text:
Testimony of David A. Rust
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Disability and Income Security Programs
Hearing before the
House Committee on Ways and Means
Social Security Subcommittee
January 16, 2008
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss several Social Security issues affecting different beneficiary populations. As requested, I will discuss a proposal to extend coverage to newly hired State and local government employees. I will also discuss the Government Pension Offset provision, or GPO, and the Windfall Elimination Provision, also known as WEP, and related proposals. In addition, I will talk about various proposals to eliminate the 24- month waiting period for Medicare benefits for individuals with disabilities, to increase the special minimum benefit provision, and to increase benefits for widows and widowers. Finally, I will discuss issues concerning the substantial gainful activity measure applicable to disabled beneficiaries. Each of these ideas addresses the concerns of a segment of the Social Security beneficiary population.
Importance of Social Security
As President Bush and virtually every President since the program began have said, Social Security has been one of the most successful and important government programs. Social Security provides a safety net for the elderly and persons with disabilities, as well as survivors and dependents. Commissioner Astrue and I, along with the extraordinary Social Security workforce, share with the President and with the members of this Subcommittee a commitment to ensuring that the program continues to play this important role.
About 163 million American workers paid Social Security taxes last year. They, their families, and the millions joining the system every year, are relying on Social Security for a major portion of their future financial security. Last year, over $580 billion in benefits was paid to nearly 50 million retirees, survivors, and disabled individuals and their dependents. Thirty percent of Social Security beneficiaries are disabled or survivors—widows, widowers, and children.
I would like to now discuss the history and scope of Social Security coverage and the protections provided as a result of coverage. I will also discuss an initiative that has been included in several Social Security legislative proposals to mandatorily cover newly hired State and local government workers.
Initially, under the Social Security Act of 1935, Social Security covered less than 50 percent of the nation's workers. Over time, Congress has extended coverage so that Social Security coverage is nearly universal, with 96 percent of the nation's workforce now covered under Social Security.
The largest category of workers who remain outside the Social Security system is State and local government employees. State and local government employees were excluded from Social Security coverage until legislation enacted in 1950 allowed States to enter into voluntary agreements with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide Social Security coverage to public employees not under a retirement system. This authority is in section 218 of the Social Security Act and, thus, these agreements are referred to as section 218 agreements.
After the 1950 legislation, there were a number of changes that expanded coverage of State and local government employees. The major changes were:
• The 1954 amendments made coverage available to State and local employees covered under a retirement system, at the election of the employer and employees.
• In 1983, Congress repealed a provision that had allowed States to rescind earlier decisions to elect coverage of their employees. Thus, States could no longer change their employees' status from covered to non-covered. This law also required newly hired Federal employees to be covered by Social Security.
• Legislation enacted in 1982 provided mandatory coverage under Medicare for Federal employees effective January 1, 1983. Legislation enacted in 1986 extended mandatory Medicare coverage for most State and local employees hired after March 31, 1986.
• Legislation enacted in 1990 made Social Security mandatory for most State and local employees who are not covered under a qualifying retirement system effective July 2, 1991 and later.
Currently, all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have a section 218 agreement with SSA. Because the coverage is voluntary, the extent of Social Security coverage varies from State to State; from Vermont , where only 3 percent of State employees are outside the Social Security system, to Ohio , where 97 percent of State employees are not covered by Social Security. It is estimated that 29 percent of State and local public employees are not covered by Social Security—6.8 million individuals. Most of these public employees are police, firefighters, and teachers.
The Social Security program provides a number of important features for workers and their families that are not always available in State and local government pension systems.
• Social Security provides workers and their families with portable protection from loss of earnings due to retirement, disability, or death regardless of their place of employment. Thus protection is uninterrupted for workers who change jobs in covered employment. Because Social Security and the various state pension systems are not fully integrated, an individual who moves from employment in a non-covered state job to the private sector may experience a period without disability protection. For example, a 35-year old worker who moves from a non-covered state job to a covered job would not be eligible for Social Security disability benefits until they had completed 5 years of work, because the law provides the disability benefit only to workers with "recent" work (defined as work in one-half of the preceding ten years).
• Further, Social Security provides benefits for disabled workers, as well as benefits for spouses and children of retired, disabled, and deceased workers. A worker's Social Security benefits are not reduced because of benefits payable to a spouse and children.
As the Subcommittee has noted, there have been proposals to extend mandatory Social Security coverage to newly hired State and local government employees. Such a change would bring additional revenue into the Social Security system and thereby improve actuarial balance in the near-term.
Supporters of this change note that extending Social Security coverage to all newly hired State and local government employees would improve the protection of those who have jobs in covered employment before or after their government employment. As noted above, this change would both improve the portability of their pension coverage and provide a number of features that may not be found in some State and local retirement plans.
On the other hand, critics of such a change note that extending mandatory Social Security coverage would adversely affect the funding of some State and local government defined benefit pension plans. This would be particularly true if the retirement plan was already underfunded (had insufficient assets to pay promised benefits) and/or relied on new employee's contributions to fund current retirees' benefits. Since coverage would require the states to pay the employer share of the FICA tax, this would mean an immediate 6.2 percent increase in payroll costs. Most states simply could not afford to finance Social Security payments and maintain their current pension systems.
GPO and WEP
The GPO and the WEP are provisions that affect the amount of Social Security benefits payable to individuals who also receive a pension based on their own work in employment not covered under Social Security. These workers are primarily Federal, State, and local government employees.
As the Social Security program evolved, Congress realized that changes had to be made to preserve the intent to treat covered and non-covered workers equitably. Thus, in 1977, the law was changed to incorporate the GPO, and in 1983, the WEP provision was enacted. As I will explain, the GPO provision replicates the offset in spousal benefits that applies to covered workers, while the intent of the WEP is to maintain the progressive nature of the benefit computation. For ease of discussion, when referring to government employment, I am referring to all levels of Federal, State, or local government employment that are not covered by Social Security.
I would like to begin by providing some historical context for the discussion of the GPO. Since 1940, when monthly benefits were first paid by Social Security, there has been an offset that reduces any benefit an individual qualifies for as a spouse or surviving spouse by the amount of his or her earned benefit, based on his or her own work. This offset recognizes that an individual who works long enough to be insured under the program was not completely dependent on his or her spouse for support and should not qualify for a full spouse's benefit in addition to his or her own worker's benefit.
The GPO affects government retirees who are eligible for both:
• A pension based on his own work in a Federal, state, or local government job that was not covered by Social Security, and
• A Social Security spouse's or surviving spouse's benefit based on his or her husband ' s or wife's work in covered employment.
Under GPO, an individual ' s Social Security spousal benefits are reduced by two-thirds of the amount of his or her non-covered pension. For non-covered government employees, the GPO acts as a surrogate for the spousal offset that applies to workers whose jobs are covered by Social Security. If that work had instead been covered, any spouse or surviving spouse benefit would have been reduced by the person ' s own Social Security worker ' s benefit. The GPO approximates this treatment for government workers so that all spouses and surviving spouses are treated similarly, regardless of whether their jobs were covered under Social Security or not.
The GPO provision removed an advantage that some government workers had before the GPO was enacted. Before GPO, a person who worked in a government job that was not covered under Social Security could receive, in addition to a government pension based on his or her own earnings, a full Social Security spouse ' s or surviving spouse ' s benefit. However, a person who worked in covered employment had his or her Social Security benefit as a spouse or surviving spouse offset by the amount of his or her own Social Security worker's benefit.
A key difference between the GPO and the Social Security benefit offset provision applied to spouses in covered employment is the amount of the offset. Under the spousal offset applicable to covered workers, there is a dollar-for-dollar reduction, while under GPO the reduction is only two thirds.
Consider three married women. In each case, the woman's husband had a career covered by Social Security and has a Social Security primary benefit of $1,000 per month. Thus, the potential monthly benefit for each woman is $500 as a spouse and $1,000 as a widow.
• Ann has never worked outside the home, and therefore is not eligible for benefits based on her own work. When Ann reaches full retirement age, she will receive one-half of her husband's benefit, or $500 per month. If he dies before she does, Ann's surviving spouse's benefit would be $1,000. Ann was dependent on her spouse for support and is the kind of person Congress had in mind when they enacted spouse's benefits in 1939.
• Bea has worked as a real estate agent; she paid Social Security taxes and has been covered under Social Security for her entire career. She is eligible at full retirement age for a $600 monthly benefit based on her own work, while, as noted previously, her spouse is eligible for $1000 monthly. The spousal offset applicable to covered workers would affect Bea. The potential spouse's benefit she could get would be $500, but since she gets $600 based on her own work, she cannot receive any benefit as a spouse (fully offset). If her spouse dies before she does, Bea would get $400 monthly as a widow making her total monthly benefit $1,000.
• Cleo spent her career as a teacher in employment not covered by Social Security, and is eligible for a monthly pension of $600 from this work. Cleo is subject to the GPO. In her case, we will offset her Social Security benefit as a spouse ($500) by two-thirds of the amount of her government pension ($400). As a result, she will get a $100 monthly spouse's benefit from Social Security. If her husband dies before she does, her Social Security benefit would increase to $600 per month. Her total monthly benefit would be $1,200.
As noted, the GPO is intended to serve the same purpose as the spousal offset applicable to covered workers, but GPO applies to people who receive a non-covered pension instead of a Social Security retired worker's benefit. Had Cleo, instead, worked in employment covered by Social Security, she would not receive a wife's benefit (as was the case with Bea) and would receive less in a widow's benefit, as we see when we contrast benefits for Bea. As shown in the example, in some cases, the GPO may be more generous than the spousal offset applicable to covered workers.
Several bills have been introduced in this Congress that would eliminate or modify the GPO. A bill introduced by Representative Berman (H.R. 82) includes a provision that would completely eliminate the GPO. Over 5 years, this proposal is estimated to cost $17.6 billion; over 10 years, the estimated cost increases to $41.7 billion. The long-range cost is estimated to be 0.06 percent of taxable payroll.
Representative Lewis has included, as part of a comprehensive solvency bill (H.R. 1090), a provision that would reduce the offset from two-thirds of the amount of the person ' s government pension to one-third. The proposal would cost $4.6 billion over 5 and $11.0 billion over 10 years. This change is estimated to increase the long-range cost of the program by 0.02 percent of taxable payroll.
A bill introduced by Representative Wynn (H.R. 2988) would change the GPO reduction to equal the amount by which the combined monthly Social Security benefit and the pension exceed $1,200. The cost of this proposal is estimated at $2.9 billion over 5 years, and $6.1 billion over 10 years. The long-range cost is estimated to be negligible.
Windfall Elimination Provision
I would now like to discuss the WEP provision. The Social Security Amendments of 1983 (P.L. 98-21) included the WEP provision as a means to eliminate what was seen as "windfall" Social Security benefits for retired and disabled workers receiving pensions from employment not covered by Social Security. Generally, while the WEP applies to any person who receives a pension based on non-covered employment, it primarily affects government workers. (The WEP does not affect the Social Security benefits payable to survivors of government workers.)
The purpose of the WEP is to remove an advantage that the weighting in the regular Social Security benefit formula would otherwise provide for persons who have pensions from non-covered employment. This weighting is intended to help workers who spend their lives in low-paying jobs by providing them with a benefit that is relatively higher in relation to their prior earnings than the benefit that is provided for higher-paid workers. The weighting in the formula recognizes that lower earners are less likely than other workers to have pension income or significant savings.
However, benefits are based on average earnings in employment covered by Social Security over a working lifetime (35 years for retired workers). In determining average earnings for Social Security benefit purposes, years with no covered earnings are counted as years of zero earnings, as if the person had not worked at all in these years.
Without the WEP, a worker who spent a substantial part of his or her career in employment not covered by Social Security would appear to be a career low-earner and would be treated as a low-lifetime earner for Social Security benefit purposes; such a worker would inappropriately receive the advantage of the weighted benefit formula. The WEP provides for a different, less heavily weighted benefit formula to compute benefits for such persons. For a worker first eligible in 2008, the maximum WEP reduction is $355 per month. Unlike the GPO, the WEP can never eliminate a person's Social Security benefit.
The WEP does not apply at all to workers who have 30 or more years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security. The annual minimum earnings required for a year to qualify as a year of substantial earnings has increased over time. For 2008, the minimum earnings threshold is $18,975. For workers who have 21 to 29 years of substantial covered earnings under Social Security, the reduction under the WEP is phased out gradually.
As of December 2007, the WEP affects 954,000 retired and disabled workers and an additional 82,000 auxiliary beneficiaries (total of 1,036,000 beneficiaries). Virtually all of those affected (98.5 percent) are retired, rather than disabled, workers. A majority of workers affected are men (65 percent). Based on a study using 2001 data, 96.5 percent of workers age 65 or older who are subject to the WEP have incomes above the poverty level.
A number of bills have been introduced in this Congress that would eliminate, modify or replace the WEP computation. One bill (H.R. 82 by Representative Berman) includes a provision that would completely eliminate the WEP. Over 5 years, this proposal is estimated to cost $16.7 billion; over 10 years, the estimated cost increases to $40.1 billion. The long-range cost is estimated to be 0.05 percent of taxable payroll.
Representative Frank has introduced a bill (H.R. 726) that would provide for no WEP reduction if the combined amount of the worker's non-covered pension and Social Security benefits is below $2,500 per month. A graduated WEP reduction would apply if the combined amount is $2,500 or more. This proposal is estimated to cost $7.9 billion over the next 5 years, $19.0 billion over 10 years, and increase long-range costs by 0.02 percent of taxable payroll.
The third type of bill that has been introduced would replace the current WEP formula with an alternative computation. This is the approach embodied in H.R. 2772, as introduced by Representative Brady. Under this bill, a hypothetical primary benefit would first be computed based on all of the worker's available covered and non-covered earnings after 1950. This hypothetical benefit would then be multiplied by the proportion of the worker's total earnings that were covered under Social Security to obtain the primary benefit payable to the worker. It is estimated that enactment of H.R. 2772 would increase program costs by $1.7 billion over the first 5 years; the 10-year cost would be $4.6 billion. The long-range cost of the program would increase by 0.01 percent of taxable payroll.
The President's FY 2008 budget included a proposal aimed at improving SSA's ability to administer the GPO and WEP. Currently, SSA relies primarily on the beneficiary to report information about the receipt or amount of a pension based on non-covered employment.
SSA does have in place a computer matching agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to identify Social Security beneficiaries who are receiving a pension from non-covered Federal government employment. However, efforts to develop similar matching agreements with State and local governments have not been as successful. In part, this is due to the difficulty in identifying the more than 2,600 State and local government entities that provide pensions to government retirees.
The proposal in the President's budget seeks to address this issue by establishing a mandatory system for collecting data on pension income from non-covered State and local employment. This change would improve the equity in the application of these provisions because it would improve SSA ' s ability to identify State and local government retirees receiving pensions based on non-covered work in a manner similar to SSA ' s present ability to identify persons receiving Federal pensions based on non-covered work.
This change is estimated to save $0.5 billion over the first 5 years and $2.5 billion over 10 years in benefit costs.
Other Provisions and Benefit Issues
Special Minimum Primary Insurance Amount
As mentioned earlier, the Social Security benefit formula is weighted in favor of low-wage workers. In 1972, Congress enacted the special minimum primary insurance amount (PIA) to increase benefit adequacy for regular long-term, low-earning covered workers and their dependents or survivors. The special minimum PIA was seen as a way to reward low-earning workers without providing the "windfalls" that would have resulted from raising the regular minimum benefit that then existed to a much higher level than would have otherwise occurred under the 1972 Act. (The regular minimum benefit provision was subsequently eliminated for workers reaching age 62, becoming disabled, or dying after 1981.)
The special minimum benefit was designed to phase out over time—although it is not clear from the legislative history that this was Congress' explicit intent. The phase out results primarily because the value of the regular PIA formula, which is indexed to wages prior to benefit eligibility, has increased faster than that of the special minimum PIA, which is indexed to inflation. As wages continue to grow faster than inflation, this phase out will continue. Beginning with workers who attain age 62 in 2010, i t is estimated that the special minimum PIA will always be lower than the PIA computed under the regular benefit formula. (Only about 1,000 individuals were awarded the special minimum in 2007.)
There are a number of possible approaches for increasing the special minimum benefit. For example, the dollar amount for each year of coverage in excess of 10 (now $36.07) could be increased; the maximum number of years counted could be increased beyond 30; and/or the amount of the special minimum could be wage indexed (rather than price indexed) for years prior to the year of the worker's eligibility. While all of these modifications would increase benefits to low-earning individuals, they would also increase program expenditures and delay or eliminate the phase out of the special minimum benefit provision.
Benefits for Women
While Social Security benefit computations are gender-neutral, there are several aspects of the program that have proven helpful to women. One such element is the Social Security benefit formula. As noted earlier, this formula has been structured in favor of low earners since the program's creation. Though many changes have been enacted over the years, this feature has been maintained by Congress.
Another important feature of the program is the automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), enacted in 1972. Women's greater life expectancy makes COLAs especially important. The purpose of the COLA is to maintain the purchasing power of an individual ' s monthly benefits. For example, a $100 monthly payment that began in 1975 would have increased to $407 today due to COLAs.
A third feature is the benefits that Social Security provides to the family members of retired, disabled, and deceased workers. This aspect of the program can be key to women. Women are more likely to receive spouse's or widow's benefits than men because their lower earnings often result in them being eligible for higher spouse's or widow's benefits than the worker's benefits they would receive on their own record. (As explained earlier, because of the spousal offset provision, the total benefit payable is equal to the higher of the benefit as a worker based on the person's own earnings or the benefit as a spouse or surviving spouse.)
Benefits for wives and widows were added to the program in 1939 in recognition of the important role that the then new Social Security program could play in providing economic security for women. For this same reason, benefits were subsequently added for divorced wives and for disabled widows.
In addition to expanding the scope of protection Social Security provides for women, over the years Congress has enacted legislation to increase the level of this protection. For example, there have been significant changes in widow(er)'s benefits, including raising the amount of benefits for a widow(er) from 75 percent to as high as 100 percent of the worker's benefit. In addition, in 1983, benefits for disabled widow(er)s were raised from as little as 50 percent of the worker's benefit to 71.5 percent.
Congress has long recognized that women, particularly widows, are a vulnerable group of beneficiaries. The poverty rate for women aged 65 and over in 2004 was 12.0 percent (in comparison to 7.0 percent for aged men). At the same time, the poverty rate for aged widows was 15.4 percent.
Consideration is now being given to possible changes to the Social Security program. Some changes would affect larger groups of individuals and have high costs, while others would be targeted towards more limited groups and have smaller costs. Regardless, it is important that proposals that increase costs should only be considered, given that the program is not presently in long-range actuarial balance, in the context of a comprehensive plan that balances Social Security.
24-Month Medicare Waiting Period
Individuals must wait 24 months from their month of entitlement to Social Security disability benefits to become eligible for Medicare. As reflected in the legislative history, there are several reasons for this Medicare waiting period. One reason is to limit the cost to the Medicare trust funds. Another is to avoid overlapping private health insurance protection for individuals who continue to be eligible for group insurance for a period of time following the onset of disability. Congress provided that there is no Medicare waiting period for individuals with end-stage renal disease or ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
There are several bills pending in Congress that would eliminate the Medicare waiting period. H.R. 154, "Ending the Medicare Waiting Period Act of 2007," would phase out the 24-month waiting period for all disability beneficiaries by 2017. It would also immediately eliminate the waiting period for beneficiaries with life-threatening conditions. H.R. 685, "Social Security and Medicare Improved Burn Injury Treatment Access Act of 2007," would eliminate the 24-month waiting period for disabled beneficiaries with disabling burn injuries.
However, eliminating this waiting period is expected to be very costly. Elimination would also cause administrative difficulties due to the number of disability beneficiaries who would qualify for Medicare retroactively. We do not have cost estimates for the proposed legislation.
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
A number of provisions in title II of the Social Security Act are designed to encourage work by individuals who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) benefits. These work-incentive provisions generally provide for either disregarding certain amounts of income (e.g., impairment-related work expenses and unsuccessful work attempts) or continued eligibility for DI benefits and Medicare. However, one feature of the DI program has received significant criticism as a disincentive to work.
A DI beneficiary who has completed a trial work period (TWP) (generally 9 months of work) will lose all of his or her DI benefits if his or her earnings exceed the level for substantial gainful activity (SGA). It has been argued that this abrupt loss of benefits actually discourages individuals who otherwise would work from working. One remedy that has been identified for this problem may be found in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
Prior to 1987, rules relating to SGA for individuals on the benefit rolls were the same regardless of whether they received DI or SSI benefits. Congress enacted a provision that continues SSI benefits as long as the amount of earnings under the regular SSI offset rules allows payment. That is, benefits are reduced $1 for every $2 of earnings (after other exclusions). Thus, rather than an abrupt ending of benefits because earnings were above the SGA level, SSI benefits are reduced commensurate with the amount of an individual's earnings and other income. For comparison purposes, the monthly SGA level in 2008 is $940 (DI benefits stop at this amount) while the earnings level at which SSI benefits stop for an individual who has no other income is $1,359.
By conducting the BOND, SSA will learn if this benefit offset would encourage more DI beneficiaries to return to work and should result in savings to the Social Security trust fund. We are excited about the BOND, and optimistic that the results will enable Congress to have sufficient additional information for its consideration in deciding how to encourage and keep individuals with disabilities working.
I want to again thank the Chairman and the Subcommittee for giving me this opportunity to discuss several aspects of Social Security coverage. As always, we welcome the opportunity to work with you to provide any additional information you need as you continue to look at these complex and important issues. I would be glad to answer any questions you might have.


