Own "Mr. Fusion" and Power Your Car With Trash. Now, Where Did I Put That Flux Capacitor?
If you spent any time as a child in the 80's, you probably spent a more than a few afternoons longing for your own flying DeLorean, hover-board, and Marty McFly Nikes.
Unfortunately, you still can't have any of those things (although the Nikes did appear on eBay, briefly, and sold for $1300 US), but maybe you can have something better: a real, honest-to-goodness Mr. Fusion!
The "Mr. Fusion" reactor mounted to the back of Back to the Future's famous DeLorean hovercar produced the car's fuel by extracting chemical energy from common household garbage. While the 1985 movie version of Mr. Fusion put out enough power to juice the good Doctor Brown's flux capacitor all the way to the year 2015, the 2008 version will probably only get a few miles down the road.
That said, the latest generation of bio-fuel generating "gasifiers" is being highlighted over at the DIY site Instructables, which features a working unit installed in a late-80's Honda Accord.
Despite NOT producing the 1.21 gigawatts of power needed to take you back to the days of Max Headroom and fresh episodes of the Golden Girls, these gasifiers have a huge advantage over the fictional movie version being, you know – REAL!
Watch this video to see their modified Honda Accord in action:
The instructables site has directions on how to build the gasifier yourself. If you can find a link to a commercially available, plug-and-play unit, be sure to post that in the comments.
Image Credit: ffg's photostream under a creative commons license.


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Our affiliate, My Baby Clothes Boutique – Unique and Trendy baby clothes is a great source for everything baby. From apparel to gifts, they sell a very large range of designer baby clothes at affordable prices. All of the products are unique and perfect for gift giving.
If you are looking for miniature sandals, dressy outfits, casual shirts, swimwear, hats, headbands and even costumes – My Baby Clothes Boutique has got you covered!
We realize that sometimes, choosing a gift can be difficult- especially if you aren't sure of the parents' taste, color preference or the child's size. To help you out, My Baby Clothes Boutique – Unique and Trendy baby clothes is offering 1 of our readers a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to their online shop!
Gifts or gift cards? What do you prefer? Leave a comment below and let us know your preference.
Extra Entries:
- Follow @childmode on Twitter and tweet the following: "I just entered to win a $50 gc for My Baby Clothes Boutique on @childmode , check it out http://su.pr/6A4taV ! #giveaway"
- 'Like' Child Mode on Facebook
- Subscribe to our FREE feed
Contest ends Thursday December 10th at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be picked at random on Friday December 11th, and will be announced on this page.
Congratulations to our winner Jamie!
This contest is now closed.


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One of the most highly-touted players in the Class of 2013 could have his true freshman season shortened extensively by a lingering health issue, Kevin Sumlin acknowledged Tuesday night.
Ricky Seals-Jones played in A&M's season opener against Rice, but sat against Sam Houston State because of an issue in his knee. He then saw little action in the loss to Alabama, sparking speculation that the injury could be worse than what was being let on by the team.
On his radio show last night, Sumlin allowed that a medical redshirt for the wide receiver is part of an "ongoing discussion" between the coaching staff and school medical personnel.
"[H]is knee is kind of bothering him, and we're going to do what's best for him," the head coach said by way of Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News. "He's injured and he tried to go a little bit on Saturday and it's still not right. So we're looking at it from a medical standpoint … he's either going to play up to a certain point in time, which is now, or he gets a medical redshirt. …
"We're doing everything that's right for him because he is a special talent. For him to lose a year if something is not correct and he's not comfortable … we're not going to do that."
According to NCAA bylaws, a student-athlete must play in no more than 20 percent of his team's scheduled games — in the case of Seals-Jones, that would be three games as the NCAA rounds up (12 x .2 = 2.4) — in order to qualify for a medical redshirt. As the receiver has played in less than two games, he would still fall well within the range of an allowable medical redshirt.
Jones was expected to the Aggies' revamped receiving corps immediately, so his loss would be a substantial one. Rivals.com had the Sealy, Tex., product as a four-star recruit, rated as the No. 2 wide receiver in the country and the No. 40 player at any position.
In the opener, Jones flashed his much talked-about skillset as, on his third touch at this level, he took a pass 71 yards for a touchdown against Rice. He had three catches for 84 yards in that game; those are his only catches this season.


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Is everything working?Posted: August 17, 2010 Filed under: Open Thread Leave a comment
Hi everyone,
A few of you have visited the site without leaving a comment, so I'll throw out an opening question to see if others would like to contribute.
In the remaining week before classes begin, do you have everything you need to begin teaching? Are your resources in place, your students listed in peoplesoft, your ducks all in a row?
My own situation is that my email on the exchange has been intermittent since last week's power outage. This has affected BlackBoard and peoplesoft, too.
So do you have what you need to begin next week?


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Jody Kriss of East River Partners has the pleasure of visiting some of New York City's finest historic buildings, as he searches for those that need TLC to bring them back to their former glory. Some of his favorites to restore are the city's iconic brownstones, which are just as popular among families today as they were when they were built. However, today, the Jody Kriss Blog would like to pay homage to one of the Big Apple's most recognizable commercial structures: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) building.
18 Broad Street Opened in April of 1903
The NYSE has been around a lot longer than 113 years. At this point, the exchange has been in existence for 223 years in total, and 18 Broad Street is actually its 17th home. In 1792, the NYSE began with just 24 brokers agreeing to trade only amongst themselves, though the group naturally grew, and established the "New York Stock & Exchange Market Board" in 1817. Rapid growth and disasters, such as The Great Fire of 1835 that claimed the group's last meeting point, caused it to shift venues repeatedly over the first half of its lifetime. By 1901, the NYSE began searching for an architect to create a one-of-a-kind-structure as its new home.
The Structure has Been Dubbed the Most Expensive Building in the Industry
Eight different architects came forward with unique concepts for the structure. Ultimately, George B. Post was selected, and demolition of the property's existing structures began in 1901. The project was slated to run around $4 million, but after two years of construction, it topped out at close to $9 million, making it the most expensive building ever created for the securities industry. The massive trading floor was one of the largest spaces in the entire city at that time, with its 109-foot by 140-foot hall and ceilings stretching 72 feet into the air. The exterior was designed to be commanding, featuring six Corinthian columns and a marble façade. Its neoclassical architecture remains just as impactful today, and is instantly recognizable by people all over the globe. Oak and mahogany are layered in the opulent interior, with more than 400,000 feet of these and other woods incorporated into the design. Sparing no expense, 18 Broad Street is also one of the first buildings in the entire world to have been outfitted with an air conditioning system from its inception. Just shy of 20 years after opening its new home, the NYSE expanded into a second location at 11 Wall Street. Both buildings were added to the National Historic Landmarks registry in 1978.
"The New York Stock Exchange building is one of the finest in the world," Jody Kriss said in an interview. "It's a piece of our history that was built well and has persevered through the years." Undoubtedly, generations to come will be awed by the impressive structure. Happy 113th birthday to 18 Broad Street!


