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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINV Newport News Division
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BOBBY BLAND, DANIEL RAY CARTER, JR., DAVID W. DIXON, ROBERT W. MCCOY, JOHN C. SANDHOFER, and DEBRA H. WOODWARD Plaintiffs,
B.J. ROBERTS, individually and in his official capacity as Sheriff of the City of Hampton, Virginia.
CIVIL ACTION NO. 4:11cv45
Before the Court is Defendant BJ. Roberts' Motion for Summary Judgment, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. On January 23,2012, this Court issued an Order granting Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment. In that Order, the Court informed the parties that a Memorandum Opinion and Order detailing its rationale for the ruling would follow. Pursuant to that Order, the Court now issues this Memorandum Opinion and Order. For the reasons stated herein, Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED.
Plaintiffs Bobby Bland, David Dixon, Robert McCoy, John Sandhofer, and Debra Woodward were employed in the Hampton Sheriffs Office ("the Office"). Plaintiffs Bland and Woodward were unsworn, non-uniformed civilian employees within the Office. Compl. ~~ 4,9.
Plaintiffs Carter, Dixon, McCoy, and Sandhofer were all sworn, uniformed deputy sheriffs within the Office. Compl. ~~ 5-8. The Sheriff of the Office, B.J. Roberts ("the Sheriff'), was slated for re-election in November 2009. Compl. ~ 12. The Plaintiffs claim that during his tenure the Sheriff used his authority to bolster his reelection efforts, including using employees to manage his political activities, using prisoners to set up campaign events and forcing his employees to sell and buy tickets to campaign fundraisers. Compl. ~ 15. Plaintiffs contend that in late 2009, the Sheriff
learned that a number of his employees were actively supporting Jim Adams, one of the Sheriffs opponents in the election. Compl. ~ 17. Jim Adams was a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Sheriffs department and he knew each of the six Plaintiffs in this action. Compl. ~ 17. The Plaintiffs further allege that the Sheriff learned that each of them affirmatively expressed their support for Adams by informing other individuals of their support, attending a cookout which Adams also attended and "liking" Adams' Facebook page. Compl. ~~ I8(a)-(d). According to the Plaintiffs, after learning of their support of his opponent, the Sheriff called a meeting in which he informed his employees that they should get on the "long train" with him rather than riding the "short train" with his opponent. Compl. ~ 22. The Sheriff won the November 2009 election, and he decided not to retain the six Plaintiffs as well as six other employees. Compl. ~ 26; see also Decl. SheriffBJ. Roberts ~ 10 ("Decl.
Roberts"). The Sheriff claims he did not reappoint three civilian employees (including Plaintiffs Bland and Woodward) based on a reduction in the number of sworn deputies which the Compensation Board allocated to him. Decl. Roberts ~ 11. He contends that he wanted to replace the civilian employees with sworn deputies. Def's. Mem. Supp. Mot. Summ. J. ~ 16. The Sheriff also declined to retain the remaining four deputy Plaintiffs and five other deputies for
unsatisfactory work performance or for his belief that their actions "hindered the harmony and efficiency of the Office." Id. On March 4, 2011, the Plaintiffs filed suit in this Court against the Sheriff in his individual and official capacities alleging that he violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association when he fired them. On December 9, 2011, Defendant moved for summary judgment based on the following arguments: (1) that the Plaintiffs have not adequately alleged protected speech under the Constitution, (2) that, even if their speech was protected, Plaintiffs have failed to raise a genuine dispute as to a material fact regarding their retaliation claim, (3) that the Plaintiffs also have failed to create a triable issue with respect to their political association claim, (4) that the Sheriff is entitled to qualified immunity in his individual capacity, and (5) that the Sheriff is entitled to sovereign immunity in his official capacity.
Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, "[tjhe Court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed R. Civ. P. 56(a); see also McKinney v. Bd of Trustees of Md. Cmty. Coli., 955 F.2d 924, 928 (4th Cir. 1992) ("[S]ummary judgments should be granted in those cases where it is perfectly clear that no issue of fact is involved and inquiry into the fact is not necessary to clarify the application of the law.") (citations omitted). In deciding a motion for summary judgment, the court must view the facts, and inferences to be drawn from the facts, in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48 (1986); Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986).
Once a motion for summary judgment is properly made and supported, the opposing party "must come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial." Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 586-87 (internal quotations omitted). Summary judgment will be granted "against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an essential element to that party's case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial." Ce/otex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324 (1986). "Genuineness means that the evidence must create fair doubt; wholly speculative assertions will not suffice." Ross v. Commc 'ns Satellite Corp., 759 F.2d 355,364 (4th Cir. 1985), abrogated on other grounds by, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228 (1989).
III. DISCUSSION A. Freedom of Speech Retaliation Claim
Plaintiffs first allege that the Sheriff failed to reappoint them in retaliation for their exercise of their right to freedom of speech when they choose to support the Sheriffs opponent in the election. Compl. ~ 32. In order to prove that an adverse employment action violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, the Plaintiffs must satisfy the three-prong test the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ("the Fourth Circuit") laid out in McVey v. Stacy, 157 F.3d 271 (4th Cir. 1998): Thus, to determine whether a public employee has stated a claim under the First Amendment for retaliatory discharge, we must determine (1) whether the public employee was speaking as a citizen upon a matter of public concern or as an employee about a personal matter of personal interest; (2) whether the employee's interest in speaking upon the matter of public concern outweighed the government's interest in providing effective and efficient services to the public; and (3) whether the employee's speech was a substantial factor in the employee's termination decision.
Id. at 277-78.
The first prong of the Me Vey test necessarily requires that speech exists before an evaluation of the remaining prongs can occur. Plaintiffs Carter, McCoy, and Woodward have not sufficiently alleged that they engaged in expressive speech, and Plaintiff Dixon has not proven that his alleged speech touched upon a matter of public concern. Therefore, these Plaintiffs' claims fail as a matter of law. I
a. Daniel Ray Carter, Jr. & Robert McCoy
Carter and McCoy each allege that they engaged in constitutionally protected speech when they "made statements" on Adams' Facebook page. Pis.' Mem. Opp'n Summ. J. at 9. McCoy's Facebook activity is more nebulous than Carter's. McCoy claims that he posted a message on
Adams' Facebook page which he later took down. Decl. Robert W. McCoy ~ 10 (Dec. 21, 2011). The Court, however, is unaware of the content of this message. McCoy's barebones assertion that he made some statement at some time is insufficient evidence for the Court to adequately evaluate his claim. Without more, the Court will not speculate as to what McCoy's actual statement might have been. McCoy has not sufficiently alleged any constitutionally protected speech. Carter alleged that he sent a statement of support and attached the statement as an exhibit to his declaration in this case. Decl. Daniel R. Carter, Jr. ~ 11 (Dec. 22,2011). However, after
reviewing the record, the Court has not found any evidence of the "statement of support" Carter allegedly made. In fact, the only evidence regarding Carter's activity on Adams' Facebook page is that he "liked" Adams' page. It is clear, based on the Sheriffs own admissions, that at some point he became aware of McCoy and Carter's presence on Adams' Facebook page. B.J. Roberts Dep. at 104:4-8; 105:16-20
I Plaintiffs concede that the First Amendment retaliation claims are only being asserted by Plaintiffs Carter, Dixon, McCoy, and Woodward. Therefore, the Court will not address Plaintiffs Sandhofer and Bland in this claim. See Pis.' Mem Law Opp'n Def. 's Mot. Summ. J. at 2.
(Oct. 4,2011) ("Roberts Dep."). However, the Sheriffs knowledge of the posts only becomes relevant if the Court finds the activity of liking a Facebook page to be constitutionally protected. It is the Court's conclusion that merely "liking" a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection. In cases where courts have found that constitutional speech protections extended to Facebook posts, actual statements existed within the record. For example, in Mattingly v. Milligan, Mattingly posted on her Facebook wall referring directly to the firing of various employees. No. 4:11CV00215, 2011 WL 5184283, at *2-*3 (E.D. Ark. Nov. 1,2011) ("Two minutes after this post, Mattingly posted another comment: 'I am trying [sic] my heart goes
out to the ladies in my office that were told by letter they were no longer needed ... It's sad.' "). There, the court held that Mattingly's specific post was an expression of constitutionally protected speech. Id at *3-*4. Similarly, in Gresham v. City of Atlanta, the plaintiff posted: "Who would like to hear the story of how I arrested a forgery perp at Best Buy online to find out later at the precinct that he was the nephew of an Atlanta Police Investigator ... ?" No.1: 1O-CV-130 l-RWSECS, 2011 WL 4601022, at *2 (N.D. Ga. Aug. 29, 2011), report and recommendation adopted in part, rejected in part on other grounds by, No.1 :10-CV-1301 RWS, 2011 WL 4601020 (N.D. Ga. Sep. 30, 2011). In Gresham, the district court adopted the Magistrate Judge's recommendation that although the statement was a close question, it constituted enough speech to be considered speaking out as a matter of public concern. See 2011 WL 4601022 at *2. These illustrative cases differ markedly from the case at hand in one crucial way: Both Gresham and Mattingly involved actual statements. No such statements exist in this case. Simply liking a Facebook page is insufficient. It is not the kind of substantive statement that has
previously warranted constitutional protection. The Court will not attempt to infer the actual
content of Carter's posts from one click of a button on Adams' Facebook page. For the Court to assume that the Plaintiffs made some specific statement without evidence of such statements is improper. Facebook posts can be considered matters of public concern; however, the Court does
not believe Plaintiffs Carter and McCoy have alleged sufficient speech to gamer First Amendment protection. h. David Dixo" Dixon attempted to keep his political opinions a secret. David Dixon Dep. at 31 :16-17 (Aug. 22, 2011) ("Dixon Dep.") ("A. Around the office, I tried to keep it a quiet as I could, yes sir."). Having not alleged any specific speech, Dixon claims that he had a bumper sticker on his
car, and that he was "pretty sure" others saw it. Id. at 13-15. If the Court had evidence that the Sheriff was aware of the presence of the bumper sticker supporting Adams, then Dixon might have sufficiently alleged constitutionally protected speech. Counsel for the Plaintiffs had opportunities to inquire about others' knowledge of the bumper sticker on Dixon's car. However, they failed to do so. There is insufficient evidence in the record to establish that the Sheriff or his high-ranking officials had knowledge of the bumper stickers. The only other expression in which Dixon allegedly engaged was at the election booth. The Sheriff alleges that one of the reasons he terminated Dixon was for violating the Standards of Conduct when he used profanity towards a co-worker. See Def.'s Mem. Law Supp. Mot. Summ. J. at 9. The Sheriff alleges that "[w]hen Dixon exited the election booth, in referring to Sheriff Roberts' campaign literature, he told Frances Pope, 'you can take this f---ing s---, and throw it in the trash can.' " Id. Plaintiffs counter that Dixon never used profanity with Francis Pope and further suggest that this statement, regardless of whether it actually contained profanity, is
constitutionally protected speech. PIs. Opp'n Summ. J. at ~ 13. "Whether an employee's speech addresses a matter of public concern must be determined by the content, form, and context of a given statement, as revealed by the whole record." Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138, 148-49 (1983). Dixon's alleged use of profanity in speaking to Frances Pope is immaterial to the Court for the purposes of determining if his speech is protected. While Plaintiffs claim that Dixon's expression is protected, the Court finds that the expressive activity Dixon engaged in does not constitute speaking about a matter of public concern. "Because of the nature of the interest protected, however, public employee speech about matters of personal interest is not so protected. Thus, personal grievances, ... , or expressions about other matters of personal interest do not constitute speech by the First Amendment." Stroman v. Colleton Cnty.
Sch. Dist., 981 F.2d 152, 156 (4th Cir. 1992). Further;" ... to be a matter of public concern, speech must 'involve[] an issue of social, political, or other interest to a community.'" Bosse v.
Baltimore Cnty., 692 F. Supp. 2d 574, 592 (D. Md. 2010) (quoting Campbell v. Galloway, 483 F.3d 258,267 (4th Cir. 2007)). There is no evidence that Dixon's statement touches on a matter of political concern to the community as a whole. It appears to the Court that he was airing a personal grievance about where he believed the literature belonged. "When employee expression cannot be fairly considered as relating to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community, government officials should enjoy wide latitude in managing their officers, without intrusive oversight by the judiciary in the name of the First Amendment." Connick, 461 U.S. at 146. Dixon did not seek to inform the
public of anything. Nor did he attempt to bring to light any potential wrongdoing on the part of the Sheriffs office. Despite the fact that others may have heard Dixon's statement, it is not clear that
he intended to address it to any audience other than Frances Pope. Dixon's statement is devoid of any public concern. Based on the context, form, and content of Dixon's statement, he has not alleged protected speech. Therefore, he fails the first prong of the Me Vey test and cannot establish a retaliation claim against the Sheriff. c. Debra Woodward The crux of Woodward's claims is that because she did not do anything to actively support the Sheriff in 2009 (as she had in the past), he knew she was not supporting him in the upcoming election. See Debra Woodward Dep. at 12:12-24; 37:7-19 (Aug. 23,2011) ("Woodward Dep."), Similar to Plaintiff Bland, Woodward admits that she never did anything to outwardly support Adams.'
Id. at 6-9.
Mere belief that the Sheriff and high ranking officials in his office "surmised" or
"believed" she was supporting Adams is insufficient. In Smith v. Frye, the plaintiff claimed that she was fired because her employer believed she supported her son's candidacy. 488 F.3d 263, 266 (4th Cir. 2007). The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling that plaintiffs belief was not enough to establish speech because, aside from the speculative claims she made that her employer knew she supported her son's candidacy, the plaintiff had not spoken or expressed herself in any way. Id. at 267. Akin to many of her fellow Plaintiffs in this case, Woodward has not given the Court any reason other than speculation that the Sheriff knew she was supporting his opponent. The Plaintiffs would have the Court match their guesswork with its own and credit the Sheriff with knowledge of beliefs which the Plaintiffs never actively expressed. The Plaintiffs'
2 In a declaration dated December 23,2011, Woodward claimed that she protested Lt. George Perkins circulating a petition for Sheriff Roberts. Decl. Debra Woodward ~ 7-8. Plaintiff Woodward never mentioned this "protest" during her deposition. She further stated that she "believed [her] colleagues viewed [her] protests as opposition to the Sheriff or support for Adams." [d. at, 10 (emphasis added). Notwithstanding the fact that the Court may not judge the factual credibility of Woodward's statements at this stage of the litigation, it still finds that she has not provided the Court with any evidence beyond mere speculation that the Sheriff was aware of this protest.
