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Author's Note: The following originally appeared at archy.
The anti-Darwin industry among fundamentalist Christians has produced thousands of pages of misinformation in their attempt to tar and feather the theory of evolution. I have responded to many of these false claims previously. However, one assertion that is especially outlandish is that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was a devoted Darwinian who funded a program to create "ape-man Superwarriors" in his goal for world domination. As Creation Ministries, publisher of the Journal of Creation and advocate of a young Earth literal interpretation of the Bible, insisted in 2006:
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin wanted to rebuild the Red Army, in the mid-1920s, with Planet-of-the-Apes-style troops by crossing humans with apes. . . Stalin is said to have told Ivanov, 'I want a new invincible human being, insensitive to pain, resistant and indifferent about the quality of food they eat.'
Their only legitimate source for the claim comes from a 2002 paper in the academic journal Science in Context, by the Russian historian of science Kirill Rossiianov. Rossiianov's study follows the ill-fated attempt by the Russian physiologist Il'ya Ivanov to cross-breed humans with anthropoid apes. His research offers an important warning about the ethical abuses that can occur when proper standards are not enforced, but Rossiianov's paper clearly demonstrates that creating "superwarriors" had no part in Ivanov's work. The alleged quote from Stalin is not found in the paper and there is no evidence that Stalin ever made such a statement. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Creation Ministries' assertion has absolutely no foundation.
However, why the Soviets would fund such a human-chimp hybridization program in the first place and what can be learned from this sordid tale of ethical misconduct is an important topic and fascinating in its own right. Ivanov represents a scientist, widely respected in his field, whose dedication to find out if something could be done blinded him to ask whether it should be done. It also reminds us of the role that politics can play in the development of scientific research even if the scientists directly involved are not political themselves.
Contrary to the claims of conservative Christians, Il'ya Ivanov's interest in hybridization occurred long before the Russian revolution of 1917 and had little connection with Marxist ideology. Following his graduation in 1896 with the equivalent of a PhD in physiology, Ivanov conducted research in bacteriology at the Institut Pasteur in Paris before working with the world famous physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Ivanov utilized the same surgical techniques that earned Pavlov a Nobel Prize and was successfully able to extract animal sex glands so as to develop techniques of artificial insemination in purebred horses. This research was subsequently expanded to farm animals more generally and Ivanov became the leading international figure in the study of artificial insemination.
Ivanov's first mention of his idea for using artificial insemination to determine if a human-ape hybrid could be produced occurred at an Austrian zoology conference in 1910. There is no indication that he had any plans to carry out such research at this time. However, seven years after the revolution, in 1924, Ivanov was conducting experiments on sperm disinfection at the Institut Pasteur when he was offered the institute's support for his hybridization scheme:
They offered Ivanov free access to animals at the institute's recently organized chimpanzee facility in the village of Kindia, French Guinea, but could not pay for other operational and travel expenses of the project.
After several failed attempts to secure funding, Ivanov eventually received $10,000 from the Soviet Financial Commission and his project was subsequently approved by the Soviet Academy of Sciences (Ivan Pavlov was a distinguished member of the Academy and was present the day this decision was made). It was certainly Ivanov's distinguished reputation that allowed the project to move forward. In his proposal to the Academy he stated that he wanted to test various hypotheses that had been suggested in the scientific literature.
One such hypothesis was that of the German scientist Hans Friedenthal whose analysis of blood cells in 1900 between chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans showed that they were serologically far more similar than had previously been expected. As a result, Friedenthal proposed that anthropoid reproductive cells could be similar enough to result in a hybrid between humans and other apes. In the following two decades other researchers, such as the Dutch zoologist Hermann Marie Bernelot Moens and the German sexologist Hermann Rohleder, sought to test this prediction by inseminating chimpanzee females with human sperm. However, their attempts never got beyond the planning stage and, in the case of Moens, his research plans resulted in him being fired from his teaching position.
With his small budget and use of Institut Pasteur's facility Ivanov and his son traveled to French Guinea in Western Africa to carry out his artificial insemination experiments in March, 1926. However, his research was hounded at every turn. The "research station" had only two veterinarians on staff and Ivanov's presence resulted in outrage that he might report on the atrocious conditions:
Ivanov explained that the hostility of the station's staff arose from their fears that he would report back to Paris about the real problems at the facility. According to the documentation that he managed to see, about seven hundred chimpanzees had been bought from native hunters since the founding of the station in 1923, and more than half of them had died before they could be shipped to Paris for biomedical experiments.
Local hunters had kidnapped the chimpanzees from the wild as infants and all were still juveniles when Ivanov arrived. He only attempted to inseminate three females before being forced to abandon the project as useless. Desperate to make use of his limited funding, Ivanov then made the horrific decision to attempt the insemination of African women with chimpanzee sperm without their knowledge. He made a proposal to doctors at a local hospital about his experiment and was ready to proceed when the General Governor of French Guinea, Paul Poiret, rejected the plan. Out of options and funding, Ivanov and his son decided to return home. By the time the two boarded their ship they had been in Africa for just over one month.
Ivanov hoped to pursue his experiment again in Russia through the use of women volunteers (and he found at least one who was willing to participate). However, when word got out that Ivanov had attempted to inseminate African women without their consent he was condemned by the Soviet Academy of Sciences and all support was eliminated. An investigation concluded that Ivanov's behavior:
[M]ight undermine the trust of Africans in European researchers and doctors and make problematic any further expeditions of Russian scientists to Africa. Thereafter, the Academy did not want to deal with Ivanov and deprived him of any further support.
While some of his previous support was based in the political ideology at the time, there were strong political divisions that split scientific opinion on a range of issues and Ivanov was caught in between. To some Marxists it was hoped that a program of positive eugenics could lead to an improvement in the population similar to Marx's description of historical materialism. Researchers in this camp, such as Herman Muller, hoped to use "scientific" techniques so parents thought to have a good genetic background would have more children, a policy in sharp contrast to the negative eugenics later employed by the Nazis that emphasized sterilization. Muller and other geneticists hoped that Ivanov's research could lead to a better understanding of what qualities to look for. However, other scientists rejected genetic research as bourgeois or imperialist and advocated the inheritance of acquired characteristics (what is commonly known as Lamarckism). It was these researchers, led by the charismatic biologist Trofim Lysenko, who had Stalin's support at the time.
In a telling example of the political divisions Ivanov became caught up in, Cambridge historian Martin Richards describes how Muller, one of Ivanov's supporters, sent a letter to Stalin advocating a positive eugenic program. However, the timing couldn't have been worse. Lysenko and his followers had warned Stalin that genetic research would lead to eugenics as well as fascism and, now, Stalin was convinced. Muller was forced to flee Moscow for fear of being arrested and, days later, received word that several of his colleagues were shot as "enemies of the people."
It was in this atmosphere that Il'ya Ivanov met his end. After several additional attempts to receive support for his research without success, Ivanov was caught up in the ideological battle. One of his scientific enemies, Orest Neyman, accused him of "sabotage" because some of his artificial insemination farm instruments had apparently malfunctioned. On December 13, 1930 Ivanov was arrested by the secret police and convicted of "having created a counterrevolutionary organization among agricultural specialists" and banished to Kazakhstan where he died two years later. His main accuser took over Ivanov's position as head of the laboratory.
This history raises a number of troubling issues. The fact of the matter is that Il'ya Ivanov cannot simply be dismissed as a rogue ideologue abusing science for dubious political purposes. Rather, he was an internationally respected leader in reproductive physiology and the foremost expert at the time on the artificial insemination of farm animals. His human-chimp hybridization experiments came out of collaboration with other respected scientists and with the direct assistance of the Institut Pasteur, one of the leading scientific institutions in the world at the time. Furthermore, while there was apparently no overt racism in his research, his decision to inseminate African women without their knowledge or consent can only be understood in the context of a racist and sexist colonial attitude.
While Ivanov doesn't seem to have had a political motivation for his research, some of those involved in supporting his work certainly did. In this way Ivanov's experiment was only made possible because of a network of individuals and institutions with specific political ambitions even though Ivanov himself wasn't directly involved in them. When we consider scientific experimentation today, where do we draw the line between sound research and ethical violation? In what ways are funding decisions based on political considerations unrelated to the direct question a researcher hopes to answer? How does state power influence scientific research, and what relationship do scientists have with those on the receiving end of this power? Even though no one, other than the scientists involved, were ever hurt by this cross-breeding research it nevertheless raises serious concerns. While the question of the "ape-man superwarriors" myth can easily be discarded after examining this history, other questions are not as easy to dismiss.
Rossiianov, K. (2003). Beyond Species: Il'ya Ivanov and His Experiments on Cross-Breeding Humans with Anthropoid Apes, Science in Context, 15 (02). DOI: 10.1017/S0269889702000455
Richards, M. (2008). Artificial insemination and eugenics: celibate motherhood, eutelegenesis and germinal choice, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 39 (2), 211-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2008.03.005


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Sancheriv - A Title for a Tribute
"A land like your own" is what this mighty king of the Assyrian Empire offered the besieged Jews of Jerusalem if they would surrender to his forces. Just as he had exiled the Ten Tribes of the Kingdom of Israel to some foreign land, he promised to do the same with the residents of the Kingdom of Judea, the last holdout against his conquest of the entire world.
Although he could have diplomatically tried to persuade them by offering them a better land, this would-be conqueror of the entire Eretz Yisrael refrained from doing so because he could not bring himself to claim that any land could really be better.
Sancheriv's mighty army was destroyed in one night by a Heavenly angel, but the respect he showed for Eretz Yisrael earned him the title of "the great and noble Asnappar" in a reference to him in the Book of Ezra (4:10). He also merited great Jewish descendants the Sages Shemaya and Avtalyon.