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Blog Archives
Design Dabbling & Exploring Hoodline
Good morning, DMIers. We're just over a week away from spring break, so I wanted to give an overview of deadlines and tasks we'll be completing prior to the break.
Today: DMI Brief 4
We're going to be reviewing how to effectively name products. It's a tricky proposition to name your product: it's got to be creative, connect with your market and not already owned by someone else. Here are some tools that might help you with this task:
- Name Robot: this site offers some free elements including tips on naming, how to research ownership and tools that might help with the creative process.
- Sticky Branding's article The Power of Symbols in Branding provides a good review of symbolism and how the eye processes visual info.
- Startup Stash has a long list of tools focusing on various aspects of product naming.
After our naming exercise, we'll review Homework 6, which leads us into Monday.
Monday: Dabbling in Design
- DMI Brief #5, which focuses on money and how to get your market to part with it.
- Mini-Pitch #1: You'll present your Problem – Solution segment to the class in 60 seconds. Remember, you've got to tell an interesting story, not just spew data.
Most of this class session will be open lab time to work on two big design projects:
- Developing your company color palette, font sets and logo.
- Creating your product mockup via wireframing tools.
If you're new to design principles, you'll find these sources are helpful:
- Canva, 25 Epic Design Tips for Non-Designers
- Think with Google's Principles of Mobile App Design
- Lynda.com, which you can access for free via your Chico State portal account, has a wide range of video tutorials covering these areas.
Wednesday: An Introduction to Hoodline
J&PR alumna Brittany Hopkins will be joining us March 8 to talk about Hoodline, a San Francisco based digital media news company. Hoodline started in 2010 as a blog about the Lower Haight and has built itself into one of the "largest news sites in the city, with dozens of freelancers writing about their neighborhoods."
Hopkins joined Hoodline in 2015 as a neighborhood editor and is currently the associate San Francisco editor. Photo above from her LinkedIn profile.
Homework 5 Deadline
The outcomes of your market research must be submitted no later than 3 p.m., Friday, March 10. This is a change from the course schedule. You'll be submitting it via email.
Depending on the file sizes of your interview recordings or video sessions, you may need to provide this segment of the assignment via Dropbox or loading it into the course dock in the Mac Lab. Let me know if you have any questions or problems in this area.
Featured image source: Unsplash.com; CC Zero License
Let the Creativity Flow
Greetings DMIers: I hope you had a successful week 1 and that you're ready to leap into week 2.
We're going to do a design thinking activity that was created by the Institute of Design at Stanford. In our class session you will:
- Brainstorm the gift-giving experience with a partner.
- Based on that brainstorm you're going to develop a product prototype.
- Then, you're going to test that prototype with your partner.
The pace will be quick and that's intentional. Remember to spend some time before class thinking about your gift-giving experience. Think about the process, not just the person you gave a gift to and what the actual gift was. Also, think about your personal motivations in this activity.
This week we're also going to start diving into the creation of your original DMI product concept. You have two assignments to help you jump start your creativity:
- DMI 1 Pagers: Now That's Innovation (due Thursday): This task has you identify innovators within the industry you want to focus on this semester. To create your own idea, you need to know what's already happening in your industry: Who are the innovators? What cool things are being created?
- Homework 1 Startup Ideas (due Sept. 8) forces you to put into writing some initial product concepts.
Two points to highlight about this product concept creation:
- As we saw in the introductory course videos last week, many people will argue that you should follow your passion in your startup ideas. But others, Steve Jobs included, argue that you should focus on what you're good at rather than what you are passionate about. Why? Check out this Medium article.
- The most successful products solve a specific problem the market feels. It will be key for you to be able to clearly define The Problem your market faces. I often refer to this as your customer's pain point. Example:
- Let's say you love going to music festivals or live sporting events. Think about the problems/negative experiences that come along with participation in this activity. If you had the power to change something in this experience, what would it be? Talk to your friends, do they have the same pain point as you? Perhaps they have a different problem to be solved?
The assigned chapters in the Briggs text will also dive into the topics listed above and help you jump start your new product concept creative process.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll see you in class Tuesday.


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|Ademption is a Scrabble word. Scrabble point value for ademption: 14 points.
|Ademption is a Words with Friends word. Words with Friends point value for ademption: 14 points.
Above are the results of unscrambling ademption. Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters A D E M P T I O N, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. We found a total of 427 words by unscrambling the letters in ademption. Click these words to find out how many points they are worth, their definitions, and all the other words that can be made by unscrambling the letters from these words. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed.
|Definition of "ademption" found in the Merriam Webster dictionary
|Definition of "ademption" from The Free Dictionary
|Definition of "ademption" from Dictionary.com
|Words that start with ademption
|Words that end with ademption
|Words that contain ademption


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Craving #1: Melissa Ultragirl + Alexandre Herchcovitch
I felt like salivating upon seeing this majestic Melissa Ultragirl flats in purple, which pretty much spells like an "apparition"! I know, I shouldn't be craving like this when my pairs of Aldos are collecting cobwebs in their boxes. LOL
Melissa recently partnered up with Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchcovitch to design this lovely printed pair of the former's Ultragirl flat shoes. I seriously don't know Mr. Herchcovitch, until I checked out this site. Going back, what I love about these shoes is their lovely geometric patterns as well as the mixing and matching of colours with it. I'm thinking of getting them in purple, although they're also available in blue which is much easier to pair up with an outfit. More on this link.
Craving #2: Melissa Adana + Little Prince
Dear Lord, save me from this madness! I think this one has been available for quite a while, but the always late-in-the-news me has just recently found it. Who doesn't know this quaint story penned by Antoine de Saint-Exupery? Anyhoos, I'm loving them in red, which reminds me of Dorothy and her pair of ruby red slippers—well, in a much simpler and less scintillating piece. On the other hand, I also want the black one. A pair costs Php 3,395.00 at Melissa's online store, in which my pocket says, "you can only get one!".
So here I am, still befuddled on what to get between the 2 (or 3) this Christmas. Maybe get both (all)? We'll see!


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One year, five months and 29 days.
The Abbott/Turnbull Government has finally delivered stocktake of Government funded aged care workforce initiatives – and it only took 547 days!
Unsurprisingly the report highlighted that the Government's approach to aged care workforce development was haphazard and suffered from a lack of direction.
Labor welcomes the release of the much-anticipated stocktake, but wonders how long it will take the lackadaisical Liberal Government to deliver a strategy to address the aged care workforce crisis.
Aged care in Australia has been neglected and ignored by the Abbott/Turnbull Government, illustrated by the fact it took almost 18 months to produce a stocktake of programs it funds.
During those 547days the aged care workforce has languished while the Government dealt with its failed and expensive machinery of government experiment, which saw Aged Care moved from the Department of Health to the Department of Social Services and back to Health again.
The stocktake of federally funded aged care workforce initiatives was announced on 13 June 2014 "to help inform the development of an aged care workforce development strategy," (Aged Care Sector Committee – Communique, 13 June 2014).
That decision was made more than eight months (262 days) after the Liberal Government delivered one of its few promises: scrapping the Aged Care Workforce Supplement, designed to provide better wages and conditions for some of Australia's lowest paid workers, most of them women.
Since then Labor has repeatedly called for the Government to lead the development of a strategy in collaboration with the sector, to address the current shortages and future needs.
The aged care workforce needs to triple over the next 30 years due to the ageing population. However, the sector currently is experiencing workforce and skills shortages at a time of high unemployment.
After 18 months of inaction and inertia the Abbott/Turnbull Government has finally admitted it may need to do more.
Let's hope it take a lot less time for action.
Do you like this post?


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Scott Pruitt's nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency has drawn dire warnings about his impact on climate change, but the Oklahoma Attorney General could wreak just as much havoc on another core EPA mandate: the protection of clean water.
Pruitt is well known for his legal challenges to President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, but his assault on clean-water protections has been just as fierce. In 2015, Pruitt led a multi-state lawsuit against Obama's Clean Water Rule, a regulation aimed at protecting source water for one in three Americans. As with his Clean Power Plan suit, Pruitt and his allies succeeded in blocking the rule's implementation.
"I don't think he's found an EPA rule he hasn't wanted to sue over," says Michael Kelly, Clean Water Action's national communications director.
Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail that ensuring "crystal clear, clean water" would be a priority for his administration. Yet his proposed policies and cabinet picks, particularly his selection of Pruitt, tell a very different story. At a time when much of the nation's water infrastructure is nearing the end of its lifespan, and federal funding for water quality enforcement is at historic lows, the incoming administration threatens to cripple the EPA's ability to protect clean drinking water nationwide.
"This is about protecting an irreplaceable part of life: safe, efficient, affordable water," says Henry Henderson, Midwest program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Gutting these protections is not something I believe the American people voted for in this election."
While much of Trump's agenda is not yet known, the concrete proposals he has made do not bode well for water quality. One of the clearest signals Trump has sent is his intention to scrap the Clean Water Rule, a fight Pruitt has also championed. Finalized last year, the rule expands federal protections for some 20 million acres of lakes, wetlands, and streams—drinking water sources for 117 million Americans. Unlike other parts of Trump's environmental agenda, scrapping the rule is a core Republican objective. In the 18 months since the rule was finalized, more than a dozen GOP governors have sued to stop its enforcement, along with two oil companies.
The Clean Water Rule is designed to help prevent crises like the toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie that left half a million Toledo residents without safe drinking water in 2014. Caused in part by agricultural runoff into wetlands and streams emptying into Lake Erie, cyanobacteria produced by the algae has been linked to diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, and liver damage. And Ohio is not alone. Similar outbreaks have threatened water supplies in more than 20 states this past summer—a significant increase over previous years. Without a robust Clean Water Rule, experts say, one in three Americans could risk exposure to these and similar contaminants.
Yet even more worrisome to clean water advocates is what lies in store for the EPA as a whole. On the campaign trail, Trump had repeatedly promised to abolish the agency outright, effectively devolving environmental protection to the states. The idea—by far the most extreme environmental position taken during the GOP primary—may also be difficult to implement. As The Guardian explained earlier this year, abolishing the EPA without repealing the laws the agency is required to enforce—not to mention its constitutional mandate to regulate greenhouse gases—would create legal chaos.
"Taking apart an entire agency that is embedded in multiple parts of American life and decision-making would be extraordinarily difficult," says Henderson. "It's probably more a rhetorical jab than a serious policy proposal."
Still, Trump wouldn't need to abolish the EPA outright to hobble its enforcement authority—he could simply cut its budget beyond reckoning. Upon accepting the nomination, Pruitt declared that the "American people are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations," echoing his previous calls to rein in the agency's "activist agenda."
Shortly before Election Day, Trump appeared to walk back his abolition stance, saying he'd instead like to cut the agency's budget down to "shreds," while attempting to refocus it on protecting clean water and air. "Once you start to go beyond that, you start to lose all of us," he said at a Florida event this past October. Trump then proposed cutting 70 percent to 80 percent of federal environmental regulations.
But Lynn Thorp, national campaigns director at Clean Water Action, says Trump's conflicting statements don't add up. "When you're slashing EPA's budget, you're slashing EPA's ability to ensure clean water," she warns. "Budget is policy." Already, chronic underfunding and partisan attacks have severely impacted the agency's ability to hold states and municipalities to federal water standards. Since 2010, the agency's budget has been slashed by one-fourth, and its workforce reduced by 10 percent. The EPA remains the only federal agency that has not had its funding restored following budget sequestration six years ago.
Those budget holes have already directly impacted water quality enforcement. A recent study by the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators found that states need an additional $240 million in order to "fulfill the minimum required functions" of the Safe Drinking Water Act. "Already we didn't have enough staff to do the job," says Thorp. Cutting the EPA further would "undercut the protections and effectiveness of a critical agency that has already been significantly depleted," Henderson adds.
But experts say proposals like these are only part of the picture. On the campaign trail, Trump "was so contradictory and all over the place, we don't know where he's going to come down," says Kelly, of Clean Water Action.
CLEAN WATER ADVOCATES knew they were in trouble shortly after the election, when Trump tapped Myron Ebell, director of the far-right Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), as head of his EPA transition team.
One of only a very few Washington think tanks with its own legal team, CEI has under Ebell's leadership emerged as a leading opponent of climate science and environmental regulation in almost all its forms. Through ferocious lobbying, advocacy, and litigation, CEI has, in Ebell's words, sought to "undermine the 'prevailing scientific wisdom'" on climate. Given CEI's reputation for ruthlessness and close ties to the fossil-fuel industry, Ebell's appointment has had environmental advocates very concerned.
"Personnel is policy in this case," says Kelly. "It tells us a lot about what Trump is planning to do."
In addition to its attack on climate science, CEI has been a fierce and persistent critic of national water quality standards, arguing in a 2008 report that localities under the Safe Drinking Water Act "struggle to meet federal mandates that do not make sense in all drinking water systems." The report concluded that water quality enforcement should be devolved to the state level, a proposal experts say could put millions at risk.
"If we were to devolve [enforcement] to the states, you'd have a free-for-all," says Thorp of national Clean Water Action. "You'd have a two-tiered drinking water system where way more arsenic is allowed in one state than another. It's such a nightmare scenario we'd have to recreate the Safe Drinking Water Act almost immediately."
Although Pruitt has stopped short of directly attacking the Safe Drinking Water Act, his worldview may not be all that different from Ebell's. Like Pruitt, CEI has fiercely criticized the Clean Water Rule, and has repeatedly taken federal regulators to court over environmental rules, including the Clean Power Plan. Pruitt also has ties with many of CEI's fossil-fuel industry underwriters, including Exxon, Koch Industries, and trade groups like American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. "Scott Pruitt and Myron Ebell are incredibly similar people in terms of how they see things," says Kelly. "There are a lot of similarities there and none of them are good."
Indeed, on Trump's selection of Pruitt, CEI put out a statement hailing him as "a leader in the pushback against EPA's unlawful regulatory overreach and destructive war on coal."
Like CEI, Pruitt casts much of the EPA's current agenda as a violation of state sovereignty. While serving as attorney general in Oklahoma, Pruitt created the nation's first ever "Federalism Unit" to investigate and combat federal overreach, via letters to lawmakers, testimony before Congress, and litigation. Pruitt also worked with the Republican Attorneys General Association to create a "Rule of Law" initiative that researched and litigated against federal regulations of all kinds. In a National Review op-ed in May, Pruitt compared the battle against climate regulation to the Revolutionary War, vowing to "hold the EPA accountable to the laws that created it."
Pruitt's fundamental distrust of federal authority does not bode well for water quality standards, which depend on strong federal enforcement. According to a report commissioned by the state of Michigan in March, it was the EPA's reluctance to hold state agencies to federal standards that led to lead contamination crises in Flint, Michigan, and elsewhere.
"We're in a crisis as a result of the failure to enforce the law," says Henderson. "The EPA has shown a significant reluctance to making these guarantees a reality."
Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech environmental engineering professor who blew the whistle on Washington, D.C.'s lead contamination crisis in 2004, agrees. "The existing Lead and Copper Rule is largely being ignored and circumvented," Edwards says. "There's no reason to think gutting the EPA will improve quality of life or public safety."
Exactly how far Pruitt and the GOP-controlled Congress will go in reshaping the EPA's authority remains to be seen. But one point of consensus will likely include killing the Clean Water Rule and further reducing the EPA's budget. In July, the House passed an EPA funding bill that drastically reduced the agency's budget—including for core water quality programs. The bill cut wastewater treatment assistance to states by $400 million, and blocked implementation of the Clean Water Rule.
Yet unlike the version the House passed in 2015, the bill did pump an additional $207 million to Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. Still, experts say even that increase wouldn't be enough for states to fulfill the minimum required functions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. "We have every reason to anticipate that the House will continue to shrink EPA resources," says Henderson. "There is no ducking [from] the fact that the GOP House took aim and continues to bang away at core enactments that guarantee quality of life."
All of this is happening at a time when much of the nation's water infrastructure desperately needs an overhaul. The nation's oldest water pipes, built in the 1880s, were designed to last no more than 120 years, while newer infrastructure built after World War II was designed to be replaced after 75 years. The EPA estimates that revitalizing our water infrastructure would cost $384 billion over 20 years. The American Water Works Association, water utilities' largest trade group, warns that number could be closer to $1 trillion. Experts say that failing to make these investments could put residents at even greater risk of water contamination, particularly from the lead in aging service lines.
However this debate shakes out after the inauguration, water advocates are prepared for a fight. "We know it's not going to be easy," says Kelly. "It's gonna be four years of pushing and fighting and finding new and creative ways to protect clean water and the climate."
But, he adds, the stakes in this battle have already motivated a lot of new people to get involved. "I've had folks reach out to me that weren't political before. Trump and his supporters are going to run into a wall of opposition."
When Trump visited Flint, Michigan, in September, he was not greeted warmly. Two days before his arrival, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver had slammed the GOP nominee for failing to make a public statement about Flint's lead contamination crisis, and for neglecting to alert her office of his planned visit. "Flint is focused on fixing the problems caused by lead contamination of our drinking water," she said, "not photo ops."
Flint residents had good reason to be suspicious of Trump's intentions, even then. With his selection of Pruitt to head the EPA, Trump has sent a clear signal to residents in Flint and elsewhere around the country that the nation's water pollution crisis is about to get worse, not better.


