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The report, dated Feb. 29 and recently made public, said the department awarded six contracts for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, valued at about $1.9 million, to ineligible companies. In addition, the report said, Defense awarded 27 contracts, valued at about $340.3 million, to contractors that "potentially misstated their SDVOSB status."
Finally, the department made coding errors when it entered these contracts into the federal procurement database. These errors, in turn, affected 137 contracts valued at about $1.3 billion, according to the report, which was picked up Monday by Federal News Radio.
Defense made two key errors that contributed to awarding ineligible contracts, Devon Hewitt, a partner at Protorae Law and a member of the American Legion's Small Business Task Force, told Federal News Radio. The first was the department failed to check the Central Contractor Registration database, which catalogs the eligibility of federal contractors prior to awarding the contracts.
Second, and according to Hewitt more significant, Defense relied heavily on its own self-verification process for contractors. The department's inspector general recommended Defense adopt a new verification process similar to the Veterans Affairs Department, which has a separate authentication process for veteran-owned contractors -- and is, according to Federal News Radio, the only government agency that does not rely on self-verification.
Veterans Affairs' verification process, however, has itself been hampered by complaints of delays, inconsistencies and a lack of thoroughness, according to Federal News Radio.


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Just one single album simply wasn't going to work for Rae Sremmurd. That's basically how we ended up with the SR3MM triple album.
As we found out, there was actually a lot of thought and creativity that went into the highly anticipated follow-up to SremmLife 2. One of the most interesting parts of the album(s) is that it's actually broken down into a Swae Lee record (called Swaecation), a Slim Jxmmy album (called Jxmtro), and then a Rae Sremmurd record. But why? Because that's how you keep it fresh:
There you have it. Meanwhile, we see no reason not to believe Jxmmy when he shares that story about recruiting Zoë Kravitz for "Anti-Social Smokers Club." Seems perfectly reasonable to assum that they're both from the future, right?!?!

subset: commoncrawl


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kristell Thomas has been down this road before.
She spent several years in prison, went to the Orange Street Community Correctional Center in Salt Lake City, got out, got in trouble again and landed back in prison last summer. In January, Thomas returned to Orange Street, Utah's halfway house for women offenders and is now preparing to leave again.
For good, she says.
"I'm just finished," she said. "I'm done beating myself up. I'm done breaking my family's hearts. I want a good life."
Figuring out how to keep women like Thomas from coming back to prison is a priority for the Utah Department of Corrections, which has seen the female inmate population consistently exceed capacity the point at which 96.5 percent of the 671 beds allocated for women are occupied during the first half of 2013. In May and June, it even surpassed the 671, forcing the prison to dip into surplus funds to house women at county jails.
At the start of the new budget year in July, the department received more money to contract for county jail beds and used some of it for female inmates, easing the crunch for now. As of Friday, there were 655 female inmates in state custody, down from 689 in June. There are 2,984 women on probation and 406 on parole.
Utah is not alone in experiencing an increase in the number of women incarcerated. The Sentencing Project, a national nonprofit organization, reported earlier this year that the female prison population nationwide rose 22 percent between 2000 and 2009, outpacing the increase in male inmates.
There are approximately 205,000 women in prison or jail across the country; another 815,000 women are on probation or parole. The Sentencing Project attributed the increase in female inmates to "get tough" sentencing laws and "war on drugs" policies.
While Utah also is seeing that effect, administrators have determined two factors are behind the recent crush at the prison: More women are "terminating" their sentences in prison without being paroled and more women are being sent to prison for repeated probation violations such as failing drug tests and missing appointments.
The number of women sent to prison for violating probation increased 180 percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.
"They are not coming back for committing new crimes," said Mike Haddon, a deputy director for the Utah Department of Corrections. "That is actually decreasing a bit."
The increase in women sent to prison after failing probation, as well as those who violate parole conditions, is partly why more than twice as many females now finish their sentences in prison compared to 2005. Jim Hatch, spokesman for the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, said the numbers reflect a growing intolerance for probation and parole violations.
"If someone comes to prison for the first time and has a history of violating probation, and can't demonstrate that he or she could be successful on parole in the future, the board is simply having such offenders serve their sentencing guideline, or longer, up front," he said. "Likewise, with repeat parole violators, the board is now more quick to terminate their sentence from prison after fewer parole attempts ... rather than indulging a revolving door of people returning with technical parole violations."
Orange Street Director Carrie Cochran said the 60-bed center, which takes offenders who need treatment, lack support or have no other place to go, has been at capacity for at least nine months. That has created a bottleneck at times between women ready to venture out on their own and those ready to transition from prison to the halfway house, something Cochran said the center has tried to better coordinate with the board. Some women stay at Orange Street for as briefly as a week; a few have been there as long as nine months. They receive a variety of services, in addition to room and board, for which they pay $6 a day.
"A lot of them are scared to get out," Cochran said. "They know what is expected here and it's safe."
Here's how Tasha Vincent, 31, put it on Thursday as she and two other women prepared dinner in the kitchen at Orange Street: "This place has been huge for us, to slowly reintroduce ourselves back into society and do it right."
Vincent will leave the center in early August.
Bonnie Leavitt, 47, said the thought of going straight back into the community after four years in prison was "almost overwhelming."
"A lot of things are pulling at you that you're not ready for," said Leavitt, who asked the board to send her to Orange Street, where she will remain until the end of the year.
Like Leavitt, Thomas asked the board to send her to Orange Street.
"I'm glad I came here because it gave me a chance to get my bearings and priorities in line so I [won't] be dependent on anyone else," said Thomas, 44.
But the ultimate answer is figuring out how to reduce recidivism among women probationers which now hovers at 54 percent so they don't end up going to prison in the first place, said Wendy Horlacher, a regional administrator for Adult Probation and Parole.
"Because it has become as critical as it is, we are looking at it in a new way," she said.
That is, in a gender sensitive way.
In May, the department applied for a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund a new three-year pilot it has dubbed the "Female Offender Success Initiative" (FOSI). The department, which will contribute $6.4 million in staff and other resources to the project, expects to learn any day whether it has received the grant. It anticipates more than 3,000 women will be served in the program.
Until now, the department's gender-specific moves have focused on female inmates and parolees. Six years ago, it adopted female uniforms and ended the practice of giving incarcerated women hand-me down male uniforms many of which were stamped with the male offender's name and prison number. It also stopped giving female inmates men's shoes, available only in sizes 8 and larger.
Women now are fed a diet tailored to their needs rather than the 2,600-calorie-a-day diet designed for men they once received, which frequently led to weight gain that caused self-esteem issues that often triggered relapses. The prison also now offers substance-abuse programs and parole services designed specifically for women.
The proposed initiative is aimed at developing similar gender-responsive strategies to help women on probation stay out of prison, said Holli Simmonds, a staff supervisor at Orange Street who wrote the FOSI grant. Among its elements:
• Implementing a new Women's Risk Need Assessment tool developed at the University of Cincinnati that has been credited with helping reduce recidivism 20 percent in three states that used it to identify high-risk offenders who need more intervention. Currently, the department uses a gender-neutral assessment program.