claims appear riddled with speculation, and the Court simply will not engage in such conjecture. Accordingly, Plaintiff Woodward's claim of retaliation must fail.
B. Freedom of Association Claim
In addition to their First Amendment retaliation claims, the Plaintiffs also have asserted that the Sheriff violated their First Amendment right to freedom of association. A public employee
may not generally be terminated for his or her political affiliation. Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 358-59 (1976); see also Branti v. Finkel, 445 U.S. 507, 509-10 (1980). "The First Amendment forbids government officials to discharge or threaten to discharge public employees solely for not being supporters of the political party in power, unless party affiliation is an appropriate requirement for the position involved." (1990). The Fourth Circuit has adopted a two-part formulation of the Elrod-Branti test. First, the court must "examin]e] whether the position at issue, no matter how policy-influen[tial] or
Rutan v. Republican Party of 111.,497 U.S. 62, 64-65
confidential it may be, relates to 'partisan political interests ... or concerns.' " Stoll v. Haworth, 916 F.2d 134, 141 (4th Cir. 1990) (internal citation omitted). If so, the court must then "examine the particular responsibilities of the position to determine whether it resembles a policymaker, a privy to confidential information, a communicator, or some other office holders whose function is such that party affiliation is an equally appropriate requirement." Id. at 142.
In the Fourth Circuit, Elrod cases have fallen into two primary categories: (1) cases in which the person terminated is actively associated with a political party (or actively chooses not to be so associated) and the individual making the firing decision is a person seeking office; or (2) cases in which newly elected or appointed officials fire supporters of their rivals during a political transition."
Fields v. Cnty. of Beaufort, 699 F. Supp. 2d 756, 763 (D.S.C. 2010).
The case at hand aligns more
closely with the second category of cases. Although the Sheriff had held his position for quite some time, he was still "newly elected" because he won the 2009 election prior to discharging the six Plaintiffs (among others). Similar to their retaliation claims, the Plaintiffs have offered little evidence which the Court views as more than mere speculation about their "association" with Adams campaign. As previously mentioned, the Plaintiffs frequently explained in their deposition testimony how they attempted to keep their alleged support for Adams secret. In fact, aside from the Sheriff's admission that he knew Carter and McCoy at some point had been on Adams' Facebook page, there is little to no evidence that rises to the level of a genuine dispute about whether the Sheriff actually knew about the Plaintiffs' support of Adams. Consequently, the Court believes that the freedom of association claim suffers from identical difficulties to the Plaintiffs' retaliation claims. Still, the Plaintiffs may argue that there was a perception within the Sheriffs' office that they supported Adams. While the Court maintains that there is insufficient evidence as a matter of law to support even a claim based on perceptions, all of Plaintiffs' claims against the Sheriffwill fail because he is entitled to both qualified and Eleventh Amendment Immunity.
C. Qualified Immumty''
"Government officials performing discretionary functions are entitled to qualified immunity from liability for civil damages to the extent that 'their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.''' Fields, 699 F. Supp. 2d at 760 (quoting Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818
(1982)). "Officials lose the protection of the immunity only if it appears that (1) they violated a
3 Plaintiffs contend that Defendant waived the defense of qualified immunity by virtue of his failure to plead it in his Answer to the Complaint. However, on December 6, 20 II, the Court granted Defendant's Motion to Amend his Answer and Affirmative Defenses. In his amended pleading, the Sheriff raised the defense of qualified immunity. The Court, therefore, will consider this defense.
statutory or constitutional right of the plaintiff, and (2) the right was "clearly established" at the time of the acts complained of such that an objectively reasonable official in their position would have known of the right." McVey, 157 F.3d at 276. "Only infrequently will it be 'clearly established' that a public employee's speech on a matter of public concern is constitutionally protected." Id. at 277 (internal citations omitted). The first question the Court must answer is whether the Plaintiff has established a deprivation of a constitutional right. The Court has previously elucidated its opinion that neither Plaintiffs' retaliation claim nor their association claim sufficiently establishes a deprivation of their constitutional rights. This finding ends the inquiry. The Defendant is entitled to qualified immunity. However, assuming arguendo that the Sheriff violated the Plaintiffs' statutory or constitutional rights, those rights were not clearly established in the context of this case. In other words, even if the Sheriff violated the Plaintiffs' constitutional rights, those rights were not clearly established. "The area of discharge for the exercise of First Amendment rights whether of free speech or political association, is one of the most complex that we have to apply." Fields, 699 F. Supp. 2d at 764. Moreover, courts have inconsistently used the First Amendment to allow for dismissals of some employees but not others. Id. "Officials are not liable for bad guesses in gray areas; they are liable for transgressing bright lines." Maciariello v. Sumner, 973 F.2d 295, 298 (4th Cir. 1992). Plaintiffs contend that the Sheriff is not entitled to qualified immunity because he testified in his deposition that he understood firing employees for their speech or political affiliations was not a right he possessed. See Pis.' Opp'n Summ. J. 32. Q. SO you believe that you have the right to terminate them for any reason, 12
including political opposition to you? A. No. Q. You don't believe that? A. No, I don't believe that I have the right to - I know I have the right to terminate their employment at will, but I'd have to have a cause for at will. Q. Okay. But in any event, it's your understanding that you don't have the right to end a nonsupervisory employee's employment at will for political opposition to you? MR. ROSEN: Okay. I object to the form to the extent it calls for a legal conclusion or an interpretation of law. You can answer it if you can. A. The answer to that would be no. Roberts Dep. at 112:17-25; 113:1-9. Simply because an employer knows his employees have the right to oppose him politically does not create the inference that an objectively reasonable elected official in his position would fully understand the contours of his employees' rights. Nor does it mean that he should understand the complexity of the legal questions involved in this case: "When determining whether a reasonable officer would have been aware of a constitutional right, we do not impose on the official a duty to sort out conflicting decisions or to resolve subtle or open issues." McVey, 157 F.3d at 277. Plaintiffs' counsel's questioning of the Sheriff barely touches the convoluted arena of the law in which the Sheriffs and his discharged employees have opposed one another. When the Sheriff answered "no" to the question of whether he could fire an employee for political opposition, what his answer actually shows is that he fails to understand the complexity of this area of the law because there are certain instances where a government employer can demand the loyalty of his employees. Two of the Plaintiffs (Bland and Woodward) arguably represented the Sheriff to the public. "[A] public employee, who has a confidential, policymaking, or public contact role and speaks out in a manner that interferes with or undermines the operation of the agency, its mission, or its public confidence enjoys substantially less First Amendment protection than does a lower level
Id. at 278. Woodward admitted herself that she served as the Sheriffs "liaison to the
Hampton Roads criminal justice [sic] - or the training academy .... " Woodward Dep. at 11:2225. She also coordinated all the training for the Sheriffs Department.
Id. ("I scheduled all the
training, coordinated it. I had to keep track of all of the training records of each employee to make sure that they received all of their annual training to meet all of the accreditation.). Bland served
as Finance Officer for the Sheriff s Office. Dep. Bobby Bland at 22: 12-16 (Aug. 22, 2011) ("Bland Dep."). It was part of Bland's job description to serve as "liaison between the Hampton Sheriff s Office and the City Finance Department (procurement and Accounts Payable)" as well as being the "point of contact for all vendors to facilitate the timely payment of invoices." See Hampton Sheriffs Office Job Description: 27-19. Moreover, four of the Plaintiffs (Carter, Dixon, McCoy, and Sandhofer) were sworn deputies within the Hampton Sheriffs Office. The Fourth Circuit, in Jenkins v. Medford, held that political allegiance to the Sheriff was a lawful job requirement for deputies. 119 F.3d 1156, 1164 Finance Officer/Procurement & Accounts Payable, Ex.
(4th Cir. 1997). Three years later, in Knight v. Vernon, the Fourth Circuit explained that the central rationale behind the Jenkins holding is that "the specific duties of the public employee's position govern whether political allegiance to her employer is an appropriate job requirement." Knight v. Vernon, 214 F.3d 544, 549 (4th Cir. 2000). The Knight court found that jailors with limited duties who lacked the power to arrest were not engaged in law enforcement activity on behalf of the Sheriff. Id. Using the required individualized inquiry, the facts of Knight are different from the facts of this case. Unlike the Sheriffs deputies, the jailer in the Knight case never took the oath of office of a deputy sheriff. Id. at 546 ("As a jailer, Ms. Knight did not take
an oath of office like a deputy sheriff, who is a sworn law enforcement officer)." The officers in this case were sworn, uniformed deputies. Under Virginia law, deputies have the power of arrest. S The very broad proposition that employees cannot be fired for their political opposition does exist. However, given the knowledge which an objective Sheriff would have had at the time, coupled with the lack of clarity under which courts have decided these issues, the Plaintiffs' rights cannot be said to be clearly established. The Court cannot find that the Sheriff "transgressed
bright lines". Maciariel/o, 973 F.2d at 298. Firstly, it is not clear that the Plaintiffs ever spoke out in a meaningful way so as to merit First Amendment protections. Secondly, there is
insufficient evidence to establish that the Sheriff was aware of their purported affiliation with Adams. Thirdly, even if the Sheriff fired the Plaintiffs for political reasons, there is a multitude of Fourth Circuit case law which may have justified his decision regarding sworn deputies and other officers who represented him to the public or had access to confidential information. Based on the facts that an objectively reasonable officer would have had at the time, the Court cannot conclude that the rights were "clearly established" such that an objectively reasonable person would know them. The First Amendment balancing tests are difficult to apply "without having to engage in guesswork."
Pike v. Osborne, 301 F.3d 182, 185 (4th Cir. 2002).
Further, " ... the relevant inquiry requires a 'particularized balancing' that is subtle, yet difficult to apply, and not yet well defined." [d. (quoting Dimeglio v, Haines, 45 F.3d 790, 806 (4th Cir. 1995». In a case where the Plaintiffs have asked the Court itself to engage in extensive guesswork, an objectively reasonable official in the Sheriffs position cannot be expected to
The Court bases its finding that the Plaintiffs failed to make out a claim for political association largely on the insufficient evidence proving that their association was ever actually expressed. The Court did not reach the issue of arrest powers when discussing the freedom of association claim because the Plaintiffs have not laid the groundwork necessary for the Court to tackle that portion of the analysis. S "A. The following officers shall have the powers of arrest as provided in this section: ... 2. Sheriffs of the various counties and cities, and their deputies; .... Va. Code. Ann. § 19.2-81.
engage in that same calculus. A balancing which has been difficult for multiple courts to engage is difficult more so for a Sheriff attempting to ensure that his actions do not impede upon the constitutional rights of his employees. Taking the facts in the light most favorable to the
Plaintiffs, Sheriff Roberts is entitled to qualified immunity. D. Eleventh Amendment Immunity
Finally, the Sheriff asserts that he cannot be sued in his official capacity because he is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth. Plaintiffs, in their response to Defendant's Motion
for Summary Judgment, failed to address the issue of Eleventh Amendment Immunity. Defendant argues that a suit against a constitutional officer is considered a suit against the state, which the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution bars. "In order to determine whether a suit against a state agency is in reality a suit against the state, the court 'must examine the particular entity in question and its powers and characteristics as created by state law.' " Hussein v. Miller, 232 F. Supp. 2d 653,656 (E.D. Va. 2002) (quoting Collin v. Rector and Bd. a/Visitors of Univ. a/Va., 873 F. Supp. 1008, 1013 (W.O. Va. 1995) (internal citation omitted)). Moreover, when "the State treasury will be called upon to pay a judgment against a governmental entity, then Eleventh Amendment immunity applies to that entity, and consideration of any other factor [affecting whether an entity is an arm of the state] becomes unnecessary."
Ed., 242 F.3d 219,223 (4th Cir. 2001).
Cash v. Granville Cnty. Bd.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, sheriffs are constitutional officers. See Va. Const. Art. VII § 4 ("There shall be elected by the qualified voters of each county and city a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a clerk, ... , and a commissioner of revenue. "); Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-1609; Brown v. Brown, No. 7:99-00275,2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21002, at *5
(W.D. Va. Feb. 22, 2000), rev'd and remanded on other grounds, Brown v. Wiita, 248 F.3d 1133 (4th Cir. 2001); see also Harris v. Hayter, 970 F. Supp. 500 (W.D. Va. 1997); Blankenship v. Warren Cnty., 918 F. Supp. 970,974, on recons., 931 F. Supp. 447, 449 (W.D. Va. 1996); McCoy
v. Chesapeake Corr. Ctr., 788 F. Supp. 890,893 (E.D. Va. 1992). It is well-settled in this
Commonwealth that Sheriffs and Sheriff Departments are "arms of the Commonwealth of Virginia." Blankenship, 918 F. Supp. at 974. Because the Sheriff is a constitutional officer, the State would be liable to pay adverse judgments won against the Sheriff in his official capacity." In other words, a suit against the Sheriff in his official capacity is in fact a suit against the State. Unless the State has abrogated or waived immunity, Eleventh Amendment protection applies. See Harris, 970 F. Supp. at 502. There is no evidence of abrogation or consent to suit in this case. Consequently, the Sheriff is
immune from suit for claims against him in that capacity. Therefore, even if the Court found that Plaintiffs had adequately stated First Amendment claims, the Sheriff, in his official capacity, would still be immune from liability.
6 During the deposition of the Sheriff, counsel for the Plaintiffs inquired as to what entity would be responsible for any judgment in this case. Roberts Dep., 54: 14. The Sheriff informed counsel that Virginia Risk Management would handle any such judgments. ld. at 54: 14-18 (Q: Sir, are you covered by a policy of insurance in this case? A. Yes. Q. And what insurance is that? A. Virginia Risk Management.). Upon Plaintiffs' counsel's further inquiries, the Sheriff explained that, based on his knowledge, the State (of Virginia) is the only insurance provider for his office. ld. at 56:23-25; 57: 1-2 (Q. Couple more questions about the insurance issue. Is there a private insurance company involved in your insurance coverage, or is it just a state policy? A. State.).
IV. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, it is ORDERED that Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED. Plaintiffs' claims are hereby DISMISSED. The Court DIRECTS the Clerk to send a copy of this Memorandum Opinion and Order to counsel of record. IT IS SO ORDERED.
Raymond Jackson United States District Judge
Norfolk, Virginia April ;;'1',2012


