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U.S. rice farmers may increase their acreage slightly in 2001, but it's likely that planted acreage will remain close to last year's 3.03 million due to low prices, the cotton insurance program and rising pumping costs.
Extension specialists attending the 17th annual Rice Seminar said they expect acreage to be up from 5 to 15 percent in each of the rice-producing states except for California, where plantings could be down 10 percent.
The largest increase could occur in Louisiana where agronomists expect farmers to plant about 550,000 acres, up 15 percent from last year's 478,000. Louisiana's acreage fell dramatically last spring after one of the driest winters on record led to salt water intrusion problems in the coastal rice growing area.
"We have received more rain this year, but, in some areas, all of the salt water has not been flushed out," said John Saichuk, Extension rice specialist with the LSU AgCenter in Crowley, La. "We're hoping we can get it all out before the season begins."
Saichuk said 5 percent of the acreage in southern Louisiana had already been planted when he spoke at the 17th annual Rice Seminar on March 13. "We expected more to be planted this week, but the weather upset that. By next week, they should be going hot and heavy."
In Arkansas, farmers could increase their plantings 2 to 5 percent to in "the neighborhood of 1.5 million acres," Chuck Wilson, Extension rice specialist for Arkansas told participants at the seminar, which is sponsored by Valent USA and Kumiai Chemical of Japan in Destin, Fla.
"Our harvested acreage was down about 10 percent to 1.4 million in 2000, but if you look at it compared to the long-term trend, it was about average," said Wilson, who is based in Monticello. "1999's 1.6 million was our all-time high."
In some respects, California growers are facing the same situation this year that producers in Arkansas and the other Mid-South states encountered in 1999 when higher rice prices brought more acres into production.
"Tight supplies of medium grain rice in 1998 and 1999 drove prices up," said Jack Williams, rice specialist with the University of California. "In 2000, we grew too much, and prices went down. Prices dropped from $10 per hundredweight to 75 cents over the loan."
What worries many California growers — and their lenders — is that the paths of production costs and prices seem to be diverging rather than following parallel lines.
"We're seeing higher costs due to greater pesticide use; higher water costs, averaging $54 or $55 per acre, straw management costs of $35 per acre and no return on that, and skyrocketing energy costs, which have a big impact on rice because our farmers use natural gas for drying."
Growers are also faced with increased competition for water. "Some districts are talking about selling water to southern California," said Williams. "If that happens, it's been estimated rice growers could lose 20 percent of their water.
"We're seeing higher costs due to greater pesticide use; higher water costs, averaging $54 or $55 per acre, straw management costs of $35 per acre, and skyrocketing entergy costs…"
"Acreage will be down," he said. "Nobody knows how much, but I'm guessing it will drop 50,000 acres or about 10 percent."
Two or three months ago, Joe Street, rice specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said he thought growers in his state would increase their acreage back to more normal levels after a sharp drop of nearly 33 percent in 2000.
"I'm no longer predicting that," said Street, who is located at the Delta Research and Extension Center at Stoneville, Miss. "I think the acreage may go up slightly, maybe less than 5 percent."
Street said low rice prices, the cotton insurance program — that provides a more lucrative price guarantee than that for rice — rising fuel costs and potentially higher nitrogen fertilizer costs are putting pressure on rice acres.
"One grower who has a 2,000-acre rice farm told me he may grow nothing but cotton this year," he noted.
Missouri farmers could increase their rice acres by about 5 percent in 2001 because they continue to have good experience with producing the crop, according to Bruce Beck, area rice specialist in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
"The past three years we have had good weather for growing rice," he said. "It's been dry, but we have had timely rains, low disease pressure and the weed control has been the best I have ever seen. We had record production of 5,700 pounds per acre in 2000."
Beck said harvested acreage dropped from 184,000 in 1999 to 175,000 in 2000, primarily due to low prices. "Most of the blips we have had have been because of weather and price," he noted. "If we could get prices up, we think we might get up to 300,000 acres of rice at some point. Acreage could go back up to 184,000 this year."
Texas growers are expected to stay close to their 2000 plantings of 210,000 acres, allowing the rice area to level off after declining by about 30,000 per year over the last three years.
"We expect the acreage to remain right around 210,000 acres," says Arlen Klosterboer, Extension rice specialist with Texas A&M University in Beaumont, Texas. "It might go up or down 5,000 acres, but I doubt it will go below 200,000."
Rising production costs have forced Texas producers to cut acres. "Our water costs are significantly higher than those of other states," said Klosterboer. "We're having to deal with more pests. And most of our farmers are traditional rice farmers — they can't spread their costs over other crops."
As in Missouri and other states, 2000 rice yields set a new record due to ideal growing conditions. "Texas, of course, has been in a drought, but it didn't affect rice. It affected other crops, but not rice."
e-mail: [email protected]


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"I Saw You" at Artisan Art Supply
Who saw? Who was seen? Was it you?
Private eyes are you watching you. Reply or see more "I Saw You" ads at alibi.com/personals.
It was Thursday, 11·6·13. You were in line at Walmart wearing a gray sweat outfit, buying gift cards. I complimented your hair— you have a Mohawk—and regret not getting at least your name. I stopped shopping just to get in line before you left and still blew it. I hope you see this, you are amazing. I would love to get to know you!!
Can't stop kicking myself for not asking for your number. I asked if you and your friend were sisters, then you showed me her son's picture with an awesome-looking beard like mine. I loved the perfume you wore and your petite nature … contact me—maybe we could have coffee or something. LA is only 30 minutes from SF…
The Bearded Shy Guy…
We were both shopping at Sprouts. We're both redheads. While reaching for tomatoes, I noticed your beautiful gold cuff. I thought it was the sun, but you said it was Medusa, and that that was the face on the cuff. We talked for a while and I think I sensed something there—was there? If nothing else, I'd love to know where online you bought the cuff.
I saw you at Artisan Art Supply. It was a Tuesday. You were looking at acrylic paint while I was at the register. I can only wish I had more time to wander the store and explore the sights.
~Lady with sunglasses on her head. Silly, I know.

subset: commoncrawl


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RIPLEY - Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity and is intended to promote and improve quality of life. In return, it can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved. Volunteering is renowned for skill development, socialization and fun.
For 15 years, Main Street Ripley has celebrated the spirit of the volunteer through actions that have made the city of Ripley a better place to work, live and raise your children.
Treasurer Monnie Landis recalls the pride of being the first Main Street applicant to be accepted upon first application. Landis served as the executive director for eleven years.
"Bill Casto's presentation was polarizing. I have often said that his presentation was the key to us getting that approval."
"I can only remember being told no in this community one time. We have had tremendous support."
Landis and Casto had to spearhead a pledge drive to raise twenty thousand dollars before any bank would get behind the 501C3 volunteer organization.
A lot has happened since the summer of 1998. Main Street Ripley has brought in over three million dollars during this time through grant writing, donations and fundraising efforts.
They have effectively and meticulously funneled that cash into projects like the renovation of the historic Alpine Theater, lighting, sidewalks and receptacles in multiple locations. Then there is the countless Easter egg hunts, Christmas parades, contests and fourth of July and special event celebrations like West Virginia's Sesquicentennial celebration that Main Street Ripley held on the Jackson County Courthouse lawn.
Last year local businesses like Vale Furniture and Evergreen Florist were winners through one of many Main Street contests.
These events are just a drop in the bucket in terms of all that the organization has done for the city of Ripley. Just ask Ripley Mayor Carolyn Rader, who is on Main Street Ripley's board what she thinks.
"Main Street Ripley has added so much flavor to the City of Ripley. Through fundraising and grant writing they have been able to achieve great things for us and I am very appreciative."
She continued, "President Ronnie Waybright, Paula Casto, Sally Blessing and Monnie Landis have all been joys to work with."
Ollie Harvey, who was the Mayor of Ripley in Main Street's inaugural year (1998), is often referred to as "The Mother of Main Street."
While Marsha Humphry was the first Executive Director, the position is currently held by Paula Casto.
Casto's dedication to the city of Ripley can be seen in her actions. She carries out her Main Street duties with vigor as she attends nearly every youth sporting event, recital, community event and fundraiser in the city of Ripley.
"I really love what I do and I am passionate about this community. I am very proud of what Main Street Ripley has accomplished in 15 years and it's an honor to have been a part of it," said Casto.
The National Trust For Historic Preservation created the National Main Street organization. There are only 13 Main Street programs in West Virginia. Applicants must adhere to a comprehensive selection process.
Jennifer Ferrell, the State Coordinator for Main Street West Virginia's Development Office has been instrumental in Ripley's progression and development. Monica Miller, the Manager for Local Capacity Development in West Virginia has also been a source of guidance for Main Street Ripley.
"These ladies have been incredible and helped us grow," said Landis.
Many citizens mistakenly believe that Main Street Ripley is funded by the city. The organization is funded predominantly by donations and fundraising. While it works hand in hand with the city on specific projects, one is not a related component of the other. The Executive Director's chair is the only paid position in the organization.
Streetscape projects that include sidewalks, lampposts and lights are not funded by the city. The projects are funded by 80/20 grants that require a commitment from Main Street Ripley, mostly in the form of volunteer hours.
Streetscape projects have resulted in renovations from Church Street to Court Street, Court Street to Maple Street and Maple Street to Bridge Street.
In 2004, a Jackson County native donated three hundred thousand dollars for the renovation of the Alpine Theater and Main Street Ripley raised one hundred fifty thousand dollars for the cause.
"We have always managed to reach our fundraising goals when we have a project. We have been very fortunate through the years to have had incredible volunteers," said Landis.
Volunteers are the spokes in the wheel for the organization says Secretary Sally Blessing.
"We always welcome volunteers in any capacity. Our doors are open to anyone who wants to come aboard and help."
She continued, "Right now, we are looking for volunteers to wade the waters and clean the creek for the Mill Creek Water Trail."
The Mill Creek Water Trail will carry a Class I classification and will help Ripley connect with West Virginia Tourism and bring tourism dollars to Jackson County in the form of hotels, restaurants and general sales for the local businesses.
There will be an input ramp at Rollins Lake and the trail will run from Cedar Lakes to Mill Creek. There will be five inputs and five outputs.
Boy Scouts from Jackson County troops are currently making the kiosks for the trail.
The Mill Creek Water Trail will open later this year. Kevin Hall is the Project Manager and you guessed it --- Kevin is a volunteer. You can download a nifty application at www.mainstreetripley.org for Apple or Android phones that will provide you with an easy to navigate guide to Ripley area businesses. Members get extended services thorough the application.
MSR has won over 25 awards through the years including the Governor's Main Street Innovation Award in 2009.
Memorial Brick Walk Laser engraved paver bricks are sold and placed in the streetscape areas in town. It has been one of the organizations most popular fundraising methods and has helped beautify the area's streetscapes.
All in all, Main Street Ripley has logged over 150,000 volunteer hours in fifteen years. Its inaugural membership included 44 members and stands at about 150 today.
"We really want to increase our membership base. We have a lot of work to do in our city," said Casto. You can stop by Ripley Main Street's new office at 109 North Court Street or call 304-372-1637 to find out what you can do to make your community a better place.
Main Street Ripley celebrates 15 years of volunteering
RIPLEY - Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity and is intended to promote and improve quality of life. In return, it can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved. Volunteering is renowned for skill development, socialization and fun.