• Collaborating with courts to adopt sentencing, probation conditions, penalties, rewards and sanctions geared specifically for women.
• Providing ongoing, statewide training about trauma, a factor underlying most women's criminal behavior, to corrections staff and others who work with female offenders.
• Improving collaboration with community partners and service agencies from the Division of Child and Family Services to the Utah Housing Authority that work with female probationers.
The challenges for women on probation and parole are immense, from finding affordable housing to staying employed. They are required to work 32 hours a week, but most end up in low-wage jobs that make paying for housing, child care and other expenses difficult. Since 2008, when increased demand from homeless clients caused the Fourth Street Clinic to cut off male and female probationers and parolees, helping women get health care also has been hard.
"The most difficult population are those who need social or state support," Horlacher said. Some have medical and mental health issues that make them unemployable. And they can't qualify for public assistance while living at Orange Street, she said.
"We've lost so many options out in the community, it makes it really difficult for women in transition," Cochran added.
Women who have completed their sentences or probation no longer qualify for the department's aid accessing services, which also makes them vulnerable to relapsing.
"We're trying really, really hard to expand services so they can continue even if they are not being supervised by us," Simmonds said.
Twitter: @Brooke4Trib
Male inmate bed crunch
The Utah Department of Corrections will ask lawmakers next session to approve construction of a $37 million, 192-bed new unit at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.
Mike Haddon, deputy director, said legislators will need to address the request in 2014 in order to have the new facility ready for business by March 2017, when it will run out of room at the state's two prisons and county jails for a growing population of male inmates. The male population is increasing at a rate of nine new inmates per month; the female population is increasing at the rate of two per month.
According to department projections, it will have 6,837 male inmates by 2017.
It takes about 36 months, once funding is approved, to build and open a new unit, Haddon told the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee Tuesday. Haddon said the department expects to have $10 million in its nonlapsing fund budget to offset the cost of the new facility, which has been pitched to lawmakers several times in recent years.
In the meantime, the department will increase its contract beds at county jails to alleviate pressure at the prisons in Draper and Gunnison. It will need an additional 120 contract jail beds by next July and similar number by the summer of 2015. This year, it has a budget of nearly $29 million to pay for 1,696 beds at county jails to house state inmates, Haddon said.
Brooke Adams Of note: In Utah, more than one-third of female inmates are serving sentences for property crimes. Another 17 percent committed crimes against persons, while 16 percent are serving time for alcohol and drug offenses, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.


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On a cool morning a few weeks ago, Maya Escobar noticed a young woman tentatively looking around Cambridge Public Library's Teen Room. Escobar offered to help, and the hoodie-clad teen said she was looking for "Gossip Girl," a best-selling series about the romantic escapades of wealthy boarding school students that had been adapted for TV.
Escobar, a teen-services librarian sporting a lock of dyed pink hair, headed for the stacks. But the young woman was out of luck: "Gossip Girl" had been checked out. Escobar chatted with her a bit longer, and the teen left with several recommendations for books — and an application for a library card.
Escobar is one of a mushrooming corps of librarians in Greater Boston working to put books in the hands of young readers. She is part of an increasingly visible group that has almost doubled in size in the past 13 years. At 5,200 members, the Young Adult Library Services Association is the fastest-growing professional organization in the field.
"Teen services have exploded in the last decade," says YALSA president Shannon Peterson. She attributes the increase in part to the relatively large size of the current teen population in the United States.
But the push for young adult — or YA — librarians also comes at the confluence of two other trends: the reinvention of public libraries as community centers of learning, information, and enrichment and the surge of literature aimed specifically at a teen audience.
This new breed shares some distinguishing traits. A goodly percentage, Peterson says, are new to the field and "on the young side" themselves. Perhaps because of their relative youth, they also display a distinct sense of mission. In fact, a team from the Boston Public Library works to ensure incarcerated teens have access to YA literature.
To serve a group raised in the digital age, YA librarians have adjusted accordingly. Where their predecessors counted on bulletin boards to communicate with patrons, this new group tends to have Internet presences, maintaining blogs, Tumblrs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages for their teen collections. Many are active bloggers within the hyperactive YA literature blogosphere, making their knowledge of and passion for the books in their collections obvious to authors, publishers, and teenage fans.
If they're lucky, YA librarians preside over a designated space where their young patrons can browse, chat freely, and check their Facebook pages without irritating other library users. Escobar's domain, unveiled in 2009 as part of a $90 million renovation, is an airy, brick-lined sanctuary with windows stretching up to the cathedral ceiling.
Adults seeking YA novels, and there are plenty of them, may peruse shelves filled with manga, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, but they can't linger: The Teen Room is reserved for patrons aged 12-18.
As far as Escobar is concerned, her mission is to help teens read what they want and keep them interested in reading. "At this age, the books [teens] read really mean something to them," she said. "This is our last chance to make readers."
Young adult fiction didn't reach its stride until the late '60s, when books like S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" — widely considered to be the first YA novel — enraptured a robust crop of baby boomers. Harry Potter, a phenomenon of a more recent vintage, helped usher in what Publishers Weekly has called "The YA Decade" because of its exponential rise of titles and readers.
Since the turn of the millennium, hardcover novels have become trendy teenage status symbols while millions of adults stopped feeling embarrassed to be seen with copies of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight."
In that same time, libraries have remade themselves into public meeting spaces that facilitate research, dole out free Wi-Fi, host public meetings and forums, and help people surmount the digital divide. Teen library services have adjusted in turn.
"Instead of just pushing books, we try to provide more of a connective learning approach," Peterson says. "We connect what they're interested in to our programming, sneaking in research and books." According to a recent Pew Research Center survey about the library usage of young Americans, they are "significantly more likely than those ages 30 and older to use the library as a study or 'hang out' space." The operative word is "or" — the important part, it seems, is getting teenagers to show up.
Since she assumed her post as young adult librarian at Braintree's Thayer Public Library in January of last year, Ellen Seeburger has tried to increase teen-oriented art and culture programs. Among her successes have been a weeklong creative writing class, a drawing club, and workshops for stop-animation, beading, and constructing miniature hamburgers out of candy.
"Kids come to programs, and they end up staying afterward and looking at materials," Seeburger says. "They want to be creative without too much direction."
Thayer's teen room, added in 1999 when the library was rebuilt, predates many others in the area. Meanwhile, teen patrons of the Lynn Public Library didn't have a place to call their own until earlier this year.
"Being the children's librarian for 15 years, I saw kids grow up in the library," says director Theresa Hurley. "They came in for elementary crafts and story time and homework help, but when they got to high school, we didn't have anything for them. . . . They're one of our biggest populations, but they weren't being served."