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- Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Entry no.: 1167
23 Oct 2010, 11:30 PM
Tags: art, criticism, quotations
Comments: 0
Quotes Demise of traditional media in favor of newer forms
The things we create in print and in digital are so completely different from each other that they appeal to fundamentally distinct needs. The war between old and new is a false construct. Nothing goes away.
—David Granger, Esquire's editor in chief.
Via APhotoEditor.


text:
Discussion in 'BlackHat Lounge' started by RaveRandi, Feb 21, 2011.
Is it really that simple?
I was wondering, can you take a pr8 site and make it a pr3 site?
I know it sounds outside of our reality.but it is really interesting to me.
How much time and effort will it take?
The time span depends on the strength of its cPanel password.
I wouldn't be surprised if he has been contacted already by some
oh well he'll only lose $5 bucks.
Some people have no clue
and how would you achieve it with the password?
I mean if a site socially declines today, does his pr goes down?
Is there a blackhat way to bring a pr to certain level or do we only know how to get snadbox or high pr.
Is there a process that sites go through and their page rank goes down?
It is called PR evaporation.
what? can you explain ?
I just don't see any way for a sites pr to go down. All the juice that is coming to the site cannot be stopped. At least I don't know how to stop it.
Is there an action you can take with cpanel that will evaporate the juice that is coming to the domain?
Lool anyone can make it , i can get him PR10 in 2 min
exactly lol, deal with him $20 for PR10 and I will teach you how.
lol.. Guys at fiverr think they can buy the whole world for fiverr.
lol wth is that 5 bucks for months and years of work...good luck to him
how u can do it in 2 min tell me harry i want make 10pr in 2min tell me how is it possible .
Moon Seo
Importance of Education in Islam and Quran
Islam is the religion of peace and the preferable thing of Muslim civilization among the other communities was only because of the Islam's focus on learning and education. This thing becomes clearer when you study the Quran and life of the Prophet Mohammad, where you can find numerous references to education, need for learning and use of logic. By the reading Quran we have come to know that Islam appreciate to get knowledge. Quran Tutor
You can also learn more other thing related to it and they may solve your daily or routine wise problem Quran is a perfect guider that can make our this as well as after death life easy and successful. Islam has given us education with knowledge which has no limits. The Holy Quran is the most sacred book of Allah revealed on Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and is the best guide for us.
Education is the knowledge of putting your abilities to uplift your life no one can find the proper right path in this world without education. Learning is a natural process. This is innate and one of the basic instinct. The pleasure achieved from this is very important for human mind to nurture. If there had been no learning the life itself would be in danger. Even the growth of human race has been in danger if knowledge of sex through observation, reading and hearing is hidden from everyone when we recite Quran then we get that Quran focus on education.
We have analyzed that Muslims are getting good ideas, thinking, information, and skills, from all over the world. The world is growing very fast, this is the time of industrialize It is the duty of the teachers to teach the people with quality education There are two reasons due to which education is importance. Education makes man a right thinker. If you have no education, then you cannot think properly in an appropriate manner. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is you can get information from the external world only when you have education we have learnt the importance of education through Online Learn Holy Quran
i will give u 20$ and you teach me how do this
Moon SEo
Can someone pls explain 2 me how the topic changed to: Importance of Education in Islam and Quran ?
I'd say a bogus ctrl+v, that somehow passed unnoticed.
About the thread itself, i thought google PR was really dead and not updates are beeing made for quite a while.
Separate names with a comma.


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Bacchus Frambozenbier
The Brewery
Emelgem (Izegem)
West Flanders, Belgium
+32 (0) 51 33 51 60
Beer Style
Belgian Fruit Beer
The Beer
Bacchus Frambozenbier (Framboise) is similar to Bacchus Kriekenbier as the base for both fruit beers is Bacchus Oud Vlaams Bruin. Fresh raspberries are added to the beer which will continue to mature before leaving the brewery.
The Bacchus fruit beers are produced in much the same way as fruit beers that have lambiek as their base.
However, the basic Oud Vlaams Bruin beer type used in the production of this beer is nowadays almost as rare as lambiek from the Pajottenland region.
In common with all beers from the Bacchus range, this beer comes in 37.5cl bottles and is hand-wrapped in a paper covering. The Bacchus Frambozenbier is characteristic for West Flanders and, just like the Kriekenbier, it is an officially accredited regional product from West Flanders.
Fermentation identical to its underlying beer Bacchus Oud Vlaams Bruin. A mixed fermentation beer with further maturation in oak barrels.
The basic source beer Bacchus Oud Vlaams Bruin is brewed with water, malt, hops, yeast and sugar.
In addition to these natural basic ingredients, raspberries are added to the beer before its next maturation stage so the aromas will be allowed to mingle.
Colour & Transparency
Bacchus Frambozenbier has a clear, deep pink, reddish colour and will form a beautifully pink frothy collar.
Serving Temperature
Serving Glass
Bacchus Frambozen is served in the same glass used for Bacchus Oud Bruin and Bacchus Kriekenbier. A genuine, top of the range vintage inspired glass that makes for easy drinking and perfect handling.
Character, Tastes & Aromas
A beautifully well balanced beer, with a perfect marriage of sweet and sour. It is zesty, refreshing and thirst quenching. The moment you pour, you will smell the raspberries.
Your nose will instantly fill up with fruity aromas. In the mouth the tastes of raspberries and balsamic vinegar melt into one.
The main taste is very sweet. An almond aroma surfaces in the aftertaste. A very special beer that is popular with lovers of sweet fruit beer.
Just like the Bacchus Oud Vlaams Bruin and Bacchus Kriekenbier, the brewery's Frambozenbier was not designed to be a gastronomic or culinary beer. It is very moreish.
However, the beer is perfect for use in a number of dessert recipes, a sabayon for example.
A great choice of dessert beer to accompany sweet dishes, or just to have on its own. The pronounced taste of raspberries does not make it an obvious candidate for food pairing. If you do accept the challenge, please be careful.
Keeping and Storage
Bacchus Frambozenbier can be stored for a short while under cool, dry and dark conditions. The taste will evolve, which may appeal to certain beer lovers.
Up to you to experiment and find out.
Bottle ✔ On Tap ✔
In common with other Bacchus branded beers, this brew is slightly more difficult to get hold of in supermarkets than the more well known Kasteel range.
After all, there is quite a big difference in the volume of beer produced annually between these two ranges.
Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck exports its beers around the globe so Bacchus Frambozenbier can be obtained far and wide.
You may need to try resellers or specialised (online) retailers. In Belgium, the better beer retailers and beer cafés should be your first port of call.
Other Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Beers
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EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — A black man suing a Cleveland suburb claims he was kicked in the face and seriously hurt by a police officer recently fired for using excessive force in another case.
Erimius Spencer filed suit last week in county court against Euclid and two officers. One was Michael Amiott, who was fired in October after a dash cam video recorded him repeatedly punching a black man during a traffic stop.
Spencer's lawsuit says two officers moonlighting at his apartment building last December confronted him in a hallway.
It says Amiott found marijuana in Spencer's pocket, kneed him in the groin and kicked his face when he cried for help.
A message seeking comment was left Monday for Euclid police. No phone listing could be found for Amiott.


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It's hard to believe that less than a week ago I was stood on the patio of my mother in law's house in Dorset. We were in Dorset for about 6 hours, goodness me that was a mad weekend! We left Yorkshire at 8:30 on Friday night and drove to Northants (to my mum's house). Then on Saturday morning, we left early and made the 3 hour drive down to Dorset for a family lunch. I'm lucky enough to have two fathers-in-law and it was the surprise birthday lunch for one of them. He was surprised! It was such a lovely day. There were thirteen of us, plus Baby F and it was just really good to be a part of this family. My new family I suppose, the one I gained since being married. I think it's rather lovely that you don't just get a husband, you get a whole other family as well. (I appreciate that only works if you have good family!) It feels really special to be a part of it and I'm always made to feel really welcome.
I think that the area my mother in law lives in is just beautiful. It's North Dorset, near to the Wiltshire border. Far from the sea. I loved our holiday there in 2010 and look forward to more in the future. I would have liked to spend longer there this time but it just wasn't practical. I did enjoy the walk back from the pub though, and snapping photos as I went. Don't you think that this wall looks like it's just been there forever? It's a drystone wall as well, see it's not just a Yorkshire thing!
We have a small wall in our yard and I have plans to grow some Aubretia along the top of it, and over the side. It's beautiful and I think will fit really well.
Don't you just love that they are stripy up close?
Do you remember when there were cows in this paddock? Gosh I really can't believe that it's been two years since we were here. Time really flies, eh?
I think forget-me-nots are one of my most favourite flowers. Just a perfect shade of blue.
This is called Pulmonaria apparently but I have no idea why. I DO like the polka dot leaves though!
(just to say … this post was more about how I like being part of Andy's family but I snapped these photos when I was there and I really like them so I'm going to stick them in despite it making it look a bit disjointed.)
All too soon it was time to go home (MORE time in the car!) and off we tootled. We have to drive past Stonehenge on the way there and way back and you would not BELIEVE how hard it is to take a photo of some big rocks from a moving car!
Then we raced the sunset home whilst listening to music and chatting. When we got home, my mum made us macaroni cheese and we slept very very well after our busy day! (Ready for a 3.5 hour journey back to Yorkshire the next day. Hmm.)


