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SENYC: Valiant Firsts
Valiant Entertainment may be going back to the '90s for its incoming chromium cover series, but the theme of their panel at Special Edition NYC was "Valiant Firsts" after their new series of character launches. "Armor Hunters: Bloodshot" writer Joe Harris and "Armor Hunters: Harbinger" artist Robert Gill joined Valiant staffers including CCO Dinesh Shamdasani, Director of Marketing Hunter Gorinson, Associate Editors Alejandro Arbona and Josh Johns, and Executive Editor Warren Simons.
Things got started with a rundown of recent Valiant news, including their marketing of a new iced tea drink with New York-based coffee chain Oren's Daily Roast. "I'm not a coffee drinker and I like their coffee, which says something," Shamdasani said, noting that the Valiant drink was made to match the color of X-O Manowar's energy blasts and was being advertised in Manhattan's Oren's locations with promo art by Terry Dodson.
Meanwhile, the publisher's recent contract with digital comics company Madefire is about to see its first projects released, and Gorinson showed off a digital/audio-driven version of Doug Braithwaite's "Unity" #1 opening action art. That five-issue series will cost $3.99 for each installment. At the present moment, there are no plans to bring any additional series to the platform, though the door is open to more after "Unity" is fully available.
"Armor Hunters" #1 -Â the first part of Valiant's summer crossover which shipped last week – has sold out through Diamond Comic Distributors and will see a second printing arrive July 9. The panel spoke about the revelations of that first issue, as a major city was destroyed by the eponymous hunters who are targeting X-O Manowar for his unique bond with his alien armor.
"This may not be a good thing for Aric. The armor itself may be a very, very dangerous thing for its host," Simons said, saying the armor may have planetary destroying abilities. The story picks up when soldiers from space appear to try and stop him, though characters like Bloodshot who have never interacted with X-O in the new Valiant universe will also be brought into conflict with him starting in issue #2.
Harris and Trevor Hairsine will continue the story in "Armor Hunters: Bloodshot" – a three-issue miniseries starting next month. "We're going to explore a lot of what we haven't seen before," Harris said. "It's essentially an action-packed, wall-to-wall battle between Bloodshot and the Armor Hunters…it's pretty brutal."
On the other side of the crossover, "Armor Hunters: Harbinger" deals with the fallout of the destruction of a major American city in the main series first issue. "I'm really excited to draw the next couple of issues…there's millions of little things I've had to drawn and design for this. It'll be an intense couple of months for me," Gill said of the story which involves both giant robots and massive swarms of nanobots.
Writer Joshua Dysart takes his "Harbinger" run in a new direction as the Renegades battle against Harada in issue #25 – with art by Khari Evans -Â and beyond. "It's a big blowout issue with tons of stuff in it," Simons said, pointing to the many backup stories including one by "Fifth Beatle" writer Vivek Tiwari and artist Lewis Larosa.
"One of the things Josh and I have talked about a lot is, 'Where does the book go from here?'" Simon added, saying that tons of change will happen through the issue and the incoming "Harbinger: Omegas" mini series that focuses on Peter, Chris and Toyo Harada's life now that he's been revealed as the world's first superhuman to the general public. "Part of the renegade's mission was to do that and bring Harada down, but it's kind of like taking the leash off a rabid pitbull," Simons said. The book will be drawn by "Red Hood & The Outlaws" artist Rafa Sandoval.
October brings "Archer & Armstrong" #25, featuring the return of Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry on the main feature as well as backups by the likes of Ray Fawkes, Donny Cates, Pere Perez and Barry Kitson. "It's going to be a great book," Johns said, noting the book would return to a familiar location from the early issues of the book, as well as "The Archer & Armstrong drinking game" which gives fans who have all the issues instructions on where to drink during certain moments in the run -Â with plenty of health warnings, of course. "It's probably the most fun you've had with a comic in a long time." But before that story, "Archer & Armstrong" #24 is a special one-shot about the origin of Mary Maria written by former Marvel Editor/"Watson & Holmes" writer Karl Bollers and drawn by Henry.
The much anticipated return of Christopher Priest and MD Bright's original "Quantum & Woody" hits in October. Arbona said of the five-issue series, "This is hugely exciting…the series is pretty much finished now, and it's like a dream come true…they've been separated for over a decade when this story begins." In the story, Quantum is working with a new teen sidekick, and Woody chases him down for fear that his former partner is endangering the lives of kids -Â only to find that it's a new young Quantum under the mask being backed by the original.
Valiant will also collect the entire original run of "Quantum & Woody" in an over 600-page omnibus edition shipping in October. Gorinson promised more of that kind of massive collection of past Valiant material in the future as well.
In the modern era, the current "Quantum & Woody" ongoing is wrapping in advance of a crossover with "Archer & Armstrong" in the pages of the new "Delinquents" series. The story involves the King of the Hobos leaving the heroes an "ass map" to important items, or as Johns said, "This is really a story for the kids." Kano will draw the book as written by Van Lente and James Asmus. The variant covers for the series will form to make a giant board game of the Valiant Universe. Before that, "Quantum & Woody" #12 hits, where the characters will become "Heroes for Cash," as Arbona explained.
The final new book of the Valiant Firsts push is "The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage" by Jen Van Meter and Roberto De La Torre. "This comic is very near and dear to me," Arbona said of the spinoff from "Shadowman," adding, "Right off the bat on pages two and three…they choke me up every single time. They give me all the feels. So if you just read three pages of this story, you'll be into it." The series focuses on the titular character's search for her husband -Â who, like her, can speak to the dead, but has been exiled in the afterworld.
But before that hits, the first Valiant Firsts series, "Rai," continues with issue #3 in July. The series is set in Japan in the 41st Century as told by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain. The book starts as a murder mystery with the first murder in Japan in over a thousand years, and the panel said that issue #4 will start to explore some "weirder quadrant" of the new world, including an area of Japan that's been built as an homage to the 20th Century. Spylock, a new fictional character within the world of Rai, bizarrely shows up and gets involved in the mystery this month.
The company then announced that the publishing plan for "Rai" will be focused on keeping the creative team together and consistent. So the book will go on a hiatus for three months until Kindt and Crain return with issue #5 in December, when it will then go monthly for another four months. Shamdasani compared the strategy to how Image releases arcs of "Saga" in monthly runs with trades in between.
Finally on the news front, Valiant's $1 first issue promotion for all its big series will return in October.
When fan questions hit, the future of Shadowman after the current "End Times" story was asked about, and Arbona promised that after the next issue, a huge twist will change how readers see the character and how they view the future of the franchise.
One reader asked for a Goat spinoff series from "Quantum & Woody." Arbona said there were exciting developments for the mascot in issue #12, and of course it'll appear in "Delinquents."
Another Valiant talking cover featuring Ginger, "the giant purple killing robot," will hit as a part of "Armor Hunters" as drawn by Tom Fowler.
Asked the perpetual question of when film and TV adaptations will hit, Shamdasani said that there are things in the works on the heels of previous Valiant development announcements, but their core focus is still on publishing and will remain there.
Simons said the company would be honored to have Barry Windsor Smith back to work on new "Archer & Armstrong" material, but at the moment, he's not focusing on comics work.
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I don't normally use my massive platform as a cultural and political force here at the 16th highest trafficked blog at RedEye to stick it to individual companies. After all, in the pursuit of a reliable and profitable business, all companies make mistakes. New Coke, Starbury sneakers, the George Clooney Batman movie—bad products surface.
Yet after ordering lackluster Chinese food with a friend the other night, I fear I cannot maintain silence on this one. No, it's not the lackluster Chinese food establishment that sparked my white-hot ire, but rather the fortune cookies included with the meal.
My friend and I received four Golden Dragon Fortune Cookie brand fortune cookies, and as we pulled apart the crispy shells (which, I should add, were perfectly tasty) to unveil the predictions and wisdom contained within, my mood grew darker. Let's look at the first:
• "Others take notice of your radiance. Share your happiness."
Okay, I thought, an essentially meaningless piece of utterly vapid pablum that sounds like your Bohemian aunt trying to get you to go to her herbal tea cleanse. Still, fortune cookies frequently offer lazy nonsense advice like this.
• "You tend to look at the practical side of things."
Wow, I thought. First meaningless advice and now a meaningless prediction. One of the powers of fortune cookies—and why I believe they are far superior to organized religion—is that they sometimes strike with eerie clairvoyance where as religion predicts guys on horses bringing an apocalypse and Tim Tebow. In high school, I got a fortune that said, "You are a lover of words. Someday you will write a book." I also once got one that said (I swear this is true) "The only obstacle to success is your stupidity." Which, let's face it, has been a truer fortune than the first one. I've also cracked open strangely apropos fortunes before publishing that book and selling the film rights. Intellectually, I know this is my brain trying to find patterns, attempting to organize a chaotic world into a narrative that puts my selfish genes at the center of the story. But it's still pretty weird sometimes.
• "A good deed will make you feel good."
At this point, I was livid, noting to my Chinese food partner that the Golden Dragon Fortune Cookie writers should be immediately fired and then blacklisted from ever writing fortunes again. This last was a sentiment that even the most dewey-eyed second grader would find saccharine and obvious, and that's without even delving into the awful rhetorical clunker that is repeating the ambiguous and uninteresting word "good" twice. Define a deed that is "good"? Are we talking about buying a homeless person a sandwich? Telling a co-worker we like her blouse? Starting a non-profit organization that mentors at-risk South Side youth? Are we talking explicitly selfless acts that require time and financial resources or just the usual doggerel associated with "goodness" like sending flowers to a significant other? Oh, and since you used the word twice, define the feeling of "good." Wait, never mind—I don't have time for you to flip through your Worthless Platitude and Cliché Thesaurus.
And finally, the last cookie revealed this fortune:
• "Promote literacy. Buy a box of fortune cookies today."
Wow! What the f***! Golden Dragon Fortune Cookie is stuffing their cookies full of ads for themselves while cynically connecting their product to a larger public good. I'll tell you what, Golden Dragon, if by gaining literacy all a person gets is the ability to decipher the characters you're producing than I'd venture he or she is better off living a life of total ignorance
Here's a fortune, you hopeless collection of hacks: "Others take notice of your bullshit. Leaving burning bags of feces at Golden Dragon Fortune Cookie corporate HQ will make others feel good."


