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By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
February 14, 2007
Army Brigadier General Charles Yriate's visit to the Hood River National Guard Armory on Friday became somewhat of a class reunion — as well as a community event.
Yriate, who commands 47 of Oregon's Guard units, had originally planned to just meet with Hood River County Commission Chair Ron Rivers. He had heard that Rivers, a former second lieutenant in the Guard, wanted to learn more about the role of today's citizen soldiers.
But Rivers felt that, since a general doesn't come to town everyday, the invitation should extend to other government leaders.
So, he gained agreement from Yriate ("Wy-ART-ee") to arrange a Feb. 9 tour that included: Rep. Patti Smith, whose House District 52 encompasses Hood River County; City Council President Paul Cummings, a Navy veteran; Sheriff Joe Wampler; Sheriff Capt. Jim Tomson, an Army veteran; Bob Francis, city manager and Army veteran; Dave Meriwether, county administrator; and Mike Benedict, county planning director and Navy veteran.
"I thought this would be a good opportunity to let Gen. Yriate know how very proud we are of these young people at the Armory and the services that they provide for us," said Rivers.
Yriate told the visiting dignitaries that he was on a mission to build a strong working relationship with their respective agencies. He said that partnership would make any response to a disaster more efficient and effective.
He said the Guard was able to mobilize quickly whenever necessary. For that reason, Yriate said the Legislature was looking at turning the Office of Emergency Management over to the military arm of the state.
"We are here to be a resource provider to the citizens of this county," he said. "We can get the manpower and equipment that they need to the front lines in any crisis," he said.
For example, Yriate gained ready agreement from Wampler that the Guard had recently provided him with invaluable help. The sheriff was able to call on both ground and air support from soldiers during the December search for three missing climbers on Mount Hood.
In addition, Yriate said reservists from the Hood River Armory had deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, assisted Gulf Coast citizens in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and patrolled the Mexican-American border to stop illegal immigration.
"Our soldiers provide support in all areas of the globe. They sacrifice time with their families and time away from their jobs — so this really becomes a community effort," said Yriate.
During the visit he was flanked by Lt. Colonel Robert Mouw and a contingent of soldiers who oversee operations at the Armory. These individuals included: 1st Lt. Paul Yocum, who supervises drill weekends; Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hall, charged with daily administration and training; Staff Sgt. Genaro Chacon, who provides logistical support for the unit; and, David Arnold, a state worker who keeps track of building rental and maintenance.
For a short time during the afternoon, Rivers and Yriate fell behind the group to scan a yearbook from 1971. Rivers had brought his copy of the Officer Candidate School graduating class to show Yriate.
Rivers had intended to find out whether the general had kept up on the military careers of some of these individuals. Not only did Yriate know some of the same people, Rivers was delighted to learn that he had graduated from OCS in Clackamas County during the same year.
By the end of the afternoon Rivers and Yriate had established a congenial connection. And the general promised to make other trips to the Gorge in the near futur
"I really enjoyed that visit very much. I think, like most people, I take of all these freedoms that we enjoy for granted. But, when I saw that these soldiers were standing tall in their uniforms and truly believed in what they were doing — I felt that sense of national pride again," said Rivers.
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Bullet to the Head
In many ways, Bullet to the Head is as ludicrous as you would expect. A heavily tattooed Sylvester Stallone and Conan beefcake Jason Momoa arm themselves with axes for a fight. Christian Slater's sleazy lawyer character hosts a giant sexy party in his Garden District mansion, complete with nude ladies doing the tango and Slater himself wearing a fox mask that's a little too on the nose. There's a corrupt real estate baron from Africa played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje who uses not one but two canes and plans to demolish the ''ghetto housing projects'' in New Orleans to build sweet new condos or whatever. And all of the women that appear in the film all of them that have any lines and plenty that don't say a word show their breasts at one time or another, evenSarah Shahi, playing Stallone's daughter Lisa. Stallone's character is nicknamed Jimmy Bobo, and he brings his own bottle of bourbon with him when he goes to bars Bulleit, of course.
However, unlike more recent action films like Jack Reacher or Stallone's endless Expendables, Bullet to the Head is a pleasing, solid genre flick. Part of the appeal, along with the impressive fight scenes and laughably elaborate set-ups, is that the film knows when it's being silly. ''What are we, f**king Vikings?'' Stallone bellows right before he and Momoa come to blows. Slater is a perfectly ratty little lawyer who, when tied to a chair and being threatened with bodily harm, sneers, ''There's nothing you can do to men that I haven't done to myself for fun!''
Stallone gets the best lines, usually tossed-off phrases like suggesting someone's bullet wounds could be fixed up with ''a band-aid and a blow pop,'' but he's also saddled with some of the worst. His interactions with his reluctant partner, a handsome cop named Taylor Kwon (Sung Kang), slow the movie down to a glacier's pace. One might imagine that director Walter Hill is trying to recall the dicey racial tension in the 48 Hrs. movies between Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, but it doesn't translate here at all. Jimmy Bobo's ribbing of Taylor isn't just unfunny, it's boring. There's nothing particularly clever about any of the written jokes about tea leaves, Confucius, samurai, and so forth; while Kang's character is supposed to be annoyed by this ''banter,'' it looks like Kang himself isn't all that thrilled.
Bullet to the Head is no masterpiece, let's be clear. Plunking down Stallone et al. in New Orleans creates a cognitive dissonance that's laughable at best. Momoa, who plays a vicious mercenary, looks hilariously out of place in the redneck bar we first see him in; he's really born to play characters like Khal Drago in Game of Thrones, where he just has to ride a horse and look like a dangerous-but-sexy warrior. People seem impossible to kill; often it takes, you know, a bullet to the head to finally keep 'em down. And that daughter of Jimmy's, Sarah? She is a tattoo artist with one year of medical school under her belt, so she's pretty swell when it comes to basic medical procedures. Like bullet removal.
But let's go back to all those boobies. This is an R-rated movie with plenty of violence and drugs and nudity, and that is fine by me. I do not mind looking at good-looking naked people, not in the least. When the first character we meet is a prostitute who is merely referred to as a hooker for a good chunk of the movie, and that's really one of the only female characters we meet, that's a problem. When Lisa's mom is referred to as a dead hooker junky, that's a trend. And when Lisa is lounging in the bathtub and Taylor breaks into her house for, well, whatever reason he and Jimmy came up with, and she runs into him in her living room when she's wearing nothing but a towel and we can see her butt and breasts, it makes me scratch my head a little. Look, this is an action movie, and one based on a comic book to boot, so I'm not expecting Tennessee Williams here, but give me a break. There were probably some women at the Garden District party who were clothed, but the great majority of women in the movie are naked and/or referred to as totally disposable, which is a frankly sickening trend in an otherwise enjoyable movie. It would have been better to leave all of the female characters on the cutting room floor and be done with it than treat them with such matter-of-fact contempt. Sadly, this gross undercurrent knocks my original star rating down a half.
Bullet to the Head is not a summer blockbuster, but it's better than the typical January dregs. Spring can't come soon enough.
Hollywood.com rated this film 2 1/2 stars.

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Web prototyping is continually evolving. The holy grail is perhaps a web app easily shared between management, developers and clients, with low latency, high performance and flexibility.
Clickmodels is trying to solve this problem, and I spoke to Jurriaan van Drunen, co-founder.
In one sentence, what is your product/service?
Clickmodels is a unique web-designer prototyping app providing great tools for developers and an in-app communication tool for clients.
What problem(s) does it solve?
Millions of designers, clients and developers worldwide are part of the complex process prior to the release of an online project. For designers, creating a quick but good working prototype is not always that easy, and is now being made so much easier, more fun and obvious to do.
For the client, lots of time gets lost in communication with clients, with Clickmodels that is history. Developers won't have to switch between dozen of applications, all the tools they need are right in Clickmodels, and it takes less time to create the pixel-perfect product that everybody will love.
What are your immediate goals?
We want to introduce an application that works for everybody in the way they expect it to work.
None of the available prototyping tools on the market allows web-designers, clients and web-developers to work together effeciently using one single tool. Clickmodels does just that.
What were the biggest challenges involved in building the tech or your team?
Besides all the browser compatibilities the biggest challenge for us was building not only a high-performing and low-latency application, but also an application that was extremely scalable from the very beginning.
That way, even when the application is used by (hopefully) thousands of customers, we can still guarantee a great and fast working application for designers, developers and clients.
How will the company make money?
Our service offering is subscription based and will have four different packages. Each package has a limited number of working projects. You can start for free with a limit of three projects and upgrade to 10 or more projects starting at just $15 a month.
Who is in your team?
We have three founders and dedicated team members that love what they are doing over past year. I will give you a short introduction to me and them:
Jurriaan van Drunen, that's me: tries to make the web a better place with my passion and love for web and UI design. With more than eight years of online experience I still try to create 'something different but better'.
Max van der Stam: driven by the desire to make fluent, beautiful web applications, Max goes the extra mile when it comes to making a good application absolutely perfect.
Ronald Mansveld: dreaming code since he was 12, and always looking for ways to make that code better, faster and more secure. Author of a soon-to-be-released brand new ACL-component to make others' apps better, faster and more secure as well.
Where would you like to be in one, three and five years' time?
We hope that Clickmodels will become one of the standard applications among designers, developers and client during the process of online projects. We love what we do and have the confidence that other designers, clients and developers will think exactly the same about this.
Other than your own, what are your favorite websites / apps / tools?
We the team love to use Wunderlist, dropbox, evernote and liveview. I'm pretty addicted to the Clear and Airbnb app for the iPhone.
Comments (6)
Ha ha, when I clicked on the link in the story and saw the aweful CLICK logo animating towards me I thought something had to be wrong.
I eventually found the right site here:
A bit too hasty with my editing. Apologies all. Correct link now inserted.
Clickmodels to feature next week ;-)
Curious about this product, can't wait to test it.....
I'm looking forward to exploring what it does and how it can help our UX consultancy. There are already a number of great and popular products on the market - Axure, Justinmind and Balsamiq to name but three - but they all come with their limitations. It's always great to see another approach to solving the problem.
Good luck Clickmodel!
Sounds like a fantastic app with immense power to solve many issues in the design sphere. Can't wait to get the Plug and Play Design guys to try this out.


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Hi, I'm Miss Marm!I can help you write your papers, essays or creative writing assignments...
FAQs »
By: Miss Marm
Caroline Watson's story, "Vaseline," is not only a finalist in the fiction contest, it's kind of about makeovers! (Yes, it is. Just go with it.) —Miss Marm
At the end of every drugstore checkout line is the woman contemplating her $39. 99 purchase of Olay Regenerist Skin Care Starter Trio Pack™. Therein lies the model of a woman I will never
Follow me on Twitter!
Get the guide you can hold in your hand. In print and eBook on B&N.com
Get the planner you can hold in your hand. In print and eBook on B&N.com.


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A modern all-rounder.
The F 800 R is a firmly established player in the BMW Motorrad roadster segment. It combines agility, everyday practicality and dynamic riding fun in an integrated sporty package. And the revised F 800 R takes the whole thing a step further.
Design you can enjoy.
The F 800 R is just the right motorbike if you simply want to get on and have fun - and that is just what it looks like. The precise lines and minimalist trim elements give it a sense of light-footed agility, while the new upside-down fork is suggestive of dynamic forward thrust even when stationary. The symmetrical headlamp gives the F 800 R a new distinctive look.
Move ahead safely.
The F 800 R offers uncomplicated riding pleasure - ensured by the powerful yet economical parallel twin engine with 90 bhp - but it is also geared towards safety: ABS as standard, a stable, balanced suspension and the safety package to go with it (ASC, ESA, RDC) guarantee a supreme ride response and absolute control on the road.
Infinite variety.
The touring and all-round capabilities of the F 800 R are reflected not just in the wide range of seat heights and additional luggage fittings but also in the different paint finishes.
Available in Racing Red, Black Storm Metallic, Light White/Lupin Blue Metallic/Racing Red (£230).
|Water-cooled 4-stroke in-line two-cylinder engine, two overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, dry sump lubrication
|Bore x stroke
|82 mm x 75.6 mm
|Rated output
|66 kW (90hp) at 8.000 rpm (output reduction 35 kW (48 hp) at 6,750 rpm possible)
|Max. torque
|86 Nm at 5.800 rpm (performance reduction: 69 Nm at 3,500 rpm)
|Compression ratio
|12.0 : 1
|Mixture control / engine management
|Electronic injection
|Emission control
|Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter, emission standard EU-3
|Performance / fuel consumption
|Maximum speed
|Over 200 km/h
|Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 90 km/h
|3.6 l
|Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 120 km/h
|4.8 l
|Fuel type
|Unleaded super, minimum octane rating 95 (RON)
|Electrical system
|permanent magenet alternator 400 W
|12 V / 12 Ah, maintenance-free
|Power transmission
|Multiple-disc clutch in oil bath, mechanically operated
|Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox integrated into crankcase
|Endless O-ring chain with shock damping in rear wheel hub
|Chassis / brakes
|Bridge-type frame, cast aluminium
|Front wheel location / suspension
|upside-down fork
|Rear wheel location / suspension
|Cast aluminium dual swing arm, central spring strut, spring pre-load hydraulically adjustable (continuously variable) at handwheel, rebound damping adjustable
|Suspension travel front / rear
|125 mm / 125 mm
|1,526 mm
|100 mm
|Steering head angle
|Cast aluminium wheels
|Rim, front
|3.50 x 17"
|Rim, rear
|5.50 x 17"
|Tyres, front
|Tyres, rear
|Brake, front
|Dual disc brake, floating brake discs, diameter 320 mm, 4-piston brake calipers radial mounted
|Brake, rear
|Single disc, diameter 265 mm, single-piston floating caliper
|BMW Motorrad ABS
|Dimensions / weights
|2,145 mm
|Width (incl. mirrors)
|860 mm
|Height (excl. mirrors)
|1,235 mm
|Seat height, unladen weight
|790 mm (OE low seat: 770 mm, OE high seat: 820 mm)
|Inner leg curve, unladen weight
|1,780 mm (OE low seat: 1,740 mm, OE high seat: 1,835 mm)
|Unladen weight, road ready, fully fuelled
|203 kg
|Dry weight
|Permitted total weight
|405 kg
|Payload (with standard equipment)
|203 kg
|Usable tank volume
|15 l
|approx. 3 l
Club Leather Jacket
The DoubleR jacket adds a dash of style to city riding or touring.
Combining the classic look of jeans with the performance of motorcycling trousers.
Its raceproven, full-face design lets you concentrate completely on the road ahead, and react at lightning speed.
Ride summer sneakers are certified as protective footwear for motorcycle riders.
The WATERPROOF moisture-protection chamber is free-breathing, the GORE-TEX membrane renders it windproof and watertight.
High-quality motorcycling rucksack, which can either be worn or attached to a bike as a luggage roll.


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COLUMBIA — Pharoh Cooper figured he'd play defensive back at South Carolina. It's the position he was recruited for, the place all the colleges sending letters in the mail wanted him to play. No reason the Gamecocks would be any different.
Then Steve Spurrier saw the youngster return a punt.
"I was doing all these defensive drills, getting ready to play defensive back," Cooper said. "Then coach Spurrier saw me catching punts, said he wanted to get me on the offensive side of the ball because he wanted me on offense from the get-go from high school."
A major, early-career change can be a difficult adjustment to handle. Cooper didn't mind. He played quarterback his senior season at Havelock (N.C.) High, leading the Rams to their second straight Class AAA state title.
Cooper had a knack for scoring touchdowns, but at 5-11 most teams thought his lack of height was better suited for cornerback.
South Carolina was different.
The Gamecocks let Cooper play receiver, a position where he was plenty comfortable.
As a junior, during Havelock's first state championship run, Cooper caught 65 passes for 1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns. In the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas following his senior season, Cooper earned offensive MVP honors.
"Switching from defense to offense, it's been a great idea for me," Cooper said. "It's working out good so far."
Before his first collegiate season, Cooper said he met with receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. two to three days each week to watch film and learn plays. He's also gotten help from junior Bruce Ellington, who made the same transition from high school quarterback to college receiver.
The extra work is beginning to pay off.
Cooper got his most substantial playing time Saturday against Kentucky, running two plays out of the Wildcat for 26 yards. (He also spent time at Havelock as a running back.) The freshman has brought a new dimension to the Gamecocks' offense, one Spurrier wants to use more — perhaps starting with this weekend's trip to Arkansas.
"Yeah, I think he needs to get out there more. He needs to get out there more," Spurrier said. "Pharoh, we think is a good player, he's just now getting ready to go. So he should be out there more."
USC's offense hasn't needed much help this season, averaging 31 points per game.
The coaching staff still wants to find ways for Cooper to contribute, and special teams may be the best avenue to the field as a freshman.
Cooper took first-team reps at punt return earlier this week, ahead of Victor Hampton.
He's still behind Ellington on the depth chart at kick returner, but is ready to go if called upon.
Cooper doesn't mind finding nonconventional ways to help the Gamecocks. Only a freshman, Cooper isn't picky.
"I really didn't think special teams was as important as it was, now that I look at it," Cooper said. "Special teams is very important. Just punt return and kick return, it's something that I have a chance to do. If I have the opportunity, I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm just going to keep working."
Follow Ryan Wood on Twitter @rwood_SC.


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Oregon, Stanford holding steady at top
Other Pac-12 teams will look to dethrone Ducks, Cardinal
LOS ANGELES — Oregon and Stanford have given no indication they're ready to give up their thrones atop the Pac-12 this fall.
That won't stop the other 10 schools from working each week to unseat the best in the West.
The Pac-12 is a deep, talented conference heading into the 2013 season, featuring rosters studded with veteran returnees and emerging talent. But after Southern California's much-documented tumble from preseason hype to late-season embarrassment last year, there's no doubt who's expected to reign again.
|Arizona State
|Oregon State
|Washington State
|* Overall champion, as selected by media.
"Stanford and Oregon have absolutely earned the right to be up there on top of the list, and everybody else has to go after that challenge," UCLA coach Jim Mora said.
Oregon and Stanford both return fresh off BCS bowl victories last season, with the Ducks taking the Fiesta Bowl and the Cardinal winning the Rose Bowl. While the Ducks are under new coach Mark Helfrich, not much has really changed in Eugene, apart from their new Taj Mahal of a training center.
The Cardinal host Oregon at Stanford Stadium on Nov. 7. Stanford beat Oregon 17-14 last season in overtime, but the West Coast powers realize their meeting is just one step in a season-long test to see if either team is capable of challenging the SEC for a national title.
"We all have a gauntlet we've got to run," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "That's what makes the season such a challenge, and so much fun. Every week it's a test to see if you can survive."
The Pac-12 features its usual bumper crop of exceptional offensive talent. USC receiver Marqise Lee is back for his junior season with the Biletnikoff Award already on his shelf, while do-everything star De'Anthony Thomas should cause another year of misery for any defense facing Oregon — even if a new coach is orchestrating the plan.
When Chip Kelly departed for the Philadelphia Eagles just ahead of NCAA sanctions that turned out to be a slap on the beak, Helfrich took charge — but no Oregon coach is ever alone in his quest to build a winner. The Ducks always have help from Nike's Phil Knight, who wrote most of the checks for their training center — a $68 million palace with Italian tile showers, Ferrari leather chairs and six stories of recruit-enticing opulence.
Mora's Bruins are the favorites in the South division, but Arizona State and USC should create a tight race for the opportunity to take on either twin tower from the north.
While Oregon and Stanford are the strong favorites in their division, perennially underestimated Oregon State returns another strong roster just waiting for the Goliaths to stumble. Washington finally might have the talent and experience to break through into the upper echelons in coach Steve Sarkisian's fifth season.
And who knows what Washington State coach Mike Leach might concoct when he's not co-writing a book on Geronimo?
Five things to watch
1. Mariota is the Man: Helfrich and Shaw agree on one thing: Marcus Mariota, the Ducks' sophomore quarterback, is the best quarterback in the country — even better than Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, the onetime Oregon commit who won the Heisman last season. The Ducks' rangy passer is a strong Heisman candidate after passing for 2,677 yards and 32 TDs as a freshman. Mariota seems well-equipped to handle the challenges of additional scrutiny as the Pac-12's pre-eminent passer after the recent departures of Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley. "I think we still are a league of great quarterbacks," Mariota said.
2. The Big Shift: A conference dominated by 4-3 defensive fronts a half-decade ago is now populated mostly by 3-4 defensive schemes, creating great opportunities for pass-rushing defensive ends and versatile linebackers to become stars. Keep an eye out for the best: Arizona State DT Will Sutton added offseason muscle and weighed in at more than 300 pounds in his quest to become the conference's first repeat Defensive Player of the Year in more than two decades, while USC's destructive Leonard Williams is poised for a dominant season after moving to defensive end in new coordinator Clancy Pendergast's scheme.
3. Starting Over: While Oregon shouldn't miss a beat under Helfrich, two other Pac-12 schools have new coaches hoping to restore the luster to once-proud programs. California hired quick-strike offensive guru Sonny Dykes away from Louisiana Tech to replace Jeff Tedford, while Colorado hopes to get back to respectability with former San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre. Not much is expected from the Bears or the Buffs this fall, but both new coaches are used to winning early and often — and Dykes has plenty of talent in place from Tedford's recruiting efforts.
4. Ka'Deem the Dream: The nation's leading rusher is back for another season in Tucson after emerging (mostly) unscathed from a rough offseason. Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey rushed for 1,929 yards and a school-record 23 TDs, but got into minor scrapes with authority during his down time. He was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dismissed, and he got kicked out of a Wildcats basketball game for verbally tussling with campus police. Carey could still face discipline from coach Rich Rodriguez, but he's eager to put the summer behind him. With the offseason departures of Oregon's Kenjon Barner, UCLA's Johnathan Franklin and Stanford's Stepfan Taylor, Carey is the Pac-12 ball carrier with the biggest name.
5. Secondary Stars: Everybody knows about the Pac-12's prolific passing offenses, but it's a fairly well-kept secret that they'll be defended by some of the best defensive secondaries in the BCS this fall. Stanford has a dynamic safety duo in Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards, while Oregon's peerless cornerbacks are led by Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Terrance Mitchell. At USC, freshman safety Su'a Cravens is already being touted for a place in the Trojans' lineage of excellence at the position from Ronnie Lott to Troy Polamalu.
• Sun Devils' confidence riding high


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Contemporary Japanese immigration to be discussed on radio programUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
M Kodama-Nishimoto, (808) 956-6165
Rsch Assoc, Ctr for Oral History, Social Science Research Institute
Rsch Assoc, Ctr for Oral History, Social Science Research Institute
Posted: Jun 15, 2010
Christine Yano, UH Mānoa anthropology professor, will host Ken Niimura on the call-in radio program, "Thinking Out Loud: Talking Issues, Taking Action," on Monday, June 21, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on 1210 AM KZOO. The topic of discussion: Shin issei and their place in the Japanese American community.
To join the discussion, call (808) 941-5966 or email: email@example.com.
The program is sponsored by UH Mānoa's Center for Japanese Studies and College of Social Sciences, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, the Hawaiʻi Council for Humanities, and Barnes & Noble Bookstores.


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Need help finding something? At LeTourneau University, we offer you many resources designed to improve your college experience no matter how you're getting your degree - on-campus, online or at one of our educational centers. Whether you're looking for a job, need tutoring for a particular course, want to learn more about student leadership opportunities or need help writing your résumé, we're here to help.
We've organized our resources so you don't have to dig for the information you're looking for. Choose between the Longview campus student resources and the online and educational center student resources.
Longview Campus Student Resources
Are you planning to or currently attending classes at our Longview campus? Whether you're getting your undergrad or pursuing a graduate degree on our Longview campus, check out our student resources to see what opportunities we have available for you during your time at LeTourneau.
Online, Accelerated, Evening & Remote Educational Center Resources
Are you studying online or at one of our educational centers across Texas? We know that not all of our students fit into the dorm life, daytime classes category, and we seek to provide you with resources and opportunities no matter where you are or how you're pursuing your degree.


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In January, Missouri GSA Network had the privilege of kicking off a series of learning exchanges between LGBTQ, racial justice, and educational justice youth organizations across the country. We traveled south on 55 to visit with an amazing organization, BreakOUT!, which fights the criminalization of LGBTQ youth of color in New Orleans.
This relationship and work stemmed from the #GSAs4Justice organizing we did in the fall with the national GSA Network for the Dignity In Schools Campaign's National Week of Action on School Pushout. Following that powerful week of action, we formed a GSAs4Justice committee to continue our work on school pushout.
Once in New Orleans, one of the things that struck our group right away upon meeting the crew from BreakOUT! is the Sisterhood and feeling of family that was so pervasive in the work of organizing. Taking care and loving each other is at the center of the work and has to be there.
Our GSAs4Justice Committee Chair, Ka'Milla, said, "it was powerful for me to connect with some of the girls like me from BreakOUT!, and now, I feel I have an idea for the structure for the Missouri GSAs4Justice committee to be built upon." Andivar, a Vashon High GSA Leader, put it simply: "The members of BreakOUT! are so sweet."
All that being said, don't get it twisted: sweetness wasn't all that we experienced in the Bayou. Building power for trans* women of color is large part of the success of BreakOUT!'s organizing. "I learned a lot about their organizing model and we are already thinking about how we can create similar pipelines of leadership in our organization," said Sterling Waldman, Missouri GSA Network's Board Chair. "I feel like I really connected with the Youth Organizers. Their positive energy is infectious."
With the tools, skills and relationships gained on this trip, members from Missouri GSA Network are excited to create amazing change in our region. Our struggles do not happen in silos. Neither can our work towards justice.
Morgan Keenan is the founder and director of Missouri GSA Network, a member of the National Association of GSA Networks.


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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – After Tomas Tatar knocked the rebound into the Kings' net for Detroit's tiebreaking goal, he kissed his index finger and pointed it skyward.
In his first game since his father's death back home in Slovakia, Tatar honoured him with a beautiful goal and a graceful gesture, sending the Red Wings on to an emotional victory.
Tatar scored the winning goal with 7:54 to play in the Red Wings' 3-1 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Tatar had an early assist on Riley Sheahan's first NHL goal, and he completed a cathartic night by jumping on Sheahan's shot in the slot and beating Jonathan Quick for a goal in his third straight game—but the first since his father, 60-year-old Jan, died of a liver ailment.
"That game and that goal was for him," Tatar said. "I felt he was with us the whole game. It wasn't easy, but the guys helped me a lot. They helped me think about stuff other than my dad."
Tatar made the long trip home during Detroit's holiday break to see his father, but he isn't sure whether Jan, a former soccer player, realized his son is headed to the Olympics next month.
"I was hoping he could make it through," Tatar said. "I just wanted to work as hard as I could for my dad. This game was for him."
Tatar will play for the Wings on Sunday night in Anaheim before heading home for his father's funeral, missing a game against the Rangers next week.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock praised the 23-year-old's quiet maturity.
"The way you honour your father or your mother when they pass is by continuing to do what you should do," Babcock said. "Playing hard and doing things well. I lost my mom early, too. I never wanted to let her down. And his dad is here with him."
Daniel Cleary also scored in the third period, and Jimmy Howard made 44 saves as the Red Wings slowed their recent slump by sending Los Angeles to its seventh loss in nine games.
Howard made several big saves in the final minute as Detroit hung on for its second win in five games, but also injured his hip flexor, according to Babcock. Backup Petr Mrazek will start when the Red Wings face NHL-leading Anaheim.
Drew Doughty scored his first goal in a month during a two-man advantage, but the Kings couldn't score in the final two periods of their third loss in 10 home games. Quick stopped 23 shots, but also gave up a juicy rebound on Tatar's go-ahead goal.
"We outshot them, but we had some scoring opportunities that we didn't get a good shot off," Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. "We were trying to do too much, and in a situation like that, we're got to make sure we get a good shot off so that whoever's a couple of feet from the net can try to get the rebound. We just have to bear down a lot better."
Cleary finished off the Kings by capitalizing on an opportunity created by Luke Glendening, who knocked Jake Muzzin to the ice and fed Cleary for his fourth goal with 2:34 to play.
Los Angeles lost in regulation for the first time in four games on a five-game homestand.
Quick hadn't lost in regulation since returning from a 24-game absence with a groin injury, but his teammates returned to their low-scoring ways after a four-goal outburst against Boston two nights ago. Los Angeles has scored more than three goals in a game just once since Dec. 19.
"You can't win every game 1-0 or 2-1," Kings forward Justin Williams said. "Certainly we had enough chances to win the game tonight, but we didn't do it. The onus is on us to put the puck in the back of the net."
After Doughty's goal late in the first period, Detroit evened it when Sheahan flipped home a puck in front while being checked to the ice, scoring his first goal in seven career NHL games over two seasons.
The 22-year-old Sheahan was a first-round pick in 2010, playing three seasons at Notre Dame before winning a Calder Cup with the Wings' AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids last year. Detroit recalled him from the AHL on Friday.
"I wasn't able to really feel the feeling when I scored," Sheahan said. "But now I'm pretty excited to go talk to my parents about it."
NOTES: Detroit also won without veteran forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Daniel Alfredsson. Datsyuk missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, while Alfredsson sat with back spasms. … Kings F Jeff Carter played his 600th NHL game. … The teams meet again in a week at Joe Louis Arena.


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Friday, January 25, 2013
Genealogy Blogs, News & Tidbits #4
Happy Friday! It is finally cold here on the east coast. Just a little dusting of snow, but more to come today. Please Snow Gods bring a nice storm to give us free genealogy research time!
Remember tonight we have the inaugural #GenChat over on Twitter.
This week has been filled with many great posts and news. Here are some that caught my interest.
Do certain aromas take you back in time? Check out "Story Spark #6: Scent Memory" over on Your Story Coach.
Dick Eastman of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter writes about "Access Archives: The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania State Archives".
Lisa Alzo (The Accidental Genealogist) shares Six More Ways to Find Your Family History Muse over on Archives.
Caroline Pointer of 4YourFamilyStory offers seven "gen-tech" links.
Judy G. Russell of The Legal Genealogist gives us an update on the Georgia Archives.
Love a good mystery? Head over to read "But ... What Happened to Marthy?" by Michelle Taggart of A Southern Sleuth.
Colleen G. Brown Pasquale of Leaves & Branches share "Tuesday's Tip - Irish Lives Remembered Online Magazine".
Great tech tip from Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog on using OneNote for genealogy.
Any history in the Buckeye State? Must read! Stephanie Pitcher Fishman of Corn and Cotton shares "Genelogists Find Ohio Culture And History through Ohio Memory".
Love the photograph in "Wordless Wednesday: mystery photo from Lundager Rockhampton" by Cassmob on Family history across the seas.
Congratulations to Shannon Bennett of Trials and Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian! Read about her experience taking on the next generation.
Julie Goucher of Anglers Rest now has a column at The In-Depth Genealogist.
DearMYRTLE writes about "the pinball approach to genealogical research". Make sure to check out the comments from fellow researchers.
Genevieve Netz of Prairie Bluestem writes about "Affordable Alternative Grave Markers".
Blogs discovered this week:
A Family Tapestry
An Indexers Point of View
Irish Genealogy News
The Old Colony Graveyard Rabbit
Susi's Chatty Performances on Genealogy
Wakela's Family Tree
World Turn'd Upside Down
News (genealogy and history world)
Every little dollar does make a difference. Head over to the Preserve the Pensions website and find out how your donation (which is met dollar for dollar by several organizations) help preserve pension records from the War of 1812.
As a library employee and user I was very happy to read "Not dead yet: Libraries still vital, Pew report finds".
Excellent article about a Virginia student sharing her family history. The focus of the documentary is an ancestor born into slavery.
Being a Baltimore girl Edgar Allan Poe lure has always been a part my life. Several years ago the tradition of a mystery person leaving cognac and flowers at Poe's grave came to an end. Read about the history and how the Toaster remains a mystery.
Russell Bangerter of the Desert News writes "Researching Family History: The Granite Mountain Records Vault has come a long way"
Amazing use of technology in "Two Irishmen found entombed in Civil War ship off the coast of Texas".
Many news articles recently about the question of women in battle. Interesting read "A History of Crossdressing Soldiers" suggests this is not a new concept.
Interesting read - "DNA shows ancestry of present-day Asians, Native Americans".
Ever wonder why men stopped wearing high heels?
Great project called "The Burning House" by Foster Huntington shares in photographs what people would take if their home was on fire.
Check out what's new over on Cyndi's List.
Did you miss this week's Fieldstone Common's BlogTalk Radio episode? Not to worry! You can catch the archived episode "Carved in Stone: The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones" with the Glisons".
Nice read - Youth in Genealogy: Generation Y Redefines Family History Research from findmypast.com.
Did you happen to catch Joe Biden's swearing in as Vice President? That was an amazing family bible!
Hope you discover something new and interesting this week. Happy adventures in genealogy!
12 comments:
Thanks for mentioning my blog --> Indexers Point of View :)ReplyDeleteReplies
You are very welcome! Looking forward to learning along the way with your blog. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Deb, thanks so much for the mention!ReplyDeleteReplies
You are most welcome! Loved the post. Need to start using OneNote.
Deb, thanks so much for the mention! Although this may sound partial on my part, what a great list you published this week. Lots of intriguing leads!ReplyDelete
You are most welcome. Love reading the blog. Such a wonderful variety of information and beautiful writing! Glad you are enjoying the posts.
Thanks for including me, Deb! And what a great list. Wonderful picks as usual. Then again, you know I love anything you do. :)ReplyDelete
You are most welcome! As for the love, feeling is mutual!
I'm greatly honored that you mentioned my blog. Thank you!ReplyDeleteReplies
You are most welcome! Love reading your blog!
Thanks for mentioning my blog! It was a fun time and I was so happy to share my experience with you all.ReplyDeleteReplies
You are very welcome! So glad all went well with the presentation, and love the fact your are teaching the next generation.


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Productivity Award
Requirements Center 2010
Blueprint Software Systems, Inc.
One of the most important elements of any project is defining requirements. Unlike design and development, the process of managing requirements is often left to documents and spreadsheets. Requirements Center 2010 makes requirements gathering a first-class citizen.
The problem with documenting requirements by hand is that even the smallest change can have big impacts if other parts of the documentation are not updated to reflect the change. With Requirements Center 2010, updates to requirements, processes, and use cases, result in changes throughout the requirements model.
Anyone who has tried to create a business process model using hand-drawn lines and boxes will appreciate the Business Process editor. Changes to entities result in real-time updates throughout the project. Models contain references to requirements and support drill-down into any sub processes.
The Use Case editor not only lets you visually design the steps to your use case, but it also provides links back to requirements, actors, comments, and external documents. Somewhere between storyboards and finished product is a big window of vulnerability for most requirements gathering efforts. How can you tell if your requirements are valid, or meet business objectives? The Simulator feature lets you step through the use cases and observe individual steps, including user interface mockups all without writing code.
With Requirements Center, you greatly reduce the need to spend hours creating documentation. At any time, you can export your requirements using a variety of templates, which include images and hyperlinks in an easy to read format compatible with MS Word. However, exporting documentation is not the only option. You can also export your requirements to ALM Tools such as Rational Rose, Enterprise Architect, and HP Quality Center among others.
With no shortage of features, a simple interface, and a great attention to detail, Requirements Center has earned its place as a must-have tool, which will bring greater productivity and quality to projects of all sizes.
Jon Kurz


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Kids ages 6 to 12 and their families are invited to Half Day Party at the Fond du Lac Public Library on Friday, May 6. Kids who attend Fond du Lac School District have early release that day. The library party will start at 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Kids will watch Finding Nemo (G), munch on snacks and play bingo in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
Author Bruce Forciea will sell and sign copies of his novel, The X Cure, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Chapter 52 Bookstore, 52 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac.
The Fond du Lac Public Library's used-books-and-more Chapter 52 Bookstore will hold two special sales in May:
The Friends of the Fond du Lac Public Library invite the public to their annual meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, featuring a presentation by Susan Fiebig, local author of two travel guides, "The Bloody Trail: In Quest of the Best Wisconsin Bloody Marys" and "Adventures on the Bloody Trail: The Quest Continues." Refreshments will be served.
Crafters will turn a simple empty soda bottle into a colorful, one-of-a-kind bird feeder at the 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21, Crafternoon program at the Fond du Lac Public Library.
The program is free and open to adults and teens in middle school or older. Space is strictly limited. All supplies will be provided. Under-aged children and walk-ins are not allowed.
Take in the work of creative teens: Entries from the Fond du Lac Public Library's Teen Photo Contest and Upcycled Glam Contest will be on display in the Langdon Divers Gallery from May 4 to June 1. The two grand prize winners and runners-up will receive their prizes at an awards ceremony and public reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 12.
Take a trip back to Fond du Lac's Lakeside Park in the 1920s, and what do you see? Local historian Tracy Reinhardt will present Lakeside Park Through Langdon's Eyes two times at the Fond du Lac Public Library on Thursday, May 19, at 2 p.m. and repeated at 6 p.m. The programs are free; no registration required.
If you like suspenseful stories with alternating chapters of "then" and "now", Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky should be your next read. The first few chapters get you hooked. There are two newlyweds, a shocking confession, and a murder scene in two different locations, New York and St. Lucia, and you will fight the urge to jump ahead because each chapter gives you just a little bit more of the story and leaves you hanging. Although the story is a bit grizzly at times it is an overall thrilling tale from beginning to end.


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The best weight loss products come in several different forms. There are pills, and shakes, protein bars, and other food products. It's beyond the scope of this article to compare every single one, but here is a quick look at some of the most popular products available to help you lose pounds.
Proactol is one of the best weight loss products that comes in the form of a pill. It's made from the leaves of the prickly pear cactus. These leaves, or pads, are used to make a product that is composed of both soluble and non-soluble fiber.
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It works by changing the way the body digests food. This substance allows your body to absorb thirty percent less fat than you normally would from your daily intake of foods. Another reason it is considered one of the best weight loss products is that Proactol also slows the rate at which food moves through the digestive tract. Because of this, you will not feel hungry for hours.
Another one of the best weight loss products out there is an herbal appetite suppressant called ProshapeRx, and it is available without a prescription. It contains Hoodia, which has been proven to inhibit appetite for six hours. Hoodia is an interesting substance since it tricks the brain into thinking you have eaten when you have not. This pill is manufactured with a fat binder which helps eliminate fat from the body, and it also increases lean muscle mass. An important point is that ProshapeRx is proven to contain authentic Hoodia, which is not true of all so-called Hoodia products.
Slim Fast Optima is the new version of the old Slim Fast diet program. It offers some of the best weight loss products for people on the go. The Slim Fast products are all types of foods. There are weight loss shakes, packaged foods, snacks, and other weight loss products. These products have been proven to help people lose weight effectively and keep it off for at least five years. They are also some of the best weight loss products for those with Type II Diabetes who need to lose weight (Caution - always check with your doctor first!).
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Bottom line: the best products for weight loss are the ones that work for you without causing you undue stress. Some of the products have side effects that can be very unpleasant. However, many products do a good job of helping you lose weight while keeping you healthy. Work with your doctor to fine the best weight loss products for YOU!


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Fix problems with Yahoo not working properly
Can't sign in to your account? Learn how to fix problems with your password or Yahoo ID.
When Yahoo products stop working, there's usually a quick and easy fix. Here's how to troubleshoot problems so you can get back to what you'd rather be doing.
Remember, Yahoo always works best in the latest version of your favorite browser.
Errors with page features and functionality
Pages (or images) don't load correctly
Problems with page load errors are usually related to temporary internet files. Clearing your browser cache usually fixes any page loading errors.
If you're having problems with images, check out our guide on how to fix problems with images that don't load on Yahoo pages.
Pages (or product features) are unresponsive
Many browsers offer enhancements known as add-ons, plug-ins, or extensions. These may cause problems with Yahoo product features and functionality. Disable browser enhancements to fix problems with:
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If you're having problems with video playback, check your internet connection or update Adobe Flash Player.
Fields for Yahoo ID or password are automatically filled
If your Yahoo ID and password are auto-populating, learn how to turn the autofill browser feature off.
Pages display old or outdated information
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Time displayed on Yahoo is incorrect
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The allegations of physical and verbal abuse at U.S. Speedskating have a new twist: A coach allegedly directed a skater to tamper with the skates of a Canadian competitor at an international competition last year — and the skater complied.
The allegation is contained in a "Demand for Arbitration" obtained by NPR and filed by an attorney for 13 American short track speedskaters who are seeking the dismissal of U.S. Speedskating coaches accused of physical, verbal and psychological abuse. (Note at 9:50 a.m. ET, Sept. 21: An arbitration hearing has now been scheduled; see our update below.)
The document describes a series of conversations, in person and via Skype, between Simon Cho, 20, a bronze medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and two unidentified teammates in March of last year and the spring and summer of 2012.
The conversations involve an incident at the World Short Track Team Speed Skating Championships in Warsaw, Poland, in March 2011.
Canadian skater Olivier Jean was forced out of a relay due to a malfunctioning skate. The Canadian team continued the relay with just three skaters and finished fourth in the race.
According to the arbitration document, Cho allegedly told a teammate on the flight home from Poland that head U.S. coach Jae Su Chun told Cho to tamper with Jean's skates. Cho, the document says, then told his teammate he tampered with the blades of Jean's skates.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Speedskating has contacted Cho for NPR and other reporters and says Cho has no comment.
Earlier this year, the document contends, Cho "stated to a number of short track skaters that he 'had done a number of unspeakable things for them,'" referring to Chun and assistant coach Jun Hyung Yeo.
The document describes a series of messages that followed in July. Attorney Edward Williams, who represents the skaters seeking arbitration, says the messages were conveyed in writing via Skype and have been printed out.
"Everyone knew Jae Su was the mastermind behind the situation at World Teams," one message says on July 8.
"Just keep your [expletive] mouth shut and nobody has to get screwed," says a message allegedly sent by Cho on July 9. The same day, there's also this message: "It is my darkest secret and I regret it."
A day later, Cho allegedly wrote, "I know I've done [expletive]-up things. I wish I could take them back. But I can't...and I'm preparing myself for the consequences to come."
NPR has contacted Chun's spokesman for comment but has yet to receive a response. Chun issued a statement Sunday denying the earlier allegations of abuse but admitting to pushing a skater.
These allegations, if true, are the most serious yet involving U.S. Speedskating. They could bring embarrassment to USS and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), which oversees Olympic sports federations in the U.S. There could also be an investigation by the International Skating Union (ISU), which may be forced to reconsider the results of the World Team event if cheating is substantiated.
Teams and athletes found guilty of cheating are also subject to severe sanctions, including banishment from competition.
NPR has contacted the ISU in Switzerland for comment but there is no response so far.
U.S. Speedskating has struggled to raise funds to support athletes despite the fact that long and short track skaters are the biggest source of Olympic medals for Team USA. A scandal doesn't help fundraising.
In a statement, U.S. Speedskating says all of the allegations involving its coaches are being investigated independently by a law firm enlisted by the USOC. Williams confirms that the athletes he represents, who communicated with Cho, have been interviewed by the USS investigators.
It's not clear whether investigators have interviewed Cho or Chun.
The "Demand for Arbitration" is part of a process required by federal law and available to athletes if they believe disputes threaten their ability to compete. Arbitration is an option even when a formal investigation is underway if the athletes believe the investigation won't be completed in a timely fashion.
Williams says his clients worry that their allegations against their coaches will not be resolved before the short track season begins on September 27. The athletes, according to Williams, will refuse to train and compete under the existing coaches, which could threaten their ability to qualify for World Cup and Olympic competition.
Two of the skaters have filed a police report with local officials in Utah, where the athletes and the team are based.
Nine other skaters who are not part of the dispute issued a statement Tuesday strenuously defending their coaches and calling the allegations of abuse "baseless."
As we've reported, Chun was put on leave after the allegations surfaced.
Update at 12:05 p.m. ET, Sept. 21. Skating Union Says It Will Take Necessary Steps."
The International Skating Union (ISU), the governing body for short track and other Olympic skating sports, has just issued this statement to NPR:
"The ISU does not comment on any allegation or possible investigation on any ongoing disciplinary matter. In presence of reasonable evidence of misconduct, the ISU has always taken and will continue to take the necessary steps by involving the relevant parties and ISU bodies and by following the procedure stated in the ISU Statutes."
The ISU has a disciplinary commission which will consider complaints filed "within 60 days of learning of the facts or events." Violation of any conduct "which can be disciplinary or ethical by nature" can result in a warning, a fine of up to $16,000, a suspension and/or exclusion for life.
The Canadian speedskater whose skates were allegedly sabotaged by Cho last year has indicated he will not pursue a complaint. "You can't change the past," Olivier Jean told reporters in Montreal Thursday. "I can't waste energy on something that happened two years ago."
Still, ISU rules seem to permit complaints from others affected by the incident. And it appears the ISU itself can take action based on unethical behavior or violations of the group's ethics rules
Update at 9:50 a.m. ET, Sept. 21. Hearing Scheduled:
An arbitration hearing is now tentatively scheduled for Oct. 3-5 in Salt Lake City. Edward Williams, the attorney for the complaining skaters, says the hearing will take place only if the issue is not resolved otherwise by October 3.
An investigation is underway by White and Case, an international law firm based in New York and enlisted by the U.S. Olympic Committee as part of the USOC's SafeSport Program. SafeSport was initiated in 2010 in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal involving coaches and athletes at USA Swimming.
Earlier this week, White and Case issued a statement about its investigation, saying "it is endeavoring to finalize its report promptly." The firm also urged "no rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded."
Williams says the arbitrator who has accepted the case is Jeffrey Benz, a former chief counsel at the USOC and the arbitrator in another case of physical abuse by a South Korean coach working with short track speedskaters in the U.S.
Benz ruled in May that Olympic gold medalist Dong Sung Kim had violated U.S. Speedskating (USS) rules forbidding physical abuse when he coached for private skating clubs in the Washington, D.C., area. USS sought a lifetime ban from coaching. Benz ordered a six-year ban with pre-conditions before returning to coaching, including completion of an anger management program.
Kim is also mentioned in the current complaints and grievances because he briefly substituted as a U.S. Speedskating assistant coach while another coach was away. The documents do not describe any allegations of abuse against Kim.
The October arbitration date means that the short track season will begin next week with the dispute unresolved. Williams says the skaters have vowed to work with private coaches in the meantime.
Update at 6:21 p.m. ET, Sept. 20. 'We Had Our Suspicions':
Canadian skater Olivier Jean told reporters today that he discovered the problem with his skates at the starting line. "We were in a position to win the world team championship title," Jean said. The title "was going to be decided with the relay. After the first lap of the relay, I saw it was impossible for me to skate. One of my blades was broken. At the time we didn't understand what happened. It was hard to explain. We had our suspicions that they were tampered with but we had no proof."
Jean said he was briefly coached by Chun, who allegedly told American Cho to tamper with Jean's skates. "I always had a good relationship with coach Jae Su Chun," Jean said. "I enjoyed training with him."
Jean spoke in French with Canadian media and his comments were translated by Phil Legault of Speed Skating Canada.
Speed Skating Canada issued a statement late Thursday saying the group would not comment until the matter was resolved in "court proceedings."
It's been a rough week in the world of American speed skating, which is something we don't usually hear about until the Winter Olympics. The U.S. speed skating team is reeling. Nineteen current and former short-track skaters have accused their coaches of physical and psychological abuse. There's also an allegation that a coach ordered an athlete to sabotage the skates of a Canadian rival at an international meet last year. NPR's Howard Berkes has been following developments in the story all week, and he joins us now. And, Howard, to start, what exactly do these short-track speed skaters mean by physical and psychological abuse?
HOWARD BERKES, BYLINE: Well, they filed formal complaints and grievances with the U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S. speed skating, and they describe incidents in which one skater was shoved and hit repeatedly by a coach, others were targets of thrown binders and water bottles and sports equipment. Some of the women skaters say they were singled out because of their gender. They were harassed over their weight, their eating habits. One says she was called a fat cow by her coach. A skater with a back injury was shoved in the back when he complained about his pain during practice. Two of the skaters have actually filed a police report, and the police say they do have an open and ongoing investigation.
CORNISH: And then what about this incident of this alleged sabotage. What happened there?
BERKES: Well, two of the athletes say in a legal document that Olympic bronze medalist Simon Cho, who's one of the most promising skaters on the U.S. team, was told by head coach Jae Su Chun last year to tamper with the skates of a Canadian athlete at the World Team Championships in Poland. Cho then allegedly told his teammates he actually did that, and he referred to that as his darkest secret and he said he regretted it. And, in fact, there was an incident where the skate of the targeted skater malfunctioned at the start of that race.
CORNISH: Now these are very serious allegations, Howard. What evidence, if any, has surfaced?
BERKES: Well, you know, so far on the abuse allegations, it's the word of these 19 complaining skaters, five of whom are Olympic medalists, against the head coach and an assistant coach. Jae Su Chun, the head coach, has admitted to pushing a skater, but he denies that there's abuse otherwise. And there are also nine other skaters who issued a statement in support of Coach Chun and they're saying they never witnessed any abuse. The skate tampering incident is apparently documented, though, in printed out Skype messages sent by Simon Cho to teammates. I haven't actually seen those messages, but there are quotes from them in one of the documents filed by an attorney for the skaters. Cho, by the way, has declined to comment.
CORNISH: What more can you tell us about Coach Chun. And what's his history with U.S. speed skating?
BERKES: Chun was brought in before the Vancouver Olympics and every American short track skater who competed in Vancouver won a medal there. And Chun is given partial credit for that. He's a South Korean. There have been a number of South Koreans who've been hired to coach in the United States because, well, the South Korean skaters are among the best in the world.
And, you know, this isn't the first dispute involving a South Korean coach and American skaters. In fact, earlier this year, an arbitrator banned from coaching, Olympic gold medalist Dong Sung Kim, Kim had coached at several private skating clubs in the Washington D.C. area and the arbitrator found that he had violated U.S. speed skating rules about abusing athletes. Some people suggest, you know, that there's a culture clash underway here. But clearly, if these latest allegations are true, they violate the spirit and the letter of the rules that apply to Olympic coaches in the United States.
CORNISH: Howard, do you have any ideas about why this is coming out now and what investigative bodies are going to be at work trying to sort it all out?
BERKES: This is coming out now because the short track speed skating season actually begins next week. And the athletes want to get this resolved before they're forced, as they feel, to continue to compete under these coaches who they believe are abusive. They're worried that if that happens that that might threaten their position on the team and that they may not be able to qualify for World Cup competition or the 2014 Olympics. There were investigations already underway; an independent law firm enlisted by the U.S. Olympic committee has been looking into these allegations of abuse involving these athletes. But the athletes felt that that investigation was not moving fast enough and that's why they pushed for something more to be done now.
CORNISH: Howard, thank you.
BERKES: You're welcome, Audie.
CORNISH: NPR's Howard Berkes, speaking with us from Salt Lake City about a scandal in U.S. speed skating. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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by Matt Styslinger
Philip Bereano is Professor Emeritus in the field of Technology and Public Policy at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has been an active and outspoken proponent of democratic social ethics in technology for decades. He is on the roster of experts for the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, a participant in the UN's Codex Alimentarius processes, and co-founder of the Council for Responsible Genetics, the Washington Biotechnology Action Council, and the 49th Parallel Biotechnology Consortium.
Why does a technology like genetic engineering (GE) need an active and outspoken proponent of ethics like yourself?
Philip Bereano is Professor Emeritus in the field of Technology and Public Policy at the University of Washington in Seattle. (Photo credit: Phil Bereano)
I deal with social ethics: issues of equity, justice, fairness, and democracy. Frankly, GE fails when measured against most of these values. GE, like all high-techs, is inherently anti-democratic. Computers, for example, can be democratic in their usage because anybody can buy into it in a consumer society. But they're not democratic in terms of development, which is under the control of a very small number of people. Similarly, GE is under the control of small numbers of highly educated people and incredibly wealthy organizations.
While most people believe that GE is too complicated for them to understand, the ethical and social issues that come up in a democratic society have little to do with the technical stuff; the basis of these issues can be easily understood. However, the technological elite hasn't felt any obligation to present materials in a way that invites public participation, and regulatory agencies have often been opposed to transparency or are captives of the industries they are supposedly overseeing—this is certainly true of the FDA, USDA/APHIS, and, perhaps to a lesser extent, EPA.
What ethical issues are associated with GE in agriculture?
GE has been presented in a way that attempts to gain public acceptance for it, but none of the GE technologies have, in any sustained fashion, increased food production or decreased world hunger. However, they've certainly increased funding for the biotechnology scientists and the profits for the Monsantos of the world.
"Golden Rice"—with enhanced levels of vitamin A—while touted by GE proponents as an example of GE benefits, has not reduced blindness at all in the Third World and, in fact, is highly unlikely to do so because of the huge quantities of Golden Rice a kid would have to eat. And he or she still may not be getting a balanced diet with the other nutrients needed to make use of the vitamin A.
There's a major ethical issue in the very simplistic reductionist model this technology is based on. The central dogma of GE is this image of the genome as a Lego set, where you can take out the green one and put in a red one. In reality, however, the genome is highly fluid and the parts interact. The Lego model is quite wrong, yet it's used constantly in public discourse, regulatory submissions, and legislative testimony. Biologists know how the genome actually works, but advancement in the profession rules out of play such subjects of discourse because they would challenge the positions taken by industry funders. Scientists who wish to break that boundary, either by scientific experimentation or by public writings, have largely been isolated and marginalized by the wealthy and the powerful within the academic-industrial complex—for example the experiences of Dr. Arpad Pusztai, Dr. Ignacio Chapela, and Dr. Terje Traavik [Editor's Note: These are leading international scientists who were criticized by biotechnology companies and other scientists for raising health and environmental concerns about genetically modified crops.] I think these examples indicate a profound set of ethical issues surrounding the professional functioning of geneticists and academic and industry biologists.
You have argued that this technology poses risks to the world's smallholder farmers. Why?
It was quite unprecedented when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the patentability of microbial gene products. The Patent Office ran away with the decision and allowed the patentability of plants and mammals as well. The creation of intellectual property monopolies in agricultural germplasm by large transnational corporations certainly presents a set of ethical issues, and works to the disadvantage of smallholder farms and sustainable agriculture. "Sustainability" doesn't just mean profitability forever. Sustainability has qualitative dimensions, like justice and distributional considerations—otherwise, a totalitarian society could be called sustainable! So we are having this tremendous transfer of knowledge, power, and control from smallholder farmers to multinational corporations.
Back to the example of Golden Rice. Vandana Shiva found that in one village in India, there were 350 plants growing nearby that had been routinely eaten and that provided vitamin A or its precursors. Under industrial agricultural models, however, these were defined as "weeds," and farmers were encouraged to plow them under and plant cotton instead. Locals no longer have access to the foods that used to provide them with vitamin A, and blindness increased. Instead of understanding that agro-ecological approaches could minimize blindness by preserving access to indigenous diets, Golden Rice has been offered as a "high-tech miracle" way to overcome this situation; the high-tech mindset tries to solve problems brought on largely by technologies through the application of more technologies of higher complexity.
Suddenly, we have a system of consolidation where one dominant multinational corporation, Monsanto, is seeking to obtain majority control of the world's agricultural plant germplasm, rather than sustaining the resilient, decentralized system for germplasm protection and utilization in rural and indigenous communities that has fed us well for millennia.
In your opinion, what sorts of agricultural innovations should major donors be funding to eradicate hunger and improve food security in both developing and developed countries?
Donors should be funding agro-ecological approaches. The Gates Foundation's grants are usually quite large: over $100,000 [Grand Challenges in Global Health Program award size]. This is too much for small village cooperatives in Africa that could utilize $5,000 really well. I know people who teach at agricultural schools in Tanzania or work with ag cooperatives in Kenya, and they can't get adequate funding. Big donors are undermining huge numbers of local initiatives to increase food security and protect biodiversity when they exclude small-scale projects in favor of industrial ones that actually have consequences counter to such goals.
How does the promotion of GMO crops affect global food security and public health in developing countries?
The World Bank and UN agencies did a major study called the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). The report concluded that high-tech approaches aren't likely to answer the food needs of the future. Other, lower-cost, approaches—in particular what's becoming known as "agro-ecological" approaches—are far more promising. The reason is simple: Third World farmers can't afford an industrial-ag approach to farming—family farms in the U.S. often can't! This is why the first Green Revolution didn't reduce world hunger. There is more than enough food being produced in the world today to adequately feed every man, woman, and child and have leftovers. People go hungry because they can't afford food, not because we can't produce enough. And this will be true for decades in the future.
Our AGRA Watch group put out a press release recently criticizing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its investments in Monsanto. The high-tech approach is not the right way to move toward food security and sustainability, but it is the approach the Gates Foundation is favoring. The Foundation has indicated that it thinks there are too many small farmers in Africa, and knows that its policies will lead to many farmers having to leave their land—euphemistically referred to as "land mobility."
But people have been leaving the land in Africa and around the world for a long time. What's different today?
Well, this is what happened during the first Green Revolution. The larger farmers can afford the mechanization, and the smaller ones get wiped out. Cities are growing exponentially in developing countries, and becoming ungovernable hotbeds of unemployment and crime. Nairobi doesn't need more people coming in from the countryside looking for jobs. This poses a threat to public health, while the monoculture of the farms is a threat to food security.
Matt Styslinger is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.


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Rebeldía femenina en la narrativa latinoamericana contemporánea. Martinez, Araceli S. (, 2012-08-08)The objective of this thesis is to examine the concept of rebellion in contemporary Latin American literature written by women. On the basis of the ideas of cultural critics Michel Foucault and Julia Kristeva, rebellion ...


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With defiance and playful glee, the statement "it's not 'big data', it's just data" bursts from the mouth of Parry Malm, Account Director of Adestra.
This room full of marketers and B2B sales people, here for Funnel 2013, are clearly in for an entertaining and iconoclastic lesson from this erudite digital marketer.
Parry Malm compares the currently in-vogue use of the term 'Big Data' to that of 'Web 2.0' a couple of years ago. It has created a spike of intrigue that certain web cowboys can exploit for their own benefit.
What the term 'Big Data' has done succesfully though is help to put data on the agenda at last.
But what does 'Big Data' really mean and how do you get value from it?
The three Vs
Analyst Doug Laney way back in the nineties suggested there are three Vs that should be considered when it comes to data:
- Volume.
- Velocity.
- Variety.
Parry Malm has added a fourth to this list: Viagra.
"It's not how big your data is. It's how you use it."
It's the smaller packages of data that can help you achieve your ecommerce goals, not the sheer volume of it.
Understanding that data, no matter how small the detail, and being able to use it effectively is far better practice then collecting ALL the data available to your site and that being the end of it.
Marketing in 2015
Malm suggests the following as an example of how your business should be using its data within the next 18 months.
- Premarket to a custom audience.
- Send out emails to your warmed up customer list.
- Retarget behaviourally using custom approaches – hitting them with different creatives.
- Go to trade shows – it's stil nice to meet customers face-to-face, the old-fashioned way.
- Attribute revenue across multiple channels – determine the relative lift or ROI per channel.
- Measure statistically which channels are working.
Also, reacquaint yourself with AIDA (Attention. Interest. Desire. Action) and apply this when engaging with your customers.
'Email is a killer app'
The number of emails sent in one second is 1,670,000, far outstripping any other social media channel.
However, email only drives responses if people are made ready to respond via other channels. Malm believes email is absolutely key in marketing stategy, but only if it's optimised correctly using the right data.
For short-term email optimisation, Malm suggests testing out three subject headers first, then auto-sendng the winner. Re-send that email to non-openers after two days.
Then you should determine optimal positioning. Use emails to figure out key benefit drivers and position your content to follow suit. Test, retarget, repeat.
Again, Big Data is just data. It's nothing to be scared of. As Malm states at the end of his presentation…
"Find stuff that works, find stuff that you can make money from, go with it!"
Check out Parry's Econsultancy guest posts on this topic. Is big data baloney, or is it awesome?
Comments (3)
Good article, thanks!
For Celebrus, Big Data is simply about doing a better job of collecting and analysing data with a view to helping our clients achieve a competitive advantage. This is very much a "C" Suite objective and we have seen staggering ROI's when proper analysis is applied to all data from all customers all of the time. The tendency has been to try to figure out what you need to know up front and then go and code for the data required to answer the question. The problem with this approach is often its the hidden or not obvious data that is required to "discover" what is really going on. Here is a link to an excellent blog by our VP Marketing, Katharine Hulls on this particular subject
@ Simon - The flip side of that is that if you capture everything the question that arises is where you you start in trying to analyse things. I know from Celebrus' Speedtrap days quite how clever it can be however I've always struggled to justify the expense of capturing everything as Celebrus is capable of doing when actually some of the more basic pieces of analysis aren't yet being done and need to be looked at first.
There is also the element that Celebrus doesn't (or didn't - I haven't had a recent update) operate in the way of an Analytics solution in allowing the build of dashboards and reports on performance which means it's an additional cost to the business.
Based on the data that we received, the three areas that companies are heavily investing into are Network Security, Cloud & Mobility Infrastructure and Big Data. Naturally, these are also the areas where hiring is on the rise. So if you are a developer with a few years of experience under your belt, then you can focus on these areas and acquire the related skills.


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After hurling accusations that his girlfriend had cheated, Walter Boone grabbed her by the hair, yanked her to the ground and rained down blows.
The attack only ended when she was able to grab something nearby — she wasn't sure what — and whacked Boone, disorienting him long enough for her to run to a neighbor's home and call police, court records show. He was arrested later that night.
But when the time came for prosecutors to prepare their case, the victim refused to cooperate, even signing a "do not charge" form at the District Attorney's Office. She blamed the attack on a man she never met before.
Despite this significant hole in the case, prosecutors were still able to move forward, using photographs of the woman's battered face and medical documentation, among other evidence, to take Boone to trial for the October 2012 beating. A jury last August deliberated for one hour before convicting Boone of second-degree battery. He was sentenced to five years in prison to serve concurrently with a 10-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Boone's prosecution is just one example of how East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors are seeking to change how they deal with domestic violence in a state that consistently ranks near the top in the country in the number of homicides related to domestic abuse.
Over the past three years, the DA's Office has worked slowly to move away from depending on the cooperation of victims, often taking that choice out of their hands and going forward strictly on physical evidence and testimony from any witnesses.
District Attorney Hillar Moore III wants to adopt another new approach to attack domestic violence, taking the tactics in place for the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination Project, the city-parish's anti-gang initiative, and aiming them at offenders who attack their domestic partners.
BRAVE, an off-shoot of the nationally successful Operation Ceasefire program created by criminologist David Kennedy, is a collaborative effort among law enforcement, community leaders and researchers to identify the worst juvenile offenders in certain neighborhoods and offer them a way out of criminality. If they refuse the help, law enforcement attempts to bring down the hammer if that person breaks the law again.
The parallels between gangs and domestic violence might not be immediately obvious, but Moore said he is looking to the example of High Point, North Carolina, where authorities for five years have used a variation of Ceasefire strategies to drastically lower the domestic violence homicide rate.
It's a model Moore admires from afar.
"I see no reason why it will not work here to prevent domestic violence homicides and domestic violence in general," Moore said.
High Point's success
High Point, a small city of about 109,000 people, has been touted as one of the most successful locations for Kennedy's Ceasefire program. Police there began using the crime-fighting model in 2004 to tackle open-air drug markets, which Kennedy has said reduced not just dealing but the surrounding street violence. Starting in 2009, police decided to modify the strategies to take on domestic violence.
Police Chief Marty Sumner said that when his detectives examined the list of homicides in the five years before 2009, they found that domestic homicides worked out to about one-third of the killings — the biggest subset by far. They decided that needed to be their next focus.
What separates the High Point approach from others targeting domestic violence, Sumner and Kennedy said, is that they work on stopping offenders, as opposed to getting help for victims after the attack.
"What it was designed to do was to protect the most vulnerable women at the greatest risk from the most dangerous men," Kennedy said. "If we know that this guy is systematically abusing this woman, then our response to that should be to make him stop, not to make her leave her home and go into a shelter with her kids."
Now the city averages one domestic homicide a year, Sumner said. But the success did not happen overnight.
In 2011, two years after implementation, 46 percent of the domestic disturbance calls officers responded to involved injuries to victims. That number has since dropped to about 30 percent.
The program uses a four-tiered system that categorizes offenders based on the number of prior domestic violence arrests and takes into account criminal histories, weapon use in the domestic crimes and other factors, Sumner said.
People on Tier A are considered the most violent offenders, boasting lengthy rap sheets riddled with violent crimes and at least three domestic violence arrests, while those assigned to Tier D have never been arrested for domestic abuse but have had officers respond to their homes for incidents. Tier B contains those with two domestic violence arrests, and Tier C contains those with only one domestic violence arrest, Sumner said.
On each list, the type of intervention changes, with the most aggressive approach reserved for Tier A — they are arrested immediately on outstanding warrants or on fresh warrants after detectives reinvestigate old cases, Sumner said.
"Those guys had such rich criminal histories, they were so easy to identify," Sumner said of those on Tier A, adding that when they compared the rap sheets of the Tier A offenders to those of convicted murderers, the one thing the men on Tier A lacked across the board was that murder conviction.
It is for Tier B that the High Point police have employed the hallmark technique of Ceasefire: a "call-in" that summons offenders in for collective meetings to warn them they need to shape up or feel the heat of law enforcement. Within the domestic violence context, these meetings often feature offenders in Tier A as examples for what could happen to the men police are targeting if they continue their violent ways.
Those in Tier C get a one-on-one chat with investigators on what could happen to them if they continue on the path they are on, all from the comfort of their jail cell after the first arrest.
When officers respond to a domestic disturbance at a home but don't make an arrest, they do leave something behind on the door. The notice tells the offenders placed in High Point's Tier D that police are changing how they handle domestic violence offenders and to tread carefully.
Sumner said when they first began planning the system, they reached out to victims' assistance groups and battered women's shelters to give advocates a glimpse of the system. Sumner said officials worried the groups would not get onboard with a strategy that focused on offenders, not victims. But the groups quickly rallied around it.
Judy Benitez, executive director of the Iris Domestic Violence Center in Baton Rouge, said she welcomes any system that focuses on domestic violence, not just ones focusing on victims.
"Any time that you are paying special attention to a specific issue, it is going to raise awareness throughout the community and throughout law enforcement," she said.
Why not leave?
People often look at domestic violence victims and wonder: Why don't they just leave?
Benitez said it's just not that easy, adding she finds there are three main reasons women stay with their abusers.
The first, and main, reason is fear.
"She knows what he's capable of, more so than anybody else," Benitez said. "Whether it's harming her, harming her children, harming her extended family, usually they're pretty afraid of this person and for good reason."
The second reason is that the abuser puts up physical, financial and emotional barriers to keep her from leaving. The third reason is that the victim stays because she thinks her abuser can change and become a better person.
"She desperately wants to believe that," Benitez said. "Of course, it usually does prove to not be true."
Andromida McCall, 31, of New Orleans, sought refuge at Iris after a long history of abuse at the hands of several men.
Not quite three months ago, pregnant with her third child, she decided she had enough. Her longtime boyfriend, John Virgil, 33, is accused of taking her cellphone in a fit of jealous rage on May 30 and bashing her in the head with it, according to an arrest warrant for domestic abuse battery. McCall said the attack was just the latest in a string of incidents.
The blow left her with a concussion and a small scar right above her left temple, McCall said.
"Every time I look at that scar on my head that he left and get those flashbacks from that night, I don't want to be bothered with him," she said in an interview last week. McCall said she believes Virgil is still at large. Attempts to reach Virgil were unsuccessful.
When she arrived at Iris one day after the attack, McCall could barely walk and seemed at death's door, center workers said. Her untreated concussion along with the stress from moving caught up to her three days after arriving in the city.
She slipped into a coma. A blood transfusion a week later brought her back, and she woke with a newfound perspective on life and a healthy baby in her stomach.
Now she is eight months pregnant, ready to welcome her third girl into the world as she rebuilds her life. Her two daughters live with family in New Orleans and will join her soon in her new apartment.
"God is good," McCall said, rubbing her stomach.
Best practices
When Moore took office in 2009, domestic abuse groups and victim's rights advocates asked for a sit-down to discuss ways to improve the handling and prosecution of domestic violence cases.
Moore's first task was to secure funding for a full-time domestic violence prosecutor, moving Melanie Fields from juvenile court prosecutor to the domestic violence post. Soon, they began looking for best practices for handling domestic violence prosecutions.
After research, they decided to implement the evidence-based prosecution, Moore said.
Their first task was retooling the way law enforcement investigates the cases.
"How much this works depends on large part on how good the police work is — to look for those other witnesses, to collect physical evidence," said Tania Tetlow, a law professor at Tulane University and former federal prosecutor who specializes in domestic violence cases.
Prosecutors trained the officers to be more precise when describing the victim's injuries in reports, take more photos of the injuries and crime scene, and try to find witnesses who would testify in court, Moore said.
In the past, officers would say there were "signs of a struggle" and move on, Moore said. Now they describe injuries specifically and make sure to call in paramedics so they have a medical report to corroborate the police report.
"When the victim then says, 'Nothing happened to me' or 'I fell down the stairs and that's how I got the black eye,' we have a better case and a better shot to prosecute someone," Hillar said.
This type of prosecution began in San Diego and is now becoming commonplace in big-city district attorney's offices, Tetlow said.
"What's important about it is the recognition is that there's more witness tampering in these kinds of cases than any other," Tetlow said. "If you take the power out of the victim to decide whether the case goes forward, you take the power away from the abuser to threaten the victim out of prosecution."
Officials with the DA's Office said they don't keep detailed statistics about the domestic violence cases brought to them by police and whether the accused end up being charged. But Fields said the number of cases crossing her desk has dramatically increased from 400 four years ago to about 1,750 last year.
Since changing how the arrests are handled from the scene to the courtroom, Moore said his office is filing charges in more cases. Both guilty pleas and convictions have increased, with the majority of offenders pleading guilty, even in those cases where victims won't cooperate, Fields said.
Punishing offenders
For first-time offenders, a conviction means a six-month jail sentence — with only 48 hours mandated without probation, parole or suspension — along with required participation in a 26-week court-ordered counseling program. For second-time offenders, the sentence was changed this past legislative session from six months to a year, with at least two weeks required in jail.
Those offenders also must attend the 26-week counseling session, which is something Fields and Moore have pushed as probation conditions for years.
"You know he's going back, so our deal is, how are you going to send him back: with help or without help, because you know he's going back," Moore said.
Tetlow, the Tulane professor, is a skeptic of these classes, saying research shows they are effective for only a small percentage of people.
"The idea and the message we're sending is kind of a crazy one," Tetlow said. "We probably wouldn't get rid of jail time for bank robbers and just give them a class."
But Doris Dawson, a licensed domestic abuse counselor at the Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge, said she believes the counseling sessions truly help the offenders, saying the proof is how few have reoffended since 2009: just three.
Dawson, who has overseen the program since its inception, said the focus is on changing the behavior that got the offender in trouble in the first place. They work on many areas, such as having respect for women and children, being accountable for their actions, becoming a good partner and how to negotiate without resorting to violence.
The offenders also learn to take responsibility for their actions.
"Everybody else is the bad guy, but they are innocent," Dawson said. "They want to blame the system; they want to blame her. They would like to blame the dog if they could, but I don't let them."
Follow Ryan Broussard on Twitter, @ryanmbroussard.