text:
You are about to enter a website that may contain content of an adult nature.
Hello everyone, this is black cam girl MissHugeBoobs here. I'm 28 year old Female speak English and French in the ebony live sex chat action. I love meeting people and getting to know their fanatasies,hobbies and passions. I love to share my fantasies as well and perhaps live them out. I especially love roleplay because I lose myself in the moment and it feels so real. The brain cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.. I`m the witty,sexy goddess you will come to enjoy!!!What more can you ask for?I have a sensual passion for dancing,swaying my hips and feeling my curves to the rhythm of the music. I also love to dress up in sexy clothing and model for you...you never know what to expect next but let me surprise you. Sucking ,fucking ,licking is my expertise and also what I will do in private black sex cam show. I have Brown eyes, Medium Red hairs and my measurements are 36-21-40. For Turn ons: Knowing you are watching is the first turn-on.... For TurnsOff: What turns me off? People who rush me and dont allow me to take my time to get off. It doesnt take me long to begin with,but rushing me is a big turn-off.. If you prefer kinks, then Shaved, are mine. I'm just hungry for a HARD cock, can't wait to see u at my ebony sex chat room! :)
This website contains ebony live cams, ebony webcams and black booty cams related sexually explicit content.
You must be at least 18 years of age to enter this website.
© Since 2012 ebonycamsplus.com Ebony Cams Network All Rights Reserved
AllHosts1 - AllHosts2 - AllHosts3 - AllHosts4 - AllHosts5 - AllHosts6 - AllHosts7 - AllHosts8 - AllHosts9 - AllHosts10 - AllHosts11 - AllHosts12