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The Jefferson County Historical Association is dedicated to preserving and publicizing local history through regular meetings, publications and events. Founded in 1975 to promote historical preservation efforts, the society has grown to over 300 members.
It meets four times a year to hear outstanding speakers, plan programs and projects and discuss items of mutual interest. The society is governed by a 16-member board of directors chaired by the JCHA president. Several committees are at work on projects including media outreach, publications, awards and historical markers.
The JCHA newsletter is mailed to members and is also available on this site.
Formerly known as the Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society, the organization changed its name in 2010 to better reflect its mission to the metropolitan area.
Jefferson County, founded in 1819 and named for the third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, grew rapidly in the early 1880s to become the largest county in Alabama. It is the location of 35 municipalities including Birmingham, Alabama's largest city.
While the original immigrants, mostly veterans from the War of 1812, had agricultural pursuits in mind their attention quickly shifted to the area's immense mineral wealth which gave rise to the iron and steel industry. By 1910, Alabama, largely because of the mines and mills in and around Birmingham, ranked third in the nation in iron ore mining and fourth in pig iron production. It also became a major steel producer.
Today, Birmingham, founded six years after the Civil War ended, is the South's leading industrial center.
Since 1992, the JCHA has erected 20 historical markers throughout Jefferson County, the most of any local historical society. The 30" x 42" cast aluminum markers cost about $2,200 each with funding coming from interested parties.
Tom West, former chairman of the Marker Committee and the innovator of the program, referred to the signs as "a history book on a pole." Persons wishing to suggest a subject and location for a historical marker should contact Alice Williams. A review committee consists of two society members and an interested third party.


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Pilot of Urban Taxi Information Management System Built on the SAP HANA Platform Kicks Off in China
BEIJING — SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced a pilot of a platform that helps urban transportation management organizations in China quickly understand traffic situations, accurately analyze passenger flow and taxi operations and get real-time insights to make fact-based decisions. SAP Labs China and the Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport (RIHMT) collaborated on a pilot of the Big Data comprehensive analysis and decision-making support platform powered by SAP HANA® in Beijing, Kunming, Chongqing and Tianjin. The announcement was made at China SAPPHIRE, being held November 20-21 in Beijing.
The taxi industry in China is a significant supplement to the city's public transportation and has faced challenges such as a lag in information and a mismatch between service supply capacity and market demands. In 2012, the Ministry of Transport decided to launch a nationwide pilot project for an urban taxi management platform to improve the timeliness and security and deliver better service for citizens. As the technical support organization for the project, RIHMT worked with the Nanjing innovation center at SAP Labs China for the research and development of the integrated information management system based on SAP HANA.
"In the high-speed urbanization process in China, the lagging of transportation facility development along with the explosive growth of urban population has caused traffic bottlenecks and other issues," said Gu Jingyan, deputy chief Engineer of Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport. "The use of cutting-edge IT technology is an essential approach to upgrade industrial management and eliminate traffic bottlenecks. SAP helps us adopt an advanced Big Data analysis platform, which accelerates the reform of operational models in the taxi industry, comprehensively improving the decision-making efficiency of the management department and significantly elevating the service level of the entire industry. We continue to deepen our cooperation with SAP to build the right solutions for the transportation industry in the Big Data era, and lay a solid foundation for building a green, sustainable and intelligent urban traffic system."
"Efficient urban traffic benefits people's lives. It is an honor to work with the Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport in this field," said Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China. "By fully leveraging leading IT technologies and combining RIHMT's rich experience and insight in the industry, SAP will help the urban transportation management department solve existing problems and enable urban transportation to be more efficient and more intelligent. SAP is committed to investing in China and realizing innovations for China. The cooperation with RIHMT provides a convincing illustration that SAP contributes to the rapid, healthy and green development of Chinese society."
The piloted platform is a significant leap forward in the analysis processing performance of Big Data. It intends to address the overall demands of urban transportation management organizations, analyzing 6 to 36 billion data records per year and empowering a substantial improvement in performance under various application scenarios such as complex analysis and inquiry. For example, the application for lost-and-found intends to reduce the inquiry process from days to minutes and has enabled an increase of up to nearly 1,000 times in performance, which helps improve the service responsiveness of the urban management department to passengers.
The piloted platform also enabled urban transportation management organizations to improve management from the macro, meso and micro levels. Benefits included:
- Urban transportation planning: trip characteristics, traffic zone division and key area path analysis
- Comprehensive traffic management: real-time insights into current urban situations and prediction of traffic conditions; real-time timing analysis of traffic lights, monitoring and prediction of traffic congestion; and overall traffic index, reachable time analysis and prediction for areas and paths
- Dedicated management application groups: operational analysis for buses, taxis and rail transit, comprehensive analysis on capacity and pricing subsidy of public transportation, labor intensity analysis
Together with partners and pilot cities, SAP will demonstrate the sample data for the "Nationwide Taxi Management Platform" project at China SAPPHIRE.
For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.
About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 251,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
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The Bruins brought back Trent Whitfield on an emergency recall yesterday so that they could leave for California today with 13 healthy forwards.
However, over the course of their three games in the Golden State that number might expand to 14 forwards. Rich Peverley is also on the trip and might be ready to get into on of Boston's games against either San Jose, Los Angeles or Anaheim.
While a week ago there were probably several candidates to be the healthy scratch, the Bruins' recent two-game winning streak has been highlighted by better play from several of the previously slumping forwards. Taking out one of the current forwards to make room for Peverley could turn out to be one of head coach Claude Julien's toughest and most important decisions of the season.
So readers of TheBruinsBlog.net, here's your chance to give Julien a little advice by answering the following poll question:
Which Bruins forward should sit when Peverley's back?
- Brian Rolston (36%, 58 Votes)
- Jordan Caron (30%, 48 Votes)
- Benoit Pouliot (18%, 29 Votes)
- Daniel Paille (15%, 24 Votes)
Total Voters: 159