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LAWA and its tenants have thousands of full-time and part-time employees at every professional level, and in every department and capacity imaginable. From skycaps to systems analysts, restaurant workers to real estate officers, engineers to elevator mechanics, there are a wide variety of positions and rewarding careers to be found. The BJRC is focused on connecting the right people with the right jobs, conducting employment outreach events, hosting job fairs, providing workforce training, and reaching into the community to select qualified candidates, as well as educate the public about LAWA's wealth of job and career opportunities.Click here to view current Job openings and Job descriptions. Scroll down to all see all available jobs listings.
Applicants for 3Q13 by job category Click image to enlarge


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Coach Rod and Justin Boren
Obviously this is an old topic and probably better forgotten, but a friend of mine made a great point about the whole Boren incident recently, something that had never occured to me -
Coach Rod had full control over whether or not to release Boren from his scholarship and allow him to play elsewhere. Now, it would'nt make much sense to keep the kid here against his will - but Coach Rod also had the ability to give him conditional release and prevent him from going to certain schools. From what little I know about transfer rules etc, it is very common for coaches to put restrictions on where their transfers go to school (i.e. Randy Shannon restricting Robert Marve from going to a Florida school and much of the SEC.)
Now, we all know where Boren went - our biggest rival, Ohio State. He took some pretty nasty parting shots at Coach Rod on his way out - and the media rode those shots to the high heavens, painting Coach Rod as a bad guy.
I feel very strongly that Coach Rod should get some credit for his handling of the Boren situation. I feel that he handled it well. Although we lost a great players skillwise that could've helped us in the past two seasons, I am confident that it's gonna work out for the better.
Kudos to RichRod for sticking to his guns and building the program the right way. It may not look like it now, but we're going to be very happy very soon.


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The modified X-Sole design provides versatility from a variety of turf conditions and lowers the leading edge to help get the ball airborne.
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Watch Sesame Workshop's Panel on Military Families
Click here to download the Military Families Highlights Video
For years Sesame Workshop has been working to better the lives of military families. We're excited to present research and analysis which demonstrates just how effective our military families initiative has been. At a panel moderated by Bob and Lee Woodruff, both widely respected journalists and founders of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Sesame Workshop unveiled the findings of a report by the Military Families Research Institute, Russell Research and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Service University of the Health Science, on the ways in which Sesame Workshop's outreach efforts have helped military families persevere through the challenging transitions that accompany military life.
The panel included an esteemed group of experts: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey; Charles E. Milam, Principal Director for Military Community and Family Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Patty Shinseki, Board Member of the Military Child Education Coalition and advisor for Joining Forces, a White House initiative that brings attention to the needs and sacrifices of veterans, service members, military families and their children; Dr. Stephen Cozza, Colonel USA (ret.), Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Science; Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President Outreach and Educational Practices at Sesame Workshop; Dr. Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Professor and Director, Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University; and Major Nico Marcolongo, USMC (ret.), Program Manager, Challenged Athletes Foundation Operation Rebound.
The panel was on Wednesday, April 18. You can watch highlights from the event above.


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By Harro Ten Wolde
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Chip makers are battling fiercely to satisfy the appetite of lookalike smartphones and tablets trying to differentiate themselves by claiming supremacy in gaming graphics, previously the preserve of PCs and consoles.
To try to steal a march on its rivals, Qualcomm has added a team of 35 developers to create games that test new processing chips to their maximum capacity and show app developers the brave new world they can conquer.
"It is not to bring (the games) to the market, but to show what the opportunities are," Raj Talluri, Qualcomm's head of product management, said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
"With our new processors you will see more high resolution, high complexity, true 3D games on mobile."
The challenge for the likes of Qualcomm, Intel and NVIDIA is to make chips that are faster and can process clearer graphics, but which also use less power and cost less, making them suitable for as many phones and tablets as possible.
"The best is yet to come, Talluri said. "Right now the games are good, but I think we still haven't taken advantage of everything we have."
The improved technology will enable phones and tablets to offer online games more sophisticated than hits such as Rovio's Angry Birds and Zynga's FarmVille, which have drawn many new users to gaming.
New chips should allow gamers to play against each other live and put graphics more usually associated with the likes of the Call of Duty series on mobile and tablet screens as well as consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox.
Global revenues from online games will reach $35 billion in 2017, from $19 billion in 2012, and account for 40 percent of the market, according to research firm DFC Intelligence.
Following that money is the smartphone applications processor market, which hit $3.8 billion in the third quarter of 2012, up 58 percent from a year earlier, says Strategy Analytics.
The main battleground, however, is the graphics processing unit (GPU), which generates the ever-more realistic pictures on screen.
"Graphics capability is really important," said Ben Wood, analyst at CCS Insight. "All the phones just look the same now ... You need to differentiate on the experience."
Wood's research shows that gaming is one of the primary activities for tablet users.
Adding to the attraction of smartphones and tablets are "mirroring programs" such as Miracast and Apple's AirPlay Mirroring, which connect to television screens and dispense with the need for a separate gaming console.
The other battleground is latency, or the response time between the movement of the device and the action on the screen. To cut the delay, the chip needs more power, which can lead it to overheat the device.
"(Our new chip) gives the power you need without burning in your hands," said Jean-Marc Chery, of chip maker STMicroelectronics.
Qualcomm is also making lower-end versions of its graphic chips for cheaper phones, broadening the potential audience and luring young users who are often heavy gamers but cannot afford high-end smartphones.
"The low end is where the biggest audience for gaming is, said Qualcomm's Talluri. "That's why mobile and 3D gaming has only just started taking off."
(Editing by David Goodman)


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RDF::AllegroGraph::Repository - AllegroGraph repository handle
An AllegroGraph repository corresponds to an RDF model. Into such a model you can park RDF information, either as individual statements or via file bulk loading. Then you can navigate through it on a statement level, or query that model.
The constructor expects the following fields:
This is the handle to the catalog the repository belongs to.
This identifier is always of the form
my $repo = new RDF::AllegroGraph::Repository (CATALOG => $cat, id => '/whereever');
- id
This read-only accessor method returns the id of the repository.
- disband
This method removes the repository from the server. The object cannot be used after that, obviously.
- size
$nr_triples = $repo->size
Returns the size of the repository in terms of the number of triples.
NOTE: As of time of writing, AllegroGraph counts duplicate triples!
- add
$repo->add ('file://....', ...)
$repo->add ('http://....', ...)
$repo->add (' triples in N3 ', ...)
$repo->add ([ $subj_uri, $pred_uri, $obj_uri ], ...)
This method adds triples to the repository. The information can be provided in any of the following ways (also mixed):
- file, HTTP, FTP URL
If a string looks like an URL, it will be dereferenced, the contents of the resource consulted and that shipped to the repository on the server. If the resource cannot be read, an exception
Could not openwill be raised. Any number of these URLs can be provided as parameter.
NOTE: Only N3 files are supported, and also only when the URL ends with the extension
- N3 triple string
If the string looks like N3 notated triples, that content is shipped to the server.
- ARRAY reference
The reference is interpreted as one triple (statement), containing 3 URIs. These will be shipped as-is to the server.
If the server chokes on any of the above, an exception
protocol erroris raised.
NOTE: There are no precautions for over-large content. Yet.
NOTE: Named graphs (aka contexts) are not handled. Yet.
- replace
This method behaves exactly like
add, except that any existing content in the repository is wiped before adding anything.
- delete
$repo->delete ([ $subj_uri, $pred_uri, $obj_uri ], ...)
This method removes the passed in triples from the repository. In that process, any combination of the subject URI, the predicate or the object URI can be left
undef. That is interpreted as wildcard which matches anything.
Example: This deletes anything where the Stephansdom is the subject:
$air->delete ([ '<urn:x-air:stephansdom>', undef, undef ])
- match
@stmts = $repo->match ([ $subj_uri, $pred_uri, $obj_uri ], ...)
This method returns a list of all statements which match one of the triples provided as parameter. Any
undefas URI within such a triple is interpreted as wildcard, matching any other URI.
(Since v0.06): The object part can now be a range of values. You simply provide an array reference with the lower and the upper bound as values in the array, such as for example
$repo->match ([ undef, undef, [ '"1"^^my:type', '"10"^^my:type' ] ]);
NOTE: Subject range queries and predicate range queries are not supported as RDF would not allow literals at these places anyway.
(Since v0.06): For AGv4 there is now a way to configure some options when fetching matching triples: Simply provide as first parameter an options hash:
$repo->match ({ limit => 10 }, [ undef, .....]);
These options will apply to all passed in match patterns SEPARATELY, so that with several patterns you might well get more than your limit.
- sparql
@tuples = $repo->sparql ('SELECT ...')
@tuples = $repo->sparql ('SELECT ...' [, $option => $value ])
This method takes a SPARQL query string and returns a list of tuples which the query produced from the repository.
NOTE: At the moment only SELECT queries are supported.
As additional options are accepted:
Namespace Support
- namespaces
%ns = $repo->namespaces
This read-only function returns a hash containing the namespaces: keys are the prefixes, values are the namespace URIs.
NOTE: No AllegroGraph environment is honored at the moment.
- namespace
$uri = $repo->namespace ($prefix)
$uri = $repo->namespace ($prefix => $uri)
$repo->namespace ($prefix => undef)
This method fetches, sets and deletes prefix/uri namespaces. If only the prefix is given, it will look up the namespace URI. If the URI is provided as second parameter, it will set/overwrite that prefix. If the second parameter is
undef, it will delete the namespace associated with it.
NOTE: No environment is honored at the moment.
GeoSpatial Support
- geotypes
@geotypes = $repo->geotypes
This method returns a list of existing geotypes (in form of specially crafted URIs). You need these URIs when you want to create locations for them, or when you want to retrieve tuples within a specific area (based on the geotype).
- cartesian
$uri = $repo->cartesian ("100x100", $stripWidth);
$uri = $repo->cartesian ("100x100+10+10", $stripWidth);
$uri = $repo->cartesian ($minx, $miny, $maxx, $maxy, $stripWidth);
This method registers one new coordinate system at the server. The returned URI is later used as reference to that system. The extensions of the system is provided either
- in the form
All numbers being floats. The X,Y offset part can be omitted.
- or, alternatively, as minx, miny, maxx, maxy quadruple
Again all numbers being floats.
The last parameter defines the resolution of the stripes, and gives the server optimization hints. (See the general AG description for a deep explanation.)
- in the form
- inBox
@ss = $repo->inBox ($geotype, $predicate, 35, 35, 65, 65, { limit => 10 });
This method tries to find all triples which lie within a certain bounding box.
The geotype is the one you create with
spherical. The bounding box is given by the bottom/left and the top/right corner coordinates. The optional
limitrestricts the number of triples you request.
For cartesian coordinates you provide the bottom/left corner, and then the top/right one.
For spherical coordinates you provide the longitude/latitude of the bottom/left corner, then the longitude/latitude of the top/right one.
- inCircle
@ss = $repo->inCircle ($geotype, $predicate, 35, 35, 10, { limit => 10 });
This method tries to find all triples which lie within a certain bounding circle.
The geotype is the one you create with
spheric. The bounding circle is given by the center and the radius. The optional
limitrestricts the number of triples you request.
For cartesian coordinates you simply provide the X/Y coordinates of the circle center, and the radius (in the unit as provided with the geotype.
For spherical coordinates the center is specified with a longitude/latitude pair. The radius is also interpreted along the provided geotype.
NOTE: As it seems, the circle MUST be totally within the range you specified for your geotype. Otherwise AG will return 0 tuples.
- inPolygon (since v0.06, only for AG4)
@ss = $repo->inPolygon ($coordtype, $preduri, @points, { %options })
This method tries to identify all statements where the object is within a polygon defined by the
pointsarray. Each point is simply an array reference with 2 entries (x,y, of course).
The predicate URI defines which predicates should be considered. Do not leave it
undef. The coordinate type is the one you will have generated before with
The optional options can only contain
limitto restrict the number of tuples to be returned.
For spherical coordinates make sure that you (a) provide longitude/latitude pairs and then that the polygon is built clockwise.
NOTE: This is a somewhat expensive operation in terms of communication round-trips.
Robert Barta,
<rho at devc.at>
Copyright 20(09|1[01]) Robert Barta, all rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.


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Valley Irrigation, a leader in precision irrigation, continues to provide water management solutions for agriculture with the formation of Valley Water Management (VWM), a new division of the Valmont company Cascade Earth Sciences (CES). Initially, Valley Water Management will enter the North American market with custom engineered pumping stations. Service for these solutions will be provided by Valley dealers – the most extensive sales network in the irrigation industry.
For producers who are building a new reservoir, drawing from a canal, or using well fields to supply their irrigation needs, Valley Water Management can offer a custom engineered, high efficiency pumping station.
"For nearly 60 years, Valley has been the most trusted name in irrigation," said Wade Sikkink, Director of Valley Water Management. "With decades of experience from numerous large and small mechanized irrigation designs completed by our professional engineering and agricultural teams, Valley Water Management will utilize that expertise to provide a custom pumping solution to meet each grower's needs. Producers will save on costs due to correctly sized pumps and components for their operation, as well as through using energy saving Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) that are used with the stations."
Valley Water Management pumping stations come with remote control and monitoring capabilities through the Valley BaseStation2. With the BaseStation2, producers can check the status of their pump from a Smartphone, tablet, or laptop.


text:
AlphaMetrix Group LLC, the Chicago-based firm that last week said it hadn't paid fees owed to some fund managers amid a cash shortfall, is in talks to sell a stake in itself to some of those managers, according to two people familiar with the matter.
AlphaMetrix is also speaking with banks and money managers about selling itself or securing a loan, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The people didn't disclose which fund managers or lenders AlphaMetrix is talking with.
AlphaMetrix, which directs investor money to accounts run by fund managers, said in an Oct. 10 letter that it had discovered "significant cash-flow issues." The firm, which had marketed itself as a haven for investors from fraudsters such as Bernard Madoff, fired its chief financial officer and hired accounting firm Arthur F. Bell Jr. & Associates LLC to review its internal controls and recordkeeping.
AlphaMetrix is working to strengthen its current financial position, CEO Aleks Kins, said in the letter. Conor Shea, a spokesman for AlphaMetrix, didn't return an e-mail and phone call seeking comment.
AlphaMetrix's former CFO, George Brown, is Kins' brother-in-law. He joined AlphaMetrix in March 2008 and before that he was a consultant to Nature's Best, which sells dietary supplements, according to a government filing. He was previously the CFO of Old London Foods Inc., which makes crackers, according to the document.
In addition to funneling client money to fund managers, AlphaMetrix holds conferences and had enlisted former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for events in Miami Beach, Florida, and Monaco this year. Blair earned $300,000 plus expenses for speaking at the Florida summit in January, Bloomberg Markets magazine reported earlier this year, citing a person familiar with the matter. Blair's spokeswoman said at the time that the fee was lower.
The firm also hosted a performance last year by CeeLo Green, a member of the band Gnarls Barkley and a judge on the television program "The Voice."
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Congress approved $14.4 billion in disaster relief for farmers and others who suffered losses from this year's hurricanes and for farmers hurt by drought, floods or natural disasters in 2003 or 2004.
But the manner in which it was approved and funded created rancor that is sure to pill over onto the campaign trail, especially in races like that between Reps. Charles Stenholm and Randy Neugebauer, who are running for the same congressional seat in the High Plains of Texas.
The legislation, which was attached to the annual military construction bill, sends $11.5 billion in aid to businesses, farms, individuals and government installations damaged by hurricanes and storms in Florida and other East Coast states. It also provides $2.9 billion for farmers hurt by droughts, floods and other weather-related problems in other areas.
The initial disaster package submitted by the Bush administration to Congress would have only helped farmers in Florida who were hit by the four hurricanes that swept through the state in late August and September.
A number of congressmen, including Stenholm and Neugebauer and Rep. Tom Osborne, R-Neb., and Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., worked to include farmers who suffered losses from other natural disasters.
"Without the leadership of these members and their willingness to step up to the plate, assistance would have been provided only for victims of hurricanes and not producers impacted by other equally devastating disasters," National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson said.
But NFU and other farm group leaders said they were concerned that that Congress decided to fund the agriculture disaster assistance by capping the Conservation Security Program in the 2002 farm bill.
Stenholm, who introduced legislation expanding the assistance program, blamed the House leadership for the move to take money from the farm bill to pay for the disaster package.
"I was disappointed that the leadership of the House failed to yield to the majority will and to do what is fair and in the best interests of U.S. farmers and ranchers," said Stenholm, who had 34 co-sponsors for the legislation, including Neugebauer and 16 other Republicans.
"The House failed to use the bipartisan legislative process that worked so well when (former Texas Rep.) Larry Combest led the Agriculture Committee in the development of the 2002 farm bill, and it did so for political considerations. As a result, the House has opened the farm bill when it didn't have to."
Neugebauer, who offered the amendment to pay for the $2.9 billion in disaster relief by reinstating spending limits on the Conservation Security Program, said he felt the strategy was the only way to obtain disaster relief this year.
"I saw a need to help our farmers in a way that is fiscally responsible and does not touch the farm bill," he said. "I came to Washington to find solutions, and this much-needed disaster relief is a solution that will be a welcome sight for West Texas farmers."
Like the disaster bill passed in 2003, farmers must have lost at least 35 percent of their crop to drought, flood or other natural disaster either in 2003 or 2004. Benefits will be in addition to proceeds from federal crop insurance claims.
Funding will be provided through the Crop Disaster Program, Quality Loss Program and Livestock Assistance Program. Growers cannot collect more than 95 percent of what they would have earned from an average crop on the payments, which are expected to being reaching farmers by the end of the year.


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Hartsville, S.C. - The Coker Men's Soccer team has announced a group of seven student-athletes who will continue their academic and athletic careers at Coker College starting in the fall of 2008. The class includes athletes from across the eastern part of the United States and looks to add depth to a young and improving program. Of the seven new signees, five are transfers, while two are true freshmen. Last season's Cobras finished 6-12 overall and 2-8 in conference play with season highlights coming in a double-overtime win at Division I High Point University and a trip to the IMG Academy in Florida to compete against the U-17 USA National Team.
"I'm extremely pleased with the talent level we have been able to attract in this year's class," Coker College head coach Robert Lane commented. "We've added quite a bit of depth and experience to all positions on the field. More importantly, we've added quality character guys with a passion for the game."
Tino Sangster (Kingston, Jamaica) joins the Cobras from Tyler Junior College in Texas. Sangster is a native of Kingston Jamaica, but competed for the FC Omni Club out of Orlando, FL, before starting 16 games in the back for Tyler. According to Coach Lane, "Tino's strength and his aggressiveness will solidify our back line, which conceded 41 goals in 2007. He brings to Coker great technical skills needed at our center back position."
Marc Mergena (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) comes to Coker as a transfer from Manatee Community College in Florida. Mergena is a midfielder/forward that according to Coach Lane "is a creative and skillful attacker who loves to go forward, Marc will look to up the goal total of a Coker team that struggled to finish games in the fall." Mergena was considered to be a member of the 2008 U-23 Haitian National Team that is currently participating in the Olympic Qualifying tournament in California.
Jason Fowler (Sanford, FL) joins the Coker squad by way of Barry University. While at Barry Fowler played in 12 games and tallied one start before transferring to Coker in 2005. After sitting a complete year, Fowler "adds more skill and solid decision making to the Cobras midfield," said Coach Lane. Like Sangster Fowler also played for the FC Omni club team.
Felix Siladi (Atlanta, GA) is one of two true freshmen to sign early with the Cobras. Siladi comes to Coker from Atlanta where he played for the Atlanta Fire United Club and Peachtree Ridge High School. While playing with the Fire, Felix was the team's captain, as they participated in the Region III Premier League, the U-17 National Red Bull League, as well as various tournaments across the country and in Costa Rica. "He has experience, the ability to play various midfield positions, and the competitive attitude that will add a great sense of strength to our midfield," said Coach Lane.
Russell Hill (Indian Trail, NC) is the second true freshman signed early for Coker. Hill played at Porter Ridge High School, where he was a member of the 2006 and 2007 3A South Piedmont Conference Championship Teams. In his senior season he tallied 22 assists and 14 goals as a center midfielder and was named the Conference Player of the Year, as well as Union County Player of the Year. Hill is a member of the South Charlotte Soccer Association and according to Coach Lane "Will make an immediate impact on the field for the Cobras. His technical ability will allow him to play an attacking midfielder or move up front for Coker."
Jason McCann (Leonardtown, MD) comes to the Cobras from the College of Southern Maryland. Before college McCann played for the BSU Bandits and Leonardtown High School where he was All-State Honorable Mention. Upon graduating he attended North Carolina Wesleyan College, where he played eight games as a freshman for a team that was ranked as high as sixth in the nation in Division III., before transferring to the College of Southern Maryland, where he was named Region XX Second Team. "McCann looks to contribute immediately and add leadership and maturity to a young Coker team," said Coach Lane.
AJ Sweeney Jr. (Clinton, MD) is the second player from College of Southern Maryland coming to Coker. Sweeney attended high school at Huntingtown High School, where he scored 15 goals and had 23 assists his senior year. While at College of Southern Maryland, AJ was named All-Conference as a sophomore. "Like McCann, Sweeney will look to solidify a spot immediately on the field and provide some much needed collegiate experience to the Cobras," said Coach Lane.
Coach Lane and the Coker Cobras Men's Soccer team are looking to improve in the fall of 2008 with the addition of these seven players, along with the return of 15 players from last season's team.


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News from Afghanistan: Higher Education Needs the Support of International Partners
A scholar from Afghanistan who is on the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) fellowship sent the Institute the following piece about education in his country. For the last 60 years, it has been a see-saw ride for higher education in Afghanistan. However, the data proves that the news is not all bad. In fact, educational opportunities have increased, especially for girls and women.
But with international forces scheduled to leave the country soon, there is a battle that needs to remain: the fight for the rights of all citizens to receive quality education on all levels. In simple terms, the international donor community must prioritize support for education in Afghanistan. If that fails to happen the consequences will be dire. As an esteemed IIE-SRF scholar writes below, "Afghans remain hungry for learning and eager to improve themselves through higher education."
Let's be sure to help.
Letter from an SRF Scholar, March 2013
Decades of war, civil unrest, internal conflicts and political instability in Afghanistan have destroyed the basic social service delivery mechanisms of the country. Education, and higher education in particular, was the most vulnerable social sector during the years of insecurity. The education of girls and women suffered the most. Historically, higher levels of learning have never received enough attention in Afghanistan. Institutions of higher learning started to take root in the second half of the 20th century, but progress was badly hampered by foreign aggression as well as infighting. Higher education institutions, already in a lamentable condition, only worsened under the Taliban's brutal rejection of modernity and secular education.
When the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan had 14 institutions of higher education, but these were quickly reduced by half. The surviving institutions included Kabul University, the PolyTechnical Institute, Medical University—Kabul, Herat University, Nangarhar University, Kandahar University, and the Academy of Islamic Disciplines and Technology, with campuses in Herat and Jalalabad. These institutions were characterized by outdated syllabi, non-availability of books, virtual detachment from the educational institutions of other countries, lack of a supported educational and research environment, and lack of skilled teachers. These problems did not begin with the Taliban. They dated back to the earlier Mujahideen period. In sum, the higher education institutions of Afghanistan have not measured up to the standards of the institutions of neighboring countries, let alone international standards.
Education in Afghanistan includes K-12 education, which is supervised by the Ministry of Education, and higher education, which is supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education in Kabul. Since 2002, Afghanistan has been going through a nationwide rebuilding process, and, despite some setbacks due to the ongoing Taliban insurgency, the education sector is improving. Improvements have been most notable in the expanded opportunities for girls and women to attend classes. Despite the media reports about Afghanistan, which focus mostly on negative factors (including corruption and poor governance) there has been remarkable progress in several aspects of life, and in the education sector in particular. Since 2002 there has been a seven-fold increase in the enrolment of students, the recruitment and training of large numbers of university professors and teachers, and the construction of several thousand schools in all parts of the country.
Currently there are 8.2 million students, of whom 40 percent are girls, out of a population of 26 million. In 2001 there were only 800,000 students, and none of these were girls or women. In 2001 Afghanistan had 3,400 school buildings; today there are 16,000 school building across the country. In 2001 there were 20,000 teachers; today the number has increased to 200,000 with 60,000 female teachers. Prior to the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan had only three vocational and technical institutes, today there are 83. In 2001 there was only one teacher's training college, today there are more than 83 teachers' training colleges across Afghanistan. Despite these impressive statistics, however, higher education in present-day Afghanistan remains fragile, and hugely dependent upon foreign assistance, which is set to decline significantly over the coming years. The Afghan government's own resources remain small and insufficient to sustain or extend these past gains.
Also of concern is the fact that the system of higher education being promoted does not conform to international standards. Many schools and private universities have been launched with insufficient resources or professional oversight. Teacher training is not what it needs to be, and many schools still lack even the most basic supplies and equipment. While long-term peace is a prerequisite, there is an urgent need to deliberate upon the system of education, particularly at higher levels, and the foundations upon which it has to be established. It may also be noted here that the number of students gaining admission into higher education institutes is increasing every year as the number of graduates from secondary schools is growing. In 2004 only 4,000 students submitted their forms for higher education. In 2005 this number increased tenfold to 40,000. The number of applicants reached 52,000 in 2006, over 57,000 in 2007 and over 120,000 in 2012. Girls now occupy 25 percent of the slots in public universities, and these numbers increase yearly. There are now 52 newly-established private universities across the country. While some of these have tried to set higher standards, many still function far below international norms.
What is clear from these statistics is that Afghans remain hungry for learning and eager to improve themselves through higher education. Years of denial have left girls and women especially keen to achieve greater status through education and move into the professional world. These rising trends in what remains a very youthful society will see as many as one million students applying for limited seats in institutions of higher learning within a few years. Meeting these demands remains one of the government's most critical challenges. According to the ten-year strategic plan developed by the Ministry of Higher Education, existing institutions have the capacity to accommodate no more than 150,000 students, leaving as many as 85 percent of applicants unable to attend. This deficiency has important economic, social and political implications.
Afghanistan's education system desperately needs to produce a new generation of professional workers for the government and for the private sector who can lead the country into a more hopeful future. Despite impressive achievements, immense challenges lie ahead. Dedicated Afghans need to be able to prepare themselves at the international level in order to assist the process at home. Shortages of competent teachers, appropriate syllabi, textbooks, and the lack of professional connections to international educational institutions will continue to limit progress for many years. Afghan teachers will continue to need support in the form of scholarships if they are to operate at the necessary level. Schools will have to develop indigenous research centers and libraries and laboratories to ensure that students can know what they need to know after devoting several years to "advanced" studies. A tragedy of the past decades is that too many Afghans don't even know what they don't know. A new generation of leaders must lead the way to a better future.
Undoubtedly, developing institutions in a country like Afghanistan where war has been a continuous way of life for years on end is an uphill task. Yet the importance of education in general, and higher education in particular, demands complete mobilization of government machinery and international support. We must invest in the future generations if we are to overcome the sadness of Afghanistan's recent past. Well-educated Afghan leaders can develop the riches of the Afghan land, including the vast mineral and agricultural resources, and can help develop our transportation and communication networks so that we play a positive role throughout the larger region. Every step we take provides visions of hope for the future. Hope is what we most need. The support of friends and allies in the international community today will pay dividends in the future in terms of a safer world.


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There's nothing like a celebrity mom losing the baby weight the old fashioned way to make us feel better about our chances of getting the sexy back. And Kristin Cavallari's recent confession that breastfeeding baby Camden Jack has really helped her slim down is a double win for us everyday women out here.
It's a celebrity endorsement of breastfeeding that helps shut down the haters, and it's a little boost for the ladies who are feeling a little down about that tummy pooch. But is Kristin right? Is breastfeeding really going to help? Maybe you should ask these other celebrity moms who swear it helped them get back to their pre-baby weight.
These moms in Hollywood who wanted to give their babies a good start in life and have gotten a good start on the weight loss because of it. Yeah, forget all the negative things you've heard about what breastfeeding can do to your body. Your boobs will droop because of age anyway, ladies, but cutting the weight can only be good for you -- not just in terms of looks but health too!
Check out this list -- do any of them surprise you? How did breastfeeding change your body?
Image via Maressa Brown


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Want to punch out a co-worker?
The Esquire Network, a new cable channel from NBCUniversal, will give you that chance.
Launching on Monday, Esquire Network is looking to woo upscale men with lifestyle programs about cooking, drinking and travel.
But the network also knows that even the most hoity-toity of men will on occasion dream of lacing up the gloves and slugging a colleague. Esquire Network is developing a show to fulfill that fantasy.
PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments
Called "White Collar Brawlers" and set...