subset: commoncrawl


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further Information
VOERE is one of the most innovative and modern companies in the field of precision technology for more than 60 years.
The hunting and sports firearms, developed and produced right below the Kufstein fortress, enjoy international acclaim and are still considered to be an insider's tip.
The medium-sized company - managed by the third generation of proprietors – derives its clout from a combination of tradition and innovation. The 3 supporting pillars are:
Product innovation - Whether it be the anti-terror SMG AM 180 with the highest rate of fire in it's class to this day or the development of the first rifle with laser sighting system way back in 1972, the series manufacture of the first hunting rifle for caseless ammunition or the take down system, in which the stock can be detached by the quick-change latch.
Production technology - Voere has the most modern machinery offering high speed machining in up to 10 axes.
Manpower – 90 % of the workforce consists of qualified specialists many of whom are at the managerial level today had been trained as apprentices in the fields of machinists, tool makers or gunsmiths.
It is not without reason that there is a second business division that successfully manufactures precision components for the high-tech, electrical systems and mechanical engineering industries.
Copyright © VOERE Präzisionstechnik GmbH. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
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Pentagon's Scariest Robot Can Now Hurl Cinder Blocks Your Way
Boston Dynamic's Big Dog was already one of the most advanced—and terrifying!—robots on the planet. Well, it just got scarier, because now it can accurately throw cinder blocks at you while on the march.
The robot, built by Army Research Laboratory Boston Dynamics, is designed to tramp across uneven terrain, and it does a good job of it. But now it's got an extra arm, which it can use to pick things up.
But it's not that straightforward: the robot coordinates the arm's movement with its legs and torso to really put its back into throwing objects, like the cinder block in this video. You don't want to get in the way. [Boston Dynamics]


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Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday apparently drove the final nail into the coffin of calls to end same-day voter registration in Wisconsin, vowing to veto any such bill that imposed additional costs.
"If it has a price tag, absolutely," Walker told the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in an interview at the Executive Residence, when asked if he would use his veto pen. "There's no way we're spending money on something like that."
The idea of ending same-day voter registration gained currency after Walker made a speech in California last month in which he suggested ending the state's practice of letting voters register on Election Day, citing the burden it placed on poll workers. Two Republican lawmakers began seeking sponsors on a bill to accomplish this in the GOP-controlled state Legislature.
But the idea drew heavy opposition from critics, including some local election officials, and the state Government Accountability Board estimated it would cost the state $5.2 million to develop alternative registration systems required by federal law. The idea also suffered a setback when it emerged that Walker's son, accompanied by his father, registered at the polls last August.
Walker, a Republican, has previously said he would not sign a bill that included this price tag, but did not promise to veto it. In Wisconsin, bills neither signed nor vetoed become law.
Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, has said he remains interested in exploring the idea.
But on Wednesday, as part of a series of year-end interviews with the news media, Walker said he would veto any bill that imposed any additional cost. Asked how much was too much to stave off his veto pen, Walker said, "To me, cost, period, I'm not interested."
Walker also further distanced himself from talk that Wisconsin might pursue so-called right-to-work legislation, preventing unions from requiring employees to join or pay dues.
"Someday there may be a debate about that," Walker said. "But in the next two years I don't think there will be."
Walker said the conditions that led to Michigan's new right-to-work law are not present in Wisconsin, adding that he is eager to get past the protests, recall elections and uncertainty that have marked his first two years in office.
"All those things have been huge distractions towards employers, particularly small businesses, growing more jobs in the state of Wisconsin," he said.
These protests and recalls, Walker said, greatly complicated his goal of adding 250,000 new private sector jobs by the end of his term, two years from now. He said these events, spurred by his curbs on collective bargaining and union rights for public employees, created a climate of uncertainty for state businesses, even though most of them "liked what we did."
Walker took issue with a recent published report that the state has seen a net gain of just 25,000 jobs, saying "the raw data shows" that 86,000 jobs were created through June. (PolitiFact Wisconsin examined Walker's job-numbers claim and rated it "Pants on Fire.") But while Walker remains committed to his goal of adding 250,000 jobs overall, he acknowledged he may not make it.
"I concede it's hard," Walker said. "I have to hunker down. I have to double down. We talk about our budget, it's going to be about creating jobs, developing the workforce, investing in education. Those are the things that will help us get to that goal."


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Sylvia Callen
Sylvia Callen Franklin, also known as Sylvia Lorraine Callen, and Sylvia Caldwell, was a young Chicago communist recruited by Louis Budenz into the CPUSA secret appartus about 1937.
Callen was assigned by Dr. Gregory Rabinowitz to go to New York and infiltrate the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party (SWP) using the pseudonym Sylvia Caldwell. She became the secretary of James Cannon, who headed the SWP. Callen later testified to a federal grand jury about her infiltration of the SWP and about how she provided information from the SWP offices to Rabinowitz. Rabinowitz was later replaced by Jack Soble. She had been married for a time to Zalmond Franklin, who also served Soviet intelligence. For a time she was also known as Sylvia Lorraine Doxsee.
Callen is identified in Venona traffic under the cover name SATYR. Venona messages reveal Callen giving copies to the KGB of SWP correspondence, intimate information on Leon Trotsky's widow, Natalia Sedova, and financial reports of Trotskyist groups.
When Budenz later defected, he named Callen as a Stalinist infiltrator but her SWP comrades refused to believe him. In 1954 Callen, then known as Sylvia Doxsee and living in Chicago, was called before a grand jury. Invoking the Fifth Amendment, she refused to answer questions about her membership in the SWP, her relationship with the KGB, Louis Budenz, or anything else. She was called back to another grand jury in 1958. This time she was more cooperative, confessing that she met regularly with Rabinowitz and Soble to pass on confidential Trotskyist material at an apartment rented by a woman named Lucy Booker. Callen was named as an unindicted co-conspirator when Robert Soblen was charged with espionage in 1960, but she never publicly testified.
Syvia Callen is referenced in the following Venona project decryptions:
- 899 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 June 1943, p. 1
- 899 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 June 1943, p. 2
- 926 New York to Moscow, 16 June 1943
- 670 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 May 1944, p. 1
- 670 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 May 1944, p. 2
- 670 KGB New York to Moscow, 11 May 1944, p. 3
- 751–752 KGB New York to Moscow, 26 May 1944
- 851 KGB New York to Moscow, 15 June 1944, p. 1
- 851 KGB New York to Moscow, 15 June 1944, p. 2
- Louis Budenz affidavit, 11 November 1950, American Aspects of the Assassination of Leon Trotsky, U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Un-American Activities, 81st Cong., 2d sess., part I, v–ix
- Louis Budenz, Men Without Faces: The Communist Conspiracy in the USA (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1948), 123–126.
- New York FBI memo, serial 1980, FBI Silvermaster file (FBI file 65-56402). On Straight, see chapter 5.
- Sylvia Franklin Dossier (New York: Labor Publication, 1977) contains excerpts from Callen's grand jury testimony.
- Callen's grand jury testimony is in The Gelfand Case: A Legal History of the Exposure of U.S. Government Agents in the Leadership of the Socialist Workers Party, vol. 2 (Detroit: Labor Publication, 1985), 526–564.
- FBI memorandum, Existing Corroboration of Bentley's Overall Testimony, FBI Silvermaster file, serial 4201; Margaret Browder FBI file, 100-287645, serial 153; Booker interview in Sylvia Franklin Dossier.
- John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), pgs. 261, 262–263, 276.


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Stay Alert - Homeword - June 23
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- 2022 Jun 23
Stay Alert
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. —1 Peter 5:8 (TEV)
Early Native Americans were some of the best hunters in history. A combination of patience, wisdom, knowledge of the natural world, and respect for their place in it resulted in the skillful artistry of the hunt. One tactic, in particular, illustrates this beautifully.
When hunting buffalo on the Great Plains, hunters would cover themselves in buffalo hides and carefully approach the grazing herd virtually unnoticed. With ease and skill, the hunters would kill dozens of buffalo before the rest of the herd was aware of the intruders. When the herd finally realized the attack, they would stampede, but by this time the hunters had retreated to safety. Once the herd cleared, the successful hunters returned to retrieve their kill.
We have a word for this type of infiltration today and it is called desensitization. When people are sensitive to something, they are keenly aware of what is happening around them physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Therefore, when we become desensitized, we become dull to what once drew our attention. This is a spiritual landmine and one that deserves our consideration. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, gives the warning this way: "Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up."
It is likely that today many of us can be caught napping, not paying attention to the bells and whistles going off around us. We live in a society where we are surrounded by pride, envy, deceit, division, selfishness, and many other ills. I suspect that much of this doesn't even raise a red flag with us anymore. As a people of God, we are called to stay alert. May today be our wake-up call.
1. In what ways have you become desensitized to the devil's sneak attacks?
2. How can you and your family fight desensitization?
Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Peter 5:8-11
For more information and resources please visit HomeWord.com.


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Cal Thomas, a syndicated columnist who is employed by Tribune Media, recently wrote about the ongoing gun violence in Chicago. This is how the article begins, complete with typo:
Frank Sinatra's song about Chicago, "My Kind of Town," "a the town that won't let you down," seems dated in light of last weekend's shooting spree that left 16 dead and dozens wounded in 53 separate incidents. According to the Chicago Tribune, "The victims were among 82 people shot between Thursday afternoon and early Monday."
That is the worst lede anyone on the Deadspin staff has ever read in an article about violence in Chicago, but that didn't stop us (as we've done before) from trying to top it. Here's what we came up with:
Chicago's Chaka Khan once sang, "I'm every woman / It's all in me." Well, if she were living in Chicago today, that'd include a lot of bullets.
Frank Sinatra once sang of "strangers in the night, exchanging glances," but the only thing strangers are exchanging in Chicago these days is gunfire.
"I'm lonely most all of the time," Roy Clark once sang in "When the Wind Blows in Chicago." That's how some Chicagoans must feel now, after 16 people were shot dead last weekend.
"25 or 6 to 4"? Try 82.
Chicago wasn't such a "Sweet Home" for 82 people this past weekend.
Chicago's Wrigley Field hosts the most famous renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." But 16 Chicagoans are now incapable of caring "if they ever get back," and won't. Because they're dead.
Getting shot in Chief Keef's hometown of Chicago? That's that shit I don't like.
Chicago's own Kanye West once sang, "I am a God." Well, if he hadn't left his home town, he might be dead instead.
Gunplay was heavy in Chicago "Saturday in the Park," not to mention Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Chicago native Richard Marx, in his song "Right Here Waiting," sang, "Wherever you go, whatever you do / I will be right here waiting for you." He'd be advised not to wait in Chicago, or he might get shot, like 82 of the city's residents did in one weekend.
A whopping 82 people were shot in Chicago this weekend, as foretold by the classic Sufjan Stevens song "Shootout in Grant Park (Oh, How the Angels' Trembling Voices Roared!) [Reprise]."
Neko Case wrote "Star Witness" about a park in Chicago. Today, she'd be a star witness for the prosecution in a string of murders.
"The answer's clear and crisp / But it's all lies / Gotta fight / But what's the fight / Chicago died," sang Articles of Faith. But they didn't mean it this literally.
"You're ridin' high in April / Shot down in May," sang Frank Sinatra in his famous song "That's Life." Well, 82 people in Chicago aren't riding so high today, because they got shot down in July.
In 1985, the Chicago Bears recorded "Super Bowl Shuffle." After a string of shootings, many Chicago residents will be shuffling due to paralyzing bullet wounds to the spine.
"My Super Bowl Shuffle will set you free," sang Willie Gault in that iconic 1985 number. But Gault's shuffle can't set free the 16 people who died this past weekend.
Paper Lace should consider changing their famous song's title to "The (Four) Night(s) (16 People in) Chicago Died."
Getting shot was a "Hard Habit to Break" for 82 Chicagoans this weekend.
Chicago natives Fall Out Boy once sang, "I am dying to tell you anything you want to hear" on their hit single "Sugar, We're Going Down," which seems incredibly self-involved now that 16 people have died and 82 people were shot in Chicago since Thursday.
In "Route 66," Nat King Cole praised traveling westward from Chicago to enjoy the scenic route to California. But there's another reason to "get your kicks": avoiding the pattern of gun violence that left 16 people dead in the streets.
Is Chicago? Is Not Chicago? If you want to live, maybe stick with "is not."
Muddy Waters revolutionized the Chicago blues sound in the 1960s; if he recorded songs there this weekend, the percussion would probably be the sound of 82 people getting shot outside.
In Chicago native Lupe Fiasco's song "Kick, Push," he rapped, "Matter of fact, first time he got on it he slipped / Landed on his hip and busted his lip." Sixteen Chicagoans won't ever have a chance to fall off a skateboard, because they were shot dead while trying to flee a flurry of gunfire.
"Oh, baby don't you want to go?" sang Robert Johnson of "Sweet Home Chicago." Probably you don't, because while you and your kids walk your dog down to the lake, you will be shot in the face—yet another victim of gang violence.
"If You Leave Me Now," there's a good chance it's because you were in Chicago, and someone shot you.
"I guess you never know what you got till it's gone," rapped Chicago artist Kanye West on "Home." Ironic, considering the 16 Chicagoans who lost their lives this weekend.
They once sang, "You've lost that loving feeling," but the Brothers aren't feeling very Righteous now that 16 people in Chicago have lost every feeling. They are dead.
Rapper Twista has long been regarded as one of the fastest rappers in the world. The only thing faster, it seems, is the rate at which his fellow Chicagoans are shooting each other dead.
In his 1973 version of "Send in the Clowns," Frank Sinatra mused, "Isn't it bliss? / Don't you approve? / One who keeps tearing around / One who can't move," imagery that comes to mind tonight as we learn new details in the case of John Wayne Gacy, Chicago's Killer clown, who raped and violently murdered at least 33 young men over a six-year period.
Rock band Chicago once sang the song "Wake Up Sunshine." Sixteen people in Chicago last weekend were shot, and did not.
Before anyone at Wrigley Field could answer the question, "Hey, Chicago, whaddya say?" they were shot.
"Twist & Shout After Getting Shot" would be a more appropriate song for Ferris Bueller to lip-sync on the streets of Chicago this weekend.
Peter Cetera once sang, "No one needs you more than I need you." Well, if he was serenading a bulletproof vest, I can think of 82 Chicagoans who needed it more than he did this past weekend.
When Ferris Bueller sang "Twist & Shout" on the streets of Chicago, he could've been referring to the movements and noises of 82 bodies which suffered bullet wounds this past weekend.
"It's hard for me to say I'm sorry," Chicago gunmen sang to 82 people this past weekend.
"All things go, all things go," sang Sufan Stevens of hipster Chicago. In the mean streets of the South Side, though, the only thing that "goes" is the bullet that "goes" into the face of a gangbanger, shot by a rival contesting for a "corner."
In "Dear Chicago," Ryan Adams sang that "I'm going to die alone and sad." This weekend 16 people joined Adams in being dead and sad, though probably in the opposite order.
"I'm Dying Tomorrow," sang Alkaline Trio, in 2001. It felt prescient, but never more so than last Wednesday.
Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins had a big '90s hit with "Disarm," but not everyone in town got the message.
At least 82 folks didn't think Chicago was "That Toddling Town" as bullets tore through their flesh last week.
"We will never be the same," sang Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins in "Tonight, Tonight." The same could be said of the 16 people who were killed in Chicago this past weekend.
You know who sucks? Wilco. You know who else sucks? Whoever shot 82 people in Chicago last weekend.
"Ayo, two words, Chi town, South side, world wide / Cuz I, rep that, till I, fuckin' die," rapped Kanye West on his hit song "Two Words." Unlike the 16 people who were shot dead in Chicago over the holiday weekend, Kanye still has plenty of time to make good on that last line.
"Where the hell are my damn croissants?" inquired Chicago native Kanye West, his words drowned out by gunfire.
"We could have been somebody," Chicago's Kanye West wails on "Blood on the Leaves." The 16 Chicagoans who were killed by gunfire this past weekend probably feel the same way.
Paper Lace's novelty pop hit "The Night Chicago Died" was introduced to a new generation on the High Fidelity soundtrack. But for the 16 Chicagoans who died over a weekend soundtracked by the pop-pop-pop of gunplay, that song probably doesn't seem so novel.
"You keep me standing tall," sang Chicago's Peter Cetera. He wasn't singing to bullets, that's for sure. Neither were the 82 Chicagoans who were gunned down over the past long weekend. They were just getting shot a bunch.
High Fidelity, a film set in Chicago, is beloved by many. If a movie was made about the 82 people who were shot in Chicago over one weekend, it would probably be called High Mortality.
"You Wake Up in the Morning in Chicago," was a song composed in 1915. A century later, this is debatable.
Rossini's "William Tell Overture" has no lyrics, but the title suggests a stunning lack of awareness for weapons safety, especially in light of the goings-on in Chicago, where 16 people have been shot dead recently.
Despite Chicago native Lupe Fiasco's 2010 mainstream hit "The Show Goes On," the show won't go on for the 16 Chicagoans killed last weekend.
"Set me on fire," sang Chicago's Steve Albini in Big Black's 1986 classic "Kerosene." Probably better to be set on fire than to be shot, as 82 Chicagoans were this weekend in a spate of gun violence.
"Hold me now," sang Peter Cetera. Well fuck you, Pete, some of us are busy stanching a fuckload of bullet wounds in Chicago.