subset: commoncrawl


text:
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The Georgia College & State University cross country program and head coach Joe Samprone have announced the hire of Patricia Dedrick as graduate assistant coach.
Dedrick will assist with advising runners in practice and at competitions, along with her role as a certified athletic trainer and graduate assistant in the athletic training office.
"Trisha will be a great addition to the cross country staff," said Samprone. "She was a valuable member of our team for four years and she knows what it takes to be successful. The team knows her and respects her. I look forward to a great season and Trisha will play an important part in our success."
Dedrick spent four seasons in a Bobcat cross country uniform and was a solid top-five runner all four seasons. She also was a starter for the squad that took third at the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Championships in 2007. She was also a four-time member of the PBC Presidential Honor Roll.
2007 was a dynamic season for the Bobcat cross country teams , one where the women's squad found their best conference finish in school history at third place. Head coach Samprone was named PBC Men's Coach of the Year, and four Bobcats picked up All-PBC honors in Dani Destiche (Snellville, Ga.), Bonnie Ueltzen (Blairsville, Ga.), Rich Dobson (2004-07) and Josh Hollar (Canton, Ga.). The 10K record was broken for the men, while the 6K time was snapped for the women.
Visit www.GCSU.edu/Athletics to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement.


text:
Check 'em:
Already tried the peanut butter cookies & puppy chow and they are MAGNIFIQUE.
So go support an etsy vegan and buy some. And put in a good word for me as a referral 'cause maybe if enough of you buy some based on this link, the owner will send me free shit. ; )


text:
First, I was impressed that they put Gabourey Sidibe on the cover. (Yes, they did split the covers with Dakota Fanning, but it's not like they sent subscribers Gabourey and left Dakota for the newsstand. They are both readily available.) Anyways, I think that's a little bit more groundbreaking than all the press they got for putting Crystal Renn in all the editorials. It would be much more powerful if they had just put Gabourey on the cover for a regular/non-themed issue, because that way they would be showing they don't need an excuse to welcome diversity.
BUT, the photograph inside is amazing.
V's my favorite magazine, so all this comes from a good place, but I just think if the industry is going to make such a big deal about diversity they should just BE diverse, instead of making up all these special times when diversity is ALLOWED and CELEBRATED!
The time is always and now.