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Women's Eagles Prepare for Rematch Against France
PARIS, France -- The first Women's Eagles team to ever play in Stade de France has been selected for the final contest of USA's European tour. Another defensive standoff is expected after much rainfall the past few days, resulting in a soft pitch.
Women's Eagles head coach Pete Steinberg is expecting his squad to rise to the occasion.
"It was a physical battle in the first game and we learned a lot," mentioned Steinberg. " We hope to raise our game for the last game of the year and finish the tour with our best performance."
The 80,000-seat Stade de France will also play a factor in how the Women's Eagles play tomorrow. The Women's match will precede the French men's contest with Samoa. Excitement among the players is mounting as a large crowd is expected.
"Playing in Stade de France will be an amazing experience. We have had two very light days and our bodies feel good," said Captain Jamie Burke. "The game against France will be another great encounter and we hope we can improve from Wednesday."
Burke's third-consecutive start on tour will boost her career number of caps to 35 and she will be joined by Kittery Wagner and Sarah Chobot in the front row. World Cup veterans Stacey Bridges and Sharon Blaney partner as locks with Shaina Turley, Lynelle Kugler and Kate Daley returning to the backrow.
Sadie Anderson, who will resume the vice-captain duties, starts at fly-half with Carrie White at scrum-half. Despite receiving a cut under her eye in the last match, Amelia Bizer will get the nod for the second-straight game. The U20 star will work with World Cup veteran Amy Daniels who gets her first start at inside center on this tour. Kimber Rozier starts her third-consecutive match at fullback with San Junita Moreno and Ashley Kmiecik on the wings.
Kickoff for the match is set for 3 PM (9 AM ET). The contest is the second against France on the year. The two teams played Wednesday (Nov. 21), which saw France shutout the US, 13-0, in Orleans.
Universal Sports will stream the game live from universalsports.com
Fans can also follow the game via Twitter @USAWomenEagles
USA v. FRANCE | STADE DE FRANCE | PARIS, FRANCE
Sarah Chobot
Kittery Wagner
Jamie Burke (C)
Stacey Bridges
Sharon Blaney
Shaina Turley
Lynelle Kugler
Kate Daley
Carrie White
Sadie Anderson
Ashley Kmiecik
Amy Daniels
Amelia Bizer
San Juanita Moreno
Kimber Rozier
Katy Augustyn
Sarah Wilson
Naima Reddick
Rosie Miesner
Mel Denham
Jennifer Lui
Hannah Stolba
Valerie Griffeth


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The most Latin I've read has been Genesis, chapter 24, which weighs in at 7552 characters, or two printed pages in my edition. The most classical Latin I've consumed in one day would be one of Pliny's letters to Trajan. It took me several hours, and I didn't understand all of it, even with the copious notes in Wheelock's reader, but I did find it fascinating commentary on early Christianity ;p
For comparison, in English, I read all of Chuck Yeager's autobiography in one day. Actually, it took me a little longer than a day, 26 hours, to read all 446 pages of it. I've also read both Genesis and Exodus in one day using the translation at www.netbible.com


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HONOLULU (AP) — Five people were injured when two slow-moving trains on a sight-seeing tour of a pineapple plantation collided in central Oahu.
Paramedics took a 41-year-old woman to the hospital in serious but stable condition Wednesday afternoon. A 24-year-old woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services District Chief Arnold Paragoso says three others were treated at the scene but declined to be taken to the hospital.
Paragoso says the two Dole Plantation trains weren't going very fast when they collided before 2 p.m.
Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig says the trains weren't seriously damaged.
Dole Plantation's website promotes 20-minute rides on trains called the "Pineapple Express." The two-mile tours tell the history of pineapple in Hawaii and the founding of the Dole company.


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A Utah vendetta
When some members of the Utah Legislature get mad, they try to get even. A rural Utah lawmaker, furious at actor Robert Redford's support of the state's new Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, introduced a resolution recently to turn Redford's Sundance resort into a wilderness.
"Mr. Redford has made a tremendous amount of money off what land he has and he says he wants to lock up land the rest of the people live by and depend on," Rep. Brad Johnson told AP. A Redford spokesperson pointed out that all but 75 of Sundance's 6,000 acres remain undeveloped. "We're working right now to find some way to preserve that forever," said Sundance representative Julie Mack. "If the statesman down in Sevier County would do that for us, we'd be grateful."
Redford called the resolution, which passed Utah's House of Representatives 44-27, "a publicity stunt paid for by taxpayer money."
* Betsy Marston


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The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries II has not yet been published in the US, but I'm sharing this review anyway because I know I'm not the only non-UK citizen who's a big fan of Mr. Slater and his gorgeous but quite useful cookbooks. You can find copies of the UK edition here and there, and it will be published in the US this fall. But if you're like me and can't wait that long, read on for a peek into this beautiful, inspiring volume.
Many people in the US were introduced to the British cook and writer Nigel Slater with the first volume of The Kitchen Diaries back in 2006. Volume II is a similar concept: a mix of kitchen prose and musings, recipes and suggestions, walks in the garden and strolls to the shops, and illustrated with beautiful photographs by Jonathan Lovekin. Arranged chronologically, The Kitchen Diaries II begins on January 1 with A Humble Loaf and a Soup of Roots about which Mr. Slater says:
This January 1st is no different from all the others, in that I will make soup and a loaf in what is now an annual ritual. Kneading is a good way to start the year. Tactile, peaceful, creative, there is something grounding about baking a loaf on New year's Day. We have baked bread since the Stone Age.
This book will truly travel from your bedside table to the kitchen and back again. As with all of Mr. Slater's cookbooks, the emphasis is on the seasons and the garden but not exclusively so. He's not adverse to opening a tin of tomatoes in February, for instance. You will also find a wide variety of flavors here, from comforting, squidgy British puddings to clear-brothed Asian soups to a dark, sticky chutney made from figs.
Quick Facts
• Who wrote it: Nigel Slater, with photographs by Jonathan Lovekin
• Who published it: Fourth Estate, London
• Recipes and projects for right now: Here are a few of the things Nigel cooked in February: Seville Orange Marmalade; A Risotto of Smoked Cod and Spinach; A Little Brown Stew of Mushrooms and Spelt; Braised Neck of Lamb with Apricots and Cinnamon; Mograbia (aka giant couscous); Smoked Haddock with Potatoes and Bacon; Prune Pudding with Caramel Sauce
• Recommended? Absolutely. If you pick up the British edition, be prepared to use your kitchen scale (not a bad thing) and learn a few new terms for certain kitchen items and vegetables.
• Other highlights: As mentioned, the book is arranged by month, with over 250 recipes and 200 photographs, a total of 532 pages with an index. It is bound in cream-colored linen with a pretty gold silk ribbon for marking your place.
• Who would enjoy this book? Nigel Slater's fans will not be disappointed, of course. This book will especially appeal to those who read their cookbooks in bed (although perhaps not the bath due to the fact that it is heavy and needs propping up or your wrists will wilt.) Many will find it to be a Sunday afternoon kind of cookbook, for when you need to push the Sunday blues away by rolling up your selves and digging into a good kitchen project that results in a lovely meal with friends, family, and good cheer restored.
• Availbility: Although not officially released in the US, it is possible to find this book here. Look for it at well-stocked cookbook shops such as Omnivore in San Francisco or online from Amazon, $36.00. Be sure to click on the Look Inside! feature for a peek at the first few pages. In September of this year, 10 Speed Press will release a US edition titled Notes from the Larder, $40.00.
&rarr: A fun link! Martha Muffett has created a blog called Letters to Nigel Slater in which she works her way through The Kitchen Diaries, Vol I and has just started on Vol II.
Related: Weekend Meditation: On Not Resisting Nigel Slater
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf.
(Images: Dana Velden )


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+ Locations, Office Hours & Directions
Dr. Phillis Beberman-Jennes is an anesthesiologist in Bridgeport, who manages patient pain levels before, during, and after surgical procedures.
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Ann Arbor police investigating 3 sexual assaults by taxi drivers
Update: Cab driver accused in assault arraigned on misdemeanors
Ann Arbor police Wednesday confirmed there have been three sexual assaults involving cab drivers since Jan. 23 inside city limits, including one in which the driver has been identified.
Detective Lt. Robert Pfannes released a statement Wednesday detailing the allegations from three separate women, including two University of Michigan students. Pfannes said police are exploring the possibility the sexual assaults are related, but the descriptions of the suspects are vague in each case.
Pfannes said prosecutors are reviewing the most recent case from Feb. 10 involving a Blue Cab driver. In that case, the driver allegedly touched a 23-year-old woman's thigh while driving, then parked and then kissed her, Pfannes said. He said the company immediately began working with police in the case.
More coverage
Read more content on the investigation
- Ann Arbor might crack down on unlicensed taxicabs after reported student rape
- Student tells police taxi driver sexually assaulted her near University of Michigan campus
- Ann Arbor police continue to investigate reported rape of U-M student
- Police: Another assault involving cab driver reported
- Blue Cab president: Driver denies sexual assault allegations, will not drive cab during investigation
- Ann Arbor police investigating 3 sexual assaults by taxi drivers
"Blue Cab was very cooperative," Pfannes said.
John Etter, president of Blue Cab, released a statement to AnnArbor.com Tuesday saying the driver denied the allegations. However, he will not be driving the vehicle he leases from the company while the investigation is taking place.
The driver has only been leasing a vehicle from Blue Cab since late January.
Two other cases are still under investigation. The first case was reported on Jan. 23 when a 19-year-old woman who is a student at the University of Michigan said she was assaulted by a cab driver after a ride from downtown Ann Arbor.
The other assault was reported on Feb. 3. In that case, a 21-year-old University of Michigan student reported that she was raped in the 300 block of East Madison Street.
Pfannes said the Jan. 23 incident took place when the woman got in a cab with two other passengers. After being driven from downtown Ann Arbor, the two passengers were dropped off. Pfannes said the driver parked the vehicle and made inappropriate advances toward the woman and attempted to remove her clothing.
The woman told police she kicked the man and got out of the vehicle. The driver was described as a man with a medium-olive complexion. The time and location of the incident were not released Wednesday.
The second incident was reported on Feb. 3 and resulted in a crime alert being sent out by the University of Michigan. A 21-year-old woman said she got in a vehicle she described as a cab at 2 a.m. that morning in the 1200 block of South University Avenue.
The woman reported being driven to a parking lot near her apartment in the 300 block of East Madison Street, where the driver allegedly raped her, Pfannes said. The man is described as white, in his mid to late 20s with short brown hair.
The companies involved in the two open investigations have not been named. It's unknown whether they are state-licensed limousine services or city-licensed taxi cab companies.
The suspect descriptions in each case are vague, but police are keeping an open mind about whether the incidents are related.
"Police are exploring the possibility that the crimes may or may not be related," Pfannes said.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at email@example.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Basic Bob
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
The most recent case has been turned over to the prosecutor and was not charged as a sexual assault. So far the police have not closed a taxi rape case. Please stay vigilant.
Joslyn at the U
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 8:55 p.m.
Bob is that Tigger? I love Tigger :)
Martha Cojelona Gratis
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:13 p.m.
If every woman who was ever sexually assaulted by a cab driver came forward, I'm sure most of you would take these stories in a different light. Kudos to the women who reported these assaults, especially the rape, because in reality only a percentage of sexual assaults are actually reported. Cab drivers taking advantage of a women when they are alone is not a new thing but maybe we as a city can implement sanctions to not allow this to happen again.
Camp Comments
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 5:11 a.m.
Kyle, please post a link to the statement by Lt. Fannes. Did he, in fact, describe these as three alleged sexual assaults, or is that your editorial interpretation. It is difficult to reconcile your posting this story at 2:59 pm, suggesting the police were at that time calling all three incidents sexual assaults, and then your posting an update at 4:25 pm, 86 minutes later, by which time procecutors have determined to charge simple assault, and you have been able to report on the arraignment for those charges, which occured earlier that afternoon. Three sexual assaults are newsworthy. So are two. Were you acurately reporting what the police were calling each of these incidents? Or is it just a better story if there are three sexual assaults?
Kyle Feldscher
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:10 p.m.
Camp - There is no link to Pfannes' statement, it was sent to me directly. He called them assaults directly. According to police, the driver in appropriately touched the victim's thigh and kissed her. While the man was charged with a misdemeanor, I believe it is appropriate to refer to inappropriate touching as a sexual assault. At the time of the story, I was not aware Mr. Ahamok would be charged with a misdemeanor. Inappropriate touching can also be charged as a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The arraignment occurred after the original story published.
Joslyn at the U
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 10:06 a.m.
Damned good question camp!
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 11:06 p.m.
"Ann Arbor police Wednesday confirmed there have been three sexual assaults involving cab drivers since Jan. 23 inside city limits, including one in which the driver has been identified." I highly doubt this. Has there been a trial? Any evidence presented to a jury or judge? The reporting on this is very sloppy! Please, it is very important to ALWAYS differentiate between allegations and facts. ...sigh!
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:41 p.m.
Kyle, Shouldn't that headline be "investigating 3 ALLEGED sexual assaults by taxi drivers"?? As a matter of journalistic standards? No one has been found guilty of anything yet, and the one identified driver has not even been charged. There is at least some dispute about the incidents, and as you note the details of at least one are quite vague. I'm not suggesting that the allegations and investigations shouldn't be reported, but unlike a couple of early commenters here, AA.com shouldn't treat the narrative of these incidents as established facts.
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
Quite true rm1!
Kyle Feldscher
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.
True, rm1, but I think the fact that we say police are investigating them shows the fluidity of the situation. I believe the headline is accurate as it stands, but I'll take care in the future to note that. Thanks for pointing it out.
Jen Goodman
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
Somebody tell me if this is perfectly legal: I'd start using my phone to take a picture of the back of the car, and snap a pic of the driver as I get in. All the drivers in the area should understand your concern for looking out for your own safety. Your phone should be set up to automatically backup your photos to the cloud. Women, don't live in fear, that's exactly what they want. Take common sense measures for your safety and go ENJOY your night on the town! You should expect to be able take a cab home without being raped.
Joslyn at the U
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 9:04 a.m.
Problem with that is you can't keep track of pickups or "flags" through dispatch. And limos are not required to do so either. As a matter of fact I don't think there's a regulation requiring city licensed taxi companies to do so either
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 2:31 a.m.
Jen - You realize there is a daily log that essentially creates the audit? Jane Doe calls Cab company A and asks for a ride. She gives her location. Cab #2 picks her up. All of this is logged, or at least it better be. The Police would then go to the "alleged" cab company's depot and request this log. End of story. the only part of this that gets fuzzy is when the girl a) does not remember what company she called, or b) from where (pickup location).
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:09 a.m.
Good idea, but I disagree that "they" are trying to make you live in fear.
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:40 p.m.
Jen, Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I would strongly suggest that.
Detached Observer
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
It's perfectly legal for a guy to put a magnetic toplight on his car, pop a Viagra and go cruising for college girls, because ... you know ... government regulation is bad.
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
Joselyn, The exact phrasing from a previous a2.com article. "...there are many limousine companies allowed to IMPERSONATE CABS due to the Limousine Transportation Act..." http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-might-crack-down-on-unlicensed-taxicabs-in-the-city-following-reported-student-rape/
Joslyn at the U
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 8:59 a.m.
Criminals will be criminals no matter what you regulate or how much for that fact. And class B limousine drivers and companies are NOT impersonating taxi drivers. The class B limos I travel in have no meters in them nor do they say taxi on the vehicle and actually if you want to get technical about it after readin the "limousine transportation act of 1990 " I discovered that acording to state rules listed in the act a driver may legally use a meter when they choose as long as that is not they're sole way of dictating what the fare should be.
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:41 a.m.
Detached, since you brought politics into this be aware that the drivers impersonating taxi drivers are doing so under the Limousine Transportation Act. The Limousine Transportation Act was signed into law in December 1990 by DEMOCRAT Governor Blanchard during the last days of his reign.
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:23 a.m.
"The fact is, there should be laws to license and vet cabbies and cab companies, and police should actively enforce them." There are laws. - Also, I think there may still be laws against sexual assault. Perhaps both get ignored by perps?
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:07 a.m.
Got the sarcasm. Liked it. Would like to up vote you again.
Detached Observer
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:58 a.m.
If you downvoted me because you thought I was advocating Tea Party insanity, I apologize that my sarcasm wasn't more transparent. If you downvoted me because you understood my sarcasm, I ask you this : How would "deregulation" and "smaller government" help to solve the problem of rapist cabbies? The fact is, there should be laws to license and vet cabbies and cab companies, and police should actively enforce them.
Basic Bob
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:54 p.m.
On Saturday night when the bars are closing.
Peter Eckstein
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:12 p.m.
Why has it taken until today for the dot.com to report that there were three assaults by cab drivers, not just two. Did the police hold back the information, or did your reporter fail to notice it and pass it on to your readers??? This is serious business. The failure to alert the public to this kind of menace can mean that women will not be as careful as they should be about taking cabs in town. I'm sure that I am not the only reader who would like a full answer to these questions.
Kyle Feldscher
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:03 p.m.
No problem, Peter, all very fair questions. Thanks for reading.
Peter Eckstein
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:57 p.m.
Kyle, thanks for your prompt and thoughtful reply to my question.
Kyle Feldscher
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:23 p.m.
Peter - It sounds like there is a lot of confusion around the first incident. Police are continuing to investigate, but - as you can tell by the lack of time and location in the story - many of the details are vague. I believe this is why the police did not release this incident immediately. Other media outlets reported there were 3 sexual assaults by cab drivers but did not cite a specific police official or say where that information came from. I was uncomfortable with doing the same and waited until I could get an on-the-record confirmation from police. At that point, I don't know how they got their information and how correct it is. I don't want to throw something out into the public sphere simply to generate a headline, I want to make sure I'm correct and giving accurate information. Other reporters in this day and age might not agree with me, but I would always rather be right than first.
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.
So. It is dangerous for a woman to ride in a cab in Ann Arbor. Three women assaulted in cabs. This is unacceptable. Ladies, if you're going out on the town, do not go alone. Have a designated driver, or call a friend. Until this person or persons are identified, do NOT hail or call a cab! It is not worth the risk.
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:06 a.m.
You still have a better chance of getting killed by a drunk driver. Let's focus on stuff like that too.
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.
what they caught the perv


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'I Quit' Girl Marina Shifrin Gets Job Offer from Queen Latifah!
Marina Shifrin, the girl who became a viral sensation this week for her job resignation video, has just received a job offer from Queen Latifah to work on her new talk show!
The clip will be airing on the episode on Thursday (October 3) and we'll find out what Marina's response to the offer to being the new Digital Content Producer is then.
"Sometimes I think you need to forcefully close one door in order for the other one to open a little easier," Marina said about not having any regrets from posting the video.
Marina's video, which is set to the tune of Kanye West's song "Gone," already has over 10 million views!
"I Quit" Girl Gets an Offer from the The Queen Latifah Show
Click inside to watch Marina Shifrin's original video…
Marina Shifrin's Interpretative Dance Video


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Mar 25, 2013
Every now and then, I get to try out a game that initially baffles me, but ends up surprising me. Sometimes it's good; other times, less than optimal.
Crumble Zone was one of those games that surprised me.
I have to say that I became infatuated with the look of the app. It was a true party of bright, inviting colors that really leapt out at me. The animations were smooth, and explosions brightly rendered.
The best way to describe the gameplay is "planetary." I was a sentry alien of sorts around a large space rock, protecting it from incoming asteroids. The asteroids came in different sizes packing differing destructive payloads, so it was imperative to get to them — and destroy them — before they orbited into my home planet. To accomplish this, I made use of two direction buttons on the left, and a firing button on the right. Additionally, there were special weapons I could get with diamonds I procured.
Yes, I said diamonds. I got precious jewels for destroying particular space rocks. I also used the rotate button to pick them up. I found that these multi-colored diamonds served as game currency, which could be used to purchase upgrades and such. I liked this a lot, as it placed advanced activity in my hands: play well, and play long, and the game is more interesting.
The pace was fast, and got more challenging as I progressed. I liked the explosive sequences, and found out that it took a little bit of strategy to maximize effectiveness. I was able to instigate combos and the such, and the advanced weaponry and attributes were pretty cool.
The game also has a local multiplayer option that pits two players in a battle of asteroid blasting.
As I said at the beginning, sometimes I get surprised. This one one game that blew me away… in a good way. I was impressed with the design and consuming gameplay, but was not pleased at the length of time I had to use to, uh, review the app.
In fact, I have to go do some more research.


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CLAAS has been making its CORTO and DISCO series of mowers, proven in practice in all operating sectors and conditions, for more than 45 years, continually enhancing and refining its mower technology throughout that time. The CLAAS engineers in Bad Saulgau continue to rely on the proven drum technology in today's CORTO mowers, which are designed for use in particularly difficult conditions.
It all started with the WM rotary mower
CLAAS introduced its first drum mower back in 1971, with the WM2 model. This offered many farms and businesses an attractive grass mowing alternative to the sickle bar mowers that were the norm at that time. The "WM" acronym stood for the German word for rotary mower - "Wirbelmäher". Then in 1981 CLAAS became the first manufacturer ever to offer a front mower, with the WM 31 F. The new machine almost doubled mowing productivity. Its successor model, the CORTO 290 F, remained one of the most successful models on the market for several decades. It was also the basis for the first large-scale mowers, initially developed for the CLAAS JAGUAR series, and then later for use with a tractor.
Continuing refinements to the technology
The outstanding success of the CORTO is based on the mower's extremely robust structure, and particularly their flawless ground contour following, through infinitely adjustable adaptation on the lateral and longitudinal axes. CLAAS was the first manufacturer to offer mowers with this technology. The PROFIL kinematics introduced in the CORTO 3150 F marked a further revolution in ground following technology from CLAAS, and was awarded the DLG silver medal at Agritechnica in 2003.
Presenting the latest CORTO generation
This year CLAAS introduced the latest generation of CORTO mowers, including the 310 F and 285 F models, which again feature a raft of impressive innovations. These include the ACTIVE FLOAT hydraulic suspension system and three-dimensional ground contour following. The ongoing effort invested by CLAAS in its mowing technology is also reflected in developments like user-friendly swath adjustment, simply by changing the positions of the swathing discs.
Continuing demand for robust drum mower technology
While disc mowers such as the CLAAS DISCO series have become firmly established, particularly in the large-scale mower segment, CLAAS continues to employ drum technology in its CORTO models. This reflects the ongoing strong demand for robust CORTO mowers in many regions characterised by difficult harvesting conditions. These models are well suited for harvesting fresh grass with a loader wagon, where a narrow, compact swath is required, and particularly for working in damp conditions, on uneven or steep terrain, in overgrown areas, or where there is a high dirt content in the crop from piles of soil.


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Catholics teach that the fear of god is a gift from the holy spirit.
Fear = Wisdom? Really?
I used to fear GOD. It was real to me and a constant source of stress. Perhaps when atheists speak of new found freedom, some of it is really the shedding of fear. Did you ever "FEAR the LORD? and if so, how did it feel to ditch that fear?
Views: 2061
** disobedience is the beginning of autonomy
You can buy an ebook copy of Michel Onfray. Atheist Manifesto for $2. That's a bargain. His discuses the disgusting attributes of the xin god-fiction and how god-proxies inside xian institutions use fear of eternal punishment as part of social control and indoctrination.
Fear of gods, of course, antedates xianity. One Greek philosopher Epicurus (340-270 BCE) adopted and adapted a materialist viewpoint in abolishing all transcendent fictions -- the invisible, incorporeal, other world -- the metaphysical garbage still embraced by all xian theology today.
Xians saw to it that most of the works of Epicurus and all the works of Democritus were destroyed. But, three Epicurus' letters to friends on the principles of his philosophy and some 40 maxims survived in a work by Diogenes Laertius -- On the lives of the most celebrated philosophers (200 CE).
Just search under Epicurus and also under 'the four-fold cure' -- the tetrapharmakon.
Yes, we Catholics teach that fear of the Lord is a gift, or the beginning of Wisdom.
That's a terrible modern English translation, though. In modern English fear has the singular meaning of fear of punishment/harm/terror, etc. That isn't the meaning at all, and if anyone in our faith actually tried to teach you to (modern English) fear God, or Hell, or some other such nonsense they would be getting the religion wrong. No different than someone teaching bad science.
The original Greek/Latin meaning refers to a form of filial love. It's the reluctance to offend or harm the relationship with another. So fear of your spouse would be a part of marriage; a reluctance to deliberately offend or bring harm to a relationship you value. Fear of our spouse is why we guys make a point of remembering our anniversaries ;-)
You can't tell children about the burning fires of hell without inducing a bit more fear than 'fear of offending'. The majority of people here who were religious state that they were just plain afraid - so Greek and/or Latin don't enter into it.
Don't worry, @Strega, I don't mind. I'll just keep providing evidence. I know it's hard to give up a deeply held belief in the inherent wickedness of someone else's tribe. There are probably good evolutionary reasons for that. At very least, I figure it's more a Bayesian process in terms of evaluating evidence.
Nah, it's just all the ass-raping of children. Then there are you continuous assertions that ass-raping of children is perfectly normal and everyone seems to be doing it - which doesn't speak well for the Catholic circles you frequent.
As I said, Heather, it's hard to give up a deeply held prejudice about another group, particularly when that prejudice makes us feel superior in some way. That aspect of psychology is very well known.
It's one of the reasons that proper religion is of value, because it provides a cognitive framework to work against such prejudice. One Heavenly Father by necessity means all are brothers and sisters. Groups of people don't "ass rape" others by virtue of their tribal identity, any more than Jews murder babies or westerners fornicate with goats. It's an unreasoned prejudice.
For atheists like yourself, there is apparently no alternative cognitive framework which calls into question that unreasoned prejudice against a whole group because of the actions of a few. Instead, the prejudice is viewed almost as a virtue, which you are proud to declare in public. It's virtuous to attack others unfairly, because they are inferior. The are not brothers and sisters. They are all ass-rapers/kikes/niggers or whatever, and we are superior.
Except that you've been given an open forum in which to present evidence to the contrary - and you refuse to offer anything other than anecdotal evidence from admittedly fading memories. It seems far more likely to me that you evade factual declarations because they do not support your position.
For fish on Friday?
I must admit that as a Catholic, the fish thing is a true penance. I'm not much for fish, and the fish I like tend to be shellfish so I'd never make a good Jew. Dinner, however, would be fine.
This was a thread about fear of God and such, so I'm not sure what to do in terms of "evidence to the contrary". It's a bit like "When did you stop beating your wife?". All I can say is that I never beat my wife, no one I have ever known beats his (or her) wife, and neither I nor my church have ever advocated wife beating. "But you have no evidence! All Catholics beat their wives!!" LOL. Well, if you say so.
I've shared what we actually teach about "fear of the Lord". That is really the way we view it. If you don't believe me because you can't abandon your prejudice against Catholics, that's OK. I don't mind. The real question is whether you think that's an OK thing for you?
For atheists like yourself
I might have said "for some atheists", instead.


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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Fairfield County residents should planning on grabbing an umbrella on their way out the door Saturday evening and Sunday.
Scattered cloud cover should bring showers and thunderstorms through Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected Saturday prior to 10 p.m, followed by scattered showers through midnight. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds, the weather service said.
Saturday's overnight low will be between 46 and 48 degrees.
Scattered showers will also be around on Sunday, mainly after noon, though much of the day will be mostly sunny. Sunday's high will be near 65.
The chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms continues through 9 p.m. Sunday.
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Movement Science majors study the human body – not only how it moves, but also how it's affected by disease, age, emotion, and exercise. Many of these students go on to graduate school and/or careers in medicine, pharmacy, public health, or physical and occupational therapy. They love the "macro" human body experience that kinesiology gives them in addition to the "micro" experience of biology and chemistry.
The Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Program offers Movement Science undergraduate students the opportunity to study a rapidly-growing field that involves the monitoring of the central and peripheral nervous systems of patients undergoing surgical procedures.
Learn more about the Movement Science B.S. degree | M.S. degree | Ph.D. | IONM Program
Sport Management majors study the business of sport – the economic impact of teams and venues, sport consumer behavior, relationship marketing, fundraising, and operations. They experience hands-on learning with dynamic internships, cross-campus student-run organizations, and collaborative class projects. Many of these students will begin careers at corporate entities, while others will pursue post-graduate studies in business or law.
Learn more about the Sport Management B.A. degree | M.S. degree | Ph.D.
Health and Fitness majors study how behavior, including diet and exercise, can minimize the effects of illness, injury, and other health issues in humans of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. These students are interested in corporate wellness, personal training, coaching, teaching, and non-profit community organizations – and are passionate about optimizing quality of life at all ages.
Learn more about the Health and Fitness B.S. degree
Athletic Training majors study the care and treatment of athletes – how to prevent and heal injuries through education, treatment, and partnerships with other health professionals. A rigorous program of on-the-field clinical practice, tailored coursework, and a comprehensive certification exam ensures that our athletic training graduates can hit the ground running as soon as they graduate.
Learn more about the Athletic Training B.S. degree


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At peak hours, bumper-to-bumper traffic piles up outside the new Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood all the way to the Florida Turnpike.
Dan Calvig, a 20-year-old from Coral Gables has been in the middle of it, knowing that once he makes it through, he still may have to wait another three hours for a chance to get to a poker table. But, he said, the payoff of playing is worth it.
Eddie Fernandez said he hit the jackpot when he snagged a job as a juggler entertaining children at the casino's new Paradise retail and entertainment center. It meant the 32-year-old could stay near his Hollywood home, rather than work on a cruise ship.
Across the street though, diner owner J.J. Felipe wonders how he is going to compete with the free food the casino offers at lunchtime.
While no one knows for certain what will happen if voters approve Las Vegas-style slots for Broward pari-mutuels on March 8, the experiences of Calvig, Fernandez and Felipe offer a clue.
There is certain to be flashy new entertainment, a tourism bonanza, new jobs and a mini-construction boom, but there is also the specter of more traffic jams, increased costs for local police, fire and paramedics, and while some suppliers may profit, other local business owners will get wiped out.
If the slots come, the most affected neighborhoods will be those surrounding the new slot casinos at Dania Jai Alai in Dania Beach, Gulfstream Park and the Hollywood Greyhound Track in Hallandale and Pompano Park Racing in Pompano Beach. A separate referendum in Miami-Dade County will ask voters to allow Las Vegas-style slot machines at Calder Race Course, Miami Jai Alai and Flagler Greyhound Track.
If passed, those neighborhoods can expect seven new sprawling casinos that rival the Hard Rock, with 1,700 to 2,500 slot machines, according to estimates from the state Legislature. That would rival the Hard Rock's 2,000 machines and most of the casinos in Las Vegas, such as the newly remodeled Bally's Las Vegas, with almost 1,500 machines, and Mandalay Bay with 2,200.
Construction of the 100-acre Hard Rock complex poured more than $400 million into the economy, created 3,000 permanent jobs and buys millions of dollars worth of goods and services in Broward, says Hard Rock spokesman Gary Bitner. It hosts thousands of visitors daily, who stay in the 500-room hotel, shop in the 300,000 square-foot retail complex and gamble.
"It's a positive for business. What they have done to bring people to our area is terrific. These people spend money," said Patricia Asseff, a realtor and past president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
But Felipe, owner of J. J. Diner near Griffin Road and State Road 7, across the street from the Hard Rock, said his business has been seriously damaged since the opening of the casino.
"They are giving away free lunches, free drinks. At 11 o'clock lunch, the people are over there," said Felipe, who said his business has been down $3,000 a week since the casino opened in May 2004. Felipe said he knew of at least four restaurants within miles of the Hard Rock that have gone out of business even though traffic is up.
Traffic along State Road 7 has risen at least 15 percent since the casino opened, from roughly 21,000 to 25,000 cars daily, state Department of Transportation numbers show.
The traffic may be worse than indicated by the state figures, which were last calculated midweek in July 2004, before the December opening of the Paradise retail and entertainment section with its rock shows, nightclubs and restaurants. The counts also were done for a 24-hour period and do not reflect that much of the increased traffic is squeezed into a few nighttime peak hours for the casino.
Paramedic calls along State Road 7 have gone from one a month to almost two a day, says Joe Rohan, the interim Hollywood Fire Chief.
A smaller Indian casino already operating in Coconut Creek has had no discernable effect on the city, but that might change soon, according to City Manager John Kelly.
If voters agree to allow horse and dog tracks to have Las Vegas style slots, the county's Indian casinos will also be entitled to bring in the machines.
To stay competitive at Coconut Creek, the Seminoles have announced plans to more than triple the size of the casino, from 22,000 to 70,000 square feet, and add a restaurant, hotel, spa and 700-seat auditorium.
Seeing how Hollywood has been impacted and fearing traffic could overwhelm their road system and their 400-acre Main Street urban downtown project just getting underway nearby, Coconut Creek officials are worried. But unlike Hollywood, which had little say in the construction, operation and impact of the Hard Rock expansion because the project was built on reservation land, Coconut Creek will have a stronger hand.
In Coconut Creek everything except the actual casino will be built outside the Seminoles' five acres of federally governed property. "That gives us some leverage," said Sheila Rose, the city's development services director.
As a result, developers will have to pay toward the impact on roads and pay property taxes.
In Coconut Creek, Rose is currently negotiating with the Seminoles exactly what the city will require in return for allowing construction of the new casino and hotel. "We've asked for a plan on how we can be expected to handle the extra traffic. We'll want to know how much they are willing to pay on a whole group of impact issues," said Commissioner Jim Waldman, a lawyer who handled the negotiations six years ago.
In 1999 before the 500-machine casino was built, the tribe needed water and sewer from the city. In return, Waldman and Kelly got the Seminoles to pay the city $1 million a year, which has since grown to $1.5 million. The tribe also agreed to raise the payments substantially if the casino is expanded.
The city used the income from the Seminoles to borrow money and buy about 30 acres of land neighboring the casino as a catalyst for the Main Street project.
County officials faced the same question when bargaining with gambling interests in December and January.
Broward County and the three cities that will house the potential new casinos have an agreement with the gambling interests to offset any additional costs to the community. They are expected to pay $12.8 million a year based on county estimates of 4,000 machines operating and grossing $100,000 each annually, said Pete Corwin, assistant to the county administrator.
Corwin said he had no idea whether that will be enough money and he warned commissioners in a memo before they scheduled the March 8 vote that "cost estimates are soft and very difficult to project."
"We will certainly have more traffic and an impact on police, fire, social services. Frankly, we don't have firm numbers on what it will be," Corwin said.
The money the pari-mutuels agreed to pay will go only to the county government and the cities where the casinos will be located -- Dania Beach, Hallandale and Pompano Beach. That has led Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti of Hollywood, whose city is across the street from the Hollywood Greyhound Track and near Dania Jai Alai and Gulfstream Park, to oppose the March 8 referendum.
"We're getting all the negatives like traffic and none of the money to deal with it," Guilianti said. "That's not right."
Another unknown: how the slots will affect traffic at key exits along I-95, such as the Atlantic Avenue exit leading to the Pompano track.
One of the least understood implications will be gambling's effect on crime.
Perhaps the most exhaustive study of gambling impacts used data from every county in the nation from 1977 to 1996. "Casinos, Crime & Community Cost" found significant increases in crime could be attributed to gambling in counties with casinos. Eventually about 8 percent of the crime in those counties comes from gamblers drawn into the community by casinos, the study found.
David Mustard, a University of Georgia economics professor and one of the co-authors of the study, said the benefits of casinos in terms of added jobs and other economic development are obvious.
"Less obvious are the costs in terms of additional pathological gambling, lost wages, money diverted from other businesses to gambling and crime."
Buddy Nevins can be reached at email@example.com or 954-356-4571.


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Oops! I didn't see this forum until now. I joined the Forbes 500, no no no, I mean... ahem... Faithwriters' 500. I have been around for some time now and thought I should upgrade and see what's out here... so far so good.
I'm enjoying Jan's and Ann's classes now that I can access them. LOL.


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Our Highlights from miart 2014
Ethan Wagner & Thea Westreich
David Maljkovic's films, collages, sculpture, and installations address the historical, cultural, and ideological heritage of modernist projects in Croatia. In a 2010 exhibition, "Recalling Frames," Maljkovic's photomontages combined still images from Orson Welles' film The Trial, a haunting damnation of inhuman bureaucracy shot in Zagreb in 1962, with the artist's own contemporary photographs of the filming locations. Maljkovic meticulously photographed Zagreb's Cold War-era Modernist buildings from the same extreme angles used in the film. Splicing together black-and-white negatives, the works form a sort of compression of decades of political and urban change.
Croatian, b. 1973, Rijeka, Croatia, based in Zagreb, Croatia
Our Highlights from miart 2014
Ethan Wagner & Thea Westreich
Okwui Enwezor's Venice Biennale Is an Unpleasant Experience—And That's a Good Thing
Artsy Editorial


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The Suffering Servant
John Calvin comments on today's passage as to why salvation through the Suffering Servant is so despised the world over: "The loftiness of the mystery is a reason why it scarcely obtains credit in the world. It is reckoned to ...Read More
The Good News of God's Reign
Restoration requires faith in the Lord, but we are not able to muster up in ourselves faith that will persevere to the end. We need an atonement that covers even our unbelief, and God must create in us new hearts ...Read More
Bearing Our Iniquity
Though the costs we incur to forgive are real, they by no means approach the high price Jesus had to pay to extend His grace to us. We should therefore forgive others willingly, refusing to hold the full cost of ...Read More