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There are no upcoming dates that are available for online registration in the immediate future. Please check with the event organizer for more information.
here to register and learn more about Wine Women & Shoes
Presented by the Northside Hospital Foundation
Wine Women & Shoes is an afternoon filled with wine tastings from some of the country's top winemakers, shopping in our luxurious multi-designer marketplace, fabulous silent and live auction items, a fashion show by Tootsies and, of course, our charming Shoe Guys!
All proceeds from this fashion-forward event go to the Women's Cancer and Leukemia Programs at Northside Hospital.
Follow/Tag Northside Hospital
Share your photos of this event using @NorthsideHosp #WWSATL.
1000 Johnson Ferry Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 851-8000
450 Northside Cherokee Blvd.
Canton, GA 30115
(770) 224-1000
1200 Northside Forsyth Drive
Cumming, GA 30041
(770) 844-3200


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Ithaca Sociable Singles (ISS)
We hope you will enjoy being a part of our organization of people who have come together to share experiences related primarily to their status as unmarried, single people. As you start to attend our events, you will meet many interesting individuals who come from all different walks of life. Hopefully you will find yourself making friends as we all have. Although our group is not promoted as a dating service, we have had people meet who have created long lasting relationships up to and including marriage.
Our monthly events are put together in advance in order to help members plan for what they want to do. We encourage members to host events that are of interest to them, which helps to create a variety of options each month. You can host an event on your own or co-host with another member. Instructions on how to host an event is included in this packet (click on the Members Area link at the top of the page).
We also like to extend invitations to other area singles groups. This allows us to meet new people and share in other group events.
Benefits of being a member:
How to join:
Membership only costs $28/year which is renewable in May. New members who join after the renewal period pay a prorated fee of $2.50/month x __ (# of months) through the following April. Membership dues go towards publicity, printing event calendars, postage, and renting pavilions for our Potluck picnics.
Here is our new members application to print, fill in and return with your payment. The address where you mail these items is on the form
How to become a listserv member:
You can become a listserv member as soon as you have paid your annual dues. Then all messages you send to the listserv are emailed to all members at firstname.lastname@example.com
How to become more involved with the group:


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|This article is about Bill's Town. For the the multiplayer map of the same name, see Bill's Town (Multiplayer).
"Bill's Town" is the fourth chapter of The Last of Us.
The WoodsEdit
Joel and Ellie head into the woods on the outskirts of the town of Lincoln. Ellie enjoys her first encounter with nature, since she has never left the Boston Quarantine Zone before. They come up to an old water tower and work their way into the town, where Joel's friend Bill lives. They see a column of smoke in the distance and decide to head in that direction. Joel warns Ellie that Bill is a good guy, but is completely paranoid and dislikes strangers. They find that the town is filled with Bill's traps, barricades, and homemade bombs to keep the Infected from getting too close to his safehouses. They make their way through the back alleys until they reach a garage where Joel is caught in one of Bill's traps, resulting in him hanging upside down while Ellie attempts to cut him free as he shoots the Infected that rush in their direction. Just as Joel is about to be bitten, Bill rescues them and leads them to an abandoned laundromat where they battle more infected before escaping into a bar.
As they rush into the bar, Bill is distrustful and angry at them for setting off his traps and attracting so many Infected to the area. He owes Joel a favor, who asks him for a car to get to his brother Tommy in Wyoming. Bill reluctantly agrees, but says that there are no functioning cars in town, only parts. First, they must go to his other safehouse to gather weapons and supplies, because the parts are in a school filled with Infected. They reach his safehouse, in a church. They gear up before heading out. Ellie wants a weapon as well, but Joel refuses. Bill says that if they do this, then he owes Joel no more favors.
The three head out towards the graveyard, sneaking their way through an infestation of Clickers, and make their way through the rest of the Infected-filled town. They reach the school and kill the Runners surrounding it before hiding from more Infected by climbing through a window near where the military truck crashed into the school.
High School EscapeEdit
A wave of Infected closes in on them and they run into the school to escape. After Bill realizes that the battery in the military truck is gone, he, Joel, and Ellie work their way through the school and run into a Bloater in the gym. They manage to kill it and escape into a nearby home. There, they find Bill's old partner, Frank, who committed suicide after being bitten so he wouldn't turn. They find a truck in the garage with Bill's battery in it, and if Joel searches the house, the Note from Frank can be found. Joel can give this note to Bill, who reads it, crumples it up, and tosses it aside before the pair prepare to push the car down the nearby hill to start it. Ellie drives until Bill orders her to stop once they have escaped the infected. Bill then parts ways with Joel and Ellie, giving Joel a siphon hose to scavenge gasoline from abandoned cars. Before letting them leave, Bill confirms with Joel that they're square—no more favors to owe.
"Bill's Town" contains the following collectibles:
- 11 Artifacts
- The Pills Note is on the floor at the far end of the room up the stairs and to the left, straight ahead of the broken fence you walk through and drop down.
- The Note to Bob is in the barbed wire on the floor, past the camper van with Hui Wang 000197 on top of it.
- The Perimeter Note is in the back room of the music shop, near the camper van.
- The Note to Rachel is in the room with the infected in the house with the banging door, after finding the bow and crossing the roofs.
- The Fences Note is in Bill's back room, near the pipe that he handcuffs Ellie to.
- Bill's Map is on the table with the engine, near the door you come it through.
- The Hunters Note, is on a table in the room to the rear and right of the stairs you come up after leaving Bill's safe room.
- The Bombs Note is on a table in Bill's room (which is "not the confessional booth") in the church.
- The Boy's Diary is on the windowsill upstairs in the room painted with stripes and cars, in the house with the dry pool outside.
- The Note from Frank is in the house with Frank's body, in the room with the body next to the doorway.
- After obtaining the Note from Frank, there is an optional conversation with Bill, where he will take the note, crumple it, and drop it on the floor. It can then be collected again, in a more crumpled state.
- 3 Firefly Pendants
- Hui Wang, 000197, is on top of the camper van that is across the street, just after the "Mandatory Evacuation Notice"
- Alex Raymond Vincent, 000266, is suspended from a telephone pole in the area you fight the infected because Bill has "neglected the simple shit". It's exactly to the right from the door you enter the area by, and it requires a brick, bottle or bullet to get it down.
- Peter Mrozik, 000263, is on top of a tumble drier in the first house you come to after Bill says it's "all new territory".
- 1 Training Manual
- Shiv: Sharpening is on the bar in Bill's safe room, after you first meet him.
- 0 Comics
- This chapter marks the first time the player faces a Bloater.
- The moment when Joel steps on the snare trap, which results in him hanging upside down while being attacked by Runners and Clickers, resembles a scene in the 2007 movie I Am Legend. In said film, main character Robert Neville has the same thing happen to him, with a group of Darkseekers almost killing him as a result.
- The first song on the cassette that Ellie stole from Bill is 'I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive' by Hank Williams.
- There are no non-infected human enemies in this chapter or Bus Depot
- However, they are referenced in one of Bill's notes.
- In Left Behind, Ellie asks in an optional conversation in Boston if she is ever going to drive a car again, which she does in this chapter.
- This chapter marks the first time that Ellie has been in the woods.
- The entire chapter, despite lasting over an hour, takes place at sunset. It does not seem much darker at the end of the chapter than it was at the beginning, and the sun can still be seen in the sky.
- In the lead up to the section where Joel gets caught in the trap, the player can find lots of Revolver ammunition, regardless of the selected difficulty. This is to not break immersion as the player has unlimited Revolver ammunition for this section only.
- After the player punches an Infected away while hanging upside down, Joel will always auto-aim for the head.
Glitches Edit
- There is a rare bug when Joel and Ellie need to crouch under a chest-height wire connecting two nail bombs. Joel will warn Ellie to stay low, and as she acknowledges his warning, she will sometimes walk straight into the wire, setting off the bombs. She will survive the blast unaffected, but if Joel is too close, he may die.
- Another rare bug that may occur is when Joel, Ellie, and Bill reach the high school. They find the front doors are locked, forcing them to go around the side and sneak in a window. However, if the player goes to the side window and opens it before Bill does, this may trigger a bug where Ellie and Bill disappear and the infected chasing the three completely stop, not moving unless the player walks by them. They will attack or bite the player, but the player cannot die. The only way to fix this is to quit and return to the main menu
- It is still possible to open the side door, causing a short animation to occur, where Joel tells the others to get in before him, whereas the more common experienced animation is Bill ordering Joel in as a Clicker catches up to him.