text:
Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
What Else Is There?
"I couldn't believe what I had done. A step closer and I would have killed them both. So now I will run and I won't look back. I will race until I can't breathe, until I forget that look I left in Emily's terrified eyes, until I die." After a series of tragedies and mistakes, Sam finds himself fighting to keep the one thing he loves the most. Will his hatred and anger destroy him and those that he loves or will he be able to overcome the past to save his future? This is Sam's POV and set in the beginning of Eclipse after Edward returns but before Victoria's army makes an entrance into Forks. This story is AU and set at a mature level for violence and sexual content. Drama/Romance. EmilyxSam.
1. Distant Encounters
Rating 0/5 Word Count 3259 Review this Chapter
Chapter one: Distant Encounters
A swollen sun was sinking slowly into the mountains. The light that burst out across the horizon splintered the sky into a million shades of red and orange. The day was dying but I could still feel the heat on my skin. It prickled softly and I welcomed the gentle warmth. The ocean was roaring with waves that were so strong it pulled the sand and water right out from under your feet. But not for long. The thundering tide would soon be eerily silenced. The thick green summer forest would soon become a hillside of crimson as summer surrendered to fall. Even in the summer heat I could feel the seasons slowly shifting.
The sun was setting earlier and rising later and the days seemed too short. I liked the long days of summer and the way the heat made the whole town lazy. The boys would frequently visit for Emily's ice-cold lemonade and they'd stay and sit under the sun till it finally departed from the sky long after 9:00pm. The grass tickled my ankles lightly as the wind blew and my mind previously deep in thought focused back on a now sunless sky. I glanced behind me to peer through the window of my house. Lamps lit up the living room and Emily was sitting in her favorite chair with a magazine and a coffee mug. I frown slightly and turned my head back to the mountains.
Lately, Emily had been distant like the stars that began to speckle the sky millions of miles above me. Her laughter and spirit seemed absent and when I questioned her mood she only gave me a look and shrugged as though she were acting normally. I lay back on the grass with my hands behind my head and stared into the abyss of the sky. A rush of wind took away the heat of the day and replaced it with the breath of night. I lay in the grass until the earth had molded around my body and I could feel my hands dig deep into the dirt. The light from the living room had faded and the house sat in a silent darkness. I stood up and made my way to the front porch, the screen door hissing as I opened it wide to reveal a quiet dwelling. Emily was asleep as I made my way to our bedroom. I watched her chest rise and fall in the light of the moon. Her breath was steady and slow, her brown hair flowing like a river onto the pillow under her head. I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her cheek gently with the back of my hand. She seemed at peace and as I curled up next to her I felt my eyes close, strange dreams of dark woods and barren forests rolling through my mind as sleep took me.
x x x
I woke up sitting and out of breath. I felt Emily's small, cool hands on my shoulder immediately as a frightened expression panned out across her face.
"What's wrong?" She questioned, fear seeping into her words. "Are you okay?"
My eyes groped the darkness as I attempted to remember why I was sitting up. After a moment of my silence Emily grew impatient. "Sam," she urged. "Tell me. What's the matter?"
The sky was still dark but a hint of light blue was illuminating the distant mountains. Morning was near. "Nightmare." I blurted out. "It was just a nightmare." I looked to her face, which was shrouded in darkness, and covered her hand with mine. Her postured relaxed as she let herself fall gently back onto the covers. She attempted to pull my body back down to hers but I resisted and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I was wide-awake and I needed to move.
"Where are you going?" Emily asked curiously, though a clear wave of sleepiness coated her voice.
"Patrol," I murmured as I ripped off my pajamas bottoms and stood naked in the middle of the bedroom.
Emily rolled onto her side and gazed suspiciously at me. "At this hour?" She asked. I didn't respond. "The boys are going to kill you."
I walked over to kneel at the edge of the bed so that my eyes were level with hers. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" I almost begged. It was then that Emily realized my panic was not for a nightmare. It was something else. But she dared not ask, she only nodded her head and reached out for my hand. I took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. I forced a small smile and bent to kiss the top of her forehead.
"No worries. I'm just being careful. I'll be back before the sun rises."
I left Emily's side quickly even though every fiber of my body wanted to stay beside her with my arms embracing her small body. The air was cool and humid as I leapt off the porch and hit the grassy earth. My bones broke and my muscles twisted and fur burst through my skin as that of a giant, black wolf replaced my human body. I bolted through the woods, fast as fire catching dry brush. I felt adrenaline surge through my temples as though my heart were inside of my head instead of my chest. When I was a decent distance from my house I let a long, loud howl rip through the night. I sung to the moon, whose light would quickly surrender to the coming day. I gauged it was around 5:30am.
My call was that of the alpha and it would wake even the deepest of sleepers. It was only moments before the first of the pack began shifting. The first was Paul followed by Seth and then shortly after, Leah. The rest followed suit. My mind was suddenly flooded with a half a dozen voices as the pack buzzed like a heard of mosquitoes.
"What the hell are you doing calling us at this hour?" Jared roared.
"Yeah…yah jerk!" Seth added, though a more playful tone caressed his voice. The rest added their two cents as a crew of giant wolves came crashing one-by-one through the woods. Embry was the last, skidding to a stop behind Leah. My eyes made their way down the semicircle of wolves as I was met with yawns and grumbles. Leah looked especially irritated but that wasn't anything unusual when it came to greeting me. My count ended with Paul, though it shouldn't have. We were one short.
"Where is Jacob?" I questioned.
"Oh yeah," Embry chimed in. "He's in Seattle."
"What's he doing in Seattle?" I asked curiously, momentarily distracted by Jacob's absence.
"Mourning the loss of his love life," Jared said as he rolled his eyes.
"He's been all bummed out about Bella," Quil explained. "Rachel was in town and took him to Seattle for a day."
"Well, he's got bad timing," I said. "There's a leech on the loose."
"Seven, actually," Paul added with a smirk.
"Thanks, smartass," I shot back. "I don't mean the Cullens. This smell was different. Dangerous." The pack fell silent as I spoke. The scent of a rouge vampire had found its way through my window and into my bedroom. I knew the smell of the Cullens like the back of my hand; this wasn't that smell. Forks and La Push were small places and it wasn't like they were particularly thrilling either. If there was a vampire running loose through these woods it had a purpose. I began to bark commands as the pack scattered to obey.
"Quil, Jared, and Embry...the west and up the coastline. Leah and Paul, you guys take the southern border. Seth and I will take the northeast. East is Cullen territory, so they'll handle whatever goes that way…hopefully. Meet back in an hour on the eastern border." Everyone departed quickly from the clearing as the wolves took off in different directions. Seth tailed me closely and stayed on my right as Jacob would if he had been present. For a moment there was nothing but silence and my head filled with troubling thoughts of Emily's strange habits. A frown took my face and I could feel Seth suddenly brush my right side as he broke the silence.
"Trouble with your lady?" Seth asked. "You should sit her down and tell her…right to her face that you think she's acting weird. Don't accuse her though. Girls hate that."
I struggled to contain my laughter as I continued to pick up speed. "Gee," I said. "Thank you love guru, Seth. Wise words from a fourteen year old expert."
"I'm sixteen!" Seth snapped back but I could see from the corner of my eye that Seth had a big grin on his shaggy face.
"Still a kid," I reminded. "And, I got this, alright? You just wait till you've imprinted and your girl's giving you attitude. We'll see if you can take your own love advice." I knocked him playfully and he shoved me back as we ran diagonally across the border, avoiding Cullen territory. After a good forty-five minutes, Seth and I came up empty handed. The smell seemed gone from the air but I could still imagine the sweet, metallic sting in my nostrils. The remaining groups were just as unfortunate and everyone made it a point to vocalize that they were "dying of hunger". The sun was now dancing and rising in a bright morning sky. The birds and insects were busy around us, chirping and buzzing and flying about. The heat was already creeping up my skin and warming my fur. I could smell the nauseating scent of the Cullens as the wind picked up and blew through the great oaks and western hemlocks. But the smells were all familiar, nothing foreign or dangerous.
"Seriously, Sam," Jared moaned as he and his group joined ours. "You gonna feed us or what?"
"Yeah!" Quil agreed. "I was banking on an Emily-style breakfast!"
"Alright, alright," I silenced them. "Geez. You guys are a bunch of whiners-" But my thoughts were immediately cut off as every shaggy head in the pack turned to the right to observe a pair of shadows dancing through the trees. They were zooming in and out like fish zigzagging through a coral reef. My back arched and my ears sunk low to my head as shivers ran through my entire being. My body crept towards the shadows as they raced towards me. I couldn't move much closer. The boundary line seemed to sparkle in the rising sun even though the borders that divided my land from theirs was imaginary. Luckily, the shadows came to a halt only about 100 feet from the pack. Upon seeing the blonde silken hair of one and the dark auburn hair of the other I let out a huge, irritated sigh. Cullens.
"Damn," Paul said. "And I thought we were about to have some fun after all."
"Hi Edward!" Seth chirped as he took a step forward. Annoyed with Seth's cheerful demeanor, I growled lightly and watched as Seth whimpered and took a step back.
"What do you want?" I rather demanded. Normally there would have been no communication between the two species but I knew Edward could read my thoughts perfectly. It was useful, I guess but irritating when I didn't want a pair of fangs rummaging through my thoughts. Thank god Jacob was gone. He would have blown a casket had he been standing within a few feet of Edward Cullen. The blonde vampire, who I couldn't deny was extraordinarily beautiful, didn't need Edward's translation to read my words.
"We have every right to be here, dog," Rosalie spat. "This side is ours. And for your information, we were tracking a rouge scent." I was going to growl at her but the second half of her sentence distracted me. So, they smelled it too.
Edward caught my train of thought and nodded silently. "Earlier this morning. Carlisle and the others were out tracking as well. We so far have been unsuccessful. Your findings?"
I shook my head and a look of disappointment ran across Edward's face. Rosalie eyed Edward and the two exchanged some sort of silent conversation. Suspicion made its way into my thoughts and I narrowed my eyes. The two looked as though they had some hidden piece of information they were deciding not to share. I yelped to grab their attention and Edward averted his attention to me.
"What's going on?" I asked. "What aren't you telling us?"
"Nothing," Edward responded coolly but I didn't believe him.
"You realize you're only hurting yourselves by keeping information from us. You can't come on this side of the line," I reminded. "You rely on us to keep this half of the border safe."
"I'm well aware," Edward said flatly. Rosalie looked between the two of us with a confused expression, unable to understand the conversation that was bouncing back and forth between Edward and I. The wolves were locked in through my mind.
"We thought maybe you needed a refresher," Paul snapped as he cut into the conversation.
"Since last time we checked you have decided to up and off yourself. Too bad you changed your mind. Should have taken that good for nothing leech family with you," Jared snarled.
I wheeled around and yelped at Jared and Paul. "Knock it off, you guys!" But it was too late. I heard an inhuman growl rumble through Edward's chest and although Rosalie was unaware of what had transpired, she leapt in front of Edward and successful blocked his lunge.
"Why don't you take your sled team to the hospital, Balto?" Rosalie almost sang, liquid anger boiling in her bell-like voice. "I heard your fiancé requested an emergency appointment with my father just this morning."
My breath was taken from me as a pain tingled through my chest and my knees visibly buckled.
Rosalie had a disgusting smirk on her face as she removed her arms from Edward's chest. "I can see this information is news to you. Well, run along then. Mush!"
I disregarded Rosalie's cruel comments entirely as I turned my body the opposite direction and bolted away from the two vampires. The pack was left momentarily in the dust but I felt Embry take my right side and Paul my left. The worried voices of my brothers were suddenly buzzing like a swarm of bees in my head.
"She's lying!" Embry assured.
"A bunch of shit, Sam!" Paul agreed.
"Damn, I hate that blonde one!"
"Why would she know about Emily?"
"She's lying. She's gotta be lying!"
"We'll check the house. She'll be there, Sam!"
She'll be there. I repeated the words over in and over in my mind until the house that I shared with Emily was visible through the trees. The pack was hot on my heels as I slammed my body weight into the ground and skidded to a stop. Seth almost collided with me but managed to dart to the left. Quil wasn't so fortunate as he smacked Embry's side sending Embry into Leah. Leah gasped in surprised and turned around to roar at a disoriented Embry. It would have been comical but I had no time to laugh. I was on two legs in an instant and ripped open the front door entering my home completely out of breath. The pack waited anxiously behind me as I called out for Emily rather desperately.
"Emily!!" I shouted to the stairs as I clumsily found my way up them. "Em?" I tore through the rooms in a frantic search and ended at an empty bedroom that was filled with complete silence. The bed was carefully made and Emily's nightgown was strewn across the end of the bed. The window was cracked slightly. A cool breeze blew from the west, rustling the pages of a book I had left on the nightstand. But Emily hadn't been in this room for over an hour. My heart thundered through my head as it had when I first caught the scent of the rouge vampire only hours previously. She wasn't here. She was gone. Where was she?
I found myself in the kitchen dialing a phone. I pressed the numbers harder than I needed and listened, as the receiving end seemed to ring and ring endlessly. When a voice finally did pick up it was sweet and bouncy as though working at a hospital was the best job in the world.
"Hi, I'm wondering if an Emily Young was submitted within the last 3 hours?" I asked nervously not sure whether I wanted the answer to be yes or no. A brief pause preceded the attendant's answer.
"Not to the ER, sir, no. There was however an Emily Young who was in with Dr. Cullen-"
"Yeah," I interrupted. "Sure, that sounds right. What's she in for? Is she okay? Is she still there?"
"I can't disclose any information to you. Doctor-patient confidentiality, sir."
I wished that she'd stop calling me sir. "I'm her fiancé."
"I'm sorry but it doesn't matter. Unless she signed your name off on the form, I can't tell you anything about her being here other than she is."
That was all I needed. I hung up the phone without a response, muttering and cursing at the attendant as I searched for a pair of pants. I couldn't run to the hospital for various reasons, which included the whole "naked" issue. My clothes were littered about the house as though they were part of the décor. It drove Emily insane but I threw my clothes on and off so frequently for patrol that she quickly gave up on scolding me. I was dressed with keys in hand within five minutes of hanging up the phone. The shirt I was wearing was questionable in its cleanliness but I didn't have the time to find something "nice" to wear. And it didn't matter either. The pack was waiting eagerly outside like dogs would for dinner. Their ears popped up as I walked outside and had I not been completely distraught about Emily, I would have scolded all of them for being shifted and so out in the open. Embry walked towards me, his big shaggy head towering over mine.
"Emily's at the hospital…not in the ER but at the hospital. Seems vampire Barbie wasn't lying. I'm going to head up to Forks to see what the hell is going on."
I stepped away from Embry but he followed, nipping at my shirt and whimpering. I smacked him light on the side, reassuring him as I spoke. "No, you stay here, Embry. And Quil. Stay here in case this is part of something…some…I don't know, just guard the house. The rest of you… be on alert. And for fuck's sake, someone get Jacob Black the hell back here."
I hoped the pack couldn't hear the fear that was seeping through my words but I was sure my panic was obvious. I hopped in the blue SVU Emily and I had saved up for and brought the engine to life with the jab of my keys into the ignition. The car roared as I made a circle in our driveway and pulled out into the road, leaving my nervous and confused pack standing in the dust for the second time that day.
To be continued…
- Author
- Sybelle
- Rating
1 2 3 4 5
- Reviews
- 0
- Words
- 8740
- Views
- 1
- Published
- 24 Jun 11
- Updated
- 24 Jun 11
- Status
- In Progress