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By Emily Orthwein
Big 12 Campus Correspondent
TCU's football team is known for recruiting some of the best high school players in the country.
College recruiters hope to scout every single player in the recruiting process, making sure to think of every possibility for a university's roster. Sometimes, though, some players can be missed at first.
Jon Koontz, a senior defensive end from Aledo, Texas, is one who was overlooked at first, but has become a rare find for TCU's football program.
He knew he loved football, but didn't think he would play at the college level. After talking to Cody Moore, a previous defensive tackle at TCU from 2004 to 2007, he changed his mind.
"It hadn't even crossed my mind," Koontz said. "Cody told me I should walk on to TCU's football team, so then I gave my tapes to Dick Bumpas, TCU's defensive line coach. My parents gave me the go ahead and I didn't look back."
Bumpas looked at Koontz's tapes and told him to try out and over the course of almost five seasons together, an unbreakable bond has formed between Coach Bumpas and Koontz.
"Jon is a bright young man who has a joy of playing football," Bumpas said. "He's a self-made football player. He came here undersized, but he has turned himself into a Big 12 player."
He still remembers that first time he ran onto the field to fill in for Stansly Maponga, a previous TCU defensive end who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
Koontz said he wanted to step in for Maponga like no one would notice a difference in the game.
"I remember the first time I was running onto the field and how nervous I was," Koontz said. " I still get that nervous before every game, but after the first few plays it is just like playing football again."
Koontz said despite being a walk-on, the scholarship players treated him the same and held him to a similar standard.
"I honestly didn't feel like a walk-on a lot of the times," said Koontz. "Words of encouragement from older guys on the team like Ross Forrest, who was a walk on defensive end himself, helped me."
Now he is one of those scholarship players, as he worked hard to earn that status on the team. He is one of the team captains and the only senior on the defensive line.
Koontz said the encouragement he received when he was just starting out helped him with his new role of being a leader on the team. He is a leader on the field, but also represents the well-rounded student and player that TCU produces.
Koontz is currently attending graduate school in the evenings and working for a small accounting firm on his days off, all while still playing for a Division 1 team. He has attained an entrepreneurial management degree from TCU's Neeley School of Business, which ranks 6th in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Having a well-rounded team on and off the field is head coach Gary Patterson's main goal of TCU's program, Koontz said. He went on to add that Patterson teaches his players through his coaching techniques and respect.
"Coach Patterson worries a lot about the person you're going to be after football," said Koontz. "As a player, our coaches are very detail oriented and having attention to detail is something we can carry on through life."
Many of TCU's players have had to change along with the transformations that have gone on at TCU the past five years. From going in and out of new stadiums, locker rooms, conferences, to a newly built campus, TCU is ever changing.
"It has been really neat," said Koontz. "To think that I was able to walk into the old locker room and the old stadium and to see it as it is now, while we were moving to one of the premier conferences in college football… to watch all of that, during the time I was here is pretty awesome."
Not many players work, go to graduate school and play Division 1 football all at the same time. Koontz uses his down time to build his future after football, already working for a small accounting firm three days a week.
"It just is one more thing I hold myself accountable to. Other guys in my position I've seen just sleep in until practice and just go to some classes at night. I know that will not be the case after football is over so I might as well start getting used to it now."
Already thinking about his future, Koontz looks back at his past and realizes his journey and how quickly it spiraled out in front of him. From his first years going to the Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl to being a captain of the team, it is weird to think of his plans of going to a Division III school on an academic scholarship.
"I think once I'm done here I will step back and look to see how many high school players try to walk on and not make it," Koontz said. "For me, the progressions have all happened so fast and I've been very fortunate to have had all of these opportunities."
As far as Kootnz's future, he has many options in Fort Worth through his academic and football connections. Further in the future, Koontz would also like to start his own business.
"I would like to stay around Fort Worth," said Koontz. "Through all of my connections I have made, I would like to work in the sports industry. It doesn't have to be football, just anything with a foundation in sports."
No matter what happens, Koontz will have made a permanent impression on TCU's campus with his dedicated and hardworking attitude being left behind as an example for younger Horned Frogs to come.


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For a Good Time, Call...
The Thaw
The Last House on the Left
Ice Princess
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


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100 Greatest Movie Insults of All Time [VIDEO]
Pajiba racked up about 5 million views on YouTube with his first "100 Best Movie Insults" and it was only fitting that he take another crack at it. And this new one is NSFW. Put your headphones on! Be sure to check out the site for the full list of movies.


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COLDWATER � Bradley Beard, 42, claimed it was "only because I was on drugs � methamphetamine � that he broke into more than 500 homes in eight Michigan Counties during a four year crime spree.
Branch County Circuit Judge Bill O�Grady sentenced Beard to 8 years four months minimum to 15 years after he pleaded guilty to three of more than a dozen break ins in Branch County.
Judge O�Grady called the "crime spree phenomenal � especially for just two people." The Judge sentenced wife Glendora Beard, 55, to two to 15 years prison last month after she pleaded guilty to one count of home invasion.
He added it jut show the effect of meth on a community. "Over 500 family�s lives were overturned. Their security and safety shredded" from the couple violating their homes.
Beard said he made and used 3 to 4 grams of meth each day. He claimed he was not the type to break into homes but drugs made him do it. "That�s not an excuse but a fact."
Michigan State Police began a statewide investigation after a description of the same truck kept showing up in home invasion cases. The pair would drive up a house during the day and knock. If no one was home they would break in. If someone was home they would make an excuse and leave.
A description of a truck came from several of the residents or those near the break ins. It was traced to the Beards from Eaton County who later moved to an Albion motel.
Numerous investigators from several MSP posts began to track the couple in the truck.
Judge O�Grady praised the investigators who finally got a break in a Clarendon Rd case last year. The break came with the theft of metal chicken. The couple was followed by MSP to the Allen Antique Mall on U.S. 12 where the antique door stop taken from the house was sold.
Beard was told to make restitution to the dealer for the chicken and a clock for which they paid $85 but Judge O�Grady admitted he did not expect it to be paid.
The Beards already have been sentenced in Clinton and are waiting for sentencing in Eaton and Calhoun Counties. No charges were filed in Hillsdale County cases.
Beard cooperated with police and tried to identify all the homes he broke into but admits even he can�t remember them all.
Beard blames meth for spree
COLDWATER � Bradley Beard, 42, claimed it was "only because I was on drugs � methamphetamine � that he broke into more than 500 homes in eight Michigan Counties during a four year crime spree.


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Human Resources
John D. Thomas, Chief
(573) 751-6059
The Office of Human Resources provides human resource management services and support for the Department of Health and Senior Services. This office:
- assures the department's compliance with the state personnel law (merit system), and serves as a liaison with the state Office of Administration's Division of Personnel.
- establishes and maintains the department's position classification system.
- administers personnel functions of employment, promotion, compensation (including payroll preparation), performance appraisal, discipline, termination, personnel records maintenance, and related personnel activities, and provides assistance to managers and supervisors in those areas.
- assures department compliance with federal and state laws relating to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and provision of services.
- investigates and monitors complaints and grievances.
- coordinates and conducts professional development opportunities for DHSS staff to include new employee orientation and mandatory training for supervisors and managers.
- coordinates employee award and recognition programs.
- works with management on organizational change/development issues.
- coordinates distance-learning programs and development of online training courses.
- provides mediation services for employer/employee situations.
- coordinates issues relating to unions.
- revises and develops DHSS' administrative policies.


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New York, NYUSA
June 27, 2015
No introduction yet
Help support your Meetup
Open to all, come share your knowledge and interest in woodworking, tools, techniques, design, and DIY skills. Join this group if ... - You want to expand your woodworking/DIY skills by learning new techniques and tools - You want to make things but don't know where to start - You're looking for woodworking classes and/or workshop facilities - You want to share your own expertise and knowledge with others
Meetings Meetings will be organized around topics and activities of interest to the group. We plan to have classes, field trips, presentations, and project/studio time.
Fees Most meetings will be free, others (such as classes) may have fees.
Location We can meet at my workshop, Makeville Studio (www.makeville.com) located in Gowanus / Park Slope.
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NEW YORK (AP) — John Guare isn't merely ready to unveil his new play — he'll also be onstage in it.
The Tony Award-winning playwright said he will make his first foray into professional acting when he appears in the world premiere of his "Three Kinds of Exile" this summer at the Atlantic Theater Company.
"It's my acting debut. I'm the New Face of 2013," the 75-year-old joked by phone from Florida, where he was working on another new play.
"Three Kinds of Exile" follows the true story of three Eastern European artists who went into exile during the Soviet era. One went to England, another to North America and a third to South America. Guare will be playing himself: "I have no idea if they'll fire me," he said.
Guare was a close friend of one of the exiles and "in telling her story, I had to write myself as a character." During three early readings, Guare played himself and began to feel very possessive of the part.
"So I just decided, for once, I should be in a play," said the playwright, whose last acting was in summer stock 53 years ago. "I said, 'Jeez. Why not for once in my life just try it?'"
Asked if the part he had written was large, Guare turned into a tongue-in-cheek diva: "I don't do cameos!" he yelled. "I don't do any walk-ons, you got it?"
Neil Pepe, the artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company, will direct the new play at the company's main stage from May 15-June 23. The cast stars Peter Maloney and David Pittu. "They're just there to serve me," the playwright purred. "They're there to feed me lines."
The rest of the cast will include Alison Cimmet, Jeffrey Kuhn, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Martin Moran, Kate Rigg, Omar Sangare and Timothy Splain.
Guare, who won a Tony for his work on a 1972 musical version of Shakespeare's "Two Gentleman of Verona," is the playwright of the acclaimed "Six Degrees of Separation" and "House of Blue Leaves." He also wrote the book for the musical adaptation of "Sweet Smell of Success" and the film "Atlantic City."
Guare said his last play, "A Free Man of Color," an ambitious, rollicking work set in New Orleans on the eve of the Louisiana Purchase, "was such a challenge to me, it made me use muscles I had never used before." He said that in the past two years since it closed on Broadway, he has written four new plays.
He said he doesn't want to dwell on what this new stab at acting means. "My humiliation might be so enormous that I have to leave New York City," he said. Then he brightened: "Now that I'm an actor, I'm preparing my fitness video. It's for the aging newcomer."
Online: http://atlantictheater.org
Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits


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posted by Eugenia Loli on Thu 31st Dec 2009 01:41 UTC
Just before Christmas Songbird 1.4.0 was released, and a new fix versions was released today as 1.4.3. Songbird now supports MSC storage devices and CD ripping, bringing the app one step closer to replacing iTunes for some users. What's particularly interesting is that Songbird now specifically pushes their product against users of Android, Nokia and Palm smartphones -- which is something I also suggested a few months too. Hopefully Google, Nokia, and Palm will get behind the small team in San Francisco to help out the cause, since it's also on their best interest too.


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How will the Internet of Everything change the way we work together?
Geographic borders will fall, language barriers will diminish, and misunderstandings will disappear. Today Cisco is already taking teamwork to new heights, enabling people to work together from anywhere and all the time. And as we continue to make the network bigger, faster and more accessible, businesses and people will communicate and evolve exponentially faster.


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Bill O'Neal says he got rid of his last cultivator five or six years ago. Now he may be about to dispense with his postdirected spray rigs.
O'Neal, who manages 5,500 acres of cotton at Allendale Planting Co., in Shelby, Miss., isn't one to shed equipment lightly. But he thinks new technology may make it possible to control weeds much more efficiently than with a postdirected sprayer.
The new technology is Roundup Ready Flex, genetically modified cotton that allows growers to spray glyphosate herbicide over-the-top after the four-leaf stage of development. Some say the Flex gene may revolutionize cotton weed control.
"We sprayed Roundup at planting and again at the four-leaf stage," says O'Neal, one of about 160 growers who planted Roundup Ready Flex varieties in farm-scale experimental plots across the Cotton Belt this year. "Then we made two more overhead applications in the Flex cotton."
O'Neal postdirected two other applications of Roundup in a field of Deltapine 555 BG/RR planted alongside the Roundup Ready Flex Beltwide Cotton Genetics variety on Highway 61 north of Shelby.
"I can tell you that going over-the-top of the cotton with a 12-row broadcast sprayer was much faster than going through it with a 12-row postdirected sprayer," said O'Neal. "And putting the herbicide out in a high clearance sprayer with a 90-foot spray boom was even better."
For growers like O'Neal — who have a considerable amount of acreage to cover — the Flex technology may not have come at a better time. (Monsanto expects to introduce the Roundup Ready Flex technology in 2006 if foreign regulatory clearances are received this winter.)
Adopting Roundup Ready Flex would be one more step in the transformation of O'Neal's cotton production philosophy.
"If you had told me 20 years ago that there would be a time when I wouldn't plow cotton, I would have strongly disagreed," he said. "Now I don't own a cultivator. I'm convinced the savings from no-till and minimum-till farming are keeping many of us in business — especially with these fuel prices."
David Skelton, who operates Capstone Farms at Winterville, Miss., thinks Roundup Ready Flex cotton could make a difference in his bottom line. Skelton planted 40 acres of Roundup Ready Flex in 2005.
"The last tractor in that field was the one with the planter," he said. "I hope it works out because it has the potential to save us some money. But it has to yield before I'll plant it."
Skelton said he applied Roundup as needed on the 40 acres of Stoneville 5242 RR Flex. "We didn't layby because the Roundup Ready Flex block looked as clean as the rest of the cotton after layby," he noted. "We never went back to that field with anything but a John Deere 4720 sprayer with a 90-foot boom."
That could mean tremendous labor savings, he said. "With these high-clearance sprayers you can cover 600 to 700 acres a day with one person. You can't do that with a row cultivator or a postdirected sprayer."
Although he would not predict yields, Skelton marveled at the way the 2005 harvest was turning out. He picked more than three bales of cotton on some of the 2,400 acres of cotton he grew last year.
"Everyone had a good crop in 2004," he said. "We got almost no rain on this (non-irrigated) field this year. We shouldn't be harvesting a crop given the amount of moisture we had."
On Allendale Planting Co., which is located farther from the Mississippi River than Winterville, O'Neal irrigated his Roundup Ready Flex experimental field four times. He said he was "guardedly optimistic" about yields.
"We've had a good year, but a very expensive year," he said, referring to the fuel costs for the four irrigations. "We started out very dry and had to furrow-water some of the cotton to get it out of the ground. But it looks good now."
O'Neal said farmers have relied on hooded sprayers to help apply glyphosate to sensitive crops, but that the latter may also see less use in the future.
"We've had coverage issues with the hoods," he said. "Sometimes with the hooded sprayer, you can't get good coverage of the weeds. And if it rains, you may find yourself waiting to get back in the field with the hooded sprayer. With the new technology, if you get in a bind, you can still spray."
Some growers are finding they may make fewer applications of glyphosate on Roundup Ready Flex than the earlier Roundup-tolerant varieties. Jeff Hux, a grower in Sikeston, Mo., said his Flex varieties required only three over-the-top applications of glyphosate compared to four in his conventional Roundup Ready cotton.
"We were able to save a herbicide application in the Roundup Ready Flex cotton because we were able to wait until more weeds emerged before treating," he said. "I felt I got more for my dollar by delaying the application."
Monsanto began working to develop the Flex gene shortly after it introduced Roundup Ready cotton in 1997 because of the limited application window for glyphosate over-the-top in the latter.
Farmers are limited to two applications of glyphosate 10 days apart and prior to the fifth-leaf stage of plant development with the current Roundup Ready technology. Applications can be made from emergence up to seven days before harvest on Flex cotton after it is commercially introduced.
"I think you can see why we think the world is about to change," said Rick Rice, director of marketing for Beltwide Cotton Genetics, a new cotton seed breeding company that decided to forego placing the conventional Roundup Ready in its varieties so it could offer them with the new advanced Flex technology.
"We think Roundup Ready Flex has the potential to revolutionize cotton production because of the labor savings and ease of use," said Rice, speaking at a BCG Media Day in Seminole, Texas, that featured a BCG Flex variety in a large-plot demonstration.
"They say that Roundup Ready cotton made the plow extinct," said Skelton. "Roundup Ready Flex may make the hooded sprayer and post-directed spray rigs extinct."
e-mail: [email protected]


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So which is the world's most famous ski resort? Opinions remain divided and a truly international poll of public opinion has not yet been carried out. North American candidates would possibly be lead by Aspen with Vail and Stowe in contention or even the modern number one, Whistler. In Europe there's St Anton, Kitzbühel, Chamonix, Val d'Isère and perhaps half a dozen more, but given a mix of the ski world and the general public, wouldn't St Moritz come out top? Whether or not it is the best well known for the correct reasons is debatable, it's famous for being the playground of the rich and famous and for being a touch expensive, both of which remain largely true. On the other hand it's not well known for having great skiing, which it does. Some may also imagine it to be a quaint Alpine village, which it isn't, although the lakeside setting in the Engadin Valley is stunning. It is also not generally reported that, although a genuine traditional settlement, St Moritz is a high altitude resort with an excellent snow record and glacier skiing. Finally it should be mentioned that whilst many other famous names from skiing history have contented themselves to rest on their reputation, St Moritz and the Engadin Region have invested heavily in state of the art lifts and are now served by a host of high speed detachable quad and six seat chair lifts. Oh and the sun shines 322 days a year, Switzerland's sunniest spot. St Moritz can claim to be the birth place of winter sports holidays. In 1864 the owner of the Kulm hotel bet some English tourists a free stay if they dared to spend the winter there. They took him up on this proposition and the rest is history. St Moritz was reported in The Times of London a few years later when a guest recorded with surprise the flowers in the hotel window boxes on Christmas Day. By 1910 around 2000 guests spent the winter in the resort, most from Britain. Skating remained the most popular winter sport until the 1920s, with skiing dismissed as a serious sport by the locals, but then came the 1928 Winter Olympics and a new mountain funicular railway, followed soon after by Switzerland's second ski lift. The fifth Winter Olympics were staged in the resort once again in 1948. Later the rich and famous who flocked to St Moritz helped to develop the possibilities of glacier skiing on the Diavolezza glacier and later heli-skiing. In fact the resort can claim a long list of 'firsts' from opening Switzerland's first tourist board in 1864 and switching on the country's first electric light in 1878 to staging the first ice skating, curling and winter sports championships in the 1880s and even Europe's first golf tournament in 1890. St Moritz was the first resort to register its name and logo, in 1987. Finally, it must be noted that St Moritz's fame as a health resort does pre-date winter sports by several millennia. The first settlements are known to have existed here 3,000 years ago and the resort was also one of the world's earliest spa centres, well known as such by the time the Romans rolled in in 15 BC.
Restaurants, shops, banks, post office, gas stations, nightclubs, and a cinema.
Intermediate Runs
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Love Me Again
Kensington, Sep 2002, 5.99, 352 pp. ISBN: 0821774492 In 1808 in the Grand Duchy of Austenberg, Christina reluctantly tells her husband Varek that she is pregnant. He fears the news as he loves his wife, but she has suffered several miscarriages before. He knows if it happens again, he will have to adhere to the responsibility as the Duchy's ruler that requires he divorce her, remarry, and get the heir from his second wife. Tragedy strikes as C...


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The easiest one-word summary of the 2013 fantasy football season so far: Ouch.
Injuries to Reggie Wayne, Sam Bradford, Doug Martin, Jermichael Finley and a bunch of other players in Week 7 have fantasy circles buzzing about whether this year has been particularly rough for injuries in the NFL.
As far as fantasy players are concerned, it's the worst since 2000.
According to STATS, 177 skill position players (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends) have had to miss at least one game with injury so far this year. That's higher for the first seven weeks than any year since 2000 — and nearly 25 percent higher than the average of 142.1 skill players missing at least one game in the first seven weeks each year from 2000 through 2013.
The difference is slightly sharper among more severe injuries: 122 players have had to miss at least two games so far this year, according to STATS. That's nearly 28 percent higher than the average of 95.4 players missing at least two games over the same span from 2000 through 2013.
The bright side? It's legitimate if you want to complain about injuries hurting your fantasy football team — plenty of players are doing the same on Twitter, Reddit and other social networks. But the reality is the injuries are likely affecting most of the teams in your league in some way. That's why you try to draft for depth, strategize on handcuffs and consistently look at your competition's assets and needs in hopes of making the right moves.
Let Chuck Pagano's comments on Wayne's season-ending knee injury serve as a fantasy rally cry for owners facing injury problems.
"He's not going out like this. He's not going to leave this game like this. There's no way," Pagano said Monday. "He'll fight, he'll get his surgery, and he'll rehab and he'll grind like nobody's ever grinded.
"He'll do whatever it takes to get back on that football field — even if it's to catch one more pass, make one more block, do one more thing to help this organization win a football game, he'll do it. But he's not going out like this," Pagano said.
The fantasy season is halfway through. Don't give up yet.
You know how important touchdowns are to fantasy scoring. But predicting touchdowns is especially difficult for running backs and receivers because NFL offenses are trying to disguise their plays and often have role players used in different (ahem, frustrating) ways when they get within 20 yards of the goal line.
At each position, some surprising red zone numbers give a different perspective on the players you're considering each week.
QB: Matt Ryan, Atlanta. Ryan leads the league with 51 pass attempts in the red zone. Yes, Ryan, not Peyton Manning — and Ryan has already passed his bye week. He's less efficient than Manning and others, and fantasy players are somewhat down on Ryan because of injuries to Julio Jones and Roddy White. Rightly so, but Atlanta is at its core a passing team, with Ryan throwing to whomever he can.
RB: Fred Jackson, Buffalo. This probably will help more with decisions on C.J. Spiller, but Jackson has twice as many carries as Spiller inside the red zone (16 to 8) and five red zone touchdowns compared with none for his teammate taken in the first round of many fantasy drafts. Not only is Jackson dominating Spiller in opportunities, he's top 10 in the NFL in red zone carries.
WR: Kenbrell Thompkins, New England. Thompkins is third in the league in fantasy scoring in the red zone, with more fantasy points there than Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson and Victor Cruz. He's also tied with Washington's Pierre Garcon with 10 red zone targets, fourth in the league.
TE: Julius Thomas, Denver. Not that you need convincing he's an every-week start at this point, but Thomas has more fantasy points and catches than any other tight end inside the red zone. He's caught 10 red zone passes on 12 targets, with six touchdowns.
Week 7 was a huge week for a subset of fantasy footballers that play in a specialized kind of league: 2 quarterback leagues.
It's a simple-sounding tweak, but it changes the dynamics of any league significantly and some fantasy experts — like Salvatore Stefanile of XN Sports — believe it'll become more popular as more players learn the format.
"Now I spend even more time researching players I wouldn't even have heard of," Stefanile said.
No less than four quarterback situations in the NFL were thrown into question in Week 7, with Bradford and Jay Cutler injured, Houston's Case Keenum making a respectable start for Houston in place of Matt Schaub, and Brandon Weeden struggling again, prompting Cleveland to question whether he'll start this week.
In typical one-quarterback leagues, these situations are ho-hum. You can pick up someone like Ben Roethlisberger and move on with your life. Not so in two-quarterback leagues, where bye weeks and scarcity mean anyone who might sniff the field is likely owned or on the radar.
Hot pickups this week in two-quarterback leagues? Kellen Clemens, Josh McCown and Jason Campbell. And with six teams on bye this week, they'll likely start.
"These are just situations that the two-quarterback owner has to think about that the one-quarterback owner doesn't even care for," Stefanile said.
Stefanile said he was skeptical of two-quarterback leagues at first, but enjoys them now because of the increased strategy possible and the research needed to be successful.
"Most of the strategies are the same thing year in and year out" in one-quarterback leagues, Stefanile said. "It's sort of getting to that point where it doesn't matter who you have."
It's all part of connecting with football and the game. Stefanile says there are signs that the leagues are getting more popular, like fantasy experts talking about two-quarterback leagues or analyzing players they wouldn't have before, like Keenum.
"Most people probably have no idea who Keenum is or cares who he is unless they're a Houston Texans fan," he said.
Can't wait to get some of that homemade grub for winning in Week 7 in one of my two-quarterback leagues. Jordan Reed made me look smart.
Of course, I lost Bradford in the process and am now scrambling to try to find someone — anyone, really — who will start in Week 8. In the process, I'm bidding the rest of my free agent acquisition budget because the quarterbacks are just that important.
But 4-1 isn't bad, and neither is 4-1 in five daily leagues.
Oskar Garcia is a news editor in Honolulu who spends way too much time on fantasy sports with too little to show for it. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/oskargarcia


text: Find this wine Find this wine Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva 2009 Delicate floral aromas lead to earthy raspberry flavors. A great texture and finish. Pin It Tweet 5 years ago by Rachel S. More posts Veramonte Reserva Pinot Noir 2010 Chilean from Tamura's. Smells like poopy grapes. Sort of numbs your mouth and kinda harsh down the throat. Not so great. 5 years ago by Amydoman Veramonte Pinot Noir 2007 Reserva Dark fruit like cherries. Smooth like silk. 6 years ago by McAmy


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Early spring walleye spawning attracts anglers, fisheries biologists
PRATT — In late March and early April, walleye migrate to rocky shallows in Kansas reservoirs to spawn. At this time, anglers gather along rip-rapped dams hoping to catch large walleye by casting jigs, rattle traps, crank baits, and stick baits from shore. Some even wade to cast parallel with the shore. But anglers aren't the only ones interested in this activity although their interests are at stake. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) fisheries biologists take advantage of the spawn to harvest walleye eggs, which are then taken to agency hatcheries where increased hatching success means more fish for anglers in years to come.
This year, three reservoirs will provide KDWP with walleye eggs. Egg-taking will begin on March 21 at Cedar Bluff Reservoir, March 21 at Hillsdale Reservoir, and March 28 at Milford Reservoir. Nets will be placed to catch spawning females that provide eggs both walleye and saugeye hatching programs. Fall test netting revealed large populations of big walleye in these three lakes.
Infestations of zebra mussels, white perch, and other aquatic nuisance species (ANS) in several Kansas reservoirs require special care during egg-taking to prevent the spread of these potentially-destructive species. All sperm and egg collection will take place on each lake and the fish returned to that lake immediately. Eggs will be fertilized at the lake, as well, so no fish will be moved.
On March 14, KDWP biologists began catching male sauger and milking them for milt (sperm) for the saugeye hatching program. (The saugeye is a walleye/sauger hybrid.) Milt is preserved in vials that are taken to Milford Reservoir to fertilize walleye eggs.
Biologists will work for the next few weeks collecting and fertilizing eggs, transporting them to KDWP's hatcheries at Farlington, Milford, and Pratt, and eventually stocking fish throughout the state. Some fry are stocked in hatchery ponds to be raised to fingerling size and stocked later in late May and early June. Others are stocked directly into lakes as fry.
In addition to walleye, the Milford Hatchery will produce the saugeye. Saugeye grow faster and larger than sauger and are thought to be less prone to wash-out high flow-through reservoirs than the walleye. To prevent production of fertile saugeye that have the potential to breed with walleye already in a lake — and potentially diluting that walleye population's genetics — a "triploid induction" process is used on some of the saugeye produced. Triploid induction is a technique that allows genetic manipulation of a chromosome number to create a potentially faster-growing, but sterile, saugeye.
KDWP's statewide harvest goal for 2011 is 77 million eggs, with a production goal of 37 million walleye, 8 million saugeye, and 1.2 million sauger. Because fewer than 5 percent of eggs hatch in the wild, artificial spawning and hatching is used to increase egg survival rates as much as 40-50 percent. When hatchery-bound eggs reach their destination, biologists monitor incubation closely. Water flows are checked to ensure constant but controlled movement. Water temperatures and oxygen content are also routinely checked. Dead eggs rise to the top of the jars and are siphoned off each day. With a water temperature of 60 degrees, hatching generally occurs on the eighth or ninth day of incubation. As the fry break out of their egg cases, they are carried upward by the water into large circular holding tanks where they are held for two to four days. Then they are ready for stocking.
All this activity may not be high-profile, but it makes Kansas walleye fishing much more productive. And as waters warm and days grow longer in late March and early April, many anglers take their cue from fisheries biologists and enjoy the opportunity to take walleye from the shore.


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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister said Tuesday he is "deeply troubled" by the United States' decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian unity government, urging Washington to tell the Palestinian president that his alliance with the Hamas militant group is unacceptable.
The blunt language used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflected his dismay over the international community's embrace of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' new unity government, and marked the latest in a string of disagreements between Netanyahu and the White House.
Netanyahu has urged the world to shun the government because it is backed by Hamas, an Islamic group that has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks over the past two decades. But late Monday, both the U.S. and European Union said they would give Abbas a chance.
"I'm deeply troubled by the announcement that the United States will work with the Palestinian government backed by Hamas," Netanyahu told The Associated Press, saying the group has murdered "countless innocent civilians."
"All those who genuinely seek peace must reject President Abbas' embrace of Hamas, and most especially, I think the United States must make it absolutely clear to the Palestinian president that his pact with Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks Israel's liquidation, is simply unacceptable," he said.
Asked whether Israel is lobbying its allies to change their position toward the unity government, an Israeli official said the government is "definitely in a conversation with the U.S. and other world powers, sharing our views on how to deal with the Palestinian government." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomatic effort with the media.
Israel and the West have branded Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, a terrorist group. But Israel's allies in Washington and Europe have said they will maintain ties to the new government — and continue sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid — as long as it renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.
Abbas says the new Cabinet is committed to these principles. It is made up of apolitical technocrats who have no ties to Hamas, which has agreed to support the government from the outside.
Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas formed the new government Monday in a major step toward ending a seven-year rift that left the Palestinians divided between two governments.
Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Abbas' forces in June 2007, leaving him in control only of autonomous areas of the West Bank. The Palestinians claim the two areas, along with Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, for an independent state. Israel captured the territories in 1967.
The Palestinian rift is considered a major obstacle to statehood. Many in Israel itself have long used it to argue that a deal with Abbas is not credible because he doesn't govern all the Palestinians.
As U.S.-backed peace talks collapsed in late April, Abbas decided to focus on getting internal Palestinian affairs in order and reached the reconciliation deal with Hamas.
The world community's reaction suggests a general sense that the reconciliation might constitute an elegant solution to a conundrum: While few countries back Hamas, the group seems here to stay. And since Hamas will probably not formally accept the existence of Israel anytime soon, its backing of a government that Abbas says does might be seen as a step forward.
Israel is instead accusing Abbas of abandoning hopes for peace.
Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett said officials were blindsided by Washington's decision, likening it to Israel deciding to begin talking to al-Qaida. He said the U.S. is still Israel's best friend, but called the move a "profound disappointment."
"We think to some extent it sends a message that being a terrorist pays," Bennett told the AP. "There's a clear moral line that you don't cross. And unfortunately America in this latest decision crossed this line."
The Israeli reactions were the latest salvo in a battle with Palestinians for world opinion following the collapse of Mideast peace talks in late April. Each side has been eager to portray the other as intransigent.
Abbas' prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, told reporters Tuesday that the government is committed to all agreements previously reached with Israel and would continue the president's "programs of peace," aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
"We call on the international community to immediately recognize the government and continue to support the Palestinian political leadership's efforts to enable the government to face all political challenges, especially the Israeli policies that hinder the political and economic stability in the region," Hamdallah said.
The formation of the unity government does not resolve the Palestinian rift altogether. It remains unclear whether the sides will hold elections early next year, as they have agreed. Hamas also maintains a large, heavily armed fighting force in Gaza and is reluctant to cede control to Abbas. There are also questions about how to merge tens of thousands of dual civil services into one.
Salah Bardawil, a Hamas official in Gaza, said the sides would form committees to "sort out" remaining issues.
In the coming weeks, Netanyahu will be sure to point out Hamas' continued control of Gaza as he seeks to discredit the new government. He has also warned that he will hold Abbas responsible for any rocket fire that comes out of Gaza. Hamas, which possesses tens of thousands of rockets, has largely honored a truce with Israel in recent years, but various other militant groups in Gaza often fire rockets into Israel and could be eager to embarrass the new government.
Yoaz Hendel, a former Netanyahu spokesman, said the Israeli prime minister does not fear being isolated internationally.
"He sees himself as the leader of the Jewish state, the Jewish people, against the world," Hendel said. "If you check Jewish history, it's part of our narrative, to be on the outside."
Associated Press correspondents Alon Bernstein in Jerusalem, Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.


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In a two-page memo to commissioners, Thomas said he wants to withdraw "indefinitely" the pension and contract proposals.
LAKELAND | Saying the issue has become a "pervasive and clearly divisive debate," Lakeland City Manager Doug Thomas said Tuesday he wants city commissioners to end consideration of City Attorney Tim McCausland's requests to change his pension plan and to be given a written employment contract.
In a two-page memo to commissioners, Thomas said he wants to withdraw "indefinitely" the pension and contract proposals.
He said that will require action by the City Commission, which is scheduled to have a final vote on the pension and contract Monday.
Thomas said in the memo that McCausland agrees with his recommendations to end the issue.
McCausland could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Thomas' memo first provides a list of reasons why the pension change should have been considered acceptable, including allowing employees in addition to McCausland to make adjustments in their pension and that the change "would not involve an action/policy that would be considered to be outside the bounds of generally accepted public pension practices."
But the memo said the debate has become marked by "personal attacks," "innuendos," and a "generally charged political environment that has resulted in a pervasive and clearly divisive debate that by all accounts is uncharacteristic for our community." He also referred to what he called "less than complete media reporting" of the pension proposal.
Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields agreed that the debate has been unusually harsh.
"It's not normal for Lakeland to be as emotional as it has become on an issue," Fields said Tuesday night.
McCausland, 62, who is three years from retirement, has said he wanted to change his pension plan because he was hit hard by the stock market decline five years ago. He first asked last year to join the city's defined-benefit plan and wanted the city to fund 20 percent of his contribution. Commissioners declined.
He made an alternate suggestion late last year. After more than two decades in a 401(a) plan, McCausland wanted to invest between $800,000 and $1 million of his own money for a yearly payout of more than $110,000. McCausland is paid a yearly salary of $181,105.
Commissioner Justin Troller said he was pleased by Thomas' recommendation.
Troller had recommended on Feb. 18 that commissioners stop the pension change. The motion by Troller was rejected 5-2.
Troller said Tuesday night that employees and residents were outraged.
"The public won't turn a blind eye for golden parachutes for people on the third floor at City Hall," Troller said.
The pension change proposal had also been met with opposition from Joe Mawhinney, a former city attorney and McCausland's former boss. He argued with Fields at an agenda study meeting earlier this month.
Mawhinney said he was upset that the issue wasn't on the commission's agenda.
At the next agenda study meeting, Troller and commissioners Edie Yates, Don Selvage and Keith Merritt had numerous questions about the proposed pension plan and contract for McCausland.
Thomas said in the memo on Tuesday that he also was recommending not proceeding with a written contract for McCausland.
"Please understand that the proposed agreement was drafted by outside counsel in response to discussions the City Commission held with the City Attorney in conjunction with his 2011 and 2012 annual performance reviews," Thomas wrote. "That said, I have questions regarding the desire of the City Commission to proceed with the execution of such an agreement, and as such, am removing this item from the March 4th Agenda indefinitely as well."
[ John Chambliss can be reached at email@example.com or 863-802-7588. ]


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Yukiko Koga
Assistant Professor
Tel: (212) 772-5427
Fax: (212) 772-5423
Room: Hunter North Room 709
(NOTE: During the academic year 2018-19, I can be best reached by phone at 609-258-5576)
Ph.D. Columbia University, 2008
Areas of Specialization
Political economy, historical anthropology, legal anthropology, law & human rights, urban space, colonial inheritance, post-colonial & post-imperial relations, history & memory, transnational East Asia (China and Japan)
Overview of Research
My current research explores the generational transfer of unaccounted-for pasts stemming from Japanese imperialism in China. I inquire what it means for both Chinese and Japanese to come to terms with the Japanese imperialism seventy years after Japan's original violence and injustice in China ended with the Japanese defeat and the disappearance of its empire in 1945, and how the introduction of the market economy in China has created a new dynamic concerning the contested yet under-explored past for both Chinese and Japanese. My first book project takes place within a burgeoning economic sphere in Northeast China, while my second and third projects take place within a transnational legal sphere.
* * *
My book, Inheritance of Loss: China, Japan, and the Political Economy of Redemption After Empire (University of Chicago Press, 2016), explores how the current generation of ordinary Chinese and Japanese, two to three generations removed from the direct experience of Japanese imperialism, encounter each other and experience and navigate colonial inheritances in the urban everyday of Northeast China. Situated at the height of China's socio-economic transformation in the 1990s and 2000s, this ethnography shows how the economic realm has become a key site for the generational transfer of difficult pasts. While the concepts of memory and trauma are often used to show the lasting effects of original violence, I suggest that these concepts may have limited our political imagination about what is at stake for second and third generations in East Asia in coming to terms with the distant, yet still alive, past. This book uses the concept of "colonial inheritance" to make visible contemporary generational responses to the losses incurred through colonial modernity, as set in motion through China's transition to a market-oriented society. My ethnography shows how beneath the rationalized rhetoric of economic prosperity and the pursuit of "modern life" lurks the tenacious question of reckoning with the past through quotidian encounters in the workplace, on the streets, and in residential complexes.
Inheritance of Loss examines sites where long neglected colonial remnants are transformed into newly minted capital through the rhetoric of "inheritance." My ethnography explores this capitalization of colonial inheritance, orchestrated by the municipal governments in Northeast China in their attempts to position their respective cities within the global economy. I examine the face-to-face interactions between Chinese and Japanese set in motion at these sites of inheritance. Through encounters in the realm of tourism and foreign direct investment I identify a new mode of generational transmission that I call the "political economy of redemption." Here, the moral economy of seeking redemption for the unaccounted past is inexorably linked to the formal economy of exports, consumption, and the citywide pursuit of middle class dreams. For both Chinese and Japanese, China's growing economy is channeling contradictory impulses towards erasing, confronting, or capitalizing on the past into new forms of production, consumption, and accumulation, while, at the same time, revealing new forms of anxiety arising from inherited legacies of colonial modernity. Inheritance of Loss demonstrates how the political economy of redemption makes visible the entangled processes of "after empire": the often invisible, displaced, or seemingly separate post-colonial and post-imperial processes that give shape to the afterlife of losses and their redemptions, and the envisioning of present and future in relation to what remains.
* * *
My second project, Accounting for Silence: (For)given Time and the Politics of Redress in China and Japan, is an ethnographic and historical exploration of compensation for Japanese wartime use of Chinese forced labor. Using historical, ethnographic, and legal analyses of archives, survivors' testimonial practices, and the recent lawsuits seeking official apology and compensation, I examine how, in both Japan and China, the dramatic disappearance and reappearance of the survivors, the bodily remains of those who died, and their archival traces show an underlying debt economy––moral and monetary––in postwar Sino-Japanese relations. I elucidate how accounts and accounting address overdue responsibility for postwar generations and, against the background of generational shift and the changing balance of economic power between China and Japan, show how the crux of the issue has shifted from apology to inheritance and accountability. At the center of this inquiry is the role of the victims in the circulation of bodies that drives the economy of compensation. I enquire into the human, legal, and theoretical impact of accounting for silence in pursuit of the politics of redress.
* * *
Since the early 1990s, Chinese and Korean victims of Japanese imperialism in the first half of the twentieth century filed scores of lawsuits against the Japanese government and corporations within Japanese jurisdiction, and more recently within South Korean and Chinese jurisdiction. These lawsuits have become a prime site for belatedly redressing past violence and injustice years after the original violence ended with imperial Japan's defeat in 1945. My third project, Post-imperial Reckoning: Law, Redress, Reconciliation, examines this emergent transnational legal space and explores the role of law in the unmaking of empire. I show how the legal process itself has paradoxically produced a legal lacuna—a new transnational legal space for historical redress, where the plaintiffs are effectively caught between the law. Through historical, legal, and ethnographic analyses of this absence of law within the emergent transnational legal space, I explore a post-imperial legal space, created through the erasure of empire and imperial and colonial subjects in the post-imperial legal framework after the formal disappearance of Japanese empire. Through the optic of "between the law," my book explores the uneven terrain of legal space that embodies temporal and spatial disjuncture, rupture, and asymmetry of after empire, and, in doing so, to capture the role and place of law. I demonstrate how, at the intersection of law and economy, post-imperial reckoning is emerging as a new legal frontier, putting at stake what I call "law's imperial amnesia" within the post-1945 legal framework, which has deferred the unmaking of empire.
- Yukiko Koga, Inheritance of Loss: China, Japan, and the Political Economy of Redemption after Empire (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016).
- Winner of the 2017 Anthony Leeds Prize, American Anthropological Association's Society for Urban, National, and Transnational/Global Anthropology (SUNTA).
- Winner of the 2017 Francis L. K. Hsu Prize, American Anthropological Association's Society for East Asian Anthropology (SEAA)
Articles & Book Sections in English:
- Yukiko Koga, "Law's Imperial Amnesia: Transnational Legal Redress in East Asia," in Injury and Injustice: The Cultural Politics of Harm and Rederess, edited by Anne Bloom, David Engels, and Michael McCanne (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018), pp. 317-350.
- Yukiko Koga,"Between the Law: The Unmaking of Empire and Law's Imperial Amnesia," Law & Social Inquiry, vol. 41, no. 2 (Spring 2016), pp. 402-434.
- Yukiko Koga, "Accounting for Silence: Inheritance, Debt, and the Moral Economy of Legal Redress in China and Japan," American Ethnologist, vol. 40, no. 3 (2013), pp. 494-507.
- Yukiko Koga, "'The Atmosphere of a Foreign Country': Harbin's Architectural Inheritance," in Consuming the Entrepreneurial City: Image, Memory, Spectacle, edited by Anne M. Cronin and Kevin Hetherington with a Foreword by Sharon Zukin (New York: Routledge, 2008), pp. 221-253.
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANTHC101)
- Law and Anthropology (ANTH702.30/ANTHC320.75)
- Politics of Memory (ANTHC310.01)
- Anthropology of Violence (ANTHC321.66/HR321.00)
- Anthropology of Urban China (ANTH730.00/ANTHC325.56)
- Anthropology of East Asia: History, Memory, Inheritance (CUNY Graduate Center)


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Davidoff Cool Water have joined forces with National Geographic's Pristine Seas Mission this summer to launch their "Love the Ocean" campaign. Davidoff Cool Water is the quintessential ocean fragrance, launched in 1988 it introduced a new wave of freshness to the world and is still a best seller today.
The limited edition sleeve on the Davidoff Cool Water bottles will offer a unique access code; enabling buyers to use a geo-localisation application to follow Enric Sala's (Nat. Geo. explorer) latest expedition to the Pitcairn Islands, online.
The Pristine Seas mission aims to work in collaboration with local communities to conserve ocean's beauty and create protected marine areas.
Enric Sala and his team of scientists have recently returned to the Southern Line Islands, a province of the Republic of Kiribati, situated 2,000 miles south of Hawaii.
The team spent six weeks visiting Flint, Vostok, Millennium, Starbuck, and Malden islands which are some of the most remote and isolated on Earth.
The scientists observed and documented water quality, fish populations, predator populations and the health and variety of the coral reef itself.
The expedition was the first study of its kind and is set to be used by researchers with the aim to create a baseline model for healthy coral reefs, to measure the effects of human activity on these ecosystems, and to devise a scheme for the preservation of degraded reefs.
The southern Line Islands are currently unprotected, and while remote, they are not safe from human impacts. Vostok, Starbuck, Millennium, and the other southern Line Islands, are home to gorgeous coral reefs that are among the most pristine on the planet. But at Malden the team found sharks with hooks hanging from their mouths and thinned shark populations at Flint.
These are the first symptoms of encroaching human pressure on this remote paradise. Sharks could be eliminated from the southern Line Islands by long-liners within months, but it would take decades for them to recover. We don't have the luxury of losing the sharks of the southern Line Islands, like we've lost them almost everywhere else. Sharks are the first to disappear because of humans, and this is only the first step in a path to destruction that ends with dead corals, abundant microbes, and stinging jellyfish. Sharks and other large predators are good; they keep the reef healthy. They have to be in the ocean, not in shark-fin soup.
There is a lot of work to do, but there is hope.
Supporting this partnership is Hollywood actor Paul Walker, the face of Davidoff Cool Water. Paul has studied marine biology and is known for his passion for the ocean. Learn more about the Pristine Seas Mission and the partnership with National Geographic visit www.love-the-ocean.com


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Reviewed by Michael L. (age 8)
I liked this story because it was interesting with all of the grasshoppers coming in a storm cloud. The illustrations were well done. This book reminded me of a tornado because it is a storm as well.
I recommend this story to people who like longer stories because it is fairly long. If people like suspense stories this would be a good book to read.


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Recently Charisma Magazine published an article in its "Prophetic Insight" column which addressed the numerous bad doctrines creeping into the church as a result of bible illiteracy amongst Christians. I know nothing of the author, Dennis Cramer, but in this article he is spot on.
In this essay he addresses the current teachings, such as those encountered in Patricia King's so-called "Glory School," where people are taught to have "supernatural, sovereign experiences at will." This includes (at will) third-heaven visitations, which is the gist of the "Glory School" teaching. Back to Cramer:
When a believer unwisely exercises his (soulish) human will, outside of or in conflict with the sovereign will of God (anything contrary to the written Word of God, the Bible), he is producing a seemingly supernatural (source unclear) experience from his own will, or "at will." This is the meaning of "at will." It is self-will, and self-will can be sinful and lead to all kinds of spiritual deception and questionable practices.
These deceptions can take place ONLY because Christians are NOT opening their bibles and reading it for themselves.
One of these deceptions involves the teaching that we can go to the "third heaven" (mentioned once in the scriptures) on our own instigation - "at will." Yes, scriptures tell us of a few noteworthy events that suggest that a person could be caught up into the heavenlies for a specific sovereign purpose. Nowhere it is implied that this is an everyday event that we can conjure up at will.
For instance, here (at 00:46), Patricia King rips Psalm 24 totally out of both context and plain meaning. By no stretch of the imagination is Psalm 24 promoting visits to heaven by saints now alive on the earth. In its plainest meaning it refers to Zion or Jerusalem. Yet King uses this scripture to promote her "Glory School" agenda.
"Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?" Psalm 24:3
Notably absent from her scripture references is this appropriate one from Isaiah 14:
"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Friends, this is dangerous stuff. Things did not work out too well for the being quoted above in Isaiah 14. Be careful of the company you keep. Dennis Cramer says "There is now widespread acceptance of 'marginal to heretical' doctrines. Just 25 years ago individuals would have been thrown out of the church if caught teaching these heresies." Rest assured, God will bring correction, for He is coming for a Bride without "spot or wrinkle."
As with any deviant teaching, the Glory School lessons contain much truth. But also much error.
Read Cramer's article.
Tags: Laurinda Peters Theophostic Prayer Glory Grace Covenant Church Harrisonburg gcch.org Melinda Fish The Hub Virginia Ric Peters thehubharrisonburg.org Shenandoah Paint Neff Avenue Soaking Prayer JMU Chi Alpha


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posted by Thom Holwerda on Tue 5th Apr 2011 19:50 UTC
"Apple also heard about the theme and ad campaign. I received a call from our contact at Velti this evening as well as an email asking me to please take the theme out of Cydia. On the phone, he explained Apple had contacted Toyota and requested they remove the theme and stop the advertising campaign. They (Velti) in turn contacted me relaying the message. The reason Velti listed for the removal request of the theme emailed through our dev portal was 'Toyota's making us take it down...' Toyota had agreed to do so to 'maintain their good relationship with Apple', our Velti contact told me on the phone."


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Tasty discovery: Chicken Salad salad
Price: $7
Destination: The Deli Basket, 10198 Warwick Blvd., Newport News. 757-599-9444.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Tucked into a corner of the Hilton Village neighborhood, The Deli Basket runs a big takeout operation that provides sandwiches and salads to area businesses, including The Daily Press.
But if you're out for lunch, its small, cozy dining area offers a quiet retreat from the busy work place. If the weather is nice, grab one of several outside tables on the grass next to boxwoods and under a persimmon tree.
The restaurant touts its chicken salad, available in a sandwich or as a salad, so I ordered the salad version. The main event is chunks of white meat tossed with mayo and a mild spice blend. For a small extra charge, you can add a combination of grapes, walnuts, onions or celery to the salad.
The chicken was fresh and tender and the spices didn't overpower the salad though I could definitely taste them. The dish included mixed greens, tomato wedges, cukes and carrot strips.
The Deli Basket has a wide range of sandwich meats plus chef's salad, seafood salads and salads prepared with grilled chicken and salmon. There are daily specials such as the barbecue offered the day I ate there. — David Nicholson


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Each piece of evidence contributes information at its own source-specific level of abstraction. In other words, the evidence may support a set of situations without committing to any single one.
Uncertainties pervade rules that relate observed evidence and situations.
FIGURE 7.2 Belief network components and message passing.
and thus for the domain as a whole. When evidence regarding a variable is obtained, it is applied to the corresponding node, which then updates its own total belief distribution, computed as the product of the prior distribution and the new evidence. The node then sends belief revision messages to its parent and children nodes. For example, Figure 7.2b shows the posting of evidence to X and the four resulting belief revision messages. Nodes A, B, C, and D then update their respective belief distributions. If they were connected to further nodes, they would also send out belief revision messages, thus continuing the cycle. The process eventually terminates because no node sends a message back out over the link through which it received a message.
The major feature of the belief network formalism is that it renders probabilistic inference computationally tractable. In addition, it allows causal reasoning from causes to effects and diagnostic reasoning from effects to causes to be freely mixed during inference. Belief network models can be either manually constructed on the basis of knowledge extracted from domain experts or, if sufficient data exist, learned automatically (i.e., built) by sampling the data. Within the artificial intelligence community, belief networks are fast becoming the primary method of reasoning under uncertainty (Binder et al., 1995).
Note that the evidence propagation process involves both top-down (predictive) and bottom-up (diagnostic) inferencing. At each stage, the evidence observed thus far designates a set of likely nodes. Each such node is then used as a source of prediction about additional nodes, directing the information extraction process in a top-down manner. This process makes the underlying inference scheme transparent, as explanations can be traced mechanically along the activated pathways. Pearl's (1986) algorithm is used to compute the belief values given the evidence.
To illustrate how a belief network model could be used to model the situation assessment of an S-2 staff, Figure 7.3 shows a hypothetical battle scenario in which an enemy motorized rifle division will invade its neighbor to the west. The
FIGURE 7.3 Hypothetical battle scenario. See text for discussion.
X's and dashed lines represent the friendly S-2's a priori, best hypotheses about possible enemy objectives and paths to those objectives, based on initial intelligence preparation of the battlefield, knowledge of enemy fighting doctrine, and knowledge of more global contexts for this local engagement—for example, that the enemy has already attacked on other fronts, or that high-value strategic assets (e.g., an oil refinery) exist just west of the blue positions. Although not depicted in the figure, the friendly force will, of course, have deployed many and varied sensor assets, such as radio emission monitoring sites, deeply deployed ground-based surveillance units, scout helicopters, and theater-wide surveillance assets (e.g., JSTARS). As the enemy begins to move, these sensors will produce a stream of intelligence reports concerning enemy actions. These reports will be processed by the S-2 staff, who will incrementally adjust degrees of belief in the various hypotheses about enemy positions, dispositions, and so on represented in the system.
This weekend saw multiple reports of a new zero-day vulnerability that affected all versions of Microsoft Word. Today, Proofpoint researchers observed the document exploit being used in a large email campaign distributing the Dridex banking Trojan. This campaign was sent to millions of recipients across numerous organizations primarily in Australia.
This represents a significant level of agility and innovation for Dridex actors who have primarily relied on macro-laden documents attached to emails. While a focus on exploiting the human factor - that is, the tendency of people to click and inadvertently install
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on their devices in socially engineered attacks - remains a key trend in the current threat landscape, attackers are opportunists, making use of available tools to distribute malware efficiently and effectively. This is the first campaign we have observed that leverages the newly disclosed Microsoft zero-day.
Emails in this campaign used an attached Microsoft Word RTF (Rich Text Format) document. Messages purported to be from "<[device]@[recipient's domain]>". [device] may be "copier", "documents", "noreply", "no-reply", or "scanner". The subject line in all cases read "Scan Data" and included attachments named "Scan_123456.doc" or "Scan_123456.pdf", where "123456" was replaced with random digits. Note that while this campaign does not rely on sophisticated social engineering, the spoofed email domains and common practice of emailing digitized versions of documents make the lures fairly convincing.
A sample email is shown in Figure 1 below.
When recipients open the document, the exploit -- if successful -- is used to carry out a series of actions that lead to the installation of Dridex botnet ID 7500 on the user's system. During our testing (for example on Office 2010) the vulnerable system was fully exploited despite the fact that users were presented a dialog about the document containing "links that may refer to other files" (user interaction was not required). The dialog is shown in Figure 2:
Many combinations of Microsoft Word and Windows support "
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" for documents downloaded from the internet or opened directly from the email. In these cases, the user needs to "Enable Editing" before the exploit runs. However, most users are accustomed to enabling editing.
Although document exploits are being used less frequently in the wild, with threat actors favoring social engineering, macros, and other elements that exploit "the human factor," this campaign is a good reminder that actors will shift tactics as necessary to capitalize on new opportunities to increase the effectiveness of their efforts.
Microsoft patched this exploit ( CVE-2017-0199 ) on April 11, 2017. Because of the widespread effectiveness and rapid weaponization of this exploit, it is critical that users and organizations apply the patch as soon as possible.
Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
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