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Now that Christmas has come and gone, there's probably one treat still lingering in your living room. Candy canes. It seems that no matter how hard I try to give them all away, we always end up with a bunch of them at the end of the holiday season. This year, I didn't want to put them in the pantry only to collect dust until I threw them away in March. Instead I decided to find new ways to incorporate them into sweets that my family enjoys all year round. Here are my top five recipes made better when a little peppermint candy cane powder is added to the mix. Note: eating organic and/or natural candy canes that do not contain harmful red food dye is the healthiest choice. If you will be purchasing candy canes to make these treats instead of using leftovers, we highly recommend TruJoy candy canes.
How to Get Started
Ask your children to collect all of the leftover candy canes. Then have them unwrap each one, breaking them into smaller pieces.
Grind the Pieces
Place all of the smaller broken pieces into the food processor and chop until you have a slightly chunky powder.
Choose a Recipe
Use this candy cane "powder" to add a little zip to otherwise ordinary goodies. Read on to find five favorite recipes that only get better when you mix in a little peppermint candy cane powder.
White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn
Simply melt a small amount of white chocolate, add a teaspoon of peppermint candy cane powder and drizzle on top of organic popped popcorn. It tastes just like the popcorn balls you remember from your childhood, and your children will adore this new family recipe.
Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
Add a teaspoon of the peppermint candy cane powder to the batter of your favorite chocolate chip recipe. Or better yet, sprinkle it on top of the dough balls before you place your cookie sheets in the oven. Viola – pepperminty heaven.
Peppermint Cocoa, Coffee or Tea
Instead of adding sugar or honey to your morning cup of coffee or tea – add a teaspoon of the candy cane powder. You won't be disappointed, it makes it sweet with a kick! And for the little ones, a teaspoon of this candy cane goodness added to their favorite Fair Trade cocoa will send them to a minty wonderland.
Vanilla Peppermint Ice Cream
By simply sprinkling your candy cane powder on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream – you transform an ordinary treat into an extraordinary one. This is perfect for those cozy winter nights next to the fireplace.
White Chocolate Candy Cane Pretzels
Who doesn't love a pretzel dipped in chocolate? These can be a treat year round, and by adding a sprinkle or two of candy cane powder they become a festive winter treat.


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We educate imaginative, knowledgeable, skilled and responsible artists, teachers and scholars through inventive curricula and programs.
A degree program in film, dance or theatre through the Herberger Institute is more than just traditional classwork and the occasional application of theory. Our degree programs attract top-notch faculty with years of experience and dedication to advancing their craft. These programs give you the opportunity to learn from extraordinary visiting artists, they provide unprecedented access to state-of-the-art equipment, and they offer an abundance of performance and production opportunities that prepare you for lifelong real-world success.
With numerous undergraduate and graduate degree programs available — whether you are an artist, performer, producer, filmmaker or scholar — you will have the opportunity to experience personal creative growth, explore cross-disciplinary studies and collaborate in a community of like-minded individuals.


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Teresa Binetruy started riding as a child and has been riding, taking instruction and showing in all of the three equestrian disciplines ever since. Teresa's riding experience began in the sport of Three Day Eventing, giving opportunity to compete at major competitions across Western Canada over the years. Arguably, the highlight of her three-day experiences was riding Ludi Mae. Ludi Mae was a thoroughbred mare that the Binetruy family purchased locally that went on to be a member of Team Canada at the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Sweden. When Ludi Mae was retired from international competition in 1992, she became Teresa's riding horse; allowing Teresa to take advantage of the vast 'world of experience' this horse had to offer, literally.Being a three day event rider puts a person in the unique position of having to develop skills in all three arenas. To that end, Teresa and her horses have always attended regular dressage lessons, clinics and shows; and continued to develop skills with regular hunter/jumper lessons, clinics and shows. It has been a few years since Teresa has competed at a three day event, but she is commonly showing in the dressage ring and the hunter/jumper ring in Saskatchewan and Alberta.Most recently, Teresa has taken the opportunity to concentrate on her dressage work. Among many great clinicians, Teresa has been traveling regularly to Calgary to take lessons from Crystal Kroetch – a member of Canada's 2011 Silver Medal Team at the Pan American Games.Teresa lives west of Saskatoon on a farm where she previously raised beef cattle and currently runs a warmblood breeding operation. There is an exciting line up of young horses coming up through the ranks. Teresa feels extremely fortunate to be mounted on 2 lovely home raised horses for this edition of the Ellen Bontje Workshop. Outside of the riding arena, Teresa has a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture and is the manager of the Beef Cattle Research & Teaching Unit at the University of Saskatchewan. She also plays competitive women's hockey, traveling around Canada and the United States to hockey tournaments during the winter season.Frolic is a 2004 Canadian Warmblood gelding sired by Frobisher (Florestan I x Diamantino) out of Brisa (Bajazzo x Arkansas). Frolic was born on Teresa's farm and has been under her care and guidance ever since. He has shown in the hunter ring to 3'3" and in the jumper ring to 3'6". While Frolic still competes in all disciplines the focus has turned to more serious dressage work. Frolic is a great big, strong horse with rhythmical lofty gates, a sweet temperament and a great attitude. In 2013, Frolic and Teresa were awarded the Saskatchewan Provincial Third Level Championship and the Alberta Provincial Reserve Championship.Farenheit is a 2008 Canadian Warmblood gelding sired by Freestyle (Florestan 1 x Parademarsch) out of Blythe Spirit (Bajazzo x Arkansas). Frolic is sponsored by Norm Kohle Farrier Service of Grandora, Sk.
Farenheit was also bred, born and raised on Teresa's farm. 2013 was Farenheit's first show season where he got his start in the hunter ring and the dressage ring showing at Training level. He attended 2 shows in Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Dressage Provincials, and the Alberta Dressage Provincials obtaining very good scores consistently winning show championships and reserve championships for his level. Farenheit is a tall, elegant young man that grabs the attention of judges and spectators everywhere he goes. Farenheit is sponsored by Brookscon Construction of Cochrane, Ab.
For details http://horseownertoday.com/ellenbontjeworkshop.aspx
Tags: Dressage Training, Gordon Dalshaug, Ellen Bontje, Dutch Olympian
Horses have always been a passion for me, starting with the spring horse my brother had when I was 2. I started riding lessons with the Regina Pony Club when I was a little older. After leasing horses and riding lessons I was able to get my own horse and I competed with him in dressage in Saskatchewan. Once I went to university I had to opportunity to travel to Germany to train and earn their rider performance medals. I earned my silver performance medal and also earned my Trainer B certification in dressage and jumping. That is the equivalent of the new Coach 2 Competition Specialist designation through Equine Canada. In the past several years, I have continued to train and compete in Germany and Canada in Dressage with much success with my horse Paso Doble 40 and my other horses as well as with some horses owned by other riders. I even had the opportunity to present a horse for a client in the Trakehner Mare Performance Test in Hessen, Germany. I competed this year with Paso at 4th Level and have seen great improvement in him throughout the season with much success. He is a spirited horse who is very smart but easily stressed when he doesn't understand something. He loves attention and bananas. We have high hopes and big dreams to one day make the Canadian Team and it is through clinics like this one that we can get the help we need to continue on the path to success.
Tags: Dressage Training, Dutch Olympian, Ellen Bontje, Gordon Dalshaug
Friday, October 28/11 - Excellent first day of workshop with Ellen Bontje. She is a very gracious clinician, completely focused on the horses best interest.
Ellen Bontje working with "Hallmark" and Jenneke Hoogendoorn, below Jenneke Hoogendoorn and "Hallmark" working on the rail
Gordon Dalshaug and student "debriefing" at the end of the day!
Jenneke and "Hallmark"
Tags: dressage, dutch Olympian, Ellen Bontje, Gordon Dalshaug, "Hallmark"


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"Diseases are disabling, but treatable! I can't only want results for you, you have to want them too! Come on everyone, let's pick up the pace!" This is what I chant at my clients while they're sweating and exerting their fatigued bodies during the workout portion of my "8 Weeks to Healthy Living" program. According to Jacksonville's previous Community Health Needs Assessments, the region has a high percentage of residents with preventive lifestyle diseases, such as Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. One of the strategies that I use at my host site, Baptist Health's Office of Social Responsibility, is the wellness program, "8 Weeks To Healthy Living." This nutrition and physical activity-based series is facilitated by our Registered Dietitians and Certified Fitness Instructors, once a week for two hours. I bring their materials and they bring their expertise.
From the start of my service term with the NHC Florida AmeriCorps Program, I focused on retention by emphasizing the value of individual health and by encouraging participants to be intrinsically motivated. With my population being majority faith-based, middle aged individuals, I needed to motivate them in the most engaging and respectful way. Many of our faith-based partners come to us with chronic diseases. Most live a sedentary lifestyle and are in the contemplation or preparation stages of behavior change. Contemplating is when participants are considering changing their lifestyle, meaning, for example, they are only attending the program to please someone else, such as a spouse or their physician. Preparing is when participants are taking the necessary steps to make health-related change. When trying to change human health and behavior, you must have patience and have an appealing approach. All participants know a lifestyle change is overdue and they know that at Baptist, we get the job done. I knew, during the program, naturally attendance would start to fluctuate and individual participation would start to decrease, so I spiced things up!
I met with my Director of Community Engagement, Lynn Sherman, and Community Partnership Coordinator, Paul Cook, to inform them that I had plans to adapt the curriculum to include more interactive discussions and activities during the nutrition session in order to cater to each organization's interest while still corresponding with the overall purpose of "8 Weeks To Healthy Living." I did this by visiting their establishments, sharing healthy recipes, inviting them to community outreach events, evaluating their experiences, and working out with them during their fitness sessions. Participation shot back up!
I am the cheerleader for the underserved, underrepresented, uninformed, and uninsured. I am here to provide resources, build rapport, and educate individuals on the reality of why it's important to be more mindful when it comes to their health so that they can live a happier lifestyle. As the "8 Weeks To Healthy Living" Program Coordinator, it is my duty to keep to strong ties with our partners who commit to the 8 Weeks program. With the proper senior level support and clients' total engagement at each session, the goal of "8 Weeks To Healthy Living" will continue to thrive and the community will continue to progress in its health journeys.
This blog post was written by NHC FL AmeriCorps member, Shakeira Herring.
Shakeira serves at Baptist Health as a Health Educator.


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เทคนิคยิงปลา_แจกเครดิตฟรี 1000_คาสิโนลาว มุกดาหาร
AFA provides this quick link to the Alberta Government's Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development site and the statistics for the farm cost statistics.
Current Average Farm Input Prices for Alberta
2013 Alberta Average Farm Input Prices
2011-12 Historical Farm Input Prices for Alberta
Farm Cash Receipts, Expenses and Income (Stats Can)
Purple Gas, Farm Diesel, and West Texas Crude Prices, 5-year comparison (2003-08)
Purple Gas Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Farm Diesel Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Anhydrous Fertilizer Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Fertilizer 11-51-0 Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Urea Fertilizer 46-0-0 Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Electricity Rates, Average in Alberta (2003-08)
Natural Gas Rates, Average in Alberta (2003-08)
Feed and Seed
Feed Pellets (hog grower rations, broiler growers, etc.), Average Prices (2003-08)
Conventional and Herbicide Tolerant Canola Seed, Average Prices (2003-08)
Wheat and Barley Seed, Average Prices in Alberta (2003-08)
Equipment and Labour
General Farm Labour Earnings, Monthly Average (2003-08)
Farm Machinery Prices in Alberta, Average, (2003-08)
Hourly Mechanical Repair Costs for Farm Machinery (Shop & Labour) Alberta Average 5 Year


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Worldwide and current Jeppesen charts
Navigraph Charts provide access to Jeppesen's worldwide and current electronic charts library, covering over 6,800 airports. In addition to airport charts, the enroute charts are rendered from Jeppesen navdata. Using Jeppesen as a provider for all data will ensure synchronized information between airport charts, enroute charts, addon data formats, and any other data displayed in Navigraph apps and software.
Moving maps
Jeppesen charts are geo-referenced, which means that we can show your simulator aircraft position as an icon overlaying the charts in real-time. This feature significantly increases situational awareness in the air and on the ground, especially at crowded airports. All approach charts, airport diagrams, and enhanced SID and STAR charts support moving maps. To connect your Charts software to the simulator, install the Simlink client software on your simulator computer. In addition, the dynamic and interactive enroute charts fully support moving maps.
Night mode
All charts from Jeppesen come in two color schemes, the regular one with white background for day operations, and a dark one with black background, reducing the overall light emitted from the display, which is ideal for night (low ambient light) operations. The other visual elements in the charts, such as terrain, also have adapted dark scheme colors. Also the enroute charts have night mode color scheme. All Charts apps have a simple switch in the top right corner of the interface for swithing between Day and Night mode.
Flight organization
In all Charts apps you can easily create a flight, which documents your origin/destination/alternate airports and your planned route. This logical grouping of airports make all charts needed for your flight quickly accessible. In addition, you can attach your flight's route and get it shown on the enroute chart.
Chart pinboards
When organizing your flight further you can pin a set of charts from an airport to the pinboard, a separate panel with thumbnails of charts you'll use. Just tap the circle on the right of the chart name, and it will be pinned (or unpinned). When done, the menu can be closed to increase the chart's screen real estate, while navigating charts by simply tapping the thumbnails in the pinboard.
Interactive enroute charts
The enroute charts are fully interactive. Tap any visible item, such as an airport, waypoint, navaid or airspace, and more info will popup. Right click or long tap on the chart to perform a geo-search; all items within a certain radius will be listed and selectable. You know what you are looking for but not where it is? Use the textual search, and see the search results visually highlighted on the chart.
Route visualization
When adding a route to your flight (mentioned above), it will be highlighted on the enroute chart. Every fix (waypoint or navaid) and segment (airway or direct) will be shown and clickable for additional information such as waypoint coordinates, navaid frequencies, airway segment flight levels and distances. In addition, the moving map overlay (mentioned above) is drawn on top of the route, to show that you are following (or not!?) the planned route.
Dynamic enroute charts
The enroute charts employ a level-of-detail algortihm to reveal more detail with greater zoom. This automatic decluttering provides clarity and overview when zooming out, while providing additional when zooming in.
Although the aeronautical data used in these products originates from suppliers within the real world aviation industry, and may seem up to date and accurate, the data has also been downsampled, merged and interpolated. Furthermore, the data is only made available in formats non-standard to the aviation industry. Therefore, the data must never be used for real-world flight navigation. It is dangerous and may also be unlawful. Navigraph will assume no responsibility for consequences arising from improper use of the data. The data distributed by Navigraph is for non-professional computer simulated flight only.
Copyright © 2019 Navigraph. All rights reserved.


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The Stilly Valley Chamber helps provide business opportunities for the region and promotes the living standards in and around the Stillagumaish Valley.
Downtown Arlington may not have all the answers, but Snohomish County will provide answers for ordinances, parks and recreation and highway patrol.
Press Release May 31, 2017 On May 3, 2017 at the closeRead More
Great article written about the us, the Downtown ArlingRead More
We made it! On January 13, 2016, the communities of ArlRead More


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American folk legend Don McLean coming to the MSU Riley Center June 22
The song has carried its creator all over the world, from New York, to England, and all the way to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We hear its tune and immediately, some part of the chorus comes to our lips.
"The day the music died" resonates with so many music lovers that folk singer/songwriter Don McLean's entire body of work is sometimes overshadowed by his hit, "American Pie." But you'll be able to hear much more of the music McLean has to offer when he performs at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. A pre-show party will take place at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $45 and $39 at the MSU Riley Center box office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.msurileycenter.com or by calling the box office at 601-696-2200.


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Ernest OBMINSKI
Moscow, Luch Publishers, 2011. – 336 pp., with illustration
переплёт, формат 60x90/16 – 3000 экз., станд. 14.
The book While Diplomats Speak paints a broad picture of the last fifty years of a great country with today's world in the background.
The author grew up in the Soviet backwaters. Without any connections or sponsors and overcoming traps set by secret services, he became a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a specialist on Third World economies. He worked hard in many of those economies, including Chile, Mexico, Kenya, Cameroun, India, Nepal and Thailand. At one time he was a deputy Soviet foreign minister. Obminski wrote much on world economic problems and also three books of satirical verse and prose. The author reminisces about, among others, historical figures he knew personally, including members of the all-powerful Soviet Politbureau and architects of Perestroika, and lays bare the secret springs of well-known events. The chapters 'Foreign Ministry Headquarters', 'United Nations Corridors' and 'Heading for Collapse'
reveal the underside of top-level decision-making that shaped the fate of the country. The book While Diplomats Speak is a riveting narrative, with the chapters 'Episodes'.


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Operational update
18 April 2017
Urals Energy PCL ("Urals Energy" or the "Company")
Operational update
Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR).
The Board of Urals Energy (AIM:UEN), the independent exploration and production company with operations in Russia, is pleased to provide the following operational update.
The Group's drilling team has spudded Well 130, which is located on the main Petrosakh licence area on the Eastern coast of Sakhalin Island. The target depth is 1,680 meters and it is expected that this depth will be achieved in up to eight weeks. The Group is targeting the Pilenga horizon, the principal oil bearing horizon of the Okruzhnoe field. Further announcements in respect of Well 130 will be made as appropriate.
Further to the announcement made on 30 March 2017, the Company is now in the advanced stages of negotiation regarding a new contract with the Petraco Oil Company for two export shipments from Articneft in 2017. At present the Company has approximately 31,000 tons (approximately 245,000 barrels) of commercial crude in stock. The first tanker shipment is expected in mid-June 2017.
For further information, please contact:
Urals Energy Public Company Limited
Andrew Shrager, Chairman
Leonid Dyachenko, Chief Executive Officer
Sergey Uzornikov, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +7 495 795 0300, www.uralsenergy.com
Allenby Capital Limited, Nominated Adviser and Broker
Nick Naylor / Alex Brearley
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3328 5656, www.allenbycapital.com


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|Veronica Sorcher's Gone
|Judith Serling-Sturm's Amendments Project #4
Have you seen the Bookworks 13 exhibit at the Main Library yet? Citybeat reporter Selena Reder did and was impressed. Check out her great article in the July 18 issue.
|Two views of Janice Kagermeier's Uncle Melvin Looks Back (outside, above; inside, below)


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Burning Man Series Part 3
by: Jessica v. Beusekom
Burning Man has been an essential part of my life since I attended the event for the first time in 2015. Once I got back from the Burn, I could not stop talking about it. I'm petty sure my friends got sick and tired of me and at times wished they hadn't invited me out.
Whenever I mention Burning Man, I notice that a lot of people are not familiar with Burning Man or have an incorrect image of what the event actually is. Yes, there is a lot of partying going on, but for me the Burn represents so much more. It's a place where many, many lessons will be learned; it's a place that extended and transcended my boundaries and that's why I'll forever cherish this place.
Being born and raised in Amsterdam, I always considered myself a quite open-minded person. I thought that things that deviated from 'my normal' weren't able to 'shock' me, but at Burning Man I quickly learned that there was so much more room for me to push my boundaries. I learned to be so much more tolerant and accepting to things that were completely out of my 'bubble;' I learned to step out of that comfort zone. I've been so much more adventurous in life ever since:
One of the most interesting memories I hold is one from the first time I attended the Burn. I was excited, intimidated and a little scared at the beginning. I just had no clue what to expect and as a result I had my guard up a little. On day two, one of my camp mates wanted to check out some workshop. I was a little clueless on what the theme of the workshop was, but decided to tag along anyway. We arrived at the workshop a little late, but nonetheless were still welcome to join. The workshop had several rounds, in which you had to try to emotionally connect to a random stranger. Each round you had to change partners. I was a little sceptical during the workshop, as during one of the rounds we had to hold each other as if you were holding a baby.
"Wait.. what?!"
Yes, I had no idea who this chick in front of me was, and I had to lay in her arms for 7 minutes as if I were a little baby.
Uhmm, awkward much?
Anyway, during the last round we had to sit across from someone and look each other in the eyes for 7 minutes straight, without speaking. Two minutes in I started crying my eyes out. I didn't know what the hell was going on. This person across from me didn't do anything but smile at me, so why was I crying?! The remaining five minutes I continued to cry. My partner didn't say anything verbally, but the way he looked at me while I was crying was very comforting. Once the round ended, we didn't exchange names or ask each other where we were camping; we only exchanged a hug and I said: "Thank you!" Afterwards. It felt as if a weight had lifted off of my shoulders. All of the fear and anxiety I had towards the rest of my Burn had evaporated and I realized I just had to let the week happen. I embraced every little thing that happened: every stranger that talked to me, smiled at me, or wanted to hug me, each failed plan, all of the dust storms and cold nights.. I embraced it all.
Once the Burn was over, I tried to take that same mentality home and embrace the things that life threw my way. As a result, I met many beautiful people that inspire, encourage and love me. I've managed to broaden my horizon and accept new things and elements in my life. I've made life-changing decisions and I am proud of how I've managed to let things just happen. Finally, I can say that life has been way more exciting since that first Burn, and I can't wait to see what lessons I'll be learning this year.


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It's one of the most common questions when it comes to starting a business: do you go all-in or do you do it on the side while keeping your day job? Or maybe it's some combination of the two? Both sides of the coin can make strong arguments, so we decided to go straight to the source and talk to some real small business owners about how they're launching, what works for them, and what the pros and cons of their choices are…
Meet the owners of Stiletto Escape and The Pulse, two up-and-coming small businesses out of San Diego, California.
Stiletto Escape was born out of Jana Wallis and Shivani Ballesteros' mutual passion for travel, food, and friends, in addition to a desire to have more autonomy in their work lives. Stiletto Escape provides concierge style travel-planning services for girlfriend getaways, solving the planning hurdle for women who want to travel with their girlfriends, but simply don't have the time to plan the whole thing out. Think of them as expert travelers that are willing to share their "locals only" knowledge with you like a best friend.
Our other featured business is The Pulse, San Diego's "only interview style video marketing company" led by Cindy Matalucci. Throughout her successful career in sales Cindy kept her eye on the future of digital media. With an effervescent personality and a sharp understanding of how video content could change the world of marketing Cindy gets the 411 on all the latest and greatest things to do in city San Diego. From the newest bars and restaurants to the chicest boutiques, the coolest workouts and gyms, she guides her viewers through it all. Cindy also hosts and covers events for her streaming network (including the 2014 Sundance and Santa Barbara Film Festivals), and hosts an online show based on local fashion in San Diego.
So, how did Jana, Shivani and Cindy all get there? The short answer is "a lot of hard work," but it goes deeper than that. We sat down to have a conversation with these three women about how they got started…
Do you run your small business while maintaining another job or is it your sole focus?
Stiletto Escape: We both still maintain our day jobs. Shivani is an in-house attorney for a large energy company and Jana is an account manager for a digital marketing firm.
The Pulse: I worked sales and marketing in the corporate world for 17 years. I started my business 3 years ago as a passion project and it turned into a career. I left my corporate job in October 2013 and I am now full time at The Pulse.
What are the advantages and challenges of launching your business while maintaining a full time job?
Stiletto Escape: We did some research to start and that turned out to be the tipping point for us. When we tested our business idea with a focus group of over 50 women the results showed the women were actually interested in this concept, would buy into it, and needed it! After some more in-depth conversations, many hours of research, and a couple "ok, can we really do this?" conversations, Stiletto Escape was born.
We've both kept our day jobs since the launch, so we enjoy the benefits of having a steady income to support ourselves, the ability to generate additional capital to get our business off the ground. But maintaining your day job can also provide growth, skill development, and on-the-job experience that is integral to building your business.
For us, one of those assets when we were starting out was Shivani's legal background and her ability to properly apply for our LLC and setup our business agreement, as well as create standard client contracts and operating procedures. Another was Jana's exposure to web development and digital marketing which gave us a strong foundation for our website and following best practices online.
The Pulse: I would have to say launching my business while still working my corporate job really helped finance my company in the beginning. I did not need to go to investors and I had the extra money to buy equipment that I needed to get my business off the ground. I was also able to pay for items like marketing materials, attendance fees for networking events, and dues to groups so I could make the connections I needed to grow my business.
What are the advantages of launching your business without having another full time job? What are the challenges?
Stiletto Escape: Without another job, you can devote all of your time and resources to launching your business, acquiring clients, and growing your marketing strategy. However, you also have some sense of "this has to work" urgency, since your success depends solely on you and your idea. There is no reward without risk; not having a safety net forces you to swim, but at the same time, if you have another job, the fear of sinking isn't as paralyzing.
The Pulse: For the first two years this worked out great, but then I started finding myself burning the candle at both ends, working my corporate gig by day and working at my own company on nights and weekends. You start off so excited, just running on adrenaline because you are so passionate about your business. Eventually you start to get burned out and realize that your day job is hindering you from really living the life you were born to live.
Suddenly I just hit a point where I'd just had enough of the corporate life and really had the drive to be an entrepreneur and work for myself. I've never had a problem with self-motivating and really wanted to throw myself into my company full force and see what I could create and where I could take it. The issue is if you never jump in 100 percent and take that risk, you never fully know what you are capable of. I knew if I kept my day job, I would not be able to take my business to the next level. Three years after I started the Pulse, and almost a year ago now, I made the leap into full blown entrepreneur and never looked back.
How did you decide it was time—or decide it's time—to quit your full time job to pursue your entrepreneurial venture full time? What measures and benchmarks are you using? How did you figure out how much capital you needed?
Stiletto Escape: We've each identified a number – the amount for which we'd be willing to walk away from our day jobs. When Stiletto Escape is supporting us to that degree, that's when we'll go. Based on what we're making now, the lifestyle we'd each like to lead, and accounting for where we'd like to be in the future, when that time comes, we each calculated a figure and that's our main benchmark for knowing when it's time solely be the owners of Stiletto Escape!
The Pulse: I was making quite a bit of money in my corporate job. I had been at my last company for over 13 years and was very established there. I was a top sales rep and made most of my money on commission. I had socked away for a few months so I had a bit of a cushion. I can't say I was in a perfect place when I left though.
Looking back, hindsight being 20/20 and all, I should have saved more, but the timing was right for me to branch out on my own. I literally couldn't stay in the corporate world another second. I looked at my overall living expenses and then compared my expenses against my previous corporate income and also against what I needed to earn in order to survive. I started to cut back on some of the luxuries and items that I didn't need anymore and looked at ways to minimize my bills.
It's funny how when you are working for yourself you really prioritize things and what is truly important in life becomes clearer. I found that some things I used to spend money on didn't seem important anymore, I didn't even want to spend money on them anymore. I really became focused on how I could put money into my company to improve it. I knew how much income I needed to bring in each month so I broke that down into how much money per week and per day so that I had a daily and weekly goal. If you don't define and capture your goals, you've got nothing to strive for.
What mental hurdles did you need to overcome to strike out on your own?
The Pulse: This was a tough one because I was so used to working for a large corporation that had a big name and great name recognition. I had to build my company's reputation up one day at a time, so right away that was a mental hurdle for me in the beginning; just not being as confident about my business as I could have been. No one had heard of " The Pulse" in the beginning so I just faked it until I made it. I went out there and acted like I had been around forever and people took me seriously. It is all in how you carry yourself. Over the next few years I created, filmed, and produced over 250 videos. Then people knew who we were.
I would say another hurdle is not knowing your value. In the beginning I felt like I had to charge less money because people did not know who I was. After a few years of doing business, learning your industry and becoming an expert in what you do, you realize you are worth much more and you start to charge the right amount for your services.
How do you grow your business? How do you find and retain clients?
Stiletto Escape: Our business has largely been built on a strong network of referrals and by word of mouth so far. And since we're relatively unique in the travel space, people find us on the web when they are searching for niche travel planning needs like bachelorette parties.
The Pulse: Since I had built up such a great network in the corporate world, I really leveraged those connections. My clients from my corporate job became my first clients in my own company. People buy from people they trust and like. You have a great relationship with these people so you talk to them about your business. They become your raving fans, your champions, and your best source of referrals. Networking was always my thing. I started a few networking groups that were extremely active so I just switched from representing my corporate company to representing my company, The Pulse, at the events.
I also came up with strategic vertical markets I wanted to target like restaurants, boutiques, and non-profits. I started joining LinkedIn groups that were in these markets. I even did some cold calling! I also attended events and tradeshows that would include these types of vendors.
How do you get the "office operations"—things like finance, payroll, web/tech support, and HR—done without staff?
Stiletto Escape: Like many small business owners, we wear many hats! We've had to learn a lot of things along the way in order to do things like set up client billing systems or learning how to post a blog entry online. But we also rely heavily on independent contractors for things we just can't do ourselves. For some tasks we've been able to trade services, but a large majority of our overhead does go to outsourcing.
The Pulse: For the first two years, it was me and my boyfriend, who I made into my camera operator. We decided to jump in and learn everything we could about the digital video media business. I learned how to operate the camera and edit video myself so I could be a technical ninja and know the ins and outs of my industry. We had a few friends that were photographers that we worked with and contracted for jobs with us. Luckily my boyfriend was a web developer, so I had him create our first website and teach me how to do blog posts and update the site.
All too soon though, I was inundated with every piece of running the business. I was booking clients, attending the events, directing the videos, being the on-camera host, editing, uploading, publishing to the web, and following up with the clients and handling customer service issues. I started to realize I needed to delegate and add people to my team so I could focus on the most important aspects of my business and really take it to the next level.
I started looking for interns. What a total life saver! I found a great marketing intern who could help with booking events and jobs, as well as assisting with our social media strategy. I found a few editors that I trusted to help edit some of our videos. Then I found an assistant to help me with all the other tasks I needed help with, the nitty gritty of the day-to-day. It really took our business to the next level and allowed me to focus on our goals as a company. I went through internships.com which was an amazing resource, posted job listings at local colleges, and also found people through social media!
Any final nuggets of wisdom to share with others who are joining the entrepreneurial ranks and recently launched or are thinking of launching their own business?
Stiletto Escape: "If it's important you'll find the time, if it's not, you'll find an excuse." The initial lustre of owning your own business and pursuing your passion can wear off very quickly. It can become too easy to put things off, especially if you spend eight to 10 hours working at another job.
The Pulse: I would say DREAM BIG! You will get a lot of naysayers that will tell you can't do it. I heard that several times, but I never gave up. Believe in yourself and your company. Never take no for an answer. If I took every "no" I got as the final word I would not be where I am today. You will fail at some point in some way, but just learn from that and pick yourself up and move forward.
Lastly, adapt to your clients needs and demands. Know who your target market is and listen to them. We made changes in our business and adapted to what our clients were asking for. It gives you longevity and helps you to stay on the cutting edge of your industry.
Jana, Shivani and Cindy—Thanks for taking the time to share your stories!


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With the incomprehensible amount of nonsense and scandals that have come out of the Trump administration, the focus has come off the fact that Trump has tried to make some of his extremely bigoted views a part of the actual law. However, thanks to Trump's endorsement of pedophile Roy Moore, his anti-Muslims views are in the spotlight once again.
Earlier this week, Trump gave his official endorsement of Moore, and considering all of the things these two horrible men have in common, it's no wonder. Not only are Moore and Trump able to bond over the fact that they both sexually assault women and teenagers, but they also hate Muslims! This came to light as a 2007 op-ed by Moore surfaced, in which Moore attacked Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress. In the op-ed, Moore attacked Ellison for his faith and stated that Muslims should be banned from Congress. It's absolutely disgraceful and no sitting president should stand behind it, but Trump's team can't defend the president here.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders failed to defend her boss when she was grilled about whether or not Trump agreed with Moore over his claim that Muslims shouldn't serve in Congress. It should have been a straightforward answer, but Huckabee Sanders couldn't even give a clear response. She said:
I haven't asked him about past statements from Roy Moore. I'm saying he supports the President's agenda; the President doesn't necessarily support everything of Moore's agenda."
Sanders is basically saying she has no idea — which speaks tons. Especially since just recently, Trump was tweeting fake anti-Muslim videos to support his ban on Muslims who want to enter the country. Sarah Huckabee Sanders knows exactly where Trump stands on this — as she does with everything she's asked about. She's just not allowed to say it.
Featured image via Alex Wong / Getty Images