When Hurley was appointed to her new post, her first priority was to change that. Last November, the Lynn Public Library received a grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services and the MacArthur Foundation to design and plan a technology lab for teens. In January, Hurley hired Katelyn Cole, Lynn's first designated young adult librarian. On Martin Luther King Day, a group of volunteers set about constructing a teen space.
Now that Lynn's young-adult services are up and running, the library regularly hosts writing and drawing workshops. Cole has taught teens how to use the iPad and facilitated a workshop where participants learned how to create their own video games.
"Teens require more understanding and a wider range of materials," Hurley says. "We've always had a teen population, but once we had a focused teen space and programs, that population definitely grew."
Brookline has a space for young adults but lacks someone to serve them exclusively. Instead, they have Robin Brenner, a librarian who splits her time between the reference desk and the teen room.
Brenner's interactions with teens largely center around the programs she runs, including frequent cupcake decorating sessions and an annual event that transforms the library into a mini-golf course. Her most frequent and significant encounters are with those she calls "the manga kids," members of the library's Manga and Anime Club.
Brenner has much to offer them: She is a published expert on manga and anime; she has developed one of the largest comics collections in the state; she teaches a Teen Lit Boot Camp at Simmons; and she runs the website "No Flying No Tights," a blog that reviews graphic literature for teens and adults.
The manga kids meet to discuss comics, watch films, and dress up in character. Earlier this month, they hosted a listening party for "Welcome to Night Vale," an incredibly popular podcast about a creepy fictional town.
Haley Cramer, a junior at Brookline High School, is one such manga kid. "It's really fun," she says. "I've met a lot of friends. If you don't know someone there, it's not a problem." Cramer has been in the club for three years, and her favorite event to date was an "Alice in Wonderland" costume tea party.
"We have a good time," Brenner says. "But you can get very depressed very quickly when you compare your numbers to children's programming, because they're always going to have much higher attendance — mainly because their parents force them to come. Teenagers have to come on their own, and that's the hardest thing."
Of course, there are some local teenagers who can't come to the library at all, like those in the custody of the Department of Youth Services. Jessi Snow, the youth services coordinator at the Boston Public Library, started lending books to incarcerated teens in 2010.
Three years later, the program has grown to include three librarians and eight facilities. Each month, they put together a collection of books to take to the facility, fill the requests of those serving lengthy sentences, deliver short talks for the books they've brought, and sign kids up for library cards.
"This is a time when they are hungry for reading materials," Snow says. "They are bored to death and have so few choices in their lives. I think you want to be giving them some normalcy at a time like that."
Laura Koenig, the head of youth services at the Boston Public Library, has been working in the DYS program for over a year.
"The last time that I went, everyone was head down in a book," says Koenig, whose hair is the color of cotton candy. Recently, inmates at several institutions got very into Simone Elkeles's "Perfect Chemistry" trilogy about the romance between a gang member and a perfect girl. "The Hunger Games" has been a perennial favorite.
"It's the same teenagers that we see in here," Koenig says, referring to the BPL teen room. "It changes how I see all the teens that I meet."
The same thing that scares people away from teens, Koenig says, is the same thing that draws her and other young librarians to them. "Everything's huge," she said. "That's why I love to read about teens, and read mostly teen books. It's a time when everything is enormous and everything is important. I think you can make a difference to a teenager — or at least just be someone who's friendly and helpful."
Eugenia Williamson is a writer and editor living in Somerville. She can be reached firstname.lastname@example.com.


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TG drives the new Audi RS5 Cabrio
What's this thing tailgating me at a distance of barely four inches?
It's Audi's new RS5 cabrio, arriving in the UK early next year to beat a frenzied assault on eardrums nationwide.
It's a bit noisy?
More than a bit. Piped through a dual-clutch gearbox and a fat pair of tailpipes, the RS5's 444bhp 4.2-litre V8 emits a mighty fanfare of booms, thumps and chunters, overlaid by a manic scream as the naturally aspirated engine reaches for its 8,500rpm redline. And, of course, with no roof to get in the way, all that noise is piped straight into your happy, gurning face. The RS5 might be the end of the line for non-forced-induction RS cars, and if it is, it's going out in a blaze of decibels.
I'm guessing it's not slow either?
You guess most correctly. The RS5 cab will do 0-62 in 4.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 174mph - if you remove the 155mph limiter, which you obviously will. But it's not just the speed of the RS5, it's the way it goes about it, serving up an all-you-can-eat buffet of grip, traction and, er, even more grip.
Four-wheel drive, then?
But of course. This is a fast Audi, after all. The cabrio is more or less mechanically identical beneath the surface to the RS5 coupe, with a crown centre differential sending up to 85 per cent of torque to the rear wheels or 70 per cent to the front. In addition there's a sports diff across the rear axle, plus torque vectoring and optional adaptive damping working on diagonally opposed wheels. Complicated, clever stuff that all adds up to a phenomenally sure-footed car.
Not one for the opposite-lock enthusiast?
No. If you drive it like an absolute idiot, you can provoke it into moving around a fraction as the RS5 shifts its torque about in search of grip, but mainly it just serves up immutable traction. And grip. And traction.
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Can't fast Audis sometimes be a bit... lumpy?
They can. We've never quite gelled with the RS5 coupe, finding it - though ballistically rapid - a bit distant and hard-riding. The cabrio, though hardly a wafty barge, seems just a margin more compliant. Maybe it was the tarmac of our test route - smoother than a freshly-shaven baby - or maybe it's just that, with your face under assault from the local insect population and your ears under assault from the RS5's exhaust, you're rather distracted from any bumps transmitted through the chassis. That said, the RS5 remains a trifle remote in terms of feedback: certainly less fingertip-engaging than, say, the BMW M3 cabrio.
But the M3's got a great folding-metal roof, hasn't it? Surely the RS5's lighter?
You'd think, wouldn't you? In fact, the Audi weighs in a few kilos heavier than the BMW, despite its lightweight fabric roof. It tips the scales at a beefy 1920kg, around 200kg more than the RS5 coupe, which might give you some idea how much bracing is required to stop a 444bhp cabrio twisting like a piece of fusilli in the corners.
It's no Lotus Exige, then?
No. Drive the RS5 hard and it's very apparent you're in control of a very big lump of metal going very fast: get hard on the brakes and you can sense a great deal of mass attempting to overtake you. Generally, though, the RS5 does a mighty impressive job of keeping all its bulk in check. Did I mention the whole 'relentless grip' thing?
Just a few times. So should I buy one?
Tricky one. With our sensible hats on, we'd concede that if you want a fast A5 cabrio, the S5 - with its 3.0-litre supercharged V6 - is as quick as you'd ever need, and you don't need to drive it so hard to get the most from it.
And with your sensible hats off?
Go for it. The RS5 cab is undoubtedly a more engaging proposition than the RS5 coupe, making the most of all that awesome V8 noise and overcoming its slightly po-faced driving dynamics through sheer sensory drama. The RS4 Avant remains our mid-size fast Audi of choice, but this is is the one for aural obsessives.