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Not even the televison pictures had prepared me for the first sight of this camp - a sea of tiny, hungry figures in gray, sack-like clothes, group after group huddled together stretching away toward a range of forbidding, jagged mountains.
The bleakness, the dirt, the wailing, the funeral processions winding away into the distance each morning made it seem as though scenes from medieval Europe had materialized from the pages of a history book.
''Apart from the skin color, it looks like what I had always imagined the 9th century looked like,'' observed a veteran Canadian reporter as he and I stood at one end of the camp.
A visit here drives home the immensity of the settlement, the primitive conditions, the cold of the nighttime hours, and the lack of electricity. There is hardly any light at all after dark.
A ceaseless wave of sound breaks across the expanse - voices rising, falling, crying, murmuring, shouting, mourning.
In the midst of the suffering, groups of children manage to laugh and play, and older boys attempt makeshift soccer games.
Everywhere a white visitor goes he is surrounded by hordes of tiny children shouting ''fara-ji fari-ji (foreign person, foreign person).'' Every now and then a tiny hand would slip into mine and I would look down into a pair of large brown eyes belonging to a child of five who looked more like three, silent, bashful, utterly captivating.
The site slopes downhill. At the bottom, children under five whose weight-to-height ratio is less than 70 percent on a UN scale stay with their mothers, brothers, and sisters in rows of brown tents. They are fed small amounts six times a day: high-protein milk, biscuits, and rice.
When they improve to 80 percent they move to rows of green tents and are fed extra rations three times a day. If they reach 100 percent, they stop receiving supplemental feeding and their mothers must make do with a monthly distribution of grain, much of it from the United States.
When I was in the camp, the blue Mercedes truck donated by the European Community brought in 480 bags of American wheat from the US AID agency.
The emergency feeding center is run by Save the Children (UK) whose nutritionists work from a tent and a desk made from cardboard boxes covered with black plastic. Visitors sit on upturned biscuit tins.
Early morning is the grimmest time. Every few minutes officials carry away the bodies of those who did not survive the night.
Funeral processions set off in single file toward burial grounds on the other side of a nearby river bed. In cheerful contrast, women bake thin, circular pancake-type bread on rows of fires using wood brought in by truck.
Smoke fills their corner of the camp, drifting over hospital sheds in which patients lay four to a bed. French doctors leave at dusk and return in the morning because of risk of guerrilla attack.


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I'm trying to call createStream on PS4. The call results in a crash. Visual Studio reports "Segmentation violation encountered at <address> in libfmod.prx". I'm using PS4 SDK 3.5. I made sure the data I was passing were an image of a valid sound file. I tried several, MP3 and OGG formats. I am running 1.08.12.
FMOD::Sound* m_pAudioDataSound;
m_pSampleBankItem->m_nDataLength = {{length of the sound file}}
m_pSampleBankItem->m_pData = {{pointer to the sound file buffer}}
FMOD_CREATESOUNDEXINFO info;
memset(&info, 0, sizeof(info));
info.cbsize = sizeof(FMOD_CREATESOUNDEXINFO);
info.length = m_pSampleBankItem->m_nDataLength;
FMOD_RESULT result;
result = pLowLevel->createStream((const char*)m_pSampleBankItem->m_pData,
FMOD_OPENMEMORY, &info, &m_pAudioDataSound);
Call stack:
— libfmod.prx_0x00000001BD884000!00000001BD8DE383
— libfmod.prx_0x00000001BD884000!00000001BD99080B
— libfmod.prx_0x00000001BD884000!00000001BD991DA8
— libfmod.prx_0x00000001BD884000!00000001BD97765A
— libfmod.prx_0x00000001BD884000!00000001BD96F65A
— {{my calling function}}
— …
Please can you suggest what to do?
Thanks much,
- Adam Sporka asked 2 years ago
- last edited 2 years ago
- You must login to post comments
This was resolved as a stack overflow due to calling createStream inside the PCM read callback of a different stream. The stack for the stream thread can be configured using FMOD::System::setAdvancedSettings
- Nicholas Wilcox answered 2 years ago
- last edited 2 years ago
- You must login to post comments
Please login first to submit.


text:
SEVERAL government dignitaries stood alongside members of the public to greet Mr and Mrs Mirabella with warm applause as the newlyweds emerged from Wangaratta's Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral on Saturday.
Health Minister Tony Abbott, federal MP Bronwyn Bishop and liberal heavyweight Michael Kroger were among the 250 guests who witnessed member for Indi Sophie Panopoulos become Mrs Mirabella.
The MP was led to her husband in waiting, Lt Colonel Gregory Mirabella, by brother Mario in a military themed Orthodox ceremony with all the trimmings.
Mrs Mirabella, 37, was the epitome of elegance in a strapless 1950s ins-pired gold silk organza gown worn with a chiffon jacket complete with delicate pleated detailing.
Mrs Mirabella's step daughters Madeline and Emily Mirabella, along with her god daughter Elizabeth Wheeler, were flower girls accompanied by best friend Susan Bruce and sister Gigi Panopoulos.
The bridal party wore either gold or royal blue dresses with matching velvet navy jackets complete with elaborate military embroidery.
Touching on everything from politics to the sanctity of marriage, Fr Geoff Harvey led the service before the couple exited the cathedral through a military honour guard comprising Lt-Col Mirabella's colleagues from Puckapunyal army base.
"I got very teary and emotional when the ceremony started," a relieved Mrs Mirabella said as onlookers jostled to take photographs.
"It's incredible to see so many well wishers here.
"I'm actually relieved it's all over and can't wait for tonight.
"It's party time."
Mother of the bride Barbara Panopoulous couldn't hide her intentions for her daughter.
"I want them to have children because to be honest, I would like more grandchildren," she said.
Colleague and member for Farrer Sussan Ley described the service as beautiful.
"There's such an enormous amount of goodwill towards Sophie and the turnout today shows that she's very loved," she said.


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LEGO Star Wars: The TV Show
Business has been booming for the LEGO Company. They infused new fire into the Star Wars series by LEGO-izing the six Episodes. That success led to the LEGO conversion to Indiana Jones, Batman and even the Prince Of Persia. Now LEGO is adding another venue to it's bag of merchandise: TV.
Last night I watched the first episode of LEGO Star Wars. As one might expect it lacks the drama of it's silver-screen predecessors, but it more than makes up for it with humor. To some the LEGO approach might seem childish, but it is a welcome change to see old characters outside their usual roles. The penultimate moment in the episode is having Yoda complain of how he doesn't deserve to be entangled in a race to capture important Republic plans. In fact, I was bawling when Yoda went into one of his Force lectures about seeing what could not be seen, only to be surprised by droids in mid-speech. "Open my big mouth too soon, I did."
Bawling, people. Bawling.
There was a nice moment in the end when the kid saddled with Yoda on the chase turned out to be a young Han Solo. It was like George Lucas giving the audience a wink. It was a nice end to the comedy, which in turn was able to maintain the humor via the dialogue and the way the voice actors played off each other. I would definitely give the second LEGO episode a shot.
LEGO Star Wars is on Fridays on Cartoon Network, 7:30 Eastern time.


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Gravity currents are ubiquitous geophysical flows that transport everything from sediment to contaminants to buoyancy to snow, and that have important environmental impacts due their roles in diverse fields such as weather, sedimentology, lake and reservoir water quality, building ventilation and ocean circulation. However, the majority of research in this vast field is based on laboratory and model experiments at Reynolds numbers that are orders of magnitude smaller than those of the geophysical flows of interest and there are very few quantitative field measurements that resolve these flows with sufficient detail for direct comparison. A recent pilot study on the Merrimack River plume, a gravity current of great importance to the coastal ecosystem, revealed complex structures along the front associated with frontal instability. The observations were made possible using a new front-following infrared remote sensing platform and will be used to better understand the dynamics of geophysical scale gravity currents.
The video above is created from thermal images of the Merrimack River plume (MA) acquired from an infrared camera suspended 50 m above the ocean and tethered to the boat you see in the image. The boat is being carried seaward at almost 2 km/hr by the plume front. The plume is warmer than the ocean water and shows up as lighter gray tones in the IR images.
People: Chris Chickadel, Alex Horner-Devine
Funding: UW College of Engineering and Applied Physics Laboratory


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located at 1425 N. DAMEN in WICKER PARK
WickerICE is a community funded & community maintained, non-refrigerated outdoor ice skating rink.
The 60' x 120' rink is open to anyone with their own skates with no admission charge when the ice is frozen. Skate times and Field House hours are subject to change based on weather and ice conditions. WickerICE is managed and maintained by Wicker Park Advisory Council's WickerICE committee working in Partnership with the Chicago Park District, 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno, Chicago Hockey Initiative and the WPB Chamber and SSA #33. View the Rink Rules.
All players are expected to help resurface the ice after playing hockey. You must also read and sign a new waiver after November 1, 2018 and bring the confirmation with you to play.
WICKER ICE GEAR IS here.
we need your help!
We can only keep WickerICE going with the involvement of people like you from the community. Whether it's monitoring the rink on weekends, re-surfacing the ice at night (required for hockey players), helping with snow removal or with fundraisers, we need you to keep the rink running.


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Denis Sinyakov/Reuters
There is wide agreement, at least outside Russia, that the promise of democratic reform for that long-suffering country, raised by Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, got derailed somewhere along the line. But there is wide disagreement about when this mishap occurred, and about who, if anyone, was responsible. Most common is the belief that Gorbachev faltered and that Boris Yeltsin won power in 1991 as the champion of true democratization, only to see his democratic efforts undone by Vladimir Putin after he assumed the Russian presidency in 2000. This is the interpretation ably argued by Timothy Colton, director of Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies (formerly the Russian Research Center), in his new biography of Yeltsin. Colton has been working for years on his exhaustive life of Yeltsin, marshaling every available source as well as innumerable interviews that he conducted in Russia with every significant political player, including Yeltsin himself. The resulting volume is authoritative, readable and intriguing, though not beyond argument.
Colton's presentation nevertheless leaves unanswered several puzzling questions: why did Yeltsin select a man like Putin as his successor, and how was Putin able to dismantle Yeltsin's putative democracy? One answer is that the high-water mark of democratization had already been reached under Gorbachev and that Russia's prospects for democracy were reversed under Yeltsin as he and his entourage strove to consolidate their power. In this light, the choice of Putin was a natural one, and the new president merely followed the course set during the tumultuous years of his predecessor. This view is vigorously advocated by Lilia Shevtsova, a Russian associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in her new book Russia–Lost in Transition, and it's the view I find most persuasive. Under Gorbachev, Russia had an opportunity to take the social-democratic path of Western Europe; today, it is neither "social" nor "democratic."
When Gorbachev won the Politburo's designation as general secretary in 1985, he thought he could sweep away the evils of Stalinism by rekindling the original spirit of the Russian Revolution–the October Revolution, that is, the radical phase of the revolution, with its "socialist choice" to end domination by the landlords and capitalists and defend the welfare of the people. Starting with perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (transparency), Gorbachev ended up eradicating not only Stalinist tyranny and bureaucracy but also the Leninist party dictatorship and Marxist ideology ushered in by that same October Revolution. Unfortunately, his democratizing reforms unleashed the centrifugal force of nationalism within the Soviet–that is, Russian–empire as well as the bottled-up greed of the officials, who used perestroika to convert the state enterprises they controlled into private property. Enter here the hardline plotters of August 1991, who put Gorbachev under house arrest in the hope of saving the union of Soviet republics. That was when Yeltsin, by this time president of the largest constituent part of the USSR, the Russian Federation, stood on a tank in Moscow in front of his headquarters in the White House–seat of the Russian Parliament, the Supreme Soviet of the republic–to shout defiance of the coup, thereby assuring its collapse.


text:
Do you want your family information online? This could be the place!
Send us any information, which includes, but is not limited to, photos, histories and documents. We continue to hope that someone out there has information that clears up a missing link for the rest of us.
Send your GEDCOM files, additions and corrections to VaLene Collings.
DIGITIZED! "The Ewells in America and Some Allied Families", written by James H. Ewell, has been digitized and is now available online at Brigham Young University's Family History Archives
Ewell Family DNA Project Join our DNA project! The more people we can get involved, the better. Click on this link to go to the Ewell Project website. The options for ordering a test kit are towards the bottom of the page, so scroll down to find them. If you have any questions about the project, email VaLene at firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have any questions or comments about the information on this site, please contact
VaLene Collings. We look forward to hearing from you.


text: Skype Personal Design / Digital My personal proposal for the Skype app for Android phones. The new layout seeks a more friendly user design with a more simplified scheme, making more easy to find functions and settings. As this app is most use for video calls, the "calling" button is always on sight, ready to use.


text:
A new website called ProjectRant.com features actors speaking/re-enacting actual comments left anonymously online. A reader (thanks Dee!) tipped me off to one of their latest videos, which has actress Jennymarie Jemison asking "What The F*$%^ Are You Doing In A Gay Club If You're Not Gay?"
Watch, laugh, and see if you don't nod along in agreement to some of it!
There are many good lines here, but I particularly like this one:
It's funny 'cause it's true.
Of course, I think straight men and women should be allowed to go to gay clubs. It's only if they're gawking, hitting on women (straight men), or being offended if they're hit on (straight women) that it's a problem, and I suspect that's the anonymous commenter's real issue, too — but that doesn't make for quite as catchy a title.
Other rants on the site include "Dear Pharmacy Customers," "Crazy Psycho Bitch Next Door" and "Overzealous Facebook Friends," which has the teaser, "I think you all know where this is going. If you don't… it's about you."
On a related note: [soapbox] Although comments like this one on ProjectRant are chosen mostly because they're funny, I think it would be great if they also chose some terrible ones. If people had to say out loud what they wrote online, I don't think most people would write as many negative/racist/sexist/bitchy comments as they currently do. [/soapbox]
What do you think of this video, and the ProjectRant concept in general?


text:
class Insecta
Yula moneta (Warren, 1912) = Euplexia moneta Warren, 1912 = Karana moneta.
Initial species uploading to the site: Peter Khramov.
Note: you should have a Insecta.pro account to upload new topics and comments. Please, create an account or log in to add comments
* Our website is multilingual. Some comments have been translated from other languages.
There are no photos of this species on the website yet. You can offer your photo by logging into your account
Yula argyrospila (Warren, 1912)
Yula muscosa (Hampson, 1891)
Yula novaeguineae Bethune-Baker, 1906
Yula submarginata (Warren, 1912)
Yula tenuilinea (Warren, 1912)


text:
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
Getting ready for Christmas...
...well it is good to be prepared!
I was delighted to be invited to Guest Design for Crafting by Designs, they have a monthly 'Get ready for Christmas' challenge which I think is a brilliant idea...so, having been given a choice of challenges to design for I opted for this one!
The LO of my card is really simple as I decided to print the lovely Dilly Beans image fairly large! I coloured this sweetie with copics, just adding some gold coloured stickles to the flowers, the sentiment is a Paper Smooches die cut. One bow and a little Christmas tree charm to finish!
I'd like to thank Doris and the rest of the talented team at Crafting by Designs for giving me this opportunity to work with them, hope you'll pop over and check out their blog!
Thanks for visiting!
whimsy Christmas
craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2 atg Christmas
cuteasabutton Christmas
emeraldfaeries Christmas
karleighsue Christmas
onesweetchallenge Christmas
papercreators Christmas
deepocean Christmas
14 comments:
- aussie aNNie said...
Beautiful colouring Chris, and just love this designed Christmas card.xx{aNNie My Personal Blog}
- 15 July 2015 at 09:55
- Rose said...
Beautiful card Chris I love the image, fabulous colouring.
Rose x
- 15 July 2015 at 11:43
- Pamellia Johnson said...
Stunning card Chris. Your image is perfection and the big bow is so luscious! hugs :)
- 15 July 2015 at 13:42
- Chrissy said...
Congrats on your GDT Chris..I'm over there too. I think your image and your colouring is just gorgeous and love the lush bow...fabulous card.
luv CHRISSYxx
- 15 July 2015 at 19:39
- Kathleen said...
Gorgeous card, great image and fantastic colouring, brilliant layout.
Congratulations on the DT, kep this up and you will be caching up to me with Christmas cards.
Kath xx
- 15 July 2015 at 21:27
- chrissy xx said...
Oh! She is a sweet image..FABulous colours and design Chris.
Such a pretty bow with it's own little tree.
Big Congratulations on your GDT spot.
- 15 July 2015 at 22:03
- Penny said...
Congrats on the GDT! And you certainly made a wonderful card for them! Fantastic CAS design--love the sweet image and your coloring! Wonderful bow and sentiment to finish the design! Love this! :^)
Hugs, Penny
- 17 July 2015 at 00:19
- Julieanne..aka pinkjools said...
Gorgeous card Chris for your GDT spot....love the image and bold colours....Joolsx
- 17 July 2015 at 22:47
- Julieanne..aka pinkjools said...
Gorgeous card Chris for your GDT spot....love the image and bold colours....Joolsx
- 17 July 2015 at 22:47
- coldwaters2 said...
Oh my what a little beauty this is Chris, you have coloured that image to perfection I love the design and silver bow, excellent make.
lorraine x
- 18 July 2015 at 10:53
- Denise Goeldner said...
Fantastic card, love the Dilly Beans image and coloured beautifully. Thanks for entering Emerald Faeries Challenge, good luck and hope to see you again.
~ Denise DT For Emerald Faeries ~
- 18 July 2015 at 13:13
- Francesca Lopez said...
Great card!. Thank you for joining us over at Cute As A Button Stamps Christmas In July Challenge - Francesca, Owner
- 21 July 2015 at 19:39
- Ina said...
Great project. Thank you for joining the challenge over at Cute As A Button!
- 25 July 2015 at 11:45
- Rocky said...
She's gorgeous! I also love the gold corrugated card, it gives a really good look. Thank you for joining us at CHNC Extra.
- 30 July 2015 at 17:07


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Your editorial on the new regional organization for South Asia [``South Asia links,'' Dec. 6] is right on the mark. Only one thing is lacking: Special credit should be given to Bangladesh and its leader, President Ershad, for the initiative in establishing this organization. Marshall Green Washington In your article on ``South Asian nations launch bid for greater unity,'' concerning the launching of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Dec. 6), your correspondent cited Indian analyst Bharat Wariawalla to the effect that ``the idea of an organization being used to ease regional tension has no strong precedent anywhere.''
There are a number of precedents. If Mr. Wariawalla would just look a bit to the southeast of India, he would learn about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which 18 years ago brought together bickering neighbors and has produced a region and era of peace and friendly relations. John O. Sutter The Asia Foundation
San Francisco
``Trimming the disability roster'' (Dec. 10), with its urging of tact and fairness and genuine regard for individuals, prompts me to pick up my pen. The Congress would do better to (1) discontinue subsidy of tobacco crops -- at a time when tobacco use is a controversial issue anyway, and (2) disallow interest payments on second homes in a nation where many cannot afford even a primary home, often because second home buyers, with subsidized interest, drive home prices up. B. MacIntosh Lincoln, N.H.
As a reader who greatly admires your paper and its generally progressive attitude, could I make a tactful complaint about your piece on the performing elephants [``Heavy Duty,'' Dec. 5]? The article states that ``poles with hooks and whips'' are used to ``keep the animals in line.''
Anyone with an ounce of imagination knows that circus animals are ``kept in line'' by fear and hunger, and often by downright cruelty.
Why do elephants have to be trained to perform such silly antics as sitting on stools?
Alexander Pope said long ago that animals have their dignity too. T. Nelson-Humphries Williamsburg, Ky.
Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published and none individually acknowledged. All are subject to condensation. Please address letters to ``readers write.''


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About Me
I love to read and share a good book with others. I am a Jesus follower and a wife and mother of three grown adult children. A former elementary teacher, I now spend my time in a school setting with special needs students. Caffeine is a food group. God made all things for us to enjoy, but especially nature and animals! We share our home with a chihuahua and three cats.


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Thinking about this some more, it seems that the "household employee" designation is intended for someone who does not have a specialized business and who spends a significant amount of time in your home. Someone is an "employee" of a company if their pay is not directly tied to delivery of a product/service and their responsibilities may change as the needs of the company change. An independent contractor (IC) generally establishes a contract with a company for specific deliverables in exchange for pay. The IC has a specialized business, provides his own supplies and materials and may offer his products/services to other companies. Pay & contract must generally be changed before the IC would take on new responsibilities and/or offer new products/services to the company.Thinking of our household as a company, our cleaning lady would be classified as an independent contractor. She offers the service to others. She brings her own supplies. We have a verbal contract of specific services in exchange for pay. I think the "household employee" designation is for someone who, if your hosehold were thought of as a company/workplace, would be considered an employee.Does this make sense? Any gaping holes in my logic?Thanks,Puss
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Guinnevere Shuster's adorable photo booth images of rescued dogs went viral and sent adoption rates skyrocketing for the Humane Society. This calendar features her charming dog portraits accompanied by bios explaining how each dog came to the shelter and their heartwarming adoption stories. A portion of the calendar proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Utah and Best Friends Animal Society. It's a guaranteed-to-make-you-smile collection of prized pooches who found forever homes.Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Utah and Best Friends Animal SocietyGuinnevere Shuster's photography of shelter dogs in photo boothsEach portrait is accompanied by the bio on how the dog comes to the shelter and get adopted out
Shelter Dogs Photo Booth 2017 Wall Calendar
Rescue Dogs 2017 Wall Calendar
Our adorable canine friends are captured in joyous and humor-filled poses in this new 2017 Wall Calendar by Legacy featuring the photographic talents of beloved artist Grace Chon. A different rescue dog's touching adoption story is included for each month. Each 12-month calendar is printed on high-quality, linen-embossed paper that has a distinctive, luxurious feel to it, and comes in a protective envelope. The date pad is uniquely designed for each calendar title to give it a distinctive look all its own. The last page contains a 2-year calendar (2017/2018) and space for notes. Brass gusset on front cover for added durability.
Black Dogs Project 2017 Wall Calendar
Known as "Black Dog Syndrome" in animal shelters and rescues, black dogs are frequently the LAST dogs to be adopted and the FIRST dogs to be euthanized in rescue shelters. Animal photographer Fred Levy couldn't believe that it was true, so he began talking with shelters. Levy decided to turn his camera lens to black dogs, showing the world how beautiful they truly are. He called the photo series, The Black Dogs Project, and the stunning photographs have been shared worldwide, spreading awareness and attention to the problem. This beautiful 16-month calendar is filled with stunning photographs that will make you smile and touch your heart throughout the year.


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Emulating Daniel Radcliffe, her co-star in the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson, wants to perform on the capital's stage.
"I love musical theatre, so, I would love to do a musical soon, that would be wonderful," she tells Mandrake at a screening of her film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, at The Mayfair Hotel in London.
She says her film, which tells of how a group of misfits find solace in performing routines from The Rocky Horror Show, has given her "a taste for cabaret and singing and dancing."
The 22 year-old is prepared for the more revealing costumes such a part could bring, and, indeed, had to try on the odd risque outfit for the film. "I was terrified of the Rocky Horror scenes, but, as it turned out, it was fun, and once I got over how weird it was to go from wearing knitted jumpers to corsets and fishnets, I got it together."
Radcliffe, of course, did away with clothes all together when he appeared on stage in Equus in 2007.
Moving story of Danny and Rosario
Danny Boyle's summer romance with Rosario Dawson is getting serious. A month ago, the 33-year-old Sin City star assured me that she had no plans to re-locate from New York to London. Now, there appears to have been a re-think.
"I want to spend more time here," she informed me launch of Tara Smith haircare at Sketch in Soho. Flashy addresses, however, do not appeal. "I'd love to live in King's Cross because it reminds me of New York."
In addition to putting her into closer proximity to the 55-year-old director of the Olympics opening ceremony, there is also theatreland. "I hope to do some more West End soon," she says.
No Necker for Branson's boy
It is one of the most anticipated weddings of recent times – and certainly the most written about – but Sir Richard Branson's son Sam tells Mandrake that he has no intention of plighting his troth with Isabella Calthorpe at the obvious venue.
"No, it won't be on Necker," he says of the general assumption that he will be holding it on his father's paradise among the British Virgin Islands. It will, he says, be a "very romantic and fun" occasion, but he has no intention of trying to emulate the lavish four-day jamboree his sister Holly had on Necker when she married Fred Andrews, a shipbroker, last year.
"I don't think ours will be like that. We haven't totally decided where we are going to have it, but it will be sometime in early Spring next year." Holly has, however, offered to do what she can to help. "I love organising events like these so I've said if they need me to help with anything, I am more than willing," she adds as the family gathered for the Virgin Active London Triathlon.
"They hate spreadsheets, which I love so I think I could be quite useful. I was very much like 'I'll help you with anything you want'," she says.
Michael Palin takes a walk on the wild side
Unfazed by the problems that Joanna Lumley had obtaining insurance for a trip to Iran to make a documentary, Michael Palin is determined to take holiday programming into the parts of the world that Judith Chalmers and Gloria Hunniford were reluctant to reach in a series of one-off films for BBC One.
"Everyone says to me that if you want to see an unspoilt country in the Middle East, go to Syria or Damascus," the former Monty Python tells me at the launch of Antonio Carluccio's memoir, A Recipe for Life. "Iran interests me, too, and so does Jordan and the Lebanon." Palin says that countries can often appear more dangerous than they are. "Iran would be a fantastic place to go to. Sure, insurance can be a problem, but if you know people there or friends put you in touch with them, then it can be much safer than you think.
"You panic if you see these places on news bulletins, but when you actually get there, you'll see that people really want you to be there and they don't want to kill you. It is so sad that some of these countries don't have a fair chance to make contact with the rest of the world because they have a small handful of bad people in their midst." For all that, he starts off on relatively safe territory, with a programme on Brazil on BBC One on October 24.


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The ADS1253 is a precision, wide dynamic range, delta-sigma, Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter with 24-bit resolution operating from a single +5V supply. The delta-sigma architecture is used for wide dynamic range and to guarantee 24 bits of no missing codes performance. An effective resolution of 19 bits (1.8ppm of rms noise) is achieved for conversion rates up to 20kHz.
The ADS1253 is designed for high-resolution measurement applications in cardiac diagnostics, smart transmitters, industrial process control, weight scales, chromatography, and portable instrumentation. The converter includes a flexible, two-wire synchronous serial interface for low-cost isolation.
The ADS1253 is a 4-channel converter and is offered in an SSOP-16 package.


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Two Ways To Play: Sony Grows on Gamers
Strengthen your portfolio in good times and bad.
Bloomberg reports bearish sentiment is growing on the euro because a slowdown in the region's economy may be more severe than in U.S, and this will force the European Central Bank to reverse this month's rate increase.
The euro may be lower against the yen, the dollar, and even the pound according to a survey by Bloomberg. Further, PIMCO's Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, turned bearish on the euro for the first time since the currency's inception in 1999. The firm says the currency is 30% overvalued versus the dollar, based on purchasing power parity, which is more than any other currency among the Group of 10 richest nations.
From the Bull Pen: One vehicle of choice may be the dollar bullish fund (UUP); sell-stops can be set below $21.85.
From the Bear Cave: Would commodity prices come in because of gains in the dollar? Those that believe in this inverse relationship could test the downside in an oil-service stock like Schlumberger (SLB); buy-stops can be set in the $100-102 range.
Sony PlayStation 3
Bloomberg reports Sony's (SNE) PlayStation 3 trailed in the video-game console battle in 2007. But for the first five months of 2008, the unit has outsold Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox 360, overtaking the battle for second place. The PS3 had sales of 1.3 mln consoles compared to 1.12 mln Xbox units. Analysts believe with the rise of Sony's Blue-ray and hit games like "Metal Gear Solid 4," the company may be able to hold onto the lead as well because consumers now have more reason to buy the unit. Leading the competition was Nintendo's (NTDOY) Wii which had sales of 2.8 million.
From the Bull Pen: Regardless of the end result of the video-game console battle, bulls might see an upside bounce in Sony off the $40 support level. Sell-stops can be set below.
From the Bear Cave: Bears can consider the downside in Nintendo. Does the company have a diversified revenue stream capable of withstanding a global economic slowdown? And considering the stock may be breaking its February uptrend, bears can test the downside should the stock approach the $70 level.
For more ideas in real time throughout the trading day, check out Minyanville's Buzz & Banter.
Quick Check Around the World
Asian trading closed skewed to the downside with the Hang Seng -0.77%, Nikkei -0.23%, Sensex -1.03%, Taiwan -1.21% and Shanghai +0.76%.
Quickly glancing towards Europe, we see green with the CAC +1.84%, DAX +1.30%, FTSE +1.98%
As of 8:30 AM EST; S&P futures are trading +16.80 points to 1256, and Nasdaq futures are up +22 points to 1842.
A Look At Commodities
Commodities are lower. Crude oil is lower -1.37 to 143.71. Gold is down -1.37 to 143.71. Silver is off -0.050 to 18.695, and copper is up +1.55 to 377.10.
The dollar index is higher +0.125 to 72.221.
On the Radar
No events on the radar.
Click here for the full trading radar.
Happy Monday! Good luck!
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The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
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Asia's first Michelin Chef showcase restaurant to host the extraordinary "Michelin Star Experience" at Resorts World Sentosa.
Asia's first Michelin Chef showcase restaurant to host the extraordinary "Michelin Star Experience" at Resorts World Sentosa.
Feng Shui Inn is the perfect restaurant for discerning gourmands to enjoy authentic fine-dining Cantonese cuisine.
An exquisite dining experience, helmed by celebrity chef Sam Leong, serving his signature creations under a forest canopy-inspired ceiling.
Helmed by Italian celebrity chefs Enrico and Roberto Cerea, the dinner-service-only Trattoria serves fine Lombardy-inspired specialities with the most authentic Italian flavours.
Fratelli Pizzeria by Italian celebrity chefs Enrico and Roberto Cerea aims to indulge your craving with gourmet pizzas and pastas.
Singapore's first aquarium dining experience where the exceptional cuisine and service are as memorable as the view.
Savour rare Australian meats sourced directly from boutique farms and fine seafood, grilled to smoky perfection in a stone hearth oven.
Syun will reawaken your senses and renew your perception of Japanese cuisine with its nouvelle interpretation of Japanese fine dining.
We offer an idyllic respite where diners can indulge in healthy contemporary cuisine with an innovative twist.
As decorated Masayasu Yonemura's first restaurant beyond the shores of Japan, TEPPAN by Chef Yonemura is bringing his innovative French-Japanese teppanyaki fare to you here in Singapore.
A pavilion of retreat for those who appreciate traditional, authentic, Chinese cuisine.
Sessions, a 3-in-1 dining destination in Hard Rock Hotel Singapore that looks set to be the new hub in dining.
Thairiffic meets Indolicious! BaliThai celebrates the timeless love for art, culture and great food.
Enjoy scrumptious Japanese fusion dishes in the relaxing, breezy ambience of The Bay Restaurant, a quick-service dining venue that makes the perfect stop between thrills and spills.
With over 1000 unique bread recipes incorporating premium natural ingredients, baking artistry and modern technology, BreadTalk creates breads with personality and their own story to tell!
The only authentic Hong Kong Café where one can find most if not all legendary Hong Kong staples and street food.
Dining at Chili's American Grill & Bar is never an ordinary experience. Fun, fresh and full of flavour are only glimpses of what you can expect.
Be accorded the highest level of service and indulge on our buffet spread and drinks from our extensive wine and spirits list.
Din Tai Fung, a New York Times World Top Ten Best Restaurant, is famous for its exquisite dumplings and Taiwanese dim sum delicacies.
The Equarius Lounge is the place to be and be seen - enjoy the range of cocktails, rare collector edition spirits, and assortment of unique beverages.
Enjoy a wide variety of Asian cuisine and look out for specialty dishes here during the various festive periods.
We serve up classic American food at this ultimate chill-out haven, where diners can also indulge on a great rock and roll experience.
Singapore's largest restaurant specializing in Korean food, Insadong Korea Town, has arrived at Resort World Sentosa.
An international retailer of the signature Original Glazed® doughnut, Krispy Kreme offers soft, fluffy doughnuts and quality coffee.
Affordable yet remarkable, LeNu is a casual Chinese noodle bar that strives to achieve perfection in every bowl to delight all diners at an affordable price.
At LiHO 哩喝, we believe that a good cup of tea topped off with our signature cheese will leave you surprised, delighted and wanting more.
Enjoy the specially selected Hokkaido's high quality food and beverages.
One dining destination not to be missed! Indulge in some of Malaysia's finest and famous hawker fare.
Enjoy McDonald's dining experience right in the heart of RWS. This 24-hr family-themed restaurant provides the ultimate convenience and a haven for all.
Sit back in our luxurious designer furnishings and enjoy an assortment of gorgeous cocktails and quality beverages.
Featuring its innovative new self-order kiosks, customers can now savour NG AH SIO's Bak Kut Teh, this local delicacy with even less waiting time and the added bonus of no service charge.
Helmed by a team of sincere and well-trained chefs, every dish at Paradise Classic is prepared from the heart with a flair for Chinese cooking. Embark on a journey of classic Chinese cuisine at Paradise Classic, with dishes that get you reminiscing the taste of home-cooked dishes.
For a taste of the finest treats that made Singapore a renowned Food Paradise, try the authentic local dishes at Prosperity Court.
Since its humble beginnings in Singapore in 2000, PUTIEN has become renowned for its authentic home-style Fujianese cuisine.
At any time of any day, Ruyi is the best place to go for good-value, quick and delectable Chinese meals.
Enjoy a snack while getting an up-close, underwater view of graceful dolphins, one of the world's most beloved marine mammal species.
Indulge on a myriad of signature dishes, including the iconic chilli crab and other popular, authentic Singaporean seafood cuisine.
Originating from USA, Slappy Cakes' fun and interactive "Make Your Own" pancake concept is an experience for diners of all ages!
Sō offers 5 delectable broths, simmered for hours to a rich flavour. Made with premium wheat flour, the ramen is smooth and springy. Sō also uses premium Koshihikari rice that is specially cultivated on the most pristine rice paddies in Niigata, Japan.
The first Starbucks Reserve™ store in Singapore, offering a line of ultra-premium, single-origin Starbucks Reserve™ coffees.
Streats Asian Café celebrates life's little pleasures, friendly smiles, quirky ideas, fun ambience and of course, anytime good food.
Eligible members get to savour traditional Asian dishes with a mini buffet spread at this intimate private setting.
A great place to people watch as we serve you our best concoctions.
A Handmade Italian Feast. At Tino's Pizza Café, our hand-tossed and baked pizza will bring you the authentic Italian taste.
For a dose of the traditional Southeast Asian breakfast culture of coffee, soft boiled eggs and toast. Add some spice to your experience.
Enjoy a great meal in a welcoming and comfortable environment that's authentic and true to the traditions of typical Hong Kong cafés.
2 - 8 November 2018
An exclusive Four-Hands Dining Experience by Chef Bee Satongun of One-Michelin-Starred Paste in Bangkok, and Chef Benjamin Halat.
Highlights: Poached Fresh Prawns, Louisiana Seafood Gumbo, Cajun, Steam Fish Fillet In superior Soya sauce, Sessions Chili Crab.Find Out More
Tuck into a sumptuous meal at our participating restaurants and redeem your all-day parking ticket.Find Out More


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10 Best iPhone Accessories 2019
Few days back, I wrote about Free IOS Games. Then I thought that since Accessories are also sort of 'must-have' gadget in order to fully utilize your smartphone, why shouldn't I write 'bout them also? 'Cause their significance is further increased when you buy an iPhone. Because when you spent that much money on such a … Read more10 Best iPhone Accessories 2019


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Lake Erie Center Photo Contest Rules
This contest focuses on the natural systems, plant, and animal life of Maumee Bay, Lake Erie, and the Maumee River watershed. Location of entry photographs must be from Maumee Bay, Lake Erie or the Maumee River watershed to qualify. If it is determined that the location of the entry photo is outside of these areas the photo will be disqualified.
Winning entries will be enlarged, printed on quality paper, professionally framed or mounted, and will be displayed in the Lake Erie Center lobby/gallery and on our website. Photos must have been taken between September 1, 2016, and November 17, 2017, to be eligible. All entries must be submitted as digital prints in JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg), GIF (.gif), or PNG (.png) formats (require the digital image, no linked photos e.g. "Dropbox" etc. will be accepted), and should be of sufficient resolution to be enlarged and printed using common computer software and printers.
Amateur photographers only. If you sell photos or professional photography services you are ineligible to enter this contest. Minimal digital manipulation (i.e. contrast, sharpening, etc) is permitted, but no digitally signed or watermarked photos will be accepted. Up to three (3) photos will be accepted from each entrant. Photos become the property of the Lake Erie Center and will not be returned. Entrant's name on the entry form or submission of photos using online entry form constitutes consent to use the photo by the Lake Erie Center and may be placed on the World Wide Web and/or on printed materials such as brochures, etc. All human subjects must have approved the submission.
The Lake Erie Center reserves the right to disqualify entries or cancel this contest without notice.
There will be four (4) entry categories based upon age. The first category is open to amateur photographers seven (7) years of age or younger; a second youth category is for photographers twelve (12) years of age or younger; a third category for teen entrants aged thirteen (13) to eighteen (18) ; and a fourth category is for all adults nineteen and older (19+) years of age as of the contest's deadline, November 17, 2017. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on November 17, 2017. Entries must be electronically uploaded using online entry form or mailed electronically (emailed) to the following email address:firstname.lastname@example.com. Limit 15 mb per email message (send multiple messages if entering several photos of large size).
The online entry form is available at http://www.utoledo.edu/nsm/lec/webforms/2017_LEC_Photo_Contest.html. Please contact the Lake Erie Center at 419-530-8360 if you do not have access to a computer and wish to make another arrangement for your submission/s.
Judge's decisions will be final. The contest winners will be informed via telephone or email, and awards presented at the Lake Erie Center.