text:
Justin Barcia: Knee
Comment: Barcia missed last weekend in Atlanta after going down hard in practice. He will not race this weekend and expects to return at Daytona.
Trey Canard – Broken Arm
Comment: Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard suffered a broken arm over Thanksgiving weekend while testing and had surgery to put a plate in the arm. The original hope was that Canard would return at Dallas, but that didn't pan out. The team says they're now aiming for Detroit. In the meantime, Cole Seely, of the Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda 250SX team, will fill in.
Ben LaMay – Dislocated Wrist, Broken Upper Jaw, Broken Eye Socket
Comment: LaMay suffered a big crash right before Anaheim and has been out of action since. LaMay sustained some ligament damage that is slowing his recovery, but was released to start therapy on his wrist. He hopes to be back by Detroit.
Davi Millsaps – Torn ACL
Comment: Millsaps tore his ACL this off-season at Milestone and had surgery in mid-December. At Anaheim 2, Millsaps was hoping to be back by Atlanta, but has changed his return date to Houston.
Kyle Partridge – Torn ACL
Comment: Partridge underwent surgery last week for his torn ACL and will likely miss the rest of Monster Energy Supercross.
Chad Reed – Scapula, Collarbone and T1 Vertebra
Comment: Reed went down hard on the final lap in San Diego. Despite his injuries he still attempted to race in Dallas, but it didn't work out. Said Reed in a press release: "For me I'm ready to heal up and get back into training and focus my time and energy on getting ready for Outdoors." Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Dean Wilson will fill in for Reed, starting this weekend at Indy.
Broc Schmelyun – Broken Legs
Comment: Pennsylvania privateer Broc Schmelyun will miss all of Monster Energy Supercross after breaking both legs in a late December practice crash.
Shane Sewell – Broken Foot
Comment: Shane Sewell broke his foot at Anaheim 1 during the second 450SX heat. He plans on returning to racing in Indianapolis.
Jake Weimer – Shoulder and Hand
Comment: Weimer broke a bone in his wrist and dislocated his shoulder in qualifying in San Diego. He had the following to say about his injury on Instagram: "Ok so here is what I have going on. I dislocated my shoulder and broke a bone in my hand. My hand should be good in 4 weeks. My shoulder does not require surgery. I can't move it for 2-3 weeks then I start rehab which could be about 6+ weeks. My hope is things progress quicker than that and can get back to racing but I will not come back until my shoulder is healed, strong and I am ready. I will do everything I can to get back on the track healthy and strong.
Zach Bell – Broken Collarbone
Comment: Bell was claimed by a tricky triple-triple-triple section featured in Phoenix. The bone, which required surgery, was broken in three places and will sideline the Western Regional 250SX rider until Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
Darryn Durham – Concussion
Comment: Durham had a big crash in practice at A2 and was knocked out. He missed a few races, but will race again when the Western Regional 250SX Championship resumes in Houston. Durham tweeted yesterday that he's, "Hoping to ride any day now."
Casey Hinson – Crushed and Dislocated Right Wrist, Fractured Left Hand and Fractured Face
Comment: Privateer Casey Hinson is hoping to return late in the series after a December practice crash where he reportedly clipped a landing in a rhythm section and went headfirst into the ensuing jump.
Brady Kiesel - Broken Jaw
Comment: Kiesel broke his jaw completely through in two places and had to have it wired shut, along with chipping five teeth in practice in Dallas. Kiesel qualified for the night show but was unable to compete. He has already had surgery. He hopes to return at Daytona.
Vann Martin – Broken Wrist
Comment: Martin's plans to contest the Eastern Regional 250SX championship have been thwarted by a broken wrist. Martin underwent surgery on Thursday and hopes to be back on the bike as soon as possible.
Cole Martinez – Broken Wrist
Comment: Martinez broke his wrist at A3. He had surgery and hopes to be back racing by Houston.
Marvin Musquin – Torn ACL
Comment: Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin suffered a torn ACL in early December and has already undergone surgery in his home country of France. We talked to the team in Dallas and they said that Musquin has returned to training in the U.S. but is not back on his motorcycle yet. At this point it looks as though we won't see Musquin line up until the opener of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
Zach Osborne – Broken Collarbone
Comment: Osborne sustained two small fractures in his clavicle at A3 during practice. He is expected to be ready when the Western Regional 250SX championship resumes in Houston.
Austin Politelli – Broken Femur
Comment: Privateer Austin Politelli suffered a broken femur while testing at Milestone the week before Phoenix. No timetable has been set for his return.
Anthony Rodriguez – Broken Collarbone
Comment: Rodriguez broke his collarbone when he crashed during the main in Atlanta. He underwent surgery and is expected to be off the bike for four weeks.
Joey Savatgy – Broken Wrist, AC Separation, Broken Ribs and Partially Collapsed Lungs
Comment: The 2013 SX Rookie of the Year is expected to miss some time on the Eastern Region after a huge crash at Milestone in early December resulted in a broken wrist, an AC separation, broken ribs and partially collapsed lungs. Savatgy has been visiting the doctor every two weeks to check on his progress and expects to be cleared to ride very soon.