Any other convenient-yet-unrelated titbits that you've failed to crowbar into this review so far?
Glad you asked. This is just the start of 2013's hot Audi assault: celebrating the 30th anniversary of Quattro GMBH, Audi will introduce four RS models next year. Alongside this RS5 cab and the 553bhp RS6 Avant, we'll see a saloon RS6 and an RS version of the Q3, most likely sporting a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo serving up around 335bhp. Get ready for the RSUV invasion...
Sam Philip


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To end my Fort Ilocandia series, I would like to share with you my experience of going to the famous Sand Dunes of Ilocos. This is about 45 mins to 1 hour walk along the beach from Fort Ilocandia. Yes, I endured the walk just to get these photos. This Desert in the North is famous because this is the setting of Fernando Poe's Panday desert scenes and you can just imagine it when you are already in this place.
There were no people in sight but I was surprised to see bahay kubo/ shanties hidden in the small sand hills. I also took a self portrait above and this one is my favorite! I experienced for the first time what they call the "presence" walk where you don't think about the future nor the past but just think and be grateful for the present. It was such a nice experience visiting this desert.
This is not for everyone so I'll leave you with the photos to enjoy this place. These photos are very special to me so please ask permission if you want to have a copy of it. I only ask for proper acknowledgement and my special request is not to use it for commercial purposes.
Lastly, imagine your favorite saying or think of inspirational messages as you look through them.


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For the first time in eight years, Mary Meeker will let me ask her a few questions after she does her famous market overview. Each year, Mary pushes the boundaries of how many slides she can cram into one High Order Bit, topping out at 70+ slides in ten or so minutes last year. But given her move this year from star Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley to high-profile VC, I asked if Mary might spend another ten or so minutes with us to answer a few questions. She graciously agreed.
Kleiner Perkins has focused on social and mobile in a big way over the past year, raising significant funds, investing in Twitter, Square, Spotify, Klout, Path, and many more. But the firm does much more. Mary is a sharp observer of trends in our industry, and I am looking forward to picking her brain, if only for a few minutes. Sow hat do you want to hear from her?
As an extra incentive, I'll be picking the best three questions from these series of posts (including Paul Otellini, Mary Meeker, Michael Roth, Steve Ballmer, James Gleick, Vic Gundotra, and Reid Hoffman, among others.) The authors of those questions will get complimentary passes to Web 2 – a more than $4000 value. So get to commenting, and thank you!
Previously: Mark Pincus, John Donahoe, Marc Benioff, Dick Costolo, Michael Dell. Next up: Michael Roth.


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TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies Commits $90 Million Gift of Software to Georgia Institute of Techno
TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies Commits $90 Million Gift of Software to Georgia Institute of Technology
University Laboratory Dedicated in Agilent's Honor
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYS: A) today announced the largest in-kind software donation ever in its longstanding relationship with the Georgia Institute of Technology.
"Georgia Tech is among the best research universities in the world, offering the largest, most diverse electrical and computer engineering program in the United States and regularly turning out the largest number of engineers in America," said Steve McLaughlin, chair of Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "Maintaining that position requires the best teachers and facilities and, increasingly, key partnerships with companies like Agilent. Thanks to Agilent's support, our students now have access to the industry's leading software and hardware tools."
Last year, Georgia Tech dedicated a new laboratory to Agilent after the company made a substantial donation to the university's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).
Agilent's latest in-kind donation is valued at approximately $90 million (book value) over three years and will comprise Agilent EDA software, support and training. The donation is being given as part of the Agilent EEsof EDA University Alliance program. It includes a tailored, three-year custom license program that provides member companies of ECE's Georgia Electronic Design Center with access to Agilent's EEsof EDA solutions.
"This is one of the largest academic donations of Agilent EEsof products to a single institution and the largest software gift Georgia Tech has ever received," said Todd Cutler, general manager with Agilent EEsof EDA. "We realize that universities and start-up incubator programs play a crucial role in pushing the limits of EDA tools; feedback from our partnership with Georgia Tech helps us target our development investments to make sure our products support leading-edge technology development. We are proud to partner with Georgia Tech in this program and help its students gain the skills they need to impact industry today and in the future."
Academic uses of Agilent EDA software will focus on Agilent EEsof's Advanced Design System and SystemVue solutions. ADS is the world's leading electronic design automation software for RF, microwave and high-speed digital applications, pioneering innovative and commercially successful technologies such as X-parameters* and 3-D electromagnetic simulators. SystemVue is Agilent's premier platform for designing communications systems. It enables system architects and algorithm developers to innovate the physical layer of wireless and aerospace/defense communications systems and provides unique value to RF, DSP, and FPGA/ASIC implementers.
More information about Agilent's EDA software offerings is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof. For a video on the importance of Agilent's donation and support to Georgia Tech's engineering program, go to www.agilent.com/find/GeorgiaTechandAgilent_video. Additionally, the Agilent YouTube network at www.youtube.com/AgilentTM has videos of the company's latest products and applications in electronic design and measurement.
About Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the world's premier research universities. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, the Institute enrolls 21,000 students within its six colleges. Georgia Tech is the nation's leading producer of engineers as well as a leading producer of female and minority engineering Ph.D. graduates. Holding more than 780 patents and receiving approximately $570 million in sponsored awards, Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top ten universities (without a medical school) in research expenditures. Visit www.gatech.edu for more information.
About Agilent EEsof EDA Software
Agilent EEsof EDA is the leading supplier of electronic design automation software for microwave, RF, high-frequency, high-speed digital, RF system, electronic system level, circuit, 3-D electromagnetic, physical design and device-modeling applications. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYS: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, diagnostics, electronics and communications. The company's 20,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had revenues of $6.9 billion in fiscal 2012. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com.
X-parameters is a trademark and registered trademark of Agilent Technologies in the United States, European Union, Japan and elsewhere. The X-parameters format and underlying equations are open and documented. For more information, visit www.agilent.com/find/eesof-x-parameters-info.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Further technology, corporate citizenship and executive news is available on the Agilent news site at www.agilent.com/go/news.
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Janet Smith, +1 970 679 5397 (Americas)
Twitter: @JSmithAgilent
Sarah Calnan, +44 (118) 927 5101 (Europe)
Iris Ng, +852 31977979 (Asia)
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Greece's international lenders agreed on Monday to give the country two more years to make the cuts demanded of it but the euro zone and IMF clashed over a longer-term target date to shrink the country's debt pile.
Euro zone finance ministers gathered in Brussels did not disburse more aid to the debt-ridden country and by granting a request from Athens for more time, face an extra funding bill of around 33 billion euros, according to a document prepared for the meeting.
"The Eurogroup concludes that the revised fiscal targets as requested by the Greek government and reported by the troika would be an appropriate adjustment," Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers, told a news conference after nearly six hours of talks.
Juncker said a further Eurogroup meeting would take place on November 20 while officials said more negotiations could be required the week after that to nail down a new deal.
Despite Greece approving a tough 2013 budget last week, which it hoped would meet conditions for the release of a tranche of 31.5 billion euros of emergency loans under its second bailout program, its lenders still need to agree on how to make its debts sustainable into the next decade.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said more work was needed to cement the budget measures.
"That … (budget law) clearly needs to be reviewed a little bit, to make sure that all prior actions contained in that budget law are actually taken," she told the same news conference. "There will be a few, only a few additional prior actions to be verified in the coming days."
A compliance report by the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank, together known as troika, calculated that giving Greece two more years to meet its immediate debt-cutting targets would leave a funding hole of 32.6 billion euros to be filled up to 2016.
Discussion on how to close that gap will be high on the ministers' agenda when they next meet.
A target was set in March for Greece to achieve a primary surplus of 4.5 percent of GDP in 2014. That will now be moved to 2016.
Lagarde also said the IMF did not agree with Juncker, who said a target to reduce Greece's debts to 120 percent of GDP by 2020, from around 190 percent next year, should similarly be shifted back by two years.
"In our view the appropriate timetable is 120 percent by 2020," Lagarde said. "We clearly have different views. What matters at the end of the day is the sustainability of Greek debt so that country can be back on its feet."
The IMF has set 120 percent as the target, saying that anything much above that will not be sustainable given Greece's low growth prospects and high external borrowing requirements.
Greece's lenders will not release more money until a "debt sustainability analysis" from the troika, has spelled out how to reach that goal. That analysis is expected to be discussed in more detail at the meeting on November 20.
Loans have been held up since Athens, which has received two bailout packages from the euro zone and IMF, went off-track with promised reforms and budget cuts, partly as a result of holding two elections in the space of three months earlier this year.
The IMF has been pushing for governments to write off some of their official loans to Greece, but Germany, the European Commission and others have said it is not legally possible.
"All avenues in order to reduce debt on Greece are being explored and will continue to be explored in the coming days," Lagarde said.
Three officials told Reuters that the troika had concluded that Greece's debt burden will fall only to 144 percent of gross domestic product in 2020 and roughly 10 percentage points lower two years later if current policies do not change.
Once there is an agreement on Greece's debt path and how to bring it down, it will be sent to national parliaments to get approval for the disbursement of the next aid tranche — money Athens needs urgently to pay off loans and shore up its banks.
In the meantime, Greece will be allowed to issue more short-term paper to keep itself afloat.
Among the new instruments under consideration to reduce Greek debt are the removal of the 150-basis-point interest above financing costs on 53 billion euros of bilateral government loans to Greece, and lengthening the maturity of the loans.
Greece may also borrow from the euro zone bailout fund to buy back its privately held debt, of which there is 50-60 billion euros, taking advantage of the deep discount it trades at to save money on redemptions and interest payments.
Athens has to redeem 5 billion euros worth of treasury bills on November 16 and has been counting on cash from the next euro zone aid tranche to help cover that. Since the money will not come in time, Greece wants to roll over the bills.
"I won't tell you how, but there won't be any problem on November 16," Juncker said.
(Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, Deepa Babington and Harry Papachristou in Athens, Matthias Sobolewski in Berlin, Luke Baker, Daniel Flynn, John O'Donnell and Robin Emmott in Brussels. Writing by Mike Peacock)


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Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
June 2012
New Regulations Address Invasive Species
This year when you pull out your fishing gear in anticipation of your first outing, remember that some things have changed. You may have bumped into a number of folks at the sporting goods shop this spring with a new pair of wading boots tucked under their arm while picking up a supply of tackle and imitation eggs. Things may look a little different when you head to a hot spot on the river or to your favorite fishing hole, too. You and other freshwater anglers should be sporting a pair of wading boots with non-absorbent soles instead of what may have been an old standby, felt soled waders. As of January of this year, fresh water anglers are required to wear wading footwear with non-absorbent soles. Because felt waders have been identified as a mechanism for moving aquatic invasive species, the Alaska Board of Fisheries (the board) voted to prohibit their use in freshwaters of Alaska.
In early 2009, the board passed a proposal, submitted by a member of the public, that would ban the use of felt soled wading products in fresh waters of Southeast Alaska. The board agreed that if felt soled waders contributed in threatening native fisheries and habitats by successfully harboring invasive species, then taking that threat out of the picture was a good solution.
The angler who suggested the change in regulation was a member of the Juneau Chapter of Trout Unlimited. In California, he had seen what whirling disease does to the backbone of an infected rainbow trout, and was aware that areas where aquatic invasive species exhibit problems frequently coincide with popular fishing holes. Armed with research papers and previous success, Trout Unlimited proposed the board consider extending the ban on felt waders to all fresh waters of the state in 2010. The board passed that proposal as well. In order to allow Alaskans and nonresident anglers plenty of time to make the switch from felt to non-absorbent soled waders, the board decided the new regulation would go into effect in January 2012.
Bearing in mind the intent of the new regulation on wading footwear is to protect our valuable fisheries and the fresh water habitats on which they rely, there is considerable hope that anglers will comply. Granted, the absorbent material on the soled of fishing boots is not the only means by which invasive species can be introduced to our waters. Common pathways for intentional or accidental translocation of aquatic invasive plants and animals are illegally dumping unwanted live bait, or aquaria pets and plants; illegally transporting live animals and plants from one water body to another, boats, trailers, or floatplanes that aren't cleaned between water bodies, and use of any gear in a pristine system after exposure to infested water. Even those new wading boots with non-absorbent material on the soles can be a culprit if they aren't cleaned properly or thoroughly dried between waters. Decontamination of gear used in contaminated waters is the key to reducing your role in moving invasive species into new areas.
The regulatory change effecting footwear was decided in the same year that a new invasive species was detected in Alaska. In the fall of 2010, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) biologists decided to ground truth a new aquatic plant guide that had recently been completed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in collaboration with Portland State University. On their first day in the field, they found a monoculture of an aquatic plant in Chena Slough. According to the pictures and description in plant guide, they'd found an undocumented population of the invasive plant Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis).
USFS ecologist, Trish Wurtz said, "It's almost guaranteed," that someone dumped it into the slough from an aquarium sometime in the past 10 years. Wurtz observed, "A bunch of red clay balls" (commonly found in aquaria) in the silt underneath a bridge in the slough.
Although the Canadian waterweed previously had not been observed in the Fairbanks area in 2010, there was one record of the plant from Eyak Lake in Cordova. To find out if Elodea had spread to other areas, Chugach National Forest completed surveys in 2011 in the Cordova area. The invader was observed in Alaganik Slough, McKinley Lake, and Martin Lake. USFWS will undertake more surveys in the National Forest during the 2012 field season.
An aquatic ecologist with the USFWS, Cecil Rich has experience with Elodea from his work down south before relocating to Alaska. When he learned that Elodea had been detected in Fairbanks and Cordova, he felt it necessary to do some surveys in the Anchorage Bowl. His shoreline surveys discovered the invasive waterweed growing in Sand, Delong, and Little Campbell lakes. This is concerning to state, federal and local natural resource agencies because floatplane pilots use Sand Lake, some of whom live on the lake and have planes tied up at their private docks. Elodea can easily cling to rudders and floats, as well as boat propellers, only to be deposited at the next water body. Both Nuttall's and Canadian waterweed can easily spread when fragments of the plant are introduced to new locations. Like many invasive species, this plant is tough; it grows rapidly and can survive when lakes and rivers ice up.
According to Rich, the Sand Lake population is, "… just waiting to be spread by floatplanes to Lake Hood (at the Anchorage International Airport). Once in Lake Hood it could impede floatplane operations and result in unsafe conditions for pilots. Floatplanes could easily spread Elodea to other waters where it could affect boating, fishing and other recreational activities."
Fast forward to the present, we now know that the plant found in Fairbanks is actually Nuttall's waterweed (Elodea nuttallii), which has not previously been recorded in Alaska. We also have learned that the nonnative plant is growing in Chena River and Chena Lake. The Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District has taken a commanding role in surveying waters around Fairbanks, investigating control options, and organizing efforts statewide.
It is important to know how to identify and report invasive species, to know where aquatic invaders are established, and how to avoid transporting them to new areas.
Remember to always:
- CLEAN: Rinse and remove any plant debris, mud and sediment from gear, boats, and boat trailers, floatplane floats and rudders. Separate all pieces of wading footgear and waders (remove liners, etc.) to check for and remove visible plant debris, mud and sediment before leaving the area. Use a stiff bristle brush to clean surfaces of gear.
- DRAIN: Empty all water from coolers, bilge pumps, buckets, and wring out gear before leaving the boat launch or fishing areas.
- DRY: Completely dry gear between systems or trips, if drying is not possible, either freeze gear until solid or wash gear in 130°F hot water.
- DECONTAMINATE: If drying, freezing or heating gear is not feasible, use a 2% bleach solution to clean gear away from fresh water recreation sites. Spray or rinse gear for one minute. A 2% bleach solution can be made easily by mixing 2.5 oz. of chlorine bleach with tap water to make 1 gallon of solution.
- NOTE: Absorbent materials may degrade from use of some solutions useful for decontamination, such as bleach water. Please rinse all gear on land, away from the water in which you were fishing, and dispose of disinfectants as indicated on the label.
- REPORT: Any plant or animal you suspect to be invasive should be reported. Take a one picture of the individual and one of the population, and then call the Invasive Species HOTLINE: 1-877-INVASIV.
Tammy Davis is the Invasive Species Program Lead for ADF&G.
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Get a valid ESA certificates after speaking with one of our licensed doctors via Telehealth. Appointments available same-day.
Over 16,000 people have been denied the chance to fly onboard an airplane with their emotional support animal.
Those who bring their pets with them on flights without an ESA document can be charged upwards of over $300.
Many people pay as high as $500 extra to keep their pets with them in residential complexes.
There is a high percentage of pet owners who find it difficult to find pet-friendly housing.
For Ellisville patients, having an emotional support animal cetter allows for greater freedom when making travel plans and when looking for a place to stay or a new place to live. This certificate excludes you from having to pay any extra fees associated with flights or apartment complexes that might charge you for having your pet with you.
Mango Clinic ensures you a genuine experience in getting your emotional support animal document. Unlike many scam sites found online, we have you speak with licensed therapists that will write and sign you an authentic document that is covered across all 50 states. Along with ESA certificates, our MDs can help you with ADHD, anxiety, weight loss, and more, no matter where in the country you are.
In addition to providing an authentic ESA document, Mango Clinic also gives all patient's full customer support. Open 7 days a week from 11am-6pm, we can be reached at (786) 422-9327 where you can ask questions and also set up an appointment. You can also visit our appointments webpage and chat with us via our chat option that can be found on any of our pages.
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By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court said Friday it will consider eliminating the government's most potent weapon against racial discrimination at polling places since the 1960s. The court acted three days after a diverse coalition of voters propelled President Barack Obama to a second term in the White House.
With a look at affirmative action in higher education already on the agenda, the court is putting a spotlight on race by re-examining the ongoing necessity of laws and programs aimed at giving racial minorities access to major areas of American life from which they once were systematically excluded.
"This is a term in which many core pillars of civil rights and pathways to opportunity hang in the balance," said Debo Adegbile, acting president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
In an order Friday, the justices agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to the part of the landmark Voting Rights Act that requires all or parts of 16 states with a history of discrimination in voting to get federal approval before making any changes in the way they hold elections.
The high court considered the same issue three years ago but sidestepped what Chief Justice John Roberts then called "a difficult constitutional question."
The new appeal from Shelby County, Ala., near Birmingham, says state and local governments covered by the law have made significant progress and no longer should be forced to live under oversight from Washington.
"The America that elected and reelected Barack Obama as its first African-American president is far different than when the Voting Rights Act was first enacted in 1965. Congress unwisely reauthorized a bill that is stuck in a Jim Crow-era time warp. It is unconstitutional," said Edward Blum, director of the not-for-profit Project on Fair Representation, which is funding the challenges to the voting rights law and affirmative action.
But defenders of the law said there is a continuing need for it and pointed to the Justice Department's efforts to block voter ID laws in South Carolina and Texas, as well as a redistricting plan in Texas that a federal court found discriminated against the state's large and growing Hispanic population. "What we know even more clearly now than we did when the court last considered this question is that a troubling strain of obstructing the path to the ballot box remains a part of our society," Adegbile said.
Since the court's decision in 2009, Congress has not addressed potential problems identified by the court. Meanwhile, the law's opponents sensed its vulnerability and filed several new lawsuits.
Addressing those challenges, lower courts have concluded that a history of discrimination and more recent efforts to harm minority voters justify continuing federal oversight.
The justices said they will examine whether the formula under which states are covered is outdated because it relies on 40-year old data. By some measures, states covered by the law are outperforming some that are not.
Tuesday's election results also provide an interesting backdrop for the court's action. Americans re-elected the nation's first African-American president. Exit polls across the country indicated Obama won the votes of more than 70 percent of Hispanics and more than 90 percent of blacks. In Alabama, however, the exit polls showed Obama won only about 15 percent of the state's white voters. In neighboring Mississippi, the numbers were even smaller, at 10 percent, the surveys found.
The case probably will be argued in February or March, with a decision expected by late June.
The advance approval, or preclearance requirement, was adopted in the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to give federal officials a potent tool to defeat persistent efforts to keep blacks from voting.
The provision was a huge success, and Congress periodically has renewed it over the years. The most recent occasion was in 2006, when a Republican-led Congress overwhelmingly approved and President George W. Bush signed a 25-year extension.
The requirement currently applies to the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. It also covers certain counties in California, Florida, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota, and some local jurisdictions in Michigan and New Hampshire. Coverage has been triggered by past discrimination not only against blacks, but also against American Indians, Asian-Americans, Alaskan Natives and Hispanics.
Before these locations can change their voting rules, they must get approval either from the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division or from the federal district court in Washington that the new rules won't discriminate.
Congress compiled a 15,000-page record and documented hundreds of instances of apparent voting discrimination in the states covered by the law dating to 1982, the last time it had been extended.
Six of the affected states, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas, are backing Shelby County's appeal.
In 2009, Roberts indicated the court was troubled about the ongoing need for a law in the face of dramatically improved conditions, including increased minority voter registration and turnout rates. Roberts attributed part of the change to the law itself. "Past success alone, however, is not adequate justification to retain the preclearance requirements," he said.
Jurisdictions required to obtain preclearance were chosen based on whether they had a test restricting the opportunity to register or vote and whether they had a voter registration or turnout rate below 50 percent.
A divided panel of federal appeals court judges in Washington said that the age of the information being used is less important than whether it helps identify jurisdictions with the worst discrimination problems.
Shelby County, a well-to-do, mostly white bedroom community near Birmingham, adopted Roberts' arguments in its effort to have the voting rights provision declared unconstitutional.
Yet just a few years earlier, a town of nearly 12,000 people in Shelby County defied the voting rights law and prompted the intervention of the Bush Justice Department.
Ernest Montgomery won election as the only black member of the five-person Calera City Council in 2004 in a district that was almost 71 percent black. The city redrew its district lines in 2006 after new subdivisions and retail developments sprang up in the area Montgomery represented, and the change left his district with a population that was only 23 percent black.
Running against a white opponent in the now mostly white district, Montgomery narrowly lost a re-election bid in 2008. The Justice Department invalidated the election result because the city had failed to obtain advance approval of the new districts.
The case is Shelby County v. Holder, 12-96.


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Gov. Janet Napolitano Is The Public Face Of Super Bowl XLII
Head Coach
New governors often inherit their predecessors' programs and initiatives — the good and the bad — when they take office. So it was when Gov. Janet Napolitano officially took the state's helm in 2003. But at least one of those programs already had her stamp of approval.
Proposition 302, which provided funding for the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, other sports-related programs and authorized the creation of the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority, was passed by voters two years before Napolitano took office. She says it has been money well spent.
"The voters decided to spend the money on the stadium and I think it's proven to be a good decision," she says. "We've been able to attract a lot of different events to Arizona because of that new venue and the Super Bowl is a great way to showcase Arizona."
Napolitano, along with Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, then-bid committee chairman Gregg Holmes and retired ABC newscaster Hugh Downs, presented the bid to host Super Bowl XLII to National Football League team owners in 2003.
"They had already put together a good presentation. I just added my two cents worth as governor of the state that we were very supportive of the bid and we would do everything we could to support the Super Bowl," she says.
The team's efforts paid off, as did Prop. 302's goal. And, Napolitano points out, other items funded by Prop. 302 have been successful as well.
"It's not just the Super Bowl and the stadium, but the Cactus League venues, which are growing by leaps and bounds, the playing fields for young people and their teams, and all the other things that got wrapped into that funding for 302," she says.
Short term, she says the Super Bowl will produce a lot of fun activities for the state and will generate an estimated $400 million in revenue. Long term, she expects the Super Bowl will generate interest among developers and investors to support Arizona.
"I'm hopeful that we can use this as an opportunity to show this state as a growing, vibrant economy," Napolitano says. "A state that has a lot of things going on beyond sports and beyond some of the common stereotypes about Arizona."
That includes construction, new laboratories, high-tech companies and medical schools, all of which she describes as the "foundation for our economy as we move forward."
In 2008, Napolitano will focus on improving education, dealing with growth and transportation issues and protecting open space."We're really looking to enrich, grow and diversify the economic performance here," she says. "We're going to have a good, fiscally sound budget that keeps investment where it needs to be, so that when we come out of the housing downturn, we haven't cut off our nose to spite our face with respect to the state budget. Long term, the key thing is going to be education. None of this happens in terms of economic performance, generation of wealth …
"Being governor is a great honor. It's the ability to try to set the agenda for the state — to try to enunciate our vision for this new Arizona we're building and strategies on how to get there that are pragmatic and fit within our pocketbooks that keep us moving forward. I'm proud to say that I think we've done that over the past five years and we're going to continue to."
AZ Business Magazine Dec-Jan 2008 | Next: Pampered Pooches…


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This section of ALCTS
- develops theory and practice concerning continuing resources in all formats
- initiates and supports studies, reports, discussions and publications
- encourages specialized education, programming, and training for practitioners in the fields of continuing resources management
- coordinates the activities about continuing resources in all formats
What Is a Continuing Resource?
A continuing resource is a publication in any physical or electronic format that is intended to be issued with no set ending, and generally carries numbering, dates or both. Serials and integrating resources are types of continuing resources. Serials are issued in separate parts, while integrating resources do not have separate issues. One of the main criteria that differentiate continuing resources from monographic resources is the publisher's intention. Watch this video to learn more:
Addresses serials topics in the area of acquisitions.
Committee on Holdings Information
Addresses and studies matters relating to union lists of serials, with special attention to evaluating trends or developing standards.
Continuing Resources Cataloging
Identifies, discusses, and proposes solutions to problems related to serials cataloging.
Education, Research, and Publications Coordinating
A resource and think tank for education, research, publications, and program planning for the Continuing Resources section.
Coordinates activities of all CRS committees and interest groups with respect to continuing resources.
Nominates candidates for elective offices of the section.
Policy & Planning
Reviews CRS structure and activities, considers long-range section goals and objectives, and recommends new activities to be undertaken by CRS.
Participates in creating and revising information-related standards and related best practices and guidelines, gives input on ISO and NISO technical standards and recommended practices, and offers forums for the continuing resources community about developing and revised standards.
Liaisons & Representatives
CRS liaisons and representatives facilitate communication between the section and division-level committees. | more
Interest Groups
Access to Continuing Resources IG
Informal forum for presenting and discussing current issues and concerns relating to equitable access to journals. Disbanded in October 2018.
College & Research Libraries IG
Informal forum for presenting and discussing current issues and concerns of those interested in serials in research libraries.
Award Juries
Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award Jury


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Care for horses & livestock/farm animals
Care for cats, dogs & other companion animals
Welcome to the VMD-PhD Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The goal of the VMD-PhD Program is to train outstanding veterinarian-scientists who will make groundbreaking contributions to their field by advancing science and medicine. The VMD-PhD Program has been in existence since 1969 and has gone through considerable expansion over the past decade. We have designed this site to provide information for prospective students, current students, faculty, and mentors. We hope you will find this information useful. If you require additional information, please contact us directly at email@example.com.
VMD-PhD: Request More Information
VMD-PhD: Apply Now
To apply to the VMD-PhD Program, two applications are needed: the VMD-PhD Program
application, and the Vet School application. The VMD-PhD application is due November 1 of each year
for admission the following fall. The Vet School application is due September 15 for
admission the following fall.
Learn more...


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In fact, I would expect nothing less of any child of mine.
Wise wise words that have left me with a proud tear in my eye. Love that you keep it real here. xxx
Sometimes when I read your posts, like this one, it makes my heart ache. As I know too well the journey that you are traveling. People that have never traveled on that road will never understand until they do. It is a journey of broken hearts that all want the same thing, healing and love. It is the "other" side of life and the way I see it years later after my own same journey, there is still a part of my heart that aches from my travels. I wish you the best my friend, and hope your heart aches just a little bit less each day!
Take care, Sue
Oh girl...I am so proud. Of all of you. :)
It's so complex until we remember that only Love is real.
One of my favorite blogs. No fluff, all heart.
You--and especially your kids--all of you are so much better off due to your generous insightful perspective.
Beautiful post. xo
Sending you SO much love...
i know this is hard to live...and hard to write...and people never really know until they walk in your shoes...and you know...ah heck i got nothing really other than a hug...
Negotiating the custody arrangement is the worst part of a divorce. Great post.
What a moving, emotional and mature post. I know this has been a difficult journey for you and I love how you've grown and changed. I know it hasn't been easy.
Lots of love,
I had the same thing happen, and I also could have never imagined it. My sweet 14 yo old staying with his dad was unimaginable to me at the time. But I also realized they both needed it. You are so brave to share so openly,mi can't seem to get past something, I'm not sure what, and write it out. Maybe it's the fear of others judging my mothering. Anyway mine came back to me last year, after a long painful journey. He and his dad are both healthier for the experience and I'm glad at this point it went the way it did. Don't be surprised if he comes back though, boys need their moms too :)
What a difficult journey; somehow I think you all will come out on the other side closer than ever.
i cry every night. I don't tell HIM that.
But I do.
You're very brave, and your children love you, and you, no doubt, love them, too.
Thanks so much for sharing, I really feel I have come to know you so much more.
*tears* Oh, VM, this is just so beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. All I wanna do is run over, knock on your door and hug you!!
Based on things my sister and I did, my father was persuaded, by first his third wife and then his fourth wife, that we were bad children.
Divorce is a monster but I've never for one minute thought my parents should have stayed together.
Ultimately it was best for my sister and I because we didn't have to live in the shadow of their indifference towards each other.
Neither my sister nor I ever married and had no desire to based on any of this.
Beautiful insight, lovingly said, and I send you many ((hugs)).
A moving post. I can't even imagine what it is like.
I have not been thru divorce bur I have been thru dificulty with a child and to remind them I love them as they seem to drift away..it hurts my heart.
It is so strong what you are doing and so awesome how you trust and believe in your children even though it hurts... hugs.xx
Hugs to you vodka mom.
Kudos to you for putting your children first, and respecting their needs and desires. How mature of you to not use them as pawns in your divorce, like I've seen FAR too many people do. Your children know how very much you love them, and you've done one hell of a job raising them. No one ever said doing the right thing would be easy. Not many people are strong enough to do it. Good for you, and mostly, good for your kids.
And your daughters are saving yours (but they have far less work to do.)
The things we do for our children just so they can have what they need... It doesn't remove the pain, but somehow lessens it. HUGS!
How very hard... I can't imagine. I've always been scared to death my kids would choose to leave me and go live with their dad. Or that he would try to take them from me. For so long, they were all I had. Now I have to force my 17 year old to go visit him, and the 14 year boy doesn't want to go, but he does, because he knows his dad is lonely... now that his sister rarely goes over, he really doesn't want to go. Last night we discussed helping my ex sell his home by helping with the money he would lose on his little home, that he has let go downhill... sell his home, move closer to Dallas, so he can be closer to his kids, and so the girl can drive herself and her brother over to his house. I don't know... It's very hard, and your unselfish act will always be remembered by your babies...
big ((hugs)).
i wish my mother had been so generous. my siblings and i could have used more time with our father when we were younger, but she was too selfish.
I just realized from your post that my stepson not only needed his dad but his dad needed him as well. I came into their lives when they were the "boys" living the lives of devastation. After reading your post, I now see that they both needed each other.
wow, what an emotionally moving post.
What an incredibly hard thing to go through, as an obviously doting mother.
Keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Love to you
I was the Golden Boy once myself, but I was the oldest instead of the youngest and I stayed because I was old enough to know my mom would barely be able to cope with two let alone three. That was hard, but I still understood what was going on. And I always knew my mom loved me.
This breaks my heart and scares the bejesus out of me at the same time. I am the mother to 3 boys and it terrifies me to think if their father and i ever seperated or divored they might choose to stay with him. I consider 2 of my 3 to be big mama's boys but still as you said a boy needs his father and a father needs his son. I am glad you were able to share this story with us.
Thank you so much for sharing. My heart goes out to you during this difficult time. I can't even imagine having my kids choose to stay without me, at least at their young ages.
The most important thing is all of your love for your kids and theirs for you. It is clear there is a lot of that.
A "Mother's Love " ... there is nothing like it, nothing as strong, nothing as wonderful..and sometimes, nothing as painful.
Love you. C
Wow - our boys have so much in common.
Had a dream with you in it last night, VM. Had to stop by and say hello. After reading this post, I know why...
I haven't been around in a while but I am glad I am reading this today. Making tough decisions in life requires that we expose ourselves to judgement - even when it is not appreciated. I am glad that you are not being hard on yourself - you did what you did for the best reasons you had, I am sure. While there is never a "best" time for this, there is a worse time for this - and that is never.
If things aren't working - they just aren't. You gave many good years to this and your daughters are older now. Your son is just growing into a man, but he is being a brave and loving one as he goes through this transition.
I fully believe that children need more than "stability" to be happy. Stability does not always come in the form of two parents remaining together but it comes in the form of space, room to breathe and an consistent kind of love. You are giving your son that, just as you gave your daughters. Not making light of the adjustment they have all had to make but I think that is the best kind of strength and stability you can give them.
many blessings to you on your journey.
I know your heart is aching.....but as long as he knows you love him and feels loved...you are doing what's best. ((hugs))
I too am going through a divorce with twin twelve year old boys. Their dad and I have always put what is best for the children first. We have shared visitation however it was very difficult and still is...I ask myself every. single. day if I did the right thing.
Damn, this was a waste of a perfectly good mascara day.
You raised a good young man, Mom.
Knowing you and knowing how you were raised I would expect nothing less of any child of yours. There are times the fruits of our labor are not seen until we our much older and we may never see them...but I think your mom is smiling in heaven right now because she raised a girl with a huge heart and a forgiving and understanding soul. love you my friend. ♥
oh wow... I wasn't expecting to cry. I saw this posted over at BlogHer voices of the year.
Life looks so very different looking out a set of aged eyes... I don't judge so much anymore! I really admire you for opening up and sharing so REAL! {{{HUