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NEW ORLEANS — The first phase of a public art project to install the work of Southern sculptors around New Orleans has been completed in time to be seen by visitors for this Sunday's Super Bowl.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art said Thursday that the first phase includes seven sculptures placed along the busy Poydras Corridor and Convention Center Boulevard. The Ogden is curating the exhibition along with the "Sculpture for New Orleans" organization, founded in 2008.
Eventually, the exhibition is to feature 25 sculptures from Southern artists.
The seven sculptors whose work is featured in the latest project include Wesley Wofford and Jim Gallucci, of North Carolina; James Surls and Ed Wilson ,of Texas; James Kimes, of Mississippi; Russell Whiting, of Louisiana; and John Henry, of Tennessee.


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USD to Receive Funding for Suicide Prevention
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded a $300,000, three-year grant to the University of San Diego to implement a comprehensive suicide prevention program. This grant in conjunction with the "Not on My Watch" initiative launched by the university's Student Wellness area earlier this September, will allow the university to implement a comprehensive campaign to prevent suicide. The funding will enable USD to enhance and strengthen collaborations, trainings and other educational interventions, including increasing the awareness of mental health concerns, suicide risk and protective factors, enhance help-seeking behavior, and create environmental change on campus and beyond that promotes the overall health and wellness of the USD community.
Melissa Halter, PhD, director of the Center for Health and Wellness promotion and the principal investigator on this grant, indicated that, "the resources USD will receive will allow the institution to implement a comprehensive plan for suicide prevention and mental health stigma reduction. Bringing together a multidisciplinary team of USD professionals and partnering with community experts, USD will implement a plan to engage the whole university community in these efforts."
The American College health Association, National Collegiate Health assessment indicates that in the Fall of 2012, 7 percent of college students nationwide reported serious suicidal ideation during the previous 12 months. Colleges and universities across the nation are continuously working on developing and implementing prevention efforts that instill hope and respond to the mental health needs of students.
Moisés Barón, PhD, assistant vice president for Student Wellness, co-author and senior consultant to the SAMHSA grant stated, "USD has rallied together to prevent suicide by becoming a community that is informed and empowered. We can make a difference by learning how to recognize the signs of suicide, how to have conversations about mental health and suicide concerns and by becoming aware of the resources available and seek help when needed. This grant will allow us an opportunity to provide students, faculty, staff and parents with the knowledge and resources to support one another, and especially those in need."
To learn more about USD efforts, please visit www.sandiego.edu/notonmywatch for information, resources and ways to get involved with suicide awareness and prevention efforts at USD.

subset: commoncrawl


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Keyano Aromatics Moisturizing Tan Intensifier 8 oz. Moisturizing Tan Intensifier contains a proprietary peptide fused with an oligosaccharide that induces melanin synthesis resulting in a natural tan with only minimal sun exposure required for activation. The cream must be used everyday with great results after only 14 days with a couple of short sun exposures per week. Benefits:


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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- Northern Westchester Hospital, in partnership with Support Connection, have joined together to host a support group for women with breast, ovarian or gynecological cancers.
The support group will be held on Wednesday, July 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Northern Westchester Hospital's Chappaqua Crossing Facility in the Yoga Room. Chappaqua Crossing is located at 480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua.
The discussion centers around issues pertaining to all stages of diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment. The group is led by a trained facilitator who is a cancer survivor.
Support groups will also be held on the following dates: Wednesday, Aug. 6 Wednesday, Sept. 3 Wednesday, Oct. 1 Wednesday, Nov. 5 Wednesday, Dec. 3
Registration is required to attend the support group. For more information and to register contact Support Connection at 914-962-6402 or 800-532-4290.


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CodeIgniter is a PHP framework for rapid application development. It's exceptionally fast and it comes in a small footprint. Installing CodeIgniter is fairly straightforward. You just upload the CodeIgniter files and folders to the directory of your choice.
But, for a much more secure installation, you should probably move the application and system folders above your webroot folder, so that nobody has direct access to it. In addition to moving them, you also need to set the full server paths in the main index.php. You will need to edit index.php found in the main CodeIgniter folder.
Change the following entries to:
$system_path - '/full-server-path/system';
$application_folder = '/full-server-path/application';
Save. That should do it.


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Associate Professor of Philosophy
Michael Bray
LocationKyle E. White 103
Areas of Expertise
Political Philosophy; Critical Theory
PhD, The Pennsylvania State University 2002
BA, Sarah Lawrence College 1995
Previous Courses
Theories of Class; Tocqueville & Marx: Democracy and Capitalism; Political Philosophy; Aesthetics; Modern Philosophy; 19th C. Philosophy; Labor, Property & Power; Mass Culture & Its Discontents
My original area of research was early modern political philosophy, work that shaped my dissertation, "The Science and Politics of the Efficient Cause in Hobbes and Spinoza," as well as a series of articles on the relationship between political and moral conceptions in early modern Europe and the social transformations involved in the early stages of capitalist development.
My present research focuses on the relationship (and disjunctions) between theories of democracy and the sociology of capitalism and class relationships. I have recently completed essays on the public sphere theory and early films of Alexander Kluge and on populism as a "symptom" of the repression of class antagonisms in liberal democracy. I am currently working on a book length study of populism and social transformation.
"Rearticulating Contemporary Populism: Class, State, and Culture," under review at Historical Materialism
"El Estado Somos Todos, El Pueblo Soy Yo?: On Chavismo and the Necessity of a Leader," forthcoming in Theory & Event, 16:4 (2013)
"Openess as a Form of Closure: The Public Sphere, Social Class and Alexander Kluge's Counterproducts," Telos 159 (Summer 2012)
"Sympathy, Disenchantment, and Authority: Adam Smith and the Construction of Moral Sentiments," Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 28: 1 (2007)
"Macpherson Restored?: Hobbes and the Question of Social Origins," History of Political Thought XXVIII: 1 (2007)
"The Hedges That Are Set: Hobbes and the Future of Politics," Epoche 11:1 (2006)


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North Dakota Lakes Suffer Winterkill
Although this past winter stretched beyond the norm, snowfall throughout most of the state was far from record-setting. Therefore, the number of lakes suffering a fish kill was not extreme.
Scott Gangl, fisheries management section leader for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said approximately 30 winterkills have been confirmed so far this spring. "Fortunately, the majority of these were considered minor/partial kills, meaning there are still desirable fish to catch in those lakes," he said.
However, Gangl mentioned a number of lakes scattered across the state that appear to have suffered a significant kill. These include Powers Lake (Burke County), Warsing Dam (Eddy County), Juanita (Foster County), Schlecht-Weixel (LaMoure County), Stanley Reservoir (Mountrail County), Buffalo Lake (Pierce County), Fenster Lake (Ramsey County), Island Lake and School Section Lake (Rolette County), Coal Mine Lake and Wolf Lake (Sheridan County), and Harvey Dam (Wells County).
"The severity of a die-off may vary by lake, but usually there are some fish left in the lake," Gangl said. "Most of the lakes that experienced winterkill are prone to die-offs. So while there was some disappointment in losing good fisheries, there weren't many surprises."
Fisheries personnel have already started or will soon restock lakes that experienced winterkill. "We are stocking with hatchery raised fish, or fish transported from another lake," Gangl said. "These fish may take a while to grow to catchable size, but in two-to-three years there should be populations of fish for anglers to catch."
Anglers can contact the local Game and Fish Department fisheries district offices to get more information on the status of these lakes, or to report fish kills that may not be on the list.


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Criminal Minds: The Importance of Defining Intent in Criminal Statutes
Issues and Ideas Forum
Can you be convicted for committing a crime you didn't know existed? For centuries, our legal tradition required the combination of a guilty act and a guilty mind for a crime to occur. The last several decades, however, have seen an explosion of "public welfare offenses" that diminish a key legal protection – the obligation on the part of the state to prove intent. From environmental regulations to food labeling laws, these state and federal crimes can carry significant penalties. Michigan's criminal code does not include a default standard for proving intent, leaving the courts to sort out standards for culpability. This Issues and Ideas Forum features Paul Larkin of the Heritage Foundation, Marc Levin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Michael Reitz of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy who will discuss the need to define intent in Michigan criminal statutes.
Lunch is free and is included with reservations
WHEN: Dec. 10 at noon — registration begins at 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Radisson Hotel Lansing at the Capitol
111 N. Grand Ave. Lansing, MI 48933
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Event Manager Kimberley Fischer-Kinne at 989-698-1905 or by .


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Getting ready to plant a garden?
The Anderson County High School Greenhouse is open and is offering a variety of plants sure to get you started.
The greenhouse, which is operated by the district's agricultural students, offers several varieties of tomato and pepper plants, along with herbs, flowering bedding plants and hanging baskets.
The greenhouse is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Anderson News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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Intel x Smithsonian American Art Museum
Experience Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery unleashed in virtual reality, and discover the tech that helped bring their exhibition to the world.
Preserving a Legacy
See how one team is using artificial intelligence and drones to create a new method of restoring China's Great Wall.
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Be Ready for IT Transformation
Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors are the future-ready foundation for agile, high-performing, and hyper-efficient infrastructure designed to meet the demands of today's data-driven digital economy.
Refresh Your Computer for Windows* 10
Looking to make the most of your organization's Windows* 10 migration? Update your hardware to PCs powered by the latest 8th gen Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors.
Change Your PC. Change Your Business.
Upgrade to a new computer with Intel® Optane™ memory and save your company money, and hours of lost productivity.


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One of the most common "classic" applications on the Android Market is the to-do list manager. Easy to code and almost universally useful, the to-do list manager is tempting for developer and consumer alike. Unfortunately, there are so many more of these applications than there are good ones, and once you install one, you might find yourself looking for another in short order.
These are the applications currently in the market with more than the bare minimum functionality and good reviews: Astrid, RTM Tasks, TooDo, and 3banana. (Absent from this list is an application called ActionComplete, which sells for $4.99. The description says that it has meticulous attention to detail, but five dollars is too much for any to-do list, meticulous or not.)
I'll cut to the chase since you've got things to do. Astrid is the best to-do list manager available in the market. It's attractive, intuitive, and it does everything you need it to do without getting in your way. You'll be happy to hit that little squid icon a dozen times a day.
One of the best features — that I've never seen before — is how it checks off a task. When you hit the checkbox, it changes the task font to strikethrough and leaves it there until you exit the application. This is handy because you often hit the wrong task and you don't want to have to re-enter it. This was a frustration with the built-in to-do lists on Windows Mobile and Palm. Four or five pixels up or down and you've got to remember what that task was and type it in again. It's either gone, or it resides in your gigantic pool of completed tasks.
Astrid also does what you should be able to do with every to-do list manager: open it, type, close it, and it will add a new task. This is what a person does with the vast majority of his or her time with a to-do list and it is appropriately streamlined here.
There are also the requisite features like priority, alarms, recurring tasks, and tags, all of which Astrid does well. I also like the tabbed organization. If a task doesn't have a due date or an alert, you can ignore those tabs and exit. Saving is always automatic.
Despite its utter dominance of the list-oriented market, I was disappointed by two aspects of the more modern versions of Astrid. Since they came out with the tabs, the application has been a bit slow. Personally, I think speed should be a higher priority than almost any fancy feature for these types of applications. Astrid also claims to synchronize with Remember The Milk, but I couldn't get it to work, and, judging by the wiki, I wasn't the only one.
RTM Tasks
RTM Tasks is a newer entry in the market and has very basic functionality. It is notable because it does, like the name implies, synchronize successfully with Remember The Milk. If you're a big RTM fan, this might be the one to start with, at least until some others get their acts together. You can always switch later by synchronizing with the new one.
TooDo is notable as the Titanic of to-do list managers for Android. It has a plethora of features and very little intuitiveness. Features like the dashboard, contexts (aren't categories enough?), smart folders, distance intervals (a Geo-notification setting), and owner (there's also author) are poorly defined and the interface gives us few hints. There is a setting called "Insistent" with this cryptic explanation: "Should a to-do notification with importance higher than Normal loop for ever?" Difficult to tell what you're going to be subjected to with that one.
To impress upon you, the sheer number of features it's offering, TooDo will add a persistent entry in your window shade with the following buttons: "Change," "On," "Main Screen," "Smart Folders," "Categories," "Contexts," "Notes," "Demo mode," "Go Lite," "Sync," and "Purge," and, in the bottom left-hand corner, the lowly "Add to-do."
The dashboard, as it's called, also includes the message, "Go to the "Settings" for disabling," which is probably what most users will immediately do.
Where Astrid is clean and clever looking, TooDo has "Animations." This means that the items in each tab will disappear one by one when you switch to that tab. This little cascade is annoying and does not in any way further the to-do list users primary goal of getting things done. All-in-all, it seems as if the developer believed that this was a race to the record books for number of features, useful or not.
I was also not able to get Remember the Milk synchronization to work.
3banana is not actually a to-do list manager. It is a note taking and sharing application, but I thought it showed a lot of potential. The interface is clean and simple. You can begin typing right away into a dedicated text box at the top, add tags twitter style with the pound sign, and hit save to keep it in your list. You can also use the camera button next to the text box to attach a picture to the entry. The entry and the picture can then be saved and shared on Facebook or Twitter. I wasn't able to get the synchronization with 3banana.com to work, where all of this social magic is supposed to happen, but if you create an entry on the site, it works fine from there. Once the synchronization starts working, this could become a fun socially-aware way to make lists, in addition to being a usable and fast to-do list manager on its own.


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Girls' golfers stay perfect at DuBois
DuBOIS — The Lady Chucks golfers continued their early season run of success by defeating DuBois, 228-242, behind Audrianna Delacour's round of 53 on Tuesday.
Punxsy improved to 4-0 and 2-0 in AML play.
Delacour recorded the best round of 53 in the dual match by a stroke over DuBois' Sarah Snyder. Her teammates, Lauren Giavedoni and Morgan McFarland were the next finishers with rounds of 56 and 58.
Finishing the Lady Chucks scorers on the day were Caroline Dunkel, with a 61, and both Lauren McGee and Sarah London posted scores of 63.
Julia Martino continued her solid play with a non-scoring 55. Kasey Prescott was the final Punxsy participant with a 68.
Punxsy stays on the road for a round today at Brockway beginning at 3 p.m.


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WAG To Host Peter Rockwell
The Winnipeg Art Gallery is delighted to welcome to Winnipeg Peter Rockwell, in conjunction with the Gallery's spring blockbuster American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. Rockwell is a sculptor, art historian, and the youngest son of renowned illustrator Norman Rockwell.
Peter Rockwell's work has been shown across the world and his sculptures are in such collections as the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, the Bridgeport Museum of American Art, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. "While in Winnipeg, Rockwell will discuss both his own artistic practice as well and that of his father," says Anna Wiebe, Head of Education. "Having modeled for countless of his father's Saturday Evening Post covers, who better to give insight into the life of Norman Rockwell?"
With one event already sold-out (Art Eats), Winnipeggers have two chances left to meet Rockwell:
Wednesday, April 25, (12:10-1pm): Stone Carving: tools, techniques and experiences: an artist talk with Peter Rockwell
Learn about Rockwell's artistic practice as a sculptor and carver. Tickets: $3 WAG Members/$5 Non-Members (does not include gallery admission).
Friday, April 27 (7-9pm): An Intimate Perspective on Norman Rockwell with Peter Rockwell
Delve into the world of Norman Rockwell's paintings and discover the secrets of his artistic process with son Peter Rockwell. Bring your ticket stub to the front desk at any time after April 27 to receive a 10% discount off admission to the American Chronicles exhibition. Tickets: $20 Member/$25 Non-Member, available at wag.ca or at the front desk (does not include gallery admission the night of the talk).
For more information about American Chronicles, on view through May 20, visit rockwell.wag.ca. For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter (wag_ca) and Facebook [Winnipeg Art Gallery].
Celebrating its centenary in 2012, the Winnipeg Art Gallery is Canada's oldest civic art gallery and Manitoba's leading visual arts institution. With a collection of over 24,000 objects spanning many centuries and cultures—including the world's largest collection of contemporary Inuit art—the WAG is constantly moving between the historical and the contemporary in an effort to engage a growing public with the power of art in our lives.
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The lucky recipient chooses veg to grow at home from Pippa Greenwood's range of favourites. Garden-ready plants are sent out at the end of April to early May. Every week Pippa emails with timely tips and advice, from pre-planting advice through protecting, supporting, feeding, pinching out, watering and, of course, keeping pests at bay. Your email is tailored to the veg you've chosen.
David Gandy selects his top 11 gifts for Christmas this year


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As a follow-on to my June 21st blog regarding Electric Vehicles [EVs: an Electric Car in Every Garage], here are some additional notes of interest:
1 – An RC plane and car expert explained to me recently that if you want to follow the latest updates in battery technology, look to the RC marketplace. That market being full of avid hobbyists, it's willing to embrace nascent technologies as early adopters.
The current technology that's "hot" in RCs is the lithium polymer, or LiPo, battery. It's still expensive, suffers from reduced shelf-life, and is reportedly more flammable than the lithium-ion battery technology currently installed in EVs, but the LiPo battery appears to offer "lighter weight and higher discharge rates" to power-hungry RC devices.
Per RCHelicopterFun.com: "In short, LiPo's provide high energy storage to weight ratios in an endless variety of shapes and sizes."
Thanks to the global RC user base, LiPo battery technology is enjoying intense research and deployment – not necessarily in that order – and may one day be widely utilized in the more "conventional" EV market. If the bugs can be worked out, the LiPo chemistry [possibly] stands to replace the "traditional" lithium-ion EV technology in years to come.


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Political UpdatePosted: November 5, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 Comments
I promised more political posts, but lost enthusiasm for that task.
Here is a current post on my issues blog about the November 2013 election: Partisan Labels and Ann Arbor Politics.
As I note in one of the updates, it is clear that the newly adult generation (often called the Millennials) is beginning to flex their muscles. They want to be in on the action. I predict that this is going to cause some waves in Ann Arbor politics in the next few years.
It's All About PoliticsPosted: April 4, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
As anyone who reads online comments knows, I don't seem to be able to stay out of politics and I have lots of opinions. I also have an issues blog, http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/ on which I discuss local issues – but I find I am increasingly reluctant to use this to wade in on local political fights. I'd like to keep Local in Ann Arbor as a thoughtful discussion of issues at the policy and data levels.
On the other hand, there are some current issues that merit discussion on the sheerly political level, or which will pass quickly (a current Council vote, for example) and don't belong in a blog that looks at the longer-term policy questions.
It came into focus for me when I had to decide whether to renew the domain name for this blog. (Do you really want anyone else to own MYNAME.com?) As the title I gave this blog when I ran for Council last year says, "Ann Arbor – It's Where We Live." That's really what this is going to be about. It'll be where I get to vent about the politics of the moment.
Please note – this is NOT an announcement that I'm getting back into electoral politics (for myself). I'm leaving the old election material up for the time being as an archive. No donations, please.
Watch this space.
That's All She WrotePosted: August 9, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Well, the election is over and I lost. See the Ann Arbor Chronicle's summary here.
There are always a lot of opportunities for second-guessing after a campaign, and I'll admit that I hoped it would at least be a little closer (I had 1320 votes out of 3029, or 43.5%). There are a few obvious answers.
1. My opponent, Chuck Warpehoski, was simply a very credible candidate, well-spoken with a previous public presence, and an attractive young family.
2. He garnered not only many political endorsements but those of many respected citizens.
3. He is exactly half my age (34 to my 68), which is a great advantage in door-to-door as well as presence.
4. In what is now known to be the hottest July on record, he and his surrogates managed an effective door-to-door campaign. I attempted to visit doors but was undone by temperatures in the 90s, which I don't tolerate well
5. There was also a last-minute "bomb" of postcards and doorhangers from his campaign, professionally produced. They featured, largely, his endorsement list.
I think beyond all those, it was simply that his message was better received. Though he kept it very vague and often seemed to mirror many of the themes I began the campaign with, he clearly is of the vision of Ann Arbor as a center for economic development in a regional economy. I stressed the local community and its needs. I suspect that many young professionals found that his message, which promises more opportunity, resonated with their own hopes for the future.
I didn't expect to run for office again but this effort had certain rewards. One is that I became much more familiar with a wide range of current issues affecting the city. I'll have to take these into account as I return to being simply a blogger. Another is that I got to work with a wonderful group of supporters who gave of themselves in astounding proportions. It made me remember again why I love Ann Arbor. It's the people.
Top-down Government: A Source of DissatisfactionPosted: August 6, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
In yesterday's post I promised some specifics of likely outcomes, depending on how tomorrow's election goes. Actually, it is impossible to predict how individual issues are likely to be resolved in a new Council, even supposing that all four "challengers" (including me) win. (The alternative is that the Mayor's supporters, including my opponent CW, win). That is because, as I also promised, we are unlikely to vote as a bloc. If you examine the voting records of the existing "dissenters", you will see that they have often split their votes on specific issues. This is likely to continue as a pattern in a council that no longer has a commanding majority for the Mayor. And that's a good thing.
A truly vigorous discussion on the merits of specific issues is likely to be the occasion of shifting allegiances on a particular measure. One effect is that the top-down government often exhibited by what a friend of mine has called "the Hegemony" will be replaced by a good old democratic, argumentative, messy negotiation with each other and the public. No, I'm not talking about gridlock (we don't have the system that makes Congress tie itself into knots), but about an end to efficient passage of measures that have not been tested adequately. This efficiency is a result of "top-down" decision-making.
The reason for so much of the unhappiness that has been expressed by citizens in recent years has been a sense of not being consulted on priorities or major decisions. That is why we must drive by an ugly and overpriced city hall, a remarkably small, not very functional, sculpture in front of it, a decreasing police and fire presence, and threats to our park system. Someone else has been setting the priorities and making the decisions. A governing coalition who feels that they know the best course for the city nearly built a conference center and hotel on the Library Lot after putting the city in debt to install an underground parking structure that has been structurally reinforced to support a very heavy building. And no one asked us.
Top-down government, in which the governing body makes decisions, then tells the rest of us what the deal is, is very efficient. Here is how it works:
- A leader or group of elected or appointed individuals has a good idea, perhaps copied from another community, or learned in a workshop. Or perhaps they are simply approached by an interested party with a proposal.
- The group has a number of internal discussions about how this can be accomplished (perhaps over coffee or breakfast, in small groups). Interested parties are consulted.
- Staff support is secured and details of implementation are laid out.
- A background memo, budget, source of funding and timeline are prepared.
- Staff makes a presentation at a working session showing how the idea fits all the goals previously adopted by the body, and is a natural progression of the order of things.
- The item appears on an agenda for action by the body (Council, for example).
- The item is passed, perhaps without fanfare.
- The public reads about it after the fact.
This is a rather extreme scenario, of course. Most items coming before Council have at least a little bit of prior notice or discussion in a committee. But the example of Fuller Road Station fits it well. (See the Ann Arbor Chronicle's excellent timeline.) After Leigh Greden (one of the Mayor's major supporters and advisers) was defeated in a Democratic primary, the Council was asked to approve a relatively trifling amount ($213,984) for an environmental assessment and study (August 17, 2009). As I recall, the item was added late in the afternoon on the day Council met. On the last day of Greden's term (November 5, 2009), the Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the UM for a joint project with the UM for a combined parking structure and multimodal transit station. It took quite a while for the public to integrate the fact that what had sounded like a rather visionary concept was actually the equivalent of a contract with the UM to pay 22% of the cost of a multimillion dollar parking structure for the UM, on city parkland.
Top-down governing is efficient. It gets things done, saves time. But it can leave the public feel as though they have been blindsided. Citizens can be forgiven for not scanning the Council agenda twice monthly to see if anything significant is coming along. Yet once a new policy has been formed, a long process of public protest and contention can be frustrating to all concerned.
I've studied this question (how to involve the public meaningfully) for years. Citizens should not have to assume the responsibility of making all decisions, yet they feel the need to be consulted on things that will affect them. Elected and appointed officials and staff are there to do the heavy lifting. They are literally paid (whether in position or monetary compensation) to do that work. There are major questions of where to find the funding, what the law allows or demands, what is technically possible, what hired staff are able to accomplish.
I've read some authoritative essays on the subject and agree with this conclusion: the answer is to involve the public in early stages of setting policy, then taking their viewpoints into serious consideration. (A public hearing on the night that Council votes does not achieve this objective.)
The Jackson Road issue is a good example, and one that I will pursue if elected. Council rather suddenly voted to ask MDOT to prepare a plan for conversion of the 4-lane road to 3 lanes with bike lanes. Similar "road diets" have been implemented elsewhere successfully in Ann Arbor, and it fits Council's adopted Complete Streets policy. It also fits with a longstanding grievance of the residents along this busy street that is trying to be a highway. But this has caused an outcry. Strong feelings are rising both in support and in vigorous opposition to the idea. The good news is that the actual reconstruction of the road, which will precede painting the stripes, does not take place until 2014. Meanwhile, MDOT continues to collect traffic data and to evaluate the situation. Meanwhile, even as a candidate, I've heard from a number of thoughtful citizens on various sides of the issue.
If elected, I'll proactively reach out to the affected neighborhoods. All of us want traffic to move smoothly and uneventfully, so that interest will be represented as well. I believe that Ann Arbor residents have the intelligence and interest to help work out solutions that eventually will at least be able to win consensus. We have some excellent staff at the city, and MDOT is very motivated to resolve the problem to the satisfaction of everyone. I've already heard from several citizens with some very solid thoughts and questions. We'll put our heads together. Then it will be up to the skilled professionals and the elected officials to make a decision. But I expect it will be one that we can all understand.
The model I am proposing takes a lot of extra work on the part of citizens. But at least they can own the result. It is opposed by the ruling coalition, who apparently see it as a form of mob rule. Joan Lowenstein has explained this view point quite eloquently, including in a recent comment on the Ann Arbor Chronicle, where she complained that we would "advocate frequent referenda that weaken the representative system" (her concept there is we get to do what we think right, vote us out if you don't like it). Perhaps you agree. Top-down, efficient government gets things done without a lot of interference by citizens. Or perhaps you simply like the direction the Mayor has been taking the city altogether. In that case, you should certainly vote for my opponent, whom he has endorsed.
Probably 95% of what Council does is housekeeping that doesn't require a lot of community consensus. But it can require decisions that affect the lives of Ann Arbor residents and local businesses. For those actions, you need people working for you who have your interests in mind. That is why I have stated my priorities up front: to serve the interests of Ann Arbor residents and local businesses. And I know how to do this.
What is at Stake for Ann Arbor in the Primary Election of August 7, 2012?Posted: August 5, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
I've made an effort ever since filing for Ann Arbor City Council, 5th Ward, City Council to make the campaign be about the issues and my qualifications to serve. I've always found "oppositional" campaigning to be repugnant and I've been fortunate in an opponent who was willing to campaign in a gentlemanly manner as well. He is Chuck Warpehoski, a decent, sincere guy with an appealing family. (I'll just refer to him as CW from here on out, with respect.)
But it has become increasingly apparent that 5th ward voters are not receiving the information they need to make this choice, and this election, like so many others, does have consequences. In our literature, we often seem to be saying the same thing (apart from my references to experience); indeed, CW's latest mailing, with its emphasis on neighborhoods, local architecture and business, and community engagement, could almost have been lifted from my early literature.
But we do in fact have very different styles and policy stances, and which one is elected makes a difference to the City of Ann Arbor as a whole.
One inescapable thing about this election is that it is to some extent a referendum on the direction Ann Arbor has been going for the last 10 years (and more) under the leadership of John Hieftje as Mayor. It is also inescapable that there are four candidates (of whom I am one) who are in opposition to many of the policy directions of recent years.
The news media have picked this up. Perhaps you saw the article in the August Ann Arbor Observer titled "End of the Party" (a sly reference to the term I created for the Mayor's majority bloc, the "Council Party") Reporter Jim Leonard frames the entire election for Council as a contest between the Mayor's allies and his potential opponents. As Leonard says, "At stake in the August 7 Democratic primary election is the council majority of Mayor John Hieftje – and with it, the future direction of Ann Arbor."
The article by Ryan Stanton on AnnArbor.com reaches similar conclusions. As he says, "Mayor John Hieftje and his political allies hold a 7-4 majority right now on the Ann Arbor City Council, but the ruling coalition's ability to pursue its agenda is in jeopardy with four hotly contested council races on the Aug. 7 primary ballot." (In addition to the 5th Ward race, Jack Eaton and Sally Hart Petersen are opposing incumbents Margie Teall and Tony Derezinski, and Sumi Kailasapathy is opposed by Eric Sturgis, who enjoys many Council Party endorsements.)
Is it fair to lump CW in with the others of the Mayor's allies? Seems so, since he has been endorsed not only by the Mayor and by the retiring Council Party incumbent Carsten Hohnke (who reputedly recruited CW as his successor), but by many other members of the Ann Arbor political establishment, from Congressman John Dingell to kingmaker County Commissioner Leah Gunn (Gunn has endorsed and often been on the campaign committee for virtually every one of the Council Party's members, and the Mayor himself). All these politicians must know what side he is on.
So what about the contenders on the other side? We don't have a cute name, at least none invented by me. And actually, we are all individuals. There is no common agenda or "slate". We have had only incidental conversations and have not coordinated our positions at all, though many elements turn out to be similar. Probably one of the outstanding characteristics is that we are all rather independent and not likely to surrender to pressure to vote en bloc. Not even our bloc.
I have few endorsements, but they are good ones. Mike knows that I can be counted on for a vigorous defense of my views, as well as an obsessive attention to detail.
Jane gets this too. Note the "independence" theme. I expect that if I am elected, I'll be having good heated discussions with Mike and Jane. We won't vote in lockstep. We'll improve each other's understanding. We'll still be colleagues and fellow advocates for the citizens of Ann Arbor after each meeting.
Don't think of this as a choice between partisan factions. Think of it as liberating the Council for serious consideration and debate on important issues. (Most housekeeping issues are passed through by Council without dissent and I expect that to be unchanged.)
I've said repeatedly in debates and interviews that what I want to see is a "deliberative" council. Sad to say, even when Council has had endless meetings into the small hours of the morning, it has often been about vanishingly small details of language and to some extent about posturing for the camera.
I hope and believe that the next Council will be one where issues are thrashed out at their core, beginning with early notice to both the Council and the public of major initiatives, and a good public debate about their value.
Let's decide the future of Ann Arbor on the merits, after full disclosure of details, consequences, and the views of our citizen/voters.
Tomorrow: what are some specifics of likely outcomes, either way?
About That Conference Center on the Library LotPosted: July 19, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 5 Comments
One of the issues that is before us in this current campaign is the fate of the Top of the Parking, or the Library Lot. This is one of the properties being discussed in the course of the DDA's Connecting William Street project. My position on this is that a public open space, that would be home to active uses like performances and events, as well as for passive use to sit quietly and read a book, is a good use for the space. I have been very sympathetic to the efforts of a citizen group, Library Green. They recently put on a "block party" atop the new parking structure, called "Imagine a Park". They have also been presenting a slide show to the DDA and in other forums to make the case for a park. Here is a very large pdf of their slide show. (It contains examples from other cities of similar ventures.)
My involvement with this space goes back to 2009, when I began publishing articles on my blog, Local in Ann Arbor, about straws in the wind that seemed to be leading to plans for a conference center. The articles are in chronological order on the Library Lot Conference Center page. That summer, I was able to obtain and publish a proposal that had been circulated secretly in city hall. Indeed, through a fortuitous gift of FOIAs relating to the construction of the underground garage, I was able to determine that a small group of people had been working with DDA staff in 2008 to put together this proposal. Partly, I believe, because of my continual publicizing of the issue, the city council passed a resolution putting out a Request for Proposals for the top of the parking at the Library Lot, and later it appointed an RFP advisory committee to review proposals. Information about the RFP process and the proposals under review can be found on the city RFP website.
With the initiation of the RFP process, there was an appearance of open process. The committee's meetings were open to the public (though sometimes it took rather determined research to find out when) and they even held an event at the Ann Arbor District Library where the public was invited to hear presentations by the proposers. But in fact, the public had no say at all. No public comment was allowed at the advisory committee meetings, and though the public was invited to send comments, there was no indication that they were read. The discussions at the meetings were blatantly biased and the committee did not even follow the limited process set up in the RFP. One of the first actions was to summarily dismiss the two open space proposals without any attempt of evaluation. (Description and media links here.) It became increasingly apparent that one proposal, the one brought forward by the Valiant Partners, was "hard-wired". Not coincidentally, they were the proposers of the original "Secret Plan". The plan was to build a hotel and conference center on the Library Lot. The hotel was to be privately operated and the conference center made the property (and the liability) of the city. A Letter of Intent (LOI) was prepared and was scheduled to be considered, and presumably adopted, on April 19, 2011. But a coalition of citizens rose up in opposition. As I described at the time,
The inexorable progress of this really appalling proposal inspired a grassroots effort that has resulted in (only two weeks after the working session) a website, a Facebook page, over 700 yard signs, and a growing list of supporters (see the home page of the website), many of whom have been working hard to lobby councilmembers, place yard signs, comment in the media, make campaign buttons, and plan for the public hearing that was to precede the council's vote.
On April 4, 2011, the Ann Arbor City Council acted to shut down the RFP process and to dismiss the Valiant proposal. It was over, for the time being. I can take credit for this, because I was one of the leaders, in addition to have provided months of research and reporting. But I wasn't at all alone, and that was the wonderful thing about it. There was a group of 15-50 people (some came and went at different times) who volunteered to take on many responsibilities and contributed insight, skills, and efforts. (Many of us had been meeting for a year as a group called Public Land – Public Process.) It was truly a community outpouring, and I am grateful to have participated in it.
The effort to impose this plan on the citizens of Ann Arbor led to a remarkable uprising of civic fervor. Its defeat felt like a victory. But of course that wasn't the end of the story. The forces that were behind the idea of a hotel and conference center are still with us. Now it appears that the concept is about to be brought forward again.
On the same night that Council laid the Valiant proposal to rest, it also passed a resolution directing the Downtown Development Authority to take charge of planning for the disposition of city-owned lots downtown. This has been resolved into a DDA-led process, Connecting William Street. That is too complicated to review here. But as one step in the process, they hired a consultant to analyze the downtown for opportunities. As stated in the report produced for the DDA,
The study objective is to identify current and future market opportunities and challenges associated with the redevelopment of multiple City-owned sites currently managed as parking lots on or near William Street, in downtown Ann Arbor.
The overall conclusion of the report was that office space was the best use for the city-owned parcels. But wait! There was in addition a little extra report: "Lodging Analysis". The conclusion of this report?
Independent interviews conducted by 4ward Planning in 2012 and The Roxbury Group, in 2010, identified prospective pent-up demand for lodging and conference center space in downtown Ann Arbor – in particular, this demand is for lodging and conference space capable of handling numerous events of 500 or more persons throughout the year. Interviewees included heads of large corporations, educational and health care institutions.
The Roxbury Group's report (also commissioned by the DDA) used interviews of a number of "stakeholders", which I earlier dismissed as "boosterish". They were, however, detailed within the report. This report merely says that such interviews were conducted, without specifying the participants or the questions asked. It could be described as "I talked to a bunch of people and they all thought it was a good idea".
So it appears that the idea of a hotel and conference center, whether on the Library Lot or not, is once again being proffered by the DDA's committee for Connecting William Street. It doesn't take much imagination to suppose that a proposal will once again surface for serious consideration.
My Environmental RecordPosted: July 7, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
The Sierra Club endorses Vivienne Armentrout in the race for 5th Ward Council
Yes, I'm proud of that endorsement. It is the result of a long deliberative process. I was required to fill out a rather fearsome questionnaire. This then went to a local committee, and as I understand it, a series of committees all the way up to the state level. I did experience some anxiety about the result.
According to one interim message I got (sent to all candidates), the committees reviewed not only the candidates' responses, but their records. This got me thinking about my record as an environmentalist.
I have been an environmentalist for so long that it is part of my core identity. I've always loved the natural world (don't forget that I am a biologist). My husband Charlie and I have always tried to live with a small footprint, with reusable goods, high-mileage cars and a low consumption habit as much as possible. We used unleaded gas before it was required, went to a lot of trouble to recycle before it was convenient, and went to hearings on the original Clean Air Act. My Sierra Club membership card notes "member since 1973".
But really, aren't we all environmentalists these days? Everyone tries to be "green". Still, this has limitations. Thomas Princen made some pithy points about this in his book, "Treading Softly". "An economical economy, therefore, does not arise when its consumption patterns simply become greener and more environmentally friendly." There is much, much more, but his point is that we can't be truly concerned about the environment and the future of the planet merely by buying "green" products. I might add, merely by espousing "green" viewpoints. So what have I done other than have friendly feelings toward the environment?
As a plant pathology professional, I ventured into controversy even as a graduate student by opposing the excessive use of pesticides. Pesticide use is the easy way to control pest problems, but these are often very toxic chemicals. As a professor, I taught the use of cultural and biological approaches rather than pesticide use against plant disease. When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I volunteered with the Ecology Center (this was at a time when they actually worked closely with community volunteers in Ann Arbor rather than statewide issues with paid staff). I was the chair of the Pesticide Task Force and gave lectures on lawn care and integrated, low-toxic pest management of pest problems. We got the city to adopt some policies that reduced pesticide spraying and incorporated notification to individuals of pesticide treatments.
Then I was appointed to the Solid Waste Commission and quickly became its chair. During the time I was on the SWC, we supported Recycle Ann Arbor as the city recycling provider and saw the initiation of the compost program. We started initial exploration of commercial waste recycling. After I was elected to the Board of Commissioners, I continued this interest and helped to keep the county's funding for the Drop-off Center.
I discovered two new environmental passions early in my career on the Board of Commissioners. The concept of "sustainability" had just gained some currency and I put considerable personal effort into making this one of the BOC priorities. I was also appointed to the Agricultural Lands and Open Space Task Force, where, after spending an intensive year studying land use patterns in Washtenaw County, we placed an item on the ballot (1998) to support Purchase of Development Rights and other land use-related issues. This failed after determined opposition from the development community. But it was the precursor to the later county millage to protect natural areas (now expanded to some protection of farmland) and then the city Greenbelt program.
Meanwhile, I determined that we needed a better planning matrix to support good land use practices. The last year I was on the BOC, I was the chair of the Planning Advisory Board as we put together the Washtenaw County Comprehensive Plan. (You will find my name on it as the editor.)
An environmental problem that was considerably less satisfying than talking about land use came up early in my tenure as a commissioner. It was the 1,4-dioxane contamination from the former Gelman plant in Scio Township. I was heavily involved in this, causing a staff member to be hired who brought professional expertise to bear, resurrecting an intergovernmental partnership to address it, and obtaining funds a number of times through BOC resolution to make appeals at the state level for regulatory assistance. (This was during the Engler administration, which was not environmentally friendly.) Despite all our best efforts, the situation has deteriorated. The current county website has updates.
Lately, I have been involved in efforts to protect Ann Arbor parkland from the threat of being disbursed into other uses. (Specifically, I have opposed the use of Fuller Park for a new train station.) Our parkland is a valuable environmental resource. Aside from its active recreational component, it is an important source of passive recreation (simple enjoyment of natural areas). It serves as permeable surface, air and water quality improvement, and maintenance of many plant and animal communities. The viewscapes it provides are an important asset to the perceived quality of life in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor residents have frequently expressed their support of the park system by voting taxes on themselves and also raising and donating money to support individual parks. Yet, in spite of all this, some in our government have noted the untapped wealth in our park system and sought to exploit it. As this excellent summary by the Ann Arbor Chronicle notes, there is currently an effort to amend the Charter to prohibit leasing of parkland, a neglected area of protection. I support this effort.


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Re: How much do you expect your kids to pay for college?
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 1:52 pm
I happen to know several people who got degrees in Kansas and Missouri who now work at Google. Google may not recruit at Kansas State for kids out of college, but the smart kids from Kansas State who got a job at Sprint or H&R Block or Garmin in Kansas City, and got 5-10 years of experience under their belt are certainly welcome to apply at Google. At that point Google doesn't care where they went to school, just how smart they are and what coding skills they can bring to the table.jon-nyc wrote:Of course not. The main advantage is getting into the role in the first place. Once you've been at Goldman for three years, no one cares where you went to school. But you probably aren't getting an interview at Goldman if you went to San Diego State. Google is a meritocracy from what I hear, but they recruit at Stanford, not at Kansas State. etc. etc.HomerJ wrote:Do other professions really care about what school you went to after 10+ years? Once you've got a lot of experience under your belt, does the school really matter anymore? Do people really ask 45 year olds what their GPA in college was?


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Clarence man with frog phobia wins $1.6 million verdict
Water runoff has turned most of Paul Marinaccio's 40 acres in Clarence into a wetland.
How it happened angers him.
What came along with all that water terrifies him – frogs.
"I'm petrified of the little creatures," said Marinaccio, 65.
If that sounds bizarre or far-fetched, consider one of Marinaccio's childhood memories. He traces his deep-seated fear of frogs to when he was a child in an Italian vineyard, where his parents worked. He remembers wandering to a nearby property for figs and being chased away by a man holding bullfrogs.
Decades later, frogs again have Marinaccio on the run. In the spring and summer months, they show up on his driveway and lawn – keeping him inside his home. Marinaccio sued the Town of Clarence and the developer of a nearby subdivision for diverting runoff onto his land and won a $1.6 million award.
"I beat the government," he said.
Marinaccio emigrated to the United States as a teenager in 1963, with just five years of schooling. But he learned to speak English and went to work at a gas station, farm and bakery to help support his parents. At 19, he started a construction company. The hard-working man became a self-made millionaire through his road construction companies, including Accadia Site Contracting.
He bought the Clarence land in 1998, and in 2003 he built a large home on the Lapp Road side of the parcel, about a mile and a half off Transit Road.
In 2000, water runoff from the bordering development was diverted onto his property.
Within a year, a few acres of his land was flooded. By 2006, the wetland grew to nearly 20 acres, and by 2009, it had grown to 37 acres.
Marinaccio's seven-year court fight finally ended a couple of weeks ago, as the State Court of Appeals ruled he was not owed any punitive damages.
Even after more than $300,000 in legal bills, Marinaccio has still come out a winner in his legal fight against the town and Kieffer Enterprises, the development firm that he accused of intentionally diverting water onto his land. In addition to the damages he received, the town has agreed to dig a drainage channel along the edges of Marinaccio's property to solve the drainage problem.
And what of the frogs?
Marinaccio hopes they go away.
Neither side knows for sure how Marinaccio's frog phobia affected the case. But jurors who returned the verdict in his favor heard his startling testimony on the witness stand in 2009.
"You people don't understand," Marinaccio said in court. "I am petrified. I go home at night, and I can't get in my garage because of the frogs. They're right in front of the damn door, OK?"
He talked about how he had to call his grown daughter, who lives a few miles away, two or three nights a week to come over and shoo away the frogs.
"In the winter, it's OK, because I know there's no frogs," he said. "But in the summertime, I mean I'm a damn prisoner in my own home."
Once, when a town official asked to see his land, Marinaccio accompanied him – on his bulldozer.
Another time, he agreed to walk his land with Corps of Engineers officials.
"It was dry. They convinced me they would protect me from the frogs," Marinaccio said.
Once, at a road construction site, Marinaccio paid one of his union workers $65 an hour to carry a bucket and catch frogs and remove them so he could work alongside his employees.
Last week, Marinaccio told The Buffalo News he soon would be unable to walk outside his home, assessed at $588,000.
"In another few weeks, you will not catch me opening my garage door if I see a frog," Marinaccio said.
The Court of Appeals decision has upset him.
No punitive damages
The state's highest court ruled Kieffer did not have to pay $250,000 in punitive damages the jury awarded.
Michael B. Powers, the lawyer for Bernard Kieffer, called the ruling "one of the most gratifying of my career."
"The punitive damages would have been devastating to him," Powers said of his 83-year-old client.
Powers handled Kieffer's appeal of the punitive damages. Insurance company lawyers represented Kieffer and the town at the trial. Powers was hired after the trial solely on the issue of the punitive damages, and Kieffer prevailed at the Court of Appeals.
"We find that although the injury was considerable and the acts undeniably intentional, the evidence in this case was insufficient for an award of punitive damages," the court ruled.
"I think the jury understood what happened. The Court of Appeals didn't understand," Marinaccio said of the ruling.
Marinaccio built his home on Lapp Road and intended to divide the rest of the land and sell the lots for homes.
"At the time he bought it, it was good, dry, buildable land," Joseph J. Manna, Marinaccio's lawyer, told jurors during the 2009 trial. "It is now a swamp. It's a marsh. It's a wetland."
The jury awarded Marinaccio $1.3 million in compensatory damages from the Town of Clarence and $328,400 in compensatory damages against Kieffer.
The town's insurance company paid the damages the town owed, settling with Marinaccio after he agreed to give up the 9 percent interest he was owed on the damages dating back to 2000. The interest was worth "a couple of million dollars," Marinaccio said.
Marinaccio still bristles at what he sees as the town's and developer's disregard for him.
"They put a pipe from a mitigation pond on my property and the pipe drains the water right onto my property," he said.
Problematic ditch
The runoff problem emerged as Kieffer developed the second and third phases of the Lexington Woods subdivision.
The Court of Appeals said the town-approved plan required water from Kieffer's development to flow into a storm sewer and then into a ditch creating a mitigation pond.
Town officials first thought the ditch was on Kieffer's land but later discovered it was on Marinaccio's property, and that it was being used without his permission, according to the court decision.
What's more, Kieffer should have known the ditch was not big enough to hold all the diverted water, the court said.
Kieffer installed drainage pipes and drained the water into an abandoned farmer's furrow on Marinaccio's land, again, without his permission, resulting in more than 30 acres of flooded wetland, according to the decision.
When Marinaccio contacted Bernard Kieffer about the flooding, Kieffer replied the flooding was not his problem, according to Manna, Marinaccio's lawyer.
"He calls Mr. Kieffer and he says I've got a lot of water on my property that you're putting there. Get the water off of my property. And Mr. Kieffer tells him, in 2006, it's not my problem, it's your problem," Manna told the Court of Appeals during oral arguments.
Marinaccio said the town approached him with a plan to cut ditches across his land.
"I told them no," he said.
Instead, he said he told them to cut ditches along the edges of his parcel.
"They could have done that. It probably would have cost them $30,000. That's exactly what they're going to do now," he said.
At his trial, Marinaccio said he told the town he wanted pipes to carry the water because he did not want mosquitoes and frogs to breed on his property.
Marinaccio did some ditch work on his property. But it wasn't enough to stop the water from flooding his land.
Given his occupation, Marinaccio could have done more. But he decided not to.
"They created the problem," he said. "They should fix the problem they created."
Marinaccio said he had no choice but to sue.
"I didn't want to sue anybody," he told jurors. "I just want them to get rid of the water on my property. I didn't want to be here. I haven't broken any laws."
Marinaccio said he was mistreated by town officials.
"They looked at me like I was some dumb Italian, with no education, and could just roll over me," he said. "They never thought I was going to win the case. You should have seen their faces the day of the verdict."
But Powers, Kieffer's lawyer, said Kieffer did what he was told by town officials to do.
Experts and engineers
At the Court of Appeals, Powers described Kieffer as someone "who has complied and spent tens of thousands of dollars on experts and engineers, submitted all his plans, all of his specifications."
"He's relying on his engineers," Powers said. "They're telling him that this is not going to put any more water on there than has typically been on there in the last ten years. The town says we'll get any easement that we need for this. We approve all your plans. The Army Corps approves them all, the state approves them all. What more is there for Mr. Kieffer to do?"
Besides, if Marinaccio had simply maintained a ditch to handle the runoff or allowed town employees on his land to do so, his land would not have flooded, Powers said.
"The town repeatedly asked Mr. Marinaccio for permission to come in and clean the ditch and inspect it, and he threw the Highway Department off the property, threw the town engineer off the property," Powers told the judges.
"It wasn't the fault of the town or Mr. Kieffer that [the flooding] happened," Powers told The News.
Marinaccio bears responsibility, Powers said. Ditches handled water runoff for years.
"This isn't like he was living on a high and dry place, and all of a sudden it was flooded," Powers said.
Marinaccio's post-verdict agreement with the town calls for the town to dig ditches on the edges of his property, with water from the mitigation pond draining into a ditch on the side of his land. That should keep the runoff water off his land. It's too soon to know if he will be able divide the land into lots for houses.
In the meantime, Marinaccio is already at work on a plan for his 40-acre spread when the water dries and the frogs leave.
This plan involves a much bigger animal.
"I'm going to put cows out there," he said.
email: email@example.com


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One Problem with Running Your Own Photo Agency: It Takes a Lot of Time
Posted by Holly Hughes on Monday August 27, 2012 | Photojournalism
Posted by Holly Hughes on Monday August 27, 2012 | Photojournalism
When LUCEO, the photographer-run cooperative agency, issued a press release last Monday announcing it had redesigned its web site to be more "client centered" and highlight the agency's multimedia work, the announcement was overshadowed by news that three of its six founding members—Matt Eich, David Walter Banks, Kendrick Brinson—were leaving the agency "to pursue personal endeavors." Just a month earlier, another cooperative photo agency, Noor Images, had announced that founding member Jan Grarup was "stepping down" from the agency to pursue "a new line of work."
We had to ask: Why would photographers have to leave a cooperative agency to pursue "a new line" of "personal endeavors" ?
The answers from the departing photographers point out one hitch in the cooperative-agency model: Running an agency takes a lot of time.
In July, Jan Grarup told PDN his departure was motivated by a desire "to move in my own direction and be independent again." Months before he left, Grarup, who has been working on a long-term project about Somalia, had been selling signed, limited-edition prints in order to pay for security as he traveled in parts of the country controlled by Al-Shabaab. Grarup told PDN in leaving Noor he planned to "focus more on my work than company things."
While Noor Images is run by photographers, it has paid staffers who help with marketing and administration. At agencies like LUCEO, however, all the "company things" are handled by the photographers themselves.
"Something that I am sure is true for cooperatives of any age is that they require an enormous amount of love, attention and upkeep," Matt Eich told PDN after the LUCEO announcement. "It is a challenge for anyone, no matter how organized or motivated, to keep up with your own individual business, your own personal projects, a cooperative business, cooperative projects and of course some time for family or a personal life."
Eich says that he's been working on a three-part series looking at history's continuing impact on American communities in Ohio, Mississippi and near his home in Virginia. Eich, who has a small child and a second due in early September tells PDN, "At this juncture it's time for me to focus on getting these projects out into the world and to spend time with my family."
David Walter Banks said he couldn't comment on the wording of LUCEO's press release, "as I was not a part of that discussion," but his plans for personal work include collaborations and "continuing to build relationships with my clients." Banks and Kendrick Brinson, who are married and work both individually and together on assignments, say they plan to continue teaching and doing lectures "at places like Western Kentucky, University of Miami, Ohio University, The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar and Roberto Mata Taller de Fotografia."
In an article titled "LUCEO Splits in Half, Raises Questions about the Viability of Photo Collectives," Jakob Schiller of the Raw File Blog noted that LUCEO has been "a flagship" for several "collective upstarts" who followed in their wake. And, as past and present members told Schiller, they've benefited from working with a team.
Dominic Bracco II, a member of the year-old cooperative Prime Collective, told PDN that the agency has recently taken steps to address the time-management issue.
"It's something we've all had to deal with – if people are busy, someone else has got to pick up the slack," he says. That can lead to resentment.
For Prime members, he adds, "Something we want to think about is: How do we deal with it if someone has a family member who's sick or one of us gets pregnant or is just burnt out?"
Prime, which has been seeking a new photographer to join the agency, recently decided to allow its members to take a leave of absence if needed, according to Bracco. "That just means you take a break and that you relinquish your right to vote," he explains. "The organization continues. We still represent you as a member of our group, but you're not actively participating" in decisions about the agency until the end of the leave. Though no member has needed a leave yet, Bracco says, "That seems like it would work out for us."
The democratic process by which these cooperatives make decisions can be time consuming, too. Before Grarup left Noor Images, fellow Noor member Stanley Greene admitted that the agency has experienced "growing pains." Speaking at the Look3 Festival in May, he said he and photographer Kadir van Lohuizen decided to try launching their own agency with fellow photojournalists after an evening spent "bitching about our agencies in a bar in New Orleans, like [photographers] do."
Five years after that decision, Greene sounded like someone whose idealism had been brought down to earth. "I go into things with a naive idea of community and communism, but I think with an agency, you have to be a dictator. When everything has to be decided unanimously, nothing gets decided. I have new opinions about agencies."
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Posted by Holly Hughes on Wednesday August 15, 2018 | Photojournalism, Photos In The News
More than a week after police jailed Bangladeshi photographer, educator and activist Shahidul in order to silence him, his supporters continue to call on others in the photo community to join the #freeshahidulalam campaign. Alam was dragged from his house on August 5 by plainclothes police, and remains in jail pending a bail hearing scheduled... More ›
Posted by Holly Hughes on Monday August 6, 2018 | Photojournalism, Photos In The News
A group of plainclothes police forcibly removed photographer Shahidul Alam from his home in Dhaka on Sunday night. An official with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police detective branch later said that Alam, founder of the Pathshala Media Institute school and the photo agencies Drik and Majority World, was detained for interrogation over his social media posts... More ›
Posted by David Walker on Tuesday July 31, 2018 | Photojournalism
In this excerpt from The Candid Frame podcast, Lebanese photographer Fadi BouKaram, a founding member of Observe Collective, explains how he trained his eye as a street photographer, and learned to shoot street photographs that have emotional impact. BouKaram also talks about the value of respecting subjects. He was interviewed by Ibarionex Perello, host of... More ›


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Chevy's Corvette is without question one of the most recognized sports cars in the world. Since its introduction at GM's Motorama, Corvettes have been favorites for fans and drivers in a wide variety of racing venues, including endurance events, hillclimbs, Trans-Am, drag racing, and GT Racing. For six decades, Corvettes have battled and defeated some of the the biggest names in the sports car world—Ferrari, Porsche, Cobra, Jaguar—at storied road courses like Le Mans, Daytona, the Nürburgring, Sebring, and Laguna Seca.
Beginning with the Real McCoy, a Zora Arkus-Duntov special raced at Sebring in 1956, this book draws on the history of factory-sponsored and private racing efforts, chronicling the history of the various Vettes that have been put to the test as racing machines. Noted automotive writer and renowned artist David Kimble delves deep into Vette's on-track history to provide the most thorough Corvette racing history ever published. Corvette Racing is illustrated with rare images from GM's media and design archives and complemented by Kimble's own stunning cutaway artwork. For Corvette and racing fans, this book is the definitive word on Corvette's nearly 60 years of competition.
Chapters include:
Hardcover, with 256 pages and hundreds of color and black/white photos.
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This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 07 February, 2013.


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Fueled by a heady bout of denial as practiced by an egomaniac, and cheered on by a fan base of enablers, Rush Limbaugh's long-running Sandra Fluke saga is still generating national headlines on its 22nd day, an eternity in today's sped-up news climate.
How has the story of an AM talker's offensive chatter been able to sustain itself for so long? Why did the Washington Post run a front-page Style section story about the talk radio tumult 19 days after Limbaugh first called Fluke a "slut"? Because Limbaugh and his conservative cheerleaders have made every possible miscue in dealing with the public relations crisis, thereby stubbornly feeding the damaging story for weeks on end.
The missteps have been innumerable. Aside from the enormous one that was Limbaugh's original three-day misogynistic smear campaign against a law student, the blunders have included Limbaugh refusing to take responsibility for the totality of his actions. They have also included his media defenders refusing to condemn Limbaugh's actions (and often even refusing to describe what they were), while casting him as the true victim of menacing censors.
There has also been the continued public bullying of Fluke, the wildly misguided attack on her boyfriend and her boyfriend's Jewish heritage, as well as the loopy conspiracies about the White House's alleged role in the story and how the grassroots advertising campaign that's knocked more than 50 sponsors off Limbaugh's show isn't somehow real. (It's "astroturf"!)
The blunders, all of which stemmed from an inability (or refusal) to simply do the right thing in the wake of the talkers' obviously offensive behavior, helped transform the Fluke story into a media evergreen.
The punch line from the self-inflected, three-week public relations debacle? Limbaugh gets paid $400 million to be a communicator.
One of the key reasons that the story has unfolded the way it has is because so many right-wing commentators agreed with Limbaugh's nasty evisceration of Fluke's character. (I.e. she's a "slut," a "tool," a "skank" and "rent-a-cooch.") Like him, they labeled her a greedy nympho unable to contain her sexual urges, arguing she deserved to be ridiculed for demanding taxpayers subsidize her raucous campus sex life.
So if Limbaugh's enablers actually believed those wholesale mischaracterizations about Fluke and her public testimony about access to contraception, of course they weren't going to retreat in the face of the controversy. Of course they were going to keep attacking "alleged victim" Fluke and refuse to apologize for the ugliness.
That stubborn ignorance simply added fuel to the fire by emboldening Limbaugh's taunting posture in the days following his two forced and limited apologies. That's what likely led Limbaugh to boast that his listeners didn't even think his smearing comments about Fluke were "that big of a deal to begin with." (Because what's the best way to win back scared advertisers in the wake of a controversy than to suggest the controversy was overblown in the first place?)
And when not openly cheering Limbaugh's verbal assault on Fluke, conservatives did their best to cover-up. At National Review Online, Jonah Goldberg played down the sexual smears by suggesting Fluke was treated by Limbaugh the same way Joe the Plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, was treated by the press during the 2008 campaign. (Really?)
But the right-wing media's denial has been a hallmark of the three-week Limbaugh controversy, and it began instantaneously. On the morning of March 2nd, just as the Limbaugh story began to make headlines, Republican Carly Fiorina appeared on CBS This Morning and rightfully condemned his Fluke comments as "insulting" and "incendiary."
If most conservative commentators had followed Fiorina's lead the Fluke story would have likely played out in a couple of days as Limbaugh took his well-deserved lumps. Instead, within hours CNN contributor Erick Erickson posted a pointed condemnation of Fiorina. "We should be insulted with Fluke, but Fiorina is insulted by Limbaugh," wrote Erickson, perfectly capturing the siege mentality that quickly enveloped so much of the conservative media.
It was Limbaugh who was the victim; the put-up target of a bully's assault. But what about all those ugly comments he made? They were simply flushed down the memory hole, as his enablers did their best to whitewash Limbaugh's bizarre behavior by making only vague, passing references to the talker's three-day attack, turning them into a single comment, or by completely mischaracterizing his actions [emphasis added]:
-Dana Loesch: "The Left targeted Limbaugh over his disagreement with the sentiments expressed in a White House set-up on birth control."
-Laura Ingraham: "I think he made a mistake."
-Greg Gutfeld: "An unforced error."
-Michelle Malkin: "I'm sorry the civility police now have an opening to demonize the entire right based on one radio comment."
-Tucker Carlson: Rush Limbaugh said some nasty things about a Georgetown law student named Sandra Fluke
Like most hate radio enablers, Carlson never ever actually explained what "nasty things" were said about Fluke. But how could he?
How could Carlson write a column doing his best to downplay the controversy while at the same time detailing Limbaugh's unseemly suggestion that Fluke was having sex as a twelve year old, or that Limbaugh demanded Fluke post sexual videos of herself online so everyone could watch her in the act.
The truth is Limbaugh dealt conservatives like Carlson an unwinnable hand. And yet they tried to play it, over and over again. That's why three weeks later the story's still making news.
Crossposted at County Fair, a Media Matters blog.


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Rapper Kanye West has come under fire from human rights groups for performing for the president of Kazakhstan at the weekend (31Aug13).
The Stronger hitmaker reportedly netted $3 million for playing a private gig in a hotel in Almaty for President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Saturday.
Footage of West performing his song Can't Tell Me Nothing at the family wedding has surfaced online and infuriated activists, who accuse billionaire Nazarbayev of acts of torture against his own people.
Kate Allen of Amnesty International says, "Kazakhstan is a country where Amnesty has concerns about the use of torture."
Critics of the Kazakh government are jailed and strict controls are imposed on the media, according to monitoring organization Human Rights Watch.


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Armies of lawmakers from both parties are sending signals that they stand ready to back a bipartisan deficit reduction compromise, giving President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner an instant base of support if they can reach an agreement.
Rank-and-file members of the Senate and House of Representatives from both parties have been meeting privately to discuss cooperation. They're not talking specifics. Their aim is to provide, sometimes in writing, assurance that if negotiators hammer out an agreement perceived as fair, "we'll have their back," said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., one of the effort's organizers.
Obama and congressional leaders are expected to resume talks shortly aimed at avoiding the "fiscal cliff." Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year, and $109 billion of automatic spending cuts are due to take effect Jan. 2 unless negotiators – and Congress – agree on an alternative.
In the House, about 20 lawmakers met Nov. 16, the same day Obama, Boehner and other leaders were holding their first negotiating session. The lawmakers discussed a letter they would circulate among colleagues, saying that "to succeed, all options for mandatory and discretionary spending and revenues must be on the table."
The letter, whose chief backers include Shuler and Reps. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Steven LaTourette, R-Ohio, makes no mention of the key flashpoints, such as raising income tax rates on the wealthy, a problem for many Republicans, or tinkering with Medicare and Social Security, a problem for Democrats.
That general but genial tone is the letter's strength, said Simpson, and "with enough members signed on, we believe it sends a very powerful message."
The letter quickly got about 30 signatures when it was circulated just before Congress left for its Thanksgiving recess Nov. 16.
A similar letter last year to the congressional "supercommittee," which tried but failed to find $1.2 trillion worth of deficit reduction, got 102 House signatures. A Senate letter urging bipartisan cooperation was signed by 45 members. Shuler saw the signatures from members of both parties as evidence that bipartisanship was possible, particularly since the letter was circulated as members of Congress were about to face primaries and caucuses.
The new letter tries to reassure Obama and Boehner that a bipartisan deal could start with a strong base of support. Shuler showed the letter to Boehner, who offered his encouragement.
Boehner for years was regarded as a leader willing to compromise, but he has had trouble in recent years as the Republicans, who currently have a 241-193 House majority, became more dominated by diehard conservatives reluctant to deal with Democrats.
A bipartisan base of support could be important, since budget deals usually need backing from members of both parties. In the Senate, 60 votes are needed to cut off debate, and Democrats now control 53 of the 100 seats.
The summer 2011 package that avoided default and raised the nation's debt ceiling won the backing of 95 Democrats and 174 Republicans in the House and 45 Democrats, 28 Republicans and one independent in the Senate.
"The bipartisan groups can be meaningful in getting something enacted. It would keep up the momentum," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., saw the bipartisan effort as having two advantages now that it didn't have last year. "It's not an election year," she said, "and the public is more educated and informed on the issue."
The bipartisan Senate effort this year has gone in a somewhat different direction from the House. Last year, the "Gang of Six" – Republicans Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois, Mark Warner of Virginia and Kent Conrad of North Dakota – had an outline of a plan to reduce deficits and were criticized for appearing to undermine Obama-Boehner talks.
This year, the gang expanded by two – Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado and Republican Mike Johanns of Nebraska – and has conducted intense negotiations aimed at fashioning another big package. It met last month for several days at Mount Vernon, Va., and then in Washington on Nov. 13.
The senators were unable to agree on the big issues of revenue or entitlements and were reluctant to be painted as damaging any momentum the White House talks could generate.
"We don't want to do anything that would foul up the negotiations," said Crapo.
The group has no more meetings planned, but like the House contingent it is hoping it can provide a bipartisan foundation for any agreement.
"The eight of us can be very instrumental in taking whatever agreement is reached between the president and leadership," said Johanns, "and hopefully we can help try to get that passed, assuming we get a sensible plan."


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The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine was established by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to serve as a single base of operations from which the university's leading researchers and physicians develop new ways to repair tissues and organs impaired by disease, trauma, or congenital abnormalities. In addition, the Institute educates scientists and engineers developing technologies related to regenerative medicine and trains clinicians in the use of regenerative therapies. Just as important, the Institute commercializes the new technologies it develops so patients can benefit from them.
Originally established in 1992 as the McGowan Center for Artificial Organ Development, the Institute takes its name from the late William G. McGowan, chief executive officer of MCI Communications. Mr. McGowan underwent a heart transplant at UPMC in 1987. In 2001, when the center's mission was expanded to include tissue engineering, adult-derived stem cell and wound healing research, and several other areas of investigation, it was renamed the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
McGowan Institute laboratories are housed in two buildings near UPMC and the university campus. The Bridgeside Point Building houses the facilities for tissue engineering and biomaterials research. Labs dedicated to medical device research are located in the University of Pittsburgh's new two-story, 45,000-square-foot "green design" building located on the former site of LTV Steel along the Monongahela River.
Research activities at the McGowan Institute are supported by government and industry grants as well as by gifts from individuals and foundations.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
450 Technology Drive
Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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Phone: 412-624-5500
Fax: 412-624-5363
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For help in finding a doctor or health service that suits your needs, call the UPMC Referral Service at 412-647-UPMC (8762) or 1-800-533-UPMC (8762). Select option 1.
UPMC is an equal opportunity employer. UPMC policy prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected group status. Further, UPMC will continue to support and promote equal employment opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. This policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in UPMC programs and activities. This commitment is made by UPMC in accordance with federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations.
Medical information made available on UPMC.com is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely entirely on this information for your health care needs. Ask your own doctor or health care provider any specific medical questions that you have. Further, UPMC.com is not a tool to be used in the case of an emergency. If an emergency arises, you should seek appropriate emergency medical services.
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Young Professionals in Foreign Policy
Fostering the next generation of foreign policy leaders
Innovation. Inspiration. Impact.
Reflecting on "Others" in the Middle East
This summer, YPFP collaborated with the Ibrahim Family Foundation to execute the Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project in the Middle East. This remarkable program provides an opportunity for high-achieving U.S. ... Read More »
Erdogan Fails to Understand the Protesters
The demonstrations that started on May 27 as a peaceful call to preserve Istanbul's Gezi Park quickly became the biggest protest movement Turkey has seen in decades. The spontaneous nature of the protests caught ... Read More »
What Kind of Leader Does Turkey Want?
Since protests erupted last month in Turkey, there has been one major question: are the Turkish people outgrowing Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan? Demonstrations that began as a protest of the commercial redevelopment of a ... Read More »
Shale Gas: A Game Changer
Shale gas has the potential to be a game-changer. As we enter the 'Golden Era of Gas', could it address the EU's energy and climate goals by providing solutions for security of supply, economic competitiveness and ... Read More »
Turkish Protests Are Unpredictable: A Dispatch From Taksim Square
Istanbul - "Of every two people you meet in Turkey, one of them voted for Erdogan" Mehmet a 31 year- old friend working in the tourism industry, explained to me. In spite of his statement, Mehmet was the first person I ... Read More »
Changing the way we think
If all women had rights equal to those enjoyed by men, would there still be war? It is often said that it's men who wage war and start conflicts but that it is women and children who are most affected by the ... Read More »
Tipping the Balance of a Pivot
There is a noticeable wobble in the Obama Administration's pivot towards Asia. While the member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have expressed support for the new stance, they share a ... Read More »
Saved by the Diaspora
President Bashar al-Assad's fall is inevitable, but Syria's subsequent collapse need not be. Syria's sizable émigré community has so far remained far away from the devastation, waiting in cities like Paris and London to ... Read More »
Developing a Strategy for Global Health
On May 16, Assistant Professor Jesse Bump, who teaches at Georgetown University's Department of International Health, spoke to YPFP discussion groups (Public Health, Grand Strategy, and Africa) about grand strategies ... Read More »
Where Have All The Mothers Gone?
Another Mother's Day has come and gone here in the United States. A day in which we celebrate and honor our mothers for all they have done for us. While we are happily savoring brunch and giving gifts to our loved ones ... Read More »


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Whoa there, Sony. Hot on the heels of the Sony Xperia Miro and the manufacturer has only just gone and announced another two handsets, in the form of the Sony Xperia Tipo and Tipo Dual.
Though both phones are a mere tentative step from a back-to-basics feature phone, they do come preloaded with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, despite the dinky form factor – a mere 103 x 57 x 13mm and just 99.4g in weight.
Both are fitted with a 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7225AA processor and 3.2-inch touchscreen, while camera wise we're looking at a 3.2-megapixel snapper with 4x digital zoom, though there's no flash of any description.
In fact the only underlying difference between the Sony Xperia Tipo and Tipo Dual is the latter's ability to house two SIM cards at any one time, enabling users to switch between two tariffs with one touch of a button.
If you're using your phone on something of a budget, or perhaps you're left paying the bills for your chatty teenagers, then both Xperia Tipos lets you set limits in terms of how much data is used. Usage can be viewed on the phone, which should help to avoid any surprises when your monthly bill arrives.
No word on pricing or availability just yet, but we do know that both Sony Xperia Tipo variants will be available in black, white, blue and red.
What do you think of the Sony Xperia Tipo? Let us know.


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ECON 470W Advanced Topics in Economics (1)
This course examines an economic theme or topic using the analytical and empirical skills developed at the intermediate theory level. The course culminates in a project proposal for the Economics Senior Seminar course and in a major paper which develops core components of the proposal. Assignments include written and oral evaluation of the work of both peers and professionals, multiple drafts of the research paper and classroom presentation of principal methods and conclusions.


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March 28, 2012
BOSTON — Massachusetts residents do a better job than residents of most states when it comes to taking medications as prescribed, but there's still room for improvement. That's according to new studies released Tuesday by CVS Caremark, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University.
Tom Hubbard of the Cambridge-based health policy think tank NEHI said people who don't follow their prescriptions get sicker, end up in the emergency room and rack up big medical bills.
"If people don't take their medications as prescribed, they're not only not getting better but it's a tremendous source of sort of futile effort in the health care system and wasted money," he said.
Nationwide nearly half the people who are taking a drug to treat a chronic condition like high blood pressure or high cholesterol will stop taking their medication within the first year. In Massachusetts, about one-third of such people trail off.
Hubbard's heard many excuses, ranging from "the pills are too expensive" to "I feel better so I can stop taking them." He said there's not one clear solution for improving medication compliance rates. But Massachusetts might have scored better than other states because drugs are more affordable here, he said: "We're better covered in Massachusetts than almost anyplace else in the country. More people have health insurance."
According to the study, Massachusetts ranked first in the nation when it came to use of cheaper generic drugs to treat diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
But the study also found that Massachusetts ranks near the bottom of states whose residents take advantage of mail-order prescriptions, coming in 44th. Research shows that if people don't have to make repeated trips to the drugstore for refills, they're more likely to stay on their medications. The study suggests that doctors, insurers, pharmacists and lawmakers find ways to encourage more patients to use mail-order prescriptions.
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