text:
Comprehensive Standard 3.11.3
Comprehensive Standard 3.11.3The institution operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off campus, that appropriately serve the needs of the institution's educational programs, support services, and other mission-related activities.
_X_ Compliance ___ Non-Compliance
McNeese State University is in compliance with Financial and Physical Resources Comprehensive Standard 3.11.3
Description of Physical Facilities
The McNeese State University campus consists of 88 buildings with a total of 2,046,199 square feet of building space. (1) These buildings are located on 502 acres of land in Lake Charles, LA., including the McNeese State University farm, which is located approximately three miles from the main campus. (2) McNeese State University was founded in 1939, and all structures were completed since that date.
Also, McNeese State University leases property for university use. The university leases Burton Coliseum, a multi-purpose sports arena, from the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury. Burton Coliseum sits on 45 acres of land and has permanent seating for 6,500 people. Burton Coliseum is funded by a parish-wide property tax and by self-generated revenues. (3) The property also includes a livestock area, an exhibit building, and an agricultural arena. The Coliseum is located approximately three miles south of the main campus. The university also leases property from the McNeese Foundation for temporary parking facilities while a new parking garage is under construction. The parking garage project is discussed in more detail further down in the narrative. In addition, the university leases 984 acres of farm land, some of it being located adjacent to the McNeese State University farm and the rest being located in Kinder, Lacassine, and South of Lake Charles. An additional 100 acres are leased next to Burton Coliseum (2), and this farm property is used as pasture land for grazing cattle.
The lease in Lacassine is a special feature for the university. In October 2011, McNeese received approval to create the Center for Advancement of Meat Production and Processing (CAMPP) which is now located at the facility in Lacassine. (2a) Earlier in June of that same year, the State of Louisiana (through the Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit) and the McNeese State University Foundation entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement to purchase the facility and in turn lease it to the university with the purpose of enhancing the academic offerings in the Harold and Pearl Dripps Department of Agricultural Sciences. (2b)
In the fall 2012 semester, the McNeese State University student enrollment was 8,588 students, and the university employed 793 faculty and staff. (4, 5) To accommodate the needs of students, faculty, and staff, the university has the following usable space allocated: (1b)
|Square Footage
|Academic space, including library
|Administrative space
|Auxiliary space +
|Athletic space
|Residential space
|Burden space
|Academic and Auxiliary space
Currently under renovations
|Slated for Demolition
|Total Net Square Footage
|(adding physical structure)
Total Gross Square Footage
The current figures given above are provided by an analysis of the data in the Facilities Inventory and Space Utilization Report. This annual report, due to the Louisiana Board of Regents each November, represents a snapshot of the physical facilities on the fourteenth class day of the fall semester. The report is then compiled by the Board of Regents and used for comparative analysis among the institutions of higher education. The finalized report is provided. (1a, 1c)
To accommodate the parking needs of students, employees, and visitors, the university also provides 5,808 parking spaces. (6) These are located throughout the campus and this number has not substantially changed since our previous compliance report. A new parking garage structure, however, is currently under construction and will provide the campus community with a net gain of 639 spaces when it is complete in late spring of 2013. This project is also through Cowboy Facilities, Inc. and will be discussed later in this narrative.
State of Louisiana Funded Major Repairs and Deferred Maintenance
For upkeep of its existing facilities, the Louisiana Legislature provides funding to public universities for major repairs and deferred maintenance. McNeese State University has utilized the Major Repair and Deferred Maintenance funding for projects that fall under the following categories: 1.) Life Safety, 2.) Code Compliance, 3.) Repair of critical systems in danger of failing, 4.) Repairs that extend the useful life of campus facilities, 5.) Energy Conservation and 6.) ADA Compliance. The following schedule represents the amount of funding that McNeese State University has expended on its facilities for major repairs and deferred maintenance since 1997 (see 7 in addition to chart below):
|$ 1,119,654.00
Plans for Capital Improvements
To facilitate planning for future capital project needs, the university prepares a five year capital improvement plan. This plan is updated annually and is submitted to the University of Louisiana System where it is forwarded to the Louisiana Board of Regents and then to the State Office of Facility Planning and Control (FP&C) where it is incorporated into the capital outlay budget for the State of Louisiana. These projects are funded either through State appropriation or through University self-generated revenues. The Louisiana Legislature provides an appropriation for any State funded projects it approves. (8)
The largest project in the university's capital improvements is the Shearman Fine Arts Building expansion which is a multi-phased project with an estimated total cost of $22,170,000. Currently, $17,770,000 has been appropriated already; we are expecting the final $4,400,000 this year. (8, 9) Phase 1, the Fine Arts Building expansion, added 58,520 square feet of building space to the university's inventory and is now online and being used by students, faculty, and the public. Phase 2, the Band Hall Renovation, is currently underway. The last phase will be the renovation of the existing portion of the complex, which will be timed to start in coordination of the university's academic schedule.
In partnership with the Southwest Louisiana Alliance and its constituents in the five-parish area, McNeese State University has taken a leadership role as a facilitator of collaborative projects through the newly formed Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Center. To that end, the SEED Center located off of Ryan Street is currently under construction. This 52,315 square-foot facility will establish a business incubator; house the offices of the SWLA Alliance; support and encourage entrepreneurial training, executive training, and other educational activities and programs; support small business sustainability; and host economic development entities and organizations. (9a, 9b) When the construction phase is completed, the building will be owned by the university from that point forward.
Other projects in the university's improvement vision are highly visible and should be noted here as well because they describe a continuing challenge to update facilities and incorporate innovation, and they show our commitment and success in answering that challenge. (9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 9h, 9i, 9j)
|University Quadrangle (9c)
|Completed in November 2010
|Field House Renov. and Addition (9d)
|Completed in July 2011
|ADA Upgrades Campus Wide (9e)
|Underway, Target Completion 2013
|Kaufman Hall Renovations (9f)
|Underway, Target Completion 2013
|Campus-wide Elevator Repairs (9g)
|Planning; Target Constr. Start in 2013
Target Completion in 2013
(cash available)
|Alpha Hall Renovations (9h)
|Target Start in 2013
Target Completion in 2014
(cash available)
|Frazar Library Renovations (9i)
|Planning; Target Constr. Start in 2013
Target Completion in 2014
(cash available)
|Frasch Hall Annex Repairs (9j)
|Planning; Target Constr. Start in 2014
Target Completion in 2014
(cash available)
Construction and Maintenance Projects Funded at the University Level
For smaller projects costing less than $350,000 and funded through self-generated fees, the University may proceed without going through the lengthy capital outlay process. The university has expended the following for this type of project starting with fiscal year 2007: (10)
|2013 (year-to-date)
In addition to these small projects, the University has also expended the following for a special type of renovation/repair project that resolves accessibility issues. The university has an amicable settlement agreement with the US Department of Justice to bring existing facilities up to the correct standards by September 2016. (11)
|$ 99,669.00
The university also benefitted from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Through the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources "EmPower Louisiana" program, which received its funding from a sizable ARRA grant, the Louisiana Board of Regents secured some of those funds for higher education and made sub-grants to several universities and colleges. McNeese was fortunate enough to implement two energy-savings projects for the main campus: lighting retrofits in six buildings and the installation of three variable-frequency drives and motors for the cooling tower, a vital part of our cooling & heating system. The total cost was $340,480.00. (12)
Cowboys Facilities, Inc. Project - Parking Garage
Cowboy Facilities, Inc. is a Louisiana nonprofit corporation whose sole purpose is to allow for acquiring, constructing, developing, managing, leasing, mortgaging, or conveying student housing and other facilities on the campus of the University. The University is utilizing Cowboy Facilities, Inc. for the construction of a parking garage.
In 2011, McNeese State University entered into a Ground Lease Agreement and Facilities Agreement with Cowboy Facilities, Inc. to develop and contract a parking garage on the campus. The need for this project stems from the fact that the university has insufficient parking on its main campus and is surrounded by four major streets with a high amount of vehicular traffic. (13)
In spring of 2012, site clearing and construction for the new garage began. The new structure will be three levels and accommodate 880 vehicles--a net gain of 639 spaces. It will be located on the main campus and bounded by Cameron Drive, Vernon Drive, Vermilion Drive, and Common Street. (14)
Impact of Hurricane Rita, 7 Years Later
When Hurricane Rita struck the McNeese State University campus on September 24, 2005, it caused significant damage to the University's facilities. At the time, the university was not confident about how long repairs would take and could only predict the repair cost to be between $15 and $20 million.
In our last narrative, most of the university buildings had been remediated allowing students and employees to re-occupy them, but several buildings remained closed due to the extensive damage they received. The most notable were Drew Hall, Gayle Hall, Frasch Annex, and Burton Dorm. By the later part of 2008, permanent repairs to all but one building were complete. Burton Dorm remained the exception and the subject of a long and drawn-out process in determining the best resolution for it. The decision finally was made to demolish the existing structure and replace it with a smaller structure on the same footprint. The demolition and debris removal portion at the project was completed September 14, 2012. Construction activities for the replacement structure began in 2012 and continue into 2013. The target completion for the new building is summer 2013, in time for the start of the fall semester.
The State of Louisiana, through special appropriation by the Legislature, FEMA, and the State's Insurance Program, provided the bulk of the funding for all remediation and permanent repair projects, including many roof replacements. (15) Many smaller permanent repairs were made through the use of donated funds received from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. (16)
In all, the financial impact of Hurricane Rita has been a cumulative cost of $20,020,302.65 to date. This figure includes all of the funding sources used and the budgeted construction cost for Burton Dorm that is now underway. As the construction process continues, unforeseen costs may be realized, and this total may indeed increase. It is important to note that when the Burton Dorm project is complete, the university will be fully recovered from Hurricane Rita.
Disaster Preparedness Measures
The University is better prepared to deal with future natural disasters based on the first-hand experiences of Rita. The university has installed several power generators throughout the campus for key buildings and the functions inside. The university also has a better management plan which activates various levels of activity and preparedness based on the proximity of a hurricane and a storm's cone of uncertainty. (17)
Supporting Documentation
(1) Building List
(1a) Building Inventory--Space Utilization Report
(1b) Analysis of Space by Broad Categorization
(1c) Room Inventory--Space Utilization Report
(2) University Land
(2a) Creation of CAMPP
(2b) CAMPP Lease
(3) Burton Coliseum Lease Agreement
(4) Memo 2012 Fall Enrollment Figures
(5) Page 90 from Form BOR-10 of the Board of Supervisors 2012-2013 Budget Request
(6) Parking Spaces (map)
(7) Major Repairs and Deferred Maintenance Expenditures : See also 18
(8) Capital Improvements
(9) Shearman Fine Arts Building
(9a) SEED Center Local Services Agreement
(9b) SEED Center Ground Lease
(9c) Financial Data: University Quadrangle
(9d) Financial Data: Field House Renovation/Addition
(9e) Financial Data: ADA Upgrades Campus-wide
(9f) Financial Data: Kaufman Hall Renovation
(9g) July 2012 Meeting of State Bond Commission: Cash Line of Credit, Campus-wide Elevator Repairs
(9h) Financial Data: Alpha Hall Renovations
(9i) Financial Data: Frazar Memorial library Renovation and Repair
(9j) Financial Data: Frasch Hall Annex Repair
(10) Construction and Maintenance Projects Funded at the University Level
(11) Accessibility Projects Funded at the University Level
(12) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Projects
(13) CFI: Parking Garage Project
(14) CFI: Parking Garage Construction Boundaries (map)
(15) Hurricane Rita Recovery Projects, State Funded : See also 18
(16) Bush-Clinton Funds Used for Hurricane Rita Recovery
(17) Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Plan
(18) Facility Planning Raw Data for extracts


text:
A medical marijuana collective engaged in a legal battle against Wildomar re-opened its storefront location Monday in defiance of a citywide ban on dispensaries.
The move by the Wildomar Patients Compassionate Group comes a week after the collective filed a legal petition seeking to block the city from enforcing its ban.
General Manager William Sump said the group believes Wildomar's ban violates state law, which allows medical marijuana patients access to medication.
"I will only operate until a judge tells us not to," Sump said.
Wildomar City Manager Frank Oviedo said the city would likely seek a court order forcing the dispensary to shut down.
"We're going to enforce the city's ordinance," Oviedo said. "There is no other option. We can't ignore our own laws."
Filed under: Civil Liberties, DEA, Drugs, MedPot, Military Industrial Complex, Prison Industrial Complex, Privacy, Religion Industrial Complex, Riverside County, Riverside DA, Riverside Sheriff | Tagged: Civil Liberties, civil rights, Compassionate Use Act of 1996, Corruption, fascism, Frank Oviedo, human rights, Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center, J. David Nick, Lake Elsinore, marijuana, medical marijuana, Propaganda, Proposition 215, Riverside, Superior Court of California, Temecula, Wildomar, Wildomar City Council, Wildomar Patients Compassionate Group, William Sump, WPCG | 1 Comment »


text:
Lightning Announce 2013 Preseason Scheduleby Staff Writer / Tampa Bay Lightning
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning will play a total of seven preseason games in 2013, the team announced today. They will kick off their preseason schedule on Wednesday, September 18 against the St. Louis Blues at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, home of the NBA's Orlando Magic, ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears and AFL's Orlando Predators. Tampa Bay will play a total of two games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
The Lightning will open the preseason with games on four consecutive nights, beginning at the Amway Center. During that stretch they will also play at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on two occasions while also visiting the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri to take on the Blues. The Bolts will then have a few days between games before taking on the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Tuesday, September 24. They will then move south to take on the Florida Panthers at Germain Arena in Estero, FL (Ft. Myers area) before finishing off the preseason in Sunrise, Florida against the Panthers on Saturday, September 28.
This season will mark the second time the Lightning will play a preseason game at Amway Center. More recently, Tampa Bay made the trip across I-4 to Orlando on September 21, 2011 to take on St. Louis. The Blues won the game, 4-3. This will mark the fifth time in franchise history the team will play a preseason game at Germain Arena in Estero, home to the Lightning's ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Tampa Bay is 0-3-1 all-time at Germain Arena, most recently playing to a 3-3 tie against the Carolina Hurricanes on September 24, 2002. The team also spent a portion of their 2012-13 training camp at Germain Arena.
Ticket on-sale dates for all games will be announced at a later date.
Tampa Bay is 15-6-3 during the preseason dating back to 2008.
The following is the schedule of games for the Lightning's 2013 preseason:
2013-14 Preseason Schedule
|Wed., September 18
|7 pm
|Amway Center (Orlando, FL)
|St. Louis Blues
|Thurs, September 19
|7:30 pm
|Tampa Bay Times Forum (Tampa, FL)
|Nashville Predators
|Buy Tickets
|Friday, September 20
|8 pm
|Scottrade Center (St. Louis , MO)
St. Louis Blues
|Saturday, September 21
|7 pm
|Tampa Bay Times Forum (Tampa, FL)
|Florida Panthers
|Buy Tickets
|Tuesday, September 24
|8 pm
|Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
|Nashville Predators
|Thursday, September 26
|7:30 pm
|Germain Arena (Estero, FL)
|Florida Panthers
|Buy Tickets
|Saturday, September 28
|7 pm
|BB&T Center (Sunrise, FL)
|Florida Panthers


text: after my upgrade to 22.214.171.124 i have one site that is not showing. when i go to Code: mysite.com all you see is a blank white page. now if i go to Code: mysite.com/admin i see the log in page and can get into this area but can not see any of the front end site i have 3 out of 4 sites are running and there are no issues. its just the one site EDIT forgot to add all sites were fine before my upgrade kwick


text:
"..although some browsers – such as Chrome – install such fixes automatically."
Could the fake cert be used to fix Chrome?
Google and other browser vendors have taken steps to block an unauthorized digital certificate for the " *.google.com" domain that fraudsters could have used to impersonate the search giant's online services. According to a blog post by software engineer Adam Langley, Google's Chrome team first discovered a site using the …
On linux you need the signing key for the packages and that is in a completely different trust chain - the gpg chain of the distribution you are using. On other OS-es it will probably be no as well - the certificates and keys for the packages are chained under the OS vendor root.
In any case, it just goes to confirm one more time how many of the certificate authorities do not belong on the trusted list in the first place.
"In any case, it just goes to confirm one more time how many of the certificate authorities do not belong on the trusted list in the first place."
Totally agreed, there was a recent update to the certificate authorities on Windows that broke my 802.1x because the number of trusted certificates went over 200. Some of them are just ridiculous, I can't remember the last time a site I went to had a certificate not signed by one of the major authorities
Revoking the intermediate certificate will be grand. If someone was checking the revocation lists of course.
The biggest problem of the certificate system is the positive thinking when designing it: it is good in delivering the positive message "trust me" and sucks royally in delivering the message "do not trust this one". CRLs have to be distributed to endpoints and no one uses OCSP. Even if it was used, it can be blocked which makes most implementations default to "I will trust this one".
Frankly it is time we relegate the current cert system for offline uses only (it is quite good for that) and switch to DANE for internet/online trust. This puts the "trust me" message into the hands of the domain owner. The only third party trust involved are the root signing key and the TLD signing key above your domain. That is 2 parties in total for most domains instead of a 100+ list (half of which we have never heard of) of certs which can spoof anything (not just something in their "zone").
Trust needs to be decentralised. SSL authorities must be assumed, like all commercial enterprises, to be willing to sell their grandmothers if the price is right, or their arms are twisted enough.
Firefox users should consider installing a decentralised certificate vetting system called Convergence. See the site at http://convergence.io . It checks that a certificate is the same certificate that other users are seeing.
"How do we know Convergence (or a party in between) isn't just telling the browser what it wants to hear?"
Because the man-in-the-middle would have to get into the middle of multiple independent lines of secure communication with different security keys. You can choose how many, according to need, and spread them around the world.
People independent of the inventor of the system are contributing to the system, so you don't have to trust the inventor of Convergence blindly, and shouldn't.
This is the sort of "trust no one" system that existing certificate authorities and governments will fight against, for obvious reasons.
Mistakenly issued ?
How does a Cert Issuer "mistakenly" issue wrong certificates ? The process is usually a pain and it would be surprising that they managed to make this kind of mistake unless it was intentional ( thinking extra dollars here)... Not what we can consider as being a very "trustworthy" organization.
But then again how do we know that Verisign ( cough Symantec) et al haven't made the same "mistakes" too.
That's not even close to be the problem. I could live with idiots generating certs mistakenly for this site or that site, as this would be dealt with eventually; on a case by case basis.
No, what is really baffling is they mistakenly issued intermediate certs, which are in essence delegations to generate as many certs as you want, for your web site, mine, or *.google.com, regardless of country, location etc ... ! And they apparently covered it until someone realises !
That means and shows:
- Turktrust are totally hopeless
- one hopeless link in the chain compromises everything
- Turktrust, no matter how hopeless, are the only ones in Turkey to deliver certs, so need and will be kept in charge
- as mentioned above, blacklisting doesn't work (de facto, and by design)
So, as others have hinted, and as has been already be discussed at El Reg, the TLS system no longer ensures security on da web, and needs to be replaced.
"That status could be in jeopardy, however, because the only solution to the spoofed-certificate problem, now that the cat is out of the bag, is to revoke the authority of some or all certificates issued by Turktrust."
How so?! All you have to do is issue revocation certificates for the mistakenly issued certificates. Then they can no longer be used to certify fraudulent keys and the keys already certified with them will become invalid, because the chain of trust will break.
That it might be advisable to revoke Turktrust's license for issuing certificates because of their demonstrated incompetence is a completely different matter.
If the intermediates that were wrongly released (more accurately, private keys revealed) were their standard ones in current use then revoking them will indeed revoke "some or all" of the certificates previously issued. So although they could in theory reissue a new intermediate and carry on, there's a good chance every one of their current customers will be baying for blood, never mind the browser developers wanting bits of their anatomy on skewers. Ouch.
But as others have said, every time this happens it shows the weakness of a distributed authority system where any branch can pretend to be any other branch. Proper integration with the domain system which provides firewalls between branches is the only solution.
On further investigation:
It looks like the intermediates/subordinate CA certs that were issued were *not* their standard ones, so other customers wouldn't be effected. That still leaves the issue of the whole system only being as strong as its weakest branch, though.
Instead of just displaying yellow or green in the bar, the bar should also display the name of the CA which is vouching for the user.
So if you are used to seeing "Google Inc (certified by Thawte Consulting)", and one day you see
"Google Inc (certified by Turkish Hotbaths Ltd)", at least a clueful user would be able to see the difference and decide if it is reasonable. I think there are enough clueful users around to be able to raise noise in forums and spread the alarm if something untoward started to happen.
Of course, the name of the CA displayed would always be the name stored in the local catalogue of root certs, and therefore not be spoofable (*).
Then CAs would become more publically visible and would have more of a vested interested in protecting their brand/reputation; equally, commerce sites would have a vested interest in buying their certificates from a well-trusted CA brand rather than some dodgy fly-by-night. And since you would start to learn which CAs you commonly come across, it would make it easier to disable the dozens of irrelevant root CAs which browser vendors throw in by default.
I think that if the SSL trust model requires us to have faith in literally hundreds of faceless CA corporations, at least we should know which one we are dealing with at any one time.
(*) If an intermediate CA was also involved, I suggest displaying an additional icon. Advanced users could then click to get details of the whole chain, as they can now. But the identity in the intermediate CA's certificate is only as trustworthy as the root CA which signed it, so it should not be shown by default.
So unless protected by a certificate revocation list (CRL) or OCSP Android are once again at the mercy of sporadic or non-existent updates from manufactures and carriers.
Google hardcode their own certificates into Android and Chrome to prevent impersonation, but no immediate information on how Android browsers will be updated with changes to the TURKTRUST CA which was apparently included from 2.0.3.
Of course if you have root on your Android device and feel brave enough you can go editing the Certificate store yourself, but this is not acceptable.
as I have noted in the past: the fundamental error here is that HTTPS bypasses the requirement for users to authenticate keys
this requirement is carefully detailed by Phil Zimmerman in his original PGP documentation in the section "Protecting keys from tampering"
HTTPS did not follow his requiremnts and got what they deserved
anyone using PGP ( or by extension x.509 certificates ) should generate their own keypair and sign any certificate that is used in a critical system. it should be noted that MSFT already does this for critical security bulletins .
the IT industry again is guilty of glossing over a critical requirement in favor of convenience
getting hacked ain't gonna be convenient
So, how are you going to authenticate the key you see from (say) Amazon? Phone them up - on what phone number? Not the one they publish on their website, obviously, as it could be spoofed.
Perhaps you only deal with companies where you have personally picked up a printed copy of their key fingerprint from their head office?
And of course, Amazon have hundreds of webservers with separate keys, so actually what you need is a copy of their key-signing public key, and you will then validate each time that the server you are talking to has a key signed by their KSK. Then you have to remember which websites go with which KSKs.
This is of course totally impractical, and it's the job that CAs are supposed to do on your behalf.
IMO, the main problem with the SSL model of trust is that it has no domain restrictions. I might trust a Turkish CA to sign certificates for *.tr domains, and a Brazilian one for *.br domains; I don't want to trust them to sign absolutely anything.
The problem with the current SSL cert system is that trust can be diluted.
Consider: what if there were only a couple of cert signers? Bad in that certs are going to be hellishly expensive, but good in that at least you only have a couple of entities that can screw you, so they can be watched like hawks (granted, if one of them DOES screw you, you are well and truly screwed).
But with the current model of tens of cert vendors, some of whom I've never heard of unless I go cruising through the depths of my system, any one of which is as "trusted" as any other, we see this current system.
I agree with the previous poster that any tool using SSL should, upon encountering a new cert, display a message to the user about the cert, and the chain of trust, and allow options of "trust once, trust always, trust never, research" - where "research" does some searches on that cert for any indications of trouble. Moreover, the user should be given the chance to say "not only do I not trust THIS cert, I now no longer trust the cert that signed it." - all the way up to the root if desired. If the user, who normally doesn't see any messages about https://www.example.com, is suddenly presented with a dialog, it may (*may* - we are talking about [l]users here) make them pause for those all-too-critical few seconds.
And why is it that a cert is only signed by ONE authority? Why not follow more of a web of trust model like PGP/GPG, wherein a cert can be signed by more than one entity? If I see a cert for "shadysite.com", and it is only signed by a single CA I've never heard of, I can be less trusting than it I see a cert signed by 5 different CAs, several of which I have a higher degree of trust. Even better: let people vouch for (OR AGAINST!) a cert by posting a signing statement (a file signed by the person's private key and the cert's public key, saying "I trust this entity" or "I DO NOT trust this entity"). Would I trust J. Random Person's signing? NO. But I would trust technically competent people I know, or at least know of (e.g. if RMS vouches for a cert, I can feel a pretty high degree of trust the cert's owners aren't looking to violate my rights. If Consumer Reports vouches for a cert, I can feel pretty good about it. If Steve Ballmer vouches for a cert....) That sort of "vouching" would be invaluable for most of us geeks that support non-technical family - I can set Granny Fanny's computer such that if I have vouched for a key, accept without question.
Trust shouldn't be about trusting any single entity without question, as the current SSL system does. It should be a Bayesian calculation - the product of a set of trust probabilities, yielding a figure of merit for the entity.
Is anyone else thinking this might be an inside job? Fraudsters pay off employee, who either has another job lined up, or plans to let a colleague take the fall. The alternative is that fraudsters are routinely checking the certificates on every SSL website in the hope that one day a CA will make this serious blunder and they will be able to find a way to steal the key from the cert holder. Sure, they can automate the search, but why wait for a blunder when you can pay for one?
Secondly, are the fraudsters now kicking themselves for issuing a fake "*.google.com" cert? They could have kept themselves busy and well-funded on dozens of low-profile domain certs, maybe some obscure badly-run banks, but they got greedy and went for the big one.
There is a massive trial going on in Turkey named "Ergenekon" which is based on forged digital documents, mail and files which were "put" inside victims computers.
Google/gmail is absurdly popular in Turkish media circles.
This mistake isn't some Turks being stupid to release a wrong certificate, it is a massive man in the middle attack which can't be done without government resources.
For more information in English about a connected trial with similar issues:


text:
Friday, May 11, 2012
Fittin' In
Somewhere in about my junior year I realized this was lame.
Why obsess about conforming to the ideals of other people, most of whom I either didn't know or didn't like? I started wearing wild things that made me happy (4" heels, sparkly sweaters, and straight-legged jeans) and doing crazy things to my hair. I figured if people shunned me for being different, they weren't any kind of friend to begin with. And I actually met some new friends who complimented me on my bold fashion choices.
What I realized is that fear of what other people thinks is stifling. It stifles creativity and smothers initiative. If all you ever strive to be is just like everyone else, you will never achieve or be more than any of the herd.
My daughters have recently become obsessed with amazing leggings. My granddaughter calls them "awesome pants" (pronounced pahnts). They love the creative designs, the wild patterns, the wonderful fit, and just how awesome they feel when they wear them. And it's just a bonus when they see the haters hatin' because, really, if someone can make their face look like a desiccated prune, would they want to be friends with them anyway?
The recipe I have for you today is kind of like Awesome Pahnts. It doesn't really fit in anywhere. It's kind of a pancake, but it's grain-free. It's got vegetables, so it's kind of a side dish. But you top it with sour cream and salsa and you can call it lunch. However you choose to eat it, it's terrific! Kind of crispy, spicy, and satisfying. Before you judge it and decide to hate it, try it. You just might like it.
Southwestern Zucchini Cakes
- adapted from Eat Like a Dinosaur
serves 3 to 4
1 medium zucchini, peeled and grated (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 egg
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp coconut flour
3 Tbsp coconut oil, more if needed
Plain, whole milk, organic yogurt
1- Place the zucchini in a mesh strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini with your hands to get as much of the moisture out as you can. (This is a fun job for a child with clean hands to do.)
2- Place the squeezed (squoze? squozen?) zucchini on a paper towel and press to remove moisture.
3- Combine the zucchini, egg, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and coconut flour in a bowl. Mix till well combined. (Again, this is a fun job for little clean hands.)
4- Place the coconut oil in a frying pan set over medium heat.
5- Divide the mixture into either thirds or fourths (depending on how big you want the patties or how many people you're serving). Shape each portion into a patty, about 3-4 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.
6- Cook the cakes about 6-8 minutes per side until golden brown.
7- Serve topped with generous dollops of yogurt and salsa.
9 comments:
- Peabody said...
Haha! I love it S and S are great kiddos!
- May 11, 2012 at 1:00 PM
- Elle said...
Great photo of the 'girls' in their awesome pahnts...go S & S! The recipe sounds great, too, probably because I love zucchini. Might have to add some black beans 'cuz I almost always alter recipes. Love the southwest flavors!
- May 11, 2012 at 2:43 PM
- MyKitchenInHalfCups said...
Awesome pants and awesome Southwestern Zucchini Cakes! I already know I'd love 'em. You like 'em, daughters like 'em, they're spicy = I like 'em!
- May 11, 2012 at 8:05 PM
- bellini said...
These remind me of a Greek zucchini cake that I love to eat. As for fashion I say do what makes you happy.
- May 12, 2012 at 5:00 AM
- grace said...
those outfits are a-mahz-ing. i love me some purple. :)
great cakes!
- May 13, 2012 at 2:52 AM
- hobby baker said...
Lolz, to each their own awesomeness. I'm sure these cakes are good though because I have a tuna cake recipe that is mostly zucchini that I already love. We'll have to try them out. ;)
- May 13, 2012 at 2:48 PM
- Jeannie said...
The clothes look like fun.
The zucchini cakes, I have made many times, but never thought about putting spices in them.
When I ate more sugar, the plain hot z cakes were covered with a little maple syrup, or plain syrup. I don't do that any more though. :-) Got to watch the weight.
- May 18, 2012 at 11:27 AM
- LizNoVeggieGirl said...
The recipe and those leggings, are awesome :)
- May 26, 2012 at 3:26 AM
- Stacy said...
Very true about the "fitting in part"! Also, looks like a great recipe.
- May 26, 2012 at 9:20 PM


text:
If your elderly loved one doesn't need daily home care visits but you still want to ensure that they are safe, our Wellness Watch service offers weekly check-in phone calls and semi-monthly wellness visits by our care team.
The semi-monthly visits include companion care services customized to the needs of your parent or loved one. In addition, the family receives a monthly report and access to quick-start home care.
Contact Us
If you would like to schedule a Wellness Watch check-in for your senior family member, please contact us today.


text:
Scannable Fake Ids for You
Are you looking for a website to purchase scannable Fake IDs? Or are you worried that you might be detected and punished for using a fake identity card? Then go to fakeyourdrank.com. They are a fake id offering website with the 10 To Memory On Hd Video Increase How Windows Intel Ram Dedicated Best Fake IDs, and also provides Fake ID that Scans. Why search further when you can get an already made fake ID with your fake information or and plain Fake IDs for you to fill on your own at fakeyourdrank.com. Hurry now! Grab your chance to hide your identity just like others do! But make sure it is not detected.
Fake Your Drank is guaranteed to be the most dependable and preeminent place because they offer the Best Fake IDs making it difficult for people or scanners to detect it. Fake Your Drank is always willing to help you get a Fake ID that Scans. They offer quality Fake IDs that if you scan them with a scanner; it will not be detected as fake. Unfortunately, if you go to the wrong website to purchase a fake id, you will end up being caught and punished for using it as your real identity card. Therefore go to the best sites and purchase the best fake scannable ID, for example, fakeyourdrank.com and get one if you need it.
They accept a variety of payment methods such as BTC, Western Union, LTC, and Moneygram. They also keep their customers alerted and give them all the latest offers as well as shipping after they place an order for a fake ID card. They will also give you a list of many scannable IDs for a variety of countries such as USA's fake ID lists, and Australia's fake ID lists. They will also offer Canada's fake ID lists containing different states like Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, etc.
If you used a fake ID card from Fake Your Drank, and the person you are submitting to want to do a 'bend test,' don't worry! Don't be afraid at all because it will bend as well as read IDs. Also, make sure the person does not make your fake ID card get a crease or else it will not be replaceable at Fake Your Drank, thus you will have to purchase a new one. This is, however, a waste of time, money, and resources. In case it got a crease, you can replace it on your own without any stress. Just scan the two sides with your scanner, modify and edit it by replacing the old photo with another different one and maintain the resolution and size. Replace the text field and use the same font. Print out both sides of the edited ID on a thick cardstock, cut the scans and glue to the cardstock. Apply a hologram and Laminate ID. Your creased ID will be back again! This is one of the features and reasons why Fake Your Drank is the best place to get fake ID cards.