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"This place is three floors? Oh my God," a wide-eyed dad let slip after taking a quick pic of his gleeful daughter. "Holy cow," he added a moment later, still unable to process what he'd gotten himself into. Clearly someone had not been properly prepared for the sublime majesty of the Fifth Avenue American Girl Place.
But of course, this place isn't designed for dads. Ditto brothers, millennials alarmed about the retiring of Samantha, Kirsten and Felicity, or even moms, for that matter. This is a store designed for girls, combining the can-do wholesomeness of the Girl Scouts with the unfettered commercial frenzy of the Barbie aisle. And when I visited on a recent December Sunday, it was completely fucking insane.
American Girl Dolls have grown steadily more popular since their introduction in 1986, and many millennial women seem to treat their childhood choice of historical doll as some sort of replacement for the Myers-Briggs. This year feels different, though, like the brand has finally become wholly unavoidable. Conan O'Brien just visited the company's L.A. post, and even the bro dads over at Deadspin are familiar.
The moment you cross the threshold, you're swept into a vortex of American Girl mania. You're greeted with the sight of Saige, the 2013 Girl of the Year. To the left and to the right are a pink-and-green swirl of My American Girl merchandise, and in both directions are girls. Girls dashing underfoot, girls carefully considering their options with wide, solemn eyes, girls begging their moms two outfits instead of one.
You'd think these dolls were the Beatles reimagined for 8-year-olds: "Lookit over here!" one would screech and point before dragging mom to investigate. "I can't believe I'm finally getting one," cries a girl, while another strokes the $72 "Merry & Bright Gown Set" (available only in stores), admitting, "I can't believe I got this dress."
Meanwhile, moms attempt to herd. "I'm trying to get her occupied while someone else is shopping," one tells an associate, while another announces: "We already have one bed but we need the other bed."
Forget the old catalogs; this mini Mall of America contains a doll hospital, a packed doll salon, and a cafe, which at 2:30 p.m. was already booked for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The extra dedicated can pay for special access, like "A Day at American Girl Place" ($260 for one child and one adult) or "Late Night at American Girl Place" ($205 per person).
American Girl calls this "experience retail" and says 65 million people have visited its 16 stores. It seemed like half that many were packed into the Fifth Avenue store: I spotted middle American tourists toting yellow bags from the M&M store, and I chatted with a mom who'd brought her daughter from Cleveland. A father leaned in to talk to his daughter in Chinese, while another girl was dragging her fur-coat-clad mother around.
The historical dolls have been booted upstairs, and they share a floor with the "Bitty Babies" (in case you're in the market to overpay dramatically for a basic baby doll), but despite all the Internet eulogies they're still plenty available. All the originals but Molly are gone, and she goes into the vault December 31. (Signs warned that customers were limited to three Molly items each.) But late-90s additions Addy and Josefina remain in the lineup, and little girls now can pick from Native American Kaya, Lower East Side immigrant Rebecca and Marie-Grace and Cecile, white and black friends in antebellum New Orleans.
Each character gets her own glass case of filled with accessories, and their displays are broken up with child-sized period dioramas. It's like an American history museum as envisioned by Toys 'R Us. Smack in the center was 1812's Caroline, the latest addition to the historical lineup. At least one pint-sized shopper was very, very impressed with Caroline's cow.
But it's clearly the pink-and-green first floor, with its collection of "My American Girl" dolls, that is the showcase. Rows and rows of dolls sit behind glass, waiting for girls to pick the one they most resemble. Buying for a kid with light skin, light blond hair and blue eyes? Then it's PA-F1219 for you; take a sticker and see an associate. Dark skin, curly dark brown hair and brown eyes? You want PA-F1263.
But it's about so much more than dolls—those could just as easily be sold out of a pop-up store. Several visitors had tote bags slung on their little shoulders, shiny doll hair poking out the top. There are specially made, patent-pending doll holders in the bathroom stalls.
What really makes American Girl Place are the endless, expensive accessories. There are outfits for every occasion—hiking, skiing, appearing in a talent show, going to school, baking. Available hair accessories included clip-in rainbow extensions ($12) and a curly ponytail ($18). There is an entire section devoted to pets for dolls, including horses of several colors and numerous breeds of dogs. All that starts to look reasonable priced compared to the big-ticket items, like the $111 battery-operated spa chair—temporarily out of stock. The historical dolls are even worse: For Caroline, the new 1812 addition to the lineup, you can purchase a $175 skiff.
In the souvenir section, you'll find not just t-shirts with the store's logo, but also t-shirts with the store's logo for dolls, as well. Girls can also purchase outfits to match their dolls; I was washing my hands in the bathroom when I realized the girl next to me was decked out like 2013 Girl of the Year Saige.
This company—purchased by Mattel in 1998—has come a long way from its faintly educational origins. Once the go-to for girls precociously interested in chapter books, it's now a must-have on Christmas lists across the country. And so it's become popular to regard them not just with an eyeroll at the screeching of their fans, but also a great deal of hand-wringing about what it all means. Earlier this year, for instance, The Atlantic flipped its lid: "American Girls Aren't Radical Anymore."
But the new dolls don't warrant the angst they've inspired. They're wildly diverse, with 40 of the "My American Girl" dolls to pick from, and available accessories include glasses, hearing aids, and wheelchairs. Surely there's something powerful and positive about girls being able to assemble a doll in their own image. There are limits—they're all the same body size, for starters—but it's something.
It's also silly to romanticize the largely privileged, lily white original lineup too much, and the books (which did all the teaching, anyway, not the dolls) are still available.
Sure, these dolls and their mountain of accessories are crassly commercial and stupidly expensive. (The jokes about the $111 spa chair practically write themselves.) But it's not like American Girl is the worst offender in the toy business. And if you think you can strip consumerism entirely from childhood at this point, well, good luck and God bless. Girls always have and always will plead for something—and no matter the hand-wringing, there's still a world of difference between these dolls and Barbie.
Admittedly, walking into the store as an adult is a disorienting experience, like trying on a pair of eyeglasses in the wrong prescription or existing in a four-dimensional universe. I walked out exhausted and immediately fled to the soothing confines of Anthropologie, where I bought a $28 candle to calm my frazzled nerves.
But I'm not the target audience anymore. American Girl Place caters to girls too old for Dora the Explorer and too young for One Direction. Everything about the store, from the colors to the height of the displays, caters to them. And whatever its flaws, it's nice to know there's at least one place they aren't being hustled to boys and adulthood and makeup and high heels.


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Pitchfork scribe Nate Patrin joins Andrew, Leonard and Olivia to contrast childhood hometowns vs. towns one lives in today. Leonard's ire is stoked by a combustible combo of New York talk and Southern Comfort, plus! Quickly Now! bogs down with the Olympics.
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Yale University
Lecturer at Brown University
Bil has over 25 years of experience as a public school teacher. Before his current role as a teacher at the Urban Assembly School in NYC, Bil was a senior lecturer at Brown University.
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Yale University
Lecturer at Brown University
Bil has over 25 years of experience as a public school teacher. Before his current role as a teacher at the Urban Assembly School in NYC, Bil was a senior lecturer at Brown University.
So 1865 to 1900 was a period of vast change. There are several concepts we really need to focus on in this episode.
The first is reconstruction. What was the reality? What was the intent? What really happened?
The second is the Supreme Court. Supreme Court had tremendous impact on the social, cultural, political events of the second half of that Century. Then finally, business. How did business and monopolies like the Railroads come to dominate this period of time? So those are the three things; reconstructions, Supreme Court, business are three items that we really want to pay attention to in this episode. Let's go.
So reconstruction, sometimes called radical reconstruction. This is the period following the civil war when the republicans, the Lincoln republicans take over. There were certain ideals of this period and certain realities. The ideals were that we had freed the African Americans in the south and all over the country and they should be taken care of. The realities of course were somewhat different.
There was some very significant legislation during this period of time and I really want you to pay attention to this. You need to learn these. They're called the Civil Rights Amendments. Sometimes called he Civil War Amendments, but they're really civil rights amendments.
The 13th amendment abolishes slavery. The United States finally says we will not tolerate slavery. It is abolished from this country. It no longer is allowed to exist legally.
The 14th amendment guarantees civil rights to all Americans.
Now there's an irony here of course because, women can't vote yet, and we've got a hundred more years before the various liberation movements for women and gay people really emerge in this country. But for its time, it guaranteed the rights to all Americans. One of the interesting things you'll see as we talk about this further though, is how that gets interpreted and how it gets twisted a little bit.
Then finally, the 15th amendment which provides voting rights to African Americans. Now again we're talking African American men at the moment, but what a huge step this is. Now we know this is the ideal. The Radical Reconstruction Congress of the late 1860s passes these three amendments; abolishing slavery, guaranteeing civil rights, and providing voting rights.
One of the things we know happens and we'll examine in a later episode, is that the South in particular, but states in general, find ways to dance around these law. And pretty much deny black people their rights, not just in the late 19th Century, but really through the first half of the 20th Century.
One of the key things to recognize always about the way our government works, is laws can be passed. But if they're not enforced, it doesn't make any sense to the people they're supposed to be protecting. So that's a key thing to keep in mind.
Now along those lines, I mentioned in a previous episode that the Supreme Court in the early part of the 19th Century was very activist and really strengthened the federal the government. In the second half of the 19th Century, the court does a kind of an about phase, and definitely goes about protecting business and property, before it's protecting individual rights. It also doesn't really recognize the power of the federal government to protect individual rights. So these civil rights amendments really go by the boards, because the court doesn't enforce them.
In fact, the 14th amendment is used to protect corporations.
Corporations if you know the Latin word corporis which means the body. Corporations are considered individuals in our society. It's an interesting kind of legal twist. So corporations as individuals, started to claim that they had civil rights that were protected by the 14th amendment. And in fact between 1865 and 1900, over 200 decisions are made protecting corporations and basically protecting monopolies, protecting business and protecting property over individuals, when fewer than 20 cases are used to protect the rights of African Americans. And that really shows you where the Supreme Court is in the late 19th Century.
It's really capped off in 1896. I'm going to put here randomly, but it's an important date. Because the Supreme Court case Plessy versus Ferguson, if you haven't heard of it, you really need to learn it. You need to know it, because it's a land mark case. It is the case that says, separate but equal is okay. Separate but equal is the law of the land. Plessy versus Ferguson is the case that has tremendous repercussions, because it basically says the federal government is backing up on these amendments. It's conceding that, if in fact African-American people in particular have what's considered equal facilities, then they can be separated from white people. We get the emergence of really very two different societies. And we know in fact over time, that separate does not mean equal, even though the facilities may be considered the same.
So the 1896 decision of Plessy versus Ferguson is the capstone to that 1865 to 1900 period for the Supreme Court, and its movement toward protecting corporation, moving away from federal power and in fact eviscerating the civil rights amendment that the Radical Congress had passed after the civil war.
What we have to be really clear about and remember is that the late 19th Century is about acquiring wealth. It's about business, business, more business. It's about Rockefeller. It's about Carnegie. It's about Vanderbilt. The real question that you need to think about, and that you need to challenge yourself to answer is, are they Robber barons, or are they Captains of Industry? This is the real cracks of the late 19th Century problem. Because on the one hand, they're acquiring huge amounts of wealth. They're spending it on themselves. They're taking advantage of their workers. At the same time, they're accelerating technology and invention. Edison and Bell probably wouldn't be around if it weren't for these Captains of Industry or Robber Barons.
It's a real rollercoaster in a lot of ways. It's kind of like the ocean. There are great tides that come ion and then great recessions, great recesses. And the challenge as we look at there's this period spawning the 20th Century, is for you to think about what are the connections? And what can you predict that the Robber Barons of Captains of Industry, what predictions can you make as far as their effects on the 20th Century? And even longer than that right up into our time, and how can you make those connections when it comes to the document based question or the free response essays?
So if you go to the bonus materials you'll some places that will lead you to some answer. But for the most part, you've got to look for that yourself. As I keep telling you have some fun with history.
The second half of the 19th Century saw reconstruction fail, the court moved to the right, and more and more rights were given to business than individuals.
This changed the entire landscape of the country and set up the 20th Century rollercoaster. In the next episode, we're going to get on that rollercoaster and have some fun with history.


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"Tiptoe Through the Tulips"Regular price$132.00 Sale price
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SSR 80-27c: SECTION 216(e) and 216(h)(2)(A) (42 U.S.C. 416(e) AND 416(h)(2)(A)) -- CHILD'S INSURANCE BENEFITS -- DEFINITION OF CHILD -- PRESUMPTION OF LEGITIMACY REBUTTED
SSR 80-27c
B-B v. Califano, U.S.D.C. Middle District of Georgia, Civ. No. 78-209 (9/20/79)
- Where plaintiff was married to the deceased wage earner when her daughter, A, was born and substantial evidence supported administrative finding that A was neither the natural child nor the adopted child of the wage earner, question arose as to whether A qualified as the wage earner's stepchild for purposes of determining her entitlement to child's insurance benefits. Held, A is not the wage earner's stepchild because such a relationship could be established only if the wage earner had married A's mother after A was born.
OWENS, District Judge:
Plaintiff brought this action pursuant to § 205(g) of the Social Security Act, as amended and codified under 42 U.S.C.A. § 405(g), to obtain judicial review of a final decision of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare denying her daughter's claim for surviving child's insurance benefits.
On August 29, 1977, plaintiff filed an application for surviving child's insurance benefits on behalf of her son and her daughter (hereinafter referred to as A). The application for her daughter was denied initially, and on reconsideration by the Social Security Administration. Plaintiff requested a hearing which was held on August 18, 1978, at which plaintiff and her attorney appeared. The administrative law judge (ALJ) considered the fact de novo, and on September 1, 1978, held that A was not entitled to children's insurance benefits. The Appeals Council affirmed the administrative law judge's decision on October 16, 1978; it was, however, not to be the final decision of the Secretary. On October 26, 1978, plaintiff came into this court seeking judicial review. Subsequent to her filing in the court, the Secretary obtained an extension of sixty days from December 30 in which to respond; and on January 11, 1979, on motion by the Secretary the matter was remanded to the Secretary for further action. On February 6, 1979, the Appeals Council advised plaintiff's counsel that following the remand to the Secretary, the Appeals Council had remanded the same to the ALJ because: "It [the Appeals Council] was unable to transcribe the cassette for the hearing held on August 18, 1978." The appeals Council directed that the ALJ either hold a de novo hearing or prepare a transcript of the hearing. On February 23, 1979, the ALJ forwarded a transcript to the Appeals Council; whereupon such claim was denied by the Appeals Council on April 27, 1979, becoming the final decision of the Secretary. The case is now before the court for judicial review.
The only issue before the court is whether the conclusions of law presented in the Secretary's decision are supported by substantial evidence. The facts recorded in this case set forth an issued which, by this court's research, has not been presented to any court in such a fashion -- whether an illegitimate child, born during a valid and existing marital relationship, is contemplated as one who is covered under the Social Security Act. This court, without delving into the inequities produced by exclusion from coverage, finds that the administrative law judge correctly applied the existing law and that his decision denying the plaintiff's daughter benefits under the Act is supported by substantial evidence. The facts reveal that plaintiff and her husband, the deceased wage earner were married in 1969. Her husband was serving in the Armed Forces and was sent to Korea for a period of time from August 16, 1969, to October 6, 1970. Plaintiff remained stateside and the record reveals her husband did not return home on leave until his tour of duty ended on October 6, 1970. Upon his return he found that his wife was 8-months pregnant with, by her own admission, another man's child. The couple however resumed living together and remained married. Plaintiff, at A's birth, did not put the wage earner's name on the birth certificate, but instead left it blank; a fact wage earner did not know about until approximately two years before his death. Plaintiff testified that from A's birth until the wage earner's death, almost seven years later, the wage earner loved A as if she wee his natural child. Plaintiff claimed that the wage earner wanted his name put on the birth certificate and that he said he would do anything to make the child legally his. The record indicates however that no formal adoption proceedings were ever begun, although plaintiff stated there was a verbal agreement to that effect. There was also entered into evidence, in support of plaintiff's claim of equitable adoption, copies of divorce papers wherein the wage earner acknowledge A as his child and agreed to support her. The divorce was filed in court but was not consummated due to the reconciliation of the parties.
In order to receive child's disability benefits, an applicant must qualify as a "child" as defined in 42 U.S.C.A. § 416(e). It provides in part:
- (e) The term "child" means (1) the child or legally adopted child of an individual, (2) a stepchild . . . .
Plaintiff in seeking coverage for her daughter under the Act couched her argument on the initial ground that A was the legally adopted child or "deemed" child of the wage earner. In the alternative she claimed A was a stepchild of the deceased wage earner.
As it regards the decision of the ALJ, the record ably demonstrates the careful scrutiny accorded the final outcome in this case. The ALJ initially determined that A was not the natural child of the wage earner. This determination was based upon:
- (1) the documented evidence that the wage earner had no access to his wife for a continuous period of 14 months during which time the child was conceived;
- (2) the statement of the plaintiff that the wage earner was not the natural father; and
- (3) the birth certificate itself.
While Georgia law under 74 Ga. Code Ann. § 101 presumes a child born within wedlock to be legitimate, such presumption may be rebutted. The ALJ was therefore supported in his determination that the evidence had been rebutted and A was not the natural child of the wage earner.
The ALJ's conclusion that A had not been equitably adopted by the wage earner was likewise supported by substantial evidence. The Social Security Act, 216(h)(2)(A) directs the administrative judge to the state intestate personal property laws for entitlement purposes.[1] The ALJ correctly applied Georgia law on equitable adoption,[2] see Crawford v. Wilson, 139 Ga. 654, 78 S.E. 30 (1913), to the facts in the instant case. He found that the child was virtually adopted, but determined that the second essential element -- an agreement, either verbal or written, that the child will be adopted by the equitable parent -- was not substantiated by the evidence on the record. Incorporated into his conclusion were such facts as: a period of two years when the wage earner knew about A not being his natural child, but failed during that period to take any formal steps to begin adoption proceedings; the absence of any evidence, other than that given by plaintiff, that the wage earner was willing to do whatever was necessary to make A his daughter; the fact that the wage earner realized further legal action was necessary to make A his daughter but to avoid embarrassment he took no such action. While existence of a verbal agreement was testified to by the plaintiff, the ALJ was entitled under the regulations to take into account any interest a party might have in the outcome. 20 C.F.R. § 404.708. The ALJ's conclusion was therefore supported by substantial evidence.
The final arguably applicable provision presents the court with the novel question of whether the Social Security Act under its stepchild provisions covers this child. Neither the Act nor the regulations prescribed by Congress define the term concisely. The ALJ interpreted the Act to contemplate a situation where the stepfather contracted a valid marriage with the natural mother following the birth of the stepchild. This was based upon an interpretation of 20 C.F.R. § 404.1109(b) which provides that a child:
- Is the stepchild of the individual whose wages and self-employment is based by reason of such a valid marriage of his parent . . . with such individual . . .
The court has reviewed the evidence of record and finds that the implication was well founded. The language defining stepchild nowhere contemplates in a forthright manner a situation such as this. This court is well aware that the purpose of the children's benefits is to provide at least some measure of income and security to those who have lost a wage earner on whom they depended, Ziskin v. Weinberger, 379 F.Supp. 124 (D.C. Ohio 1973). In keeping with that purpose there may exist, from time to time, individuals who depend on insured individuals without enjoying a familial relationship. It, however, is not the province of this court to include such an individual without the guidance of Congress. Without such guidance the court must give language its normal meaning. Stephens v. Federal Security Administration, 121 F.Supp. 120 (E.D. Ill. 1949). In interpreting the term "step-child" the ALJ was well apprised of the existing definitions available to him.[3] In each instance "stepchild" was given a similar construction; i.e., the child of one of the spouses by a former marriage. The court therefore finds that the Administrative Law Judge applied a correct legal standard, amply supported by substantial evidence.
Accordingly, the decision of the Secretary is hereby AFFIRMED.
[1] Section 216(h)(2)(A) of the Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 416(h)(2)(A), provides that:
"In determining whether an applicant is the child or parent of a fully or currently insured individual for purposes of this title, the Secretary shall apply such law as would be applied in determining the devolution of intestate personal property by the courts of the State in which such insured individual is domiciled at the time such applicant files application, or, if such insured individual is dead, by the courts of the State in which he was domiciled at the time of his death, or, if such insured individual is or was not so domiciled in any State, by the courts of the District of Columbia."
[2] Equitable adoption occurs when: (1) there is an agreement, either verbally or in writing, that the child will be adopted by the equitable parent; and (a) there is a virtual adoption; i.e., the equitable parent has custody of the child to the exclusion of the natural parent.
[3] (a) Black's Law Dictionary, 1584 (4th Ed. Rev. 1968) defines "step-child" as "the child of one of the spouses by a former marriage."
(b) Bovier's Law Dictionary defines "stepdaughter" as "the daughter of one's wife by a former husband, or of one's husband by a former wife."
(c) The American College Dictionary -- Random House -- defines "stepdaughter" as "a daughter of one's husband or wife by a former marriage." In addition "step-" is defined as "a prefix indicating connection between members of a family by the remarriage of a parent, and not by blood.
(d) The Oxford English Dictionary likewise concurs in its definition. A "stepdaughter" is "[a] daughter, by a former marriage, of one's husband or wife."


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Can Christie be GOP's Bill Clinton?
Chris Christie couldn't have been any more obvious about his 2016 intentions if he had begun his victory speech Tuesday with the words "my fellow Americans" and ended it with a balloon drop.
He offered New Jersey as an example for national healing. "Tonight," he said, "a dispirited America, angry with their dysfunctional government in Washington, looks to New Jersey to say 'Is what I think's happening really happening? Are people really coming together?'"
Trenton, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
None of this was subtle, but Christie had certainly earned it. Almost every decision he's made — sometimes blatantly and shamelessly so — has been geared to making the rubble bounce in his reelection and then using his crushing victory as a credential in an incipient national campaign. He succeeded brilliantly on his own terms.
In a state President Barack Obama won by 17 points in 2012, Christie won 60 percent overall. He won Latinos outright and took 21 percent of the black vote. He won women and men. He won high school graduates and people with advanced degrees. He won people making more than $200,000 and people making less than $50,000.
These numbers are eye-popping. If they were automatically transferable to the national stage, Hillary Clinton would have to give it up and content herself with giving $200,000 speeches for Goldman Sachs forevermore. But they aren't.
As Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center points out, essentially uncontested races against badly overmatched opponents aren't a predictor of anything. William Weld won 70 percent of the vote and every county in Massachusetts in his 1994 reelection as governor, then lost by 7 points to John Kerry in a 1996 Senate race in which the map of Massachusetts snapped back to its natural state.
Granted, getting into a position where you can run essentially uncontested against a badly overmatched opponent in a major race is an achievement in itself.
Christie's implicit pitch to the national GOP will probably be that he's to Republicans in the 2010s what Bill Clinton was to the Democrats in the 1990s. In other words, he offers a different kind of politics that can potentially unlock the presidency after a period of national futility for his party.
Like Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas in the 1980s, Christie is operating on hostile partisan and cultural territory, and managing to thrive by co-opting or neutralizing natural enemies.
Like the "explainer-in-chief," Christie has a knack for public persuasion. The New Jersey governor's relentless town halls during the fight for his public-sector reforms were model examples of making an argument fearlessly and effectively.
Like Clinton, who so famously felt people's pain, Christie connects. He has a reputation for confrontation — rightly — but Christie's emotional range is much broader. His response to Hurricane Sandy was, in part, a great act of empathy. Near the end of his victory speech, he spoke about hugging New Jerseyeans.
What Clinton had that Christie evidently lacks is a well-thought-out approach to his party's predicament. Clinton had a new governing philosophy, embodied in the Democratic Leadership Council and its associated think tank, and expressed in a raft of new policy proposals. Chris Christie has an affect and a style of governance, plus a resounding victory over Barbara Buono.
If Christie's message to the GOP is merely that it should look to what he did in the Garden State and be as wonderfully unifying as he is, it deserves to flop. It could come off as boastful and hectoring, and about as original as the average political discussion on NPR. Coupled with his various departures from conservative orthodoxy, it could be toxic.
For Christie to capitalize on the opportunity he has created for himself, he will need a conservative reform agenda. He should pick up the phone and call (202) 224-5444. That is Sen. Mike Lee's office number. The Utah Republican is doing more than anyone else at the moment to forge a new middle-class-oriented platform for the party, and he sketched its outlines in an important talk at The Heritage Foundation last week.
In his victory speech, Christie spoke of being "one of you." As Henry Olsen writes, Christie's potential is in matching that Everyman appeal with substance. He could set out to make himself a Republican by and for the middle class in a substantive and stylistic departure for the contemporary party.
Congratulations on the big win, governor. Now show us what's next.
Rich Lowry is editor of National Review.


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Custom Carved Wooden Sign - "Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come From A Store, Maybe Christmas, Perhaps, Means A Little Bit More"
Custom Carved Wooden Sign - "Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come From A Store, Maybe Christmas, Perhaps, Means A Little Bit More"
$198.00Ask a question
Haylee's Closet creates custom carved wooden signs for that perfect personalized addition to your home decor. All of our signs are hand painted and lightly distressed for that perfect cottage or country chic feel. Each sign is equipped with saw tooth hooks for easy hanging.
This sign measures 48" wide by 24" high and 3/4" thick
1. Click "Add To Cart" at the top of the page and follow the checkout instructions.
2. Color choices are for the BACKGROUND of the sign. We do NOT offer color choices for the text. Colors will be done as shown in our color chart (base color, natural/darkened text). The color chart is pictured in each listing. Our base color is the color that is painted underneath the top coat (the color you choose at checkout), so when the sign is sanded, the base color pops through a little bit. If you would like a base color other than is what is shown in our color chart pic, (or if you would like no base color at all) please request so in the "note to seller" box when checking out.
Feel free to ask any other questions that you may have! Thank you very much!!
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Just contact me within: 5 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 14 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
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About pablovieira
I'm located in Brazil and I have been using 23 since January 25, 2008. I've uploaded 105 photos and written 0 comments, I am a member of 0 groups and have got 0 contacts. My photos have been viewed 27,507 times in total.
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Sorry, we do not currently have any featured inventory on our website.
Please call 336-625-6123 for further assistance.
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Chilled and laid back is how we roll at Dioskouros, the funkiest little hostel in Plaka, Acropolis. Relax in our beautiful garden, get to know fellow travellers, and gain insight into where to go, what to see and how to get there from our experienced friendly team of locals.
If you're tired of hostels that try to keep you in and squeeze every last dime out of you, then Dioskouros will come as a welcome surprise. We are only too happy to help you get out there and see as much of this great city as you can – beyond the postcard culture and cliche's, Athens has much to offer – from culinary treats and hidden archaeological gems, to fantastic beach spots and fizzing nightlife (the owner, Stav, is also a concert promoter, so definitely check with him about any awesome gigs before heading out).
After a long day's exploring you'll be glad to return to our cosy garden where you can kick back and relax. We have a communal kitchen for you to prepare meals and save some money. Oh, and last but not least, breakfast at Dioskouros is wholesome and absolutely free.
All this at the most competitive rates in Plaka. So don't delay, book now and see you soon!
Clean Rooms, Linen and towels, Air Conditioning, Heating, Free Wifi, Kitchen, Common Room, Free luggae storage.
Breakfast consists of:
Freshly Baked Bread
Fresh Fruit
Coffee (Filter and instant)
Group Bookings:
We can accommodate groups of up 50
Ideal location for student/study groups
Garden area allows from morning group meets, regrouping and lunch during the day and relaxation in the evening
We also offer:
Special group rates
Any other travel arrangements you may need such as tickets, rent a car
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Breakfast Included
Linen Included
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Luggage Storage
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Taxes included in price
Pets Accepted


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Thorne, Liver Cleanse, 60 Capsules
Best By: November 2024
- Date First Available: August 2009
Shipping Weight:
0.06 kg
- Product Code: THR-76902
- UPC Code: 693749769026
- Package Quantity: 60 Count
- Dimensions: 10.2 x 5.3 x 5.3 cm , 0.06 kg
Product rank:
Frequently purchased together
Product overview
- Dietary Supplement
- Liver/Detox
- Gluten Free
A unique combination of botanical ingredients that synergistically support liver function.
Liver Cleanse enhances bile production and flow, optimizing metabolism and excretion of substances the liver detoxifies.* Use it for general liver support or as part of a detoxification program.
For proper detoxification, adequate liver function is essential. A number of botanicals have demonstrated their ability to improve the liver's detoxification function, as well as to enhance the liver's output of bile. Thorne's Liver Cleanse is a unique botanical formula that can synergistically enhance the liver's function. The botanical ingredients in Liver Cleanse promote the production and flow of bile, which helps to optimize metabolism and the excretion of substances detoxified by the liver. Liver Cleanse is specifically helpful during a comprehensive detoxification program.
Prior to starting a detoxification program it is important to achieve optimal bowel function. It is therefore important to include a fiber formula, such as Thorne's FiberMend, to support the elimination of toxins from the body by binding the toxins released into the intestines from the liver and preventing their reabsorption.
The liver employs a two-phase method of detoxification. In phase I, fat-soluble substances, including toxins, are converted by the cytochrome p450 enzymes into intermediate substances that, while they are now more water-soluble, are not yet ready to be eliminated. Then, in phase II, the intermediate substances created during phase I are attached to glutathione, sulfur, or methyl groups that make them sufficiently water-soluble so as to be excreted from the liver in the bile.
The suggested starting use of Liver Cleanse is to take one capsule in the evening. If additional liver cleansing is indicated, then supplementation can be gradually increased.
Suggested use
Take 1 capsule one to three times daily or as recommended by your health-care practitioner.
Other ingredients
Hypromellose (derived from cellulose) capsule, calcium laurate, silicon dioxide.
Chicorium PE 3:1. Arctium PE 4:1. Berberis Concentrate Berberine HCl 85%. Silybum standardized to Silymarin 65%.
If pregnant or nursing, or trying to conceive, do not use this product.
Tamper Evident: Use only if bottle is sealed. Store tightly sealed in a cool, dry place.
While iHerb strives to ensure the accuracy of its product images and information, some manufacturing changes to packaging and/or ingredients may be pending update on our site. Although items may occasionally ship with alternate packaging, freshness is always guaranteed. We recommend that you read labels, warnings and directions of all products before use and not rely solely on the information provided by iHerb.
|Supplement Facts
|Serving Size: One Capsule
|One Capsule Contains:
|Amount Per Serving
|Berberine HCl (from Indian Barberry extract) (root) (Berberis aristata)
|125 mg
|Milk Thistle extract (fruit) (Silybum marianum)
|125 mg
|Burdock extract (root) (Arctium lappa)
|100 mg
|Chicory extract (root) (Cichorium intybus)
|100 mg
|*Daily Value (DV) not established.


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Fox Seizes On Immigrant Bust To Criticize Obama's Immigration Record
Fox & Friends seized on a story of over 500 migrants who were caught packed into trucks in Mexico to attack President Obama's claim that "far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally." But immigration data supports Obama's claim that illegal border crossings have decreased.
Authorities Caught Over 500 Immigrants Packed Into Trucks In Chiapas, Mexico
AP: Police In Chiapas, Mexico Find "513 Migrants...Inside Two Trailer Trucks Bound For The United States." A May 17 Associated Press article reported:
Police in Mexico's southern Chiapas state found 513 migrants on Tuesday inside two trailer trucks bound for the United States.
Chiapas state police discovered the migrants while using X-ray equipment on the trucks at a checkpoint in the outskirts of city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, the National Immigration Institute said in a statement.
Police also arrested four people accused of smuggling the migrants, who are from Central and South America and Asia, Chiapas state prosecutors said in a statement.
The alleged smugglers tried to escape police but were chased down and captured, prosecutors said.
The immigration institute said 410 of the migrants were from Guatemala, 47 from El Salvador, 32 from Ecuador, 12 from India, six from Nepal, three from China and one each from Japan, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. There were 32 women and four children among them. [CBS News, 5/17/11]
Fox & Friends Uses Capture To Attack Obama's Recent Immigration Speech
Doocy: "Just Last Week...The President Told Us Far Fewer People Were Trying To Sneak Into The United States. If That's True, Then What's This?" On the May 19 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy said "it was just last week that the president told us far fewer people were trying to sneak into the United States. If that's true, then what's this? Dozens of immigrants cramped into a truck headed into the United States." Doocy showed an x-ray image of the truck and said: "Yep, that's a semi." The Fox & Friends co-hosts repeated this claim several times during the course of the show. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/19/11]
In Fact, Obama Is Right That "Far Fewer People Are Attempting To Cross The Border Illegally"
Obama: "Far Fewer People Are Attempting To Cross The Border Illegally." In a May 10 speech on comprehensive immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, President Obama noted that "far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally." From the president's May 10 speech:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: So, here's the point. I want everybody to listen carefully to this. We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. All the stuff they asked for, we've done. But even though we've answered these concerns, I've got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.
[T]he measures we've put in place are getting results. Over the past two and a half years, we've seized 31 percent more drugs, 75 percent more currency, 64 percent more weapons than ever before. (Applause.) And even as we have stepped up patrols, apprehensions along the border have been cut by nearly 40 percent from two years ago. That means far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally. [White House, 5/10/11]
CNN: "Border Arrests Of Undocumented Immigrants Down 58% In Five Years." A May 12 CNN article noted that arrests of people attempting to cross the border illegally has dropped 58% since 2006, including a drop from 705,005 in 2008 to 447,731 in 2010. From CNN:
By at least one measure, illegal immigration is not the problem that it used to be for the United States -- the number of arrests of people trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally has decreased sharply in the last five years, according to federal statistics.
In fiscal year 2006 there were 1,071,972 arrests of undocumented immigrants in the multi-state border area, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The number had fallen to 705,005 in 2008, and last year's figure was 447,731, CBP data shows. Those figures represent a 58% decrease from 2006 to 2010.
Although many agree that the system is "broken," as President Obama called it, a close look at the number of arrests of people trying to cross the border illegally shows that sharp decrease in the last five years.
Several factors have contributed to the decrease in the number of arrests of would-be immigrants. The number of U.S. Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border has doubled in roughly the same period in which arrests have decreased. In 2004, there were 11,000 agents patrolling the border, according to CBP. Now the number is getting close to 22,000. [CNN, 5/12/11]
PolitiFact: "[Border Patrol] Manpower Has Roughly Doubled Since 2004, As Obama Said In His Speech At El Paso." PolitiFact rated Obama's statement that "[t]he Border Patrol has 20,000 agents -- more than twice as many as there were in 2004" as "true." From PolitiFact:
In a speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, President Barack Obama boasted about an unprecedented number of border security agents along the U.S. border with Mexico, but he said critics probably still won't be satisfied.
"Under Secretary Napolitano's leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible," Obama said in his May 10, 2011, speech. "They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents -- more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a buildup that began under President Bush and that we have continued."
In March 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report, "Border Security: DHS Progress and Challenges in Securing the U.S. Southwest and Northern Borders," in conjunction with testimony from GAO Director Richard Stana.
The report confirmed that personnel and other resources to stop illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border have increased dramatically in recent years. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created, reorganizing several federal agencies under a single roof. That year, the agency had 10,500 agents to patrol land borders. That number now stands at nearly 21,000.
In other words, manpower has roughly doubled since 2004, as Obama said in his speech in El Paso. Again, that trend began under President Bush, whom Obama credited, but it continued under Obama. We rate Obama's statement True. [PolitiFact, 5/10/11]
AP: "The U.S.-Mexico Border Is More Fortified Now Than It Was Even Five Years Ago." A June 23, 2010, Associated Press article noted: "You wouldn't know it from the public debate, but the U.S.-Mexico border is more fortified now than it was even five years ago. Far more agents patrol it, more fences, barriers and technology protect it and taxpayers are spending billions more to reinforce it." [AP, 6/23/10]
U.S. Border Patrol Chief: There Are Currently More Border Patrol Agents "Than Ever Before In The History Of This Country." The Obama administration has been increasing the number of Border Patrol officers on the southern border. During a July 2010 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Fisher said, "Currently we have over 20,000 Border Patrol Agents nationwide, more than ever before in the history of the country."
Based on Department of Homeland Security data, The Arizona Republic created the following chart showing the increase in border patrol agents since 2001:
[House Homeland Security Committee Hearing, 7/22/10; The Arizona Republic, 5/26/10]
Obama Signed $600 Million Border Security Bill For More Border Patrol Agents And Customs Inspectors. On August 13, 2010, Obama signed a $600 million border security bill to "fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial 'drones' to monitor border activities." [Reuters, 8/13/10]
Seizures Of Drugs, Weapons Along Border Have Increased. According to data reported by USA Today, "[w]eapons seizures rose 28% and illicit-currency seizures were up 35% in fiscal 2009 and 2010." [USA Today, 2/9/11]
Deportations Have Increased Under Obama. According to data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nearly 100,000 more people were deported by ICE in both 2009 and 2010 than in 2007. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accessed 2/14/11]
Deportations Of Convicted Criminals Are At Their Highest Levels. According to AZ Fact Check -- a project of The Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 12 News, and Arizona State University -- "ICE has removal numbers immediately available for only the past 10 fiscal years, and according to those figures, the most convicted criminals were indeed removed in fiscal 2010." [AZ Fact Check, 2/9/11]
Illegal Immigration Fell In FY 2010 Due To "Economic Distress" And "Changes In The Level Of Immigration Enforcement." In a study on the national and state trends of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, Pew Hispanic Center found that "economic distress" and "changes in the level of immigration enforcement" led to a decrease in the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States. From Pew Hispanic Center:
The decline in the population of unauthorized immigrants from its peak in 2007 appears due mainly to a decrease in the number from Mexico, which went down to 6.5 million in 2010 from 7 million in 2007. Mexicans remain the largest group of unauthorized immigrants, accounting for 58% of the total.
- The number of unauthorized immigrants decreased from 2007 to 2010 in Colorado, Florida, New York and Virginia. The combined population in three contiguous Mountain West states-Arizona, Nevada and Utah-also declined.
- In contrast to the national trend, the combined unauthorized immigrant population in three contiguous West South Central states-Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas-grew from 2007 to 2010.
- Although the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. is below 2007 levels, it has tripled since 1990, when it was 3.5 million and grown by a third since 2000, when it was 8.4 million.
The estimates are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, augmented with the Pew Hispanic Center's analysis of the demographic characteristics of the unauthorized immigrant population using a "residual estimation methodology."
Although the estimates indicate trends in the size and composition of the unauthorized-immigrant population, they are not designed to answer the question of why these changes occurred. There are many possible factors. The deep recession that began in the U.S. economy officially ended in 2009, but recovery has been slow to take hold and unemployment remains high. Immigration flows have tended to decrease in previous periods of economic distress.
The period covered by this analysis also has been accompanied by changes in the level of immigration enforcement and in enforcement strategies, not only by the federal government but also at state and local levels. Immigration also is subject to pressure by demographic and economic conditions in sending countries. This analysis does not attempt to quantify the relative impact of these forces on levels of unauthorized immigration. [Pew Hispanic Center, 2/1/11]
Fox Falsely Claims Incident Was A "Major Border Breach"
On-Screen Text Falsely Declares Incident Was A "Major Border Breach." During the segment, the on-screen text called the incident a "major border breach." From Fox & Friends:
[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/19/11]
In Fact, The Trucks Were Found And Stopped In Southern Mexico. As CNN reported, "X-ray equipment detected the immigrants at checkpoints in the southern state of Chiapas, the state attorney general's office said. The drivers of both trucks sped away after authorities ordered them to stop, but police apprehended them nearby." [CNN, 5/17/11]
Fox Has A History Of Misinforming About Obama's Immigration Record
Fox Uses White House Meeting On Immigration Reform To Insult Undocumented Immigrants And Border Security. On April 19, Fox News' "straight news" programs used a White House meeting on immigration reform to fearmonger about immigration and bash Obama's record on border security and immigration. [Media Matters, 4/20/11]
Fox & Friends Falsely Suggested Obama Refuses To Secure Border. In October, 2010, Fox & Friends hosted Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and agreed with his false suggestion that Obama has not worked to secure the border with Mexico. [Media Matters, 10/13/10]
Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim Obama Said Border Security Is "Impossible." In July, 2010, right-wing media distorted one of Obama's immigration speeches to claim that he said border security is impossible. In fact, Obama said our immigration problems can't be solved "only with fences and border patrols" and that other measures are needed to reduce the incentives for illegal immigration, a view that has also been expressed by many experts and several Republicans. [Media Matters, 7/20/10]
Right-Wing Media Figures Have Repeatedly Distorted Obama's Record On Border Security. Right-wing media figures have a history of falsely portraying Obama as weak on border security. [Media Matters, 7/1/10, 7/29/10, 8/4/10]


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Do you like training? Do you like FREE training? Then make sure you check out the 24 Hours of PASS event that starts today at 12:00 GMT. If you miss the events of the day, no worries, the recordings will be up within a few weeks.
Check out the great schedule of events:
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Session 01 (BIA) – Starts at 12:00 GMT
Choosing the Right Reporting Platform
Presenter: Brian Knight, Devin Knight
Session 02 (DBA) – Starts at 13:00 GMT
Best Practices for Upgrading to SQL Server 2012
Presenters: Robert Davis
Session 03 (AppDev) – Starts at 14:00 GMT
Three Ways to Identify Slow Running Queries
Presenter: Grant Fritchey
Session 04 (AppDev) – Starts at 15:00 GMT
Fasten Your Seatbelt – Troubleshooting the Most Difficult SQL Server Problems
Presenter: Klaus Aschenbrenner
Session 05 (CLD) – Starts at 16:00 GMT
SQL Server Private Cloud != Azure
Presenter: Allan Hirt, Ben DeBow
Session 06 (AppDev) – Starts at 17:00 GMT
What are the Largest SQL Server Projects in the World?
Presenter: Kevin Cox
Session 07 (AppDev) – Starts at 18:00 GMT
Practical Demos of Text Mining and Data Mining using SQL Server 2012
Presenter: Mark Tabladillo
Session 08 (DBA) – Starts at 19:00 GMT
PowerShell 101 for the SQL Server DBA
Presenters: Allen White
Session 09 (BID) – Starts at 20:00 GMT
Mobile Business Intelligence
Presenter: Jen Underwood
Session 10 (BID) – Starts at 21:00 GMT
Slow MDX Queries: The Case of the Empty Tuples
Presenter: Stacia Misner
Session 11 (DBA) – Starts at 22:00 GMT
Using SQL Server 2012 Always On
Presenters: Denny Cherry
Session 12 (PD) – Starts at 23:00 GMT
Leadership – Winning Influence in IT Teams
Presenter: Kevin Kline
Friday, September 21, 2012
Session 13 (BIA) – Starts at 00:00 GMT
BI Architecture With SQL 2012 & SharePoint 2010
Presenter: Rod Colledge
Session 14 (DBA) – Starts at 01:00 GMT
DBCC, Statistics, and You
Presenters: Erin Stellato
Session 15 (BIA) – Starts at 02:00 GMT
SSIS Design Patterns for Fun and Profit
Presenter: Jessica Moss, Michelle Ufford
Session 16 (AppDev) – Starts at 03:00 GMT
Characteristics of a Great Relational Database
Presenter: Louis Davidson
Session 17 (BIA) – Starts at 04:00 GMT
What's All the Buzz about Hadoop and Hive?
Presenter: Cindy Gross
Session 18 (AppDev) – Starts at 05:00 GMT
Taking SQL Server Into the Beyond Relational Realm
Presenter: Michael Rys
Session 19 (BIA) – Starts at 06:00 GMT
Agile Data Warehousing with SQL Server 2012
Presenter: Davide Mauri
Session 20 (AppDev) – Starts at 07:00 GMT
Digging Into the Plan Cache
Presenter: Jason Strate
Session 21 (BIA) – Starts at 08:00 GMT
Introduction to Microsoft's Big Data Platform and Hadoop Primer
Presenter: Denny Lee
Session 22 (BID) – Starts at 09:00 GMT
Big Data Analytics with PowerPivot and Power View
Presenter: Peter Myers
Session 23 (CLD) – Starts at 10:00 GMT
Best Practices and Lessons Learned Using SSIS for Large Scale Azure Data Movement
Presenter: Steven Howard
Session 24 (PD) – Starts at 11:00 GMT
Mentoring for Professional Development
Presenter: Andy Warren
* Please be sure to check our time zone guide for exact times in your area. This 24 Hours of PASS event begins at 12:00 GMT on September 20 and runs for 24 consecutive hours.


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Walgreens Donates $100,000 to New York and New Jersey Hurricane Relief Funds
Walgreens Donates $100,000 to New York and New Jersey Hurricane Relief Funds
DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Walgreens (NYS: WAG) (NAS: WAG) today announced $100,000 in additional donations to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The company, which includes Duane Reade drugstores in New York and New Jersey, is making two $50,000 contributions, one to the Empire State Relief Fund announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the other to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund established by Governor Chris Christie.
The Empire State Relief Fund distributes financial aid in the hardest hit areas across New York State, specifically directed at costs associated with providing long-term housing and rebuilding homes. The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund is providing aid to families who have been affected by the destruction of the storm.
"With this generous donation, Walgreens is continuing their work, alongside dozens of other major businesses and organizations, in supporting communities hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and providing much-needed financial support to help with the rebuilding and recovery efforts," Governor Cuomo said. "In addition to their financial donations, Walgreens and Duane Reade worked hard in the storm's aftermath to reopen pharmacies to ensure patients and customers had access to the medicine they needed, and I commend them for their continued support and generosity."
New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie, chair of that state's Sandy relief fund, said, "Hurricane Sandy destroyed homes and devastated communities across New Jersey. With generous corporate partners like Walgreens, we will be able to help communities rebuild, and provide for families, businesses and non-profits that need the most help. We thank Walgreens for its generous support of our Relief Fund."
Today's donations follow Walgreens earlier $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Walgreens and Duane Reade drugstores also raised more than $5 million in customer donations for the American Red Cross. In addition, Walgreens donated several semi-trailer truckloads of blankets, bottled water and other goods to people in need immediately after the storm.
Greg Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens, said, "The leadership of Governor Christie and Governor Cuomo was extremely valuable as we worked with state and local emergency response authorities. I'm also very proud of our Walgreens and Duane Reade team members who worked so tirelessly to maintain services and provide medicine to patients and customers."
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America's first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,057 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
Walgreen Co. Corporate Communications
Jim Graham, (847) 315-2925
KEYWORDS: United States North America Illinois New Jersey New York
The article Walgreens Donates $100,000 to New York and New Jersey Hurricane Relief Funds originally appeared on Fool.com.
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March 28-29
Cedar Springs was officially recognized as a village 143 years ago, on March 18, 1871. And that's something worth celebrating.
The Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce invites young and old alike to come out and help celebrate that special event with the second annual Founder's Day weekend, March 28-29. There will be something for everyone!
The event kicks off Friday with a new addition—a children's street fair from 4-7 p.m. at the tent on the corner of Main and Ash Streets. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. there will be music, a balloon man, and face painting; from 5:30 to 5:45 will be storytelling by Post editor Judy Reed; from 6 to 6:30 ventriloquist/magician Charles Mabie will entertain the kids. There will also be carnival games and other events going on during the entire three hours such as ring toss, beanbag toss, duck pond, bucket bonanza, crafts, a log cabin to play in, a real lumberjack, model trains, wooden train sets, and a petting zoo courtesy of Double K Farms and 4H.
Saturday has more in store. The Cedar Springs Public Library will host pioneer crafts and storytelling from 10 to 1 p.m. at the Library. The Cedar Springs Historical Museum will be open from 11 to 3 p.m., and host several different presentations at the museum as well.
The Saturday evening free concert is back at the Ash Street tent from 4-10 p.m. and all ages are welcome. This year's concert features the bands Signal Trip and the Youz Guyz Band. Food will be available to purchase from The Grilling Company and will feature pulled pork, brisket, and sides. Beer (including a local craft beer) and hard ciders will also be available to purchase.
Chamber president Shawn Kiphart said that they called the future Cedar Springs Brewing Company first (a business coming to the area in the future) to see if they would be available to supply the beer, but they are not yet ready. "We look forward to using them at a future event," he noted.
For questions about the event, call Kiphart at (616) 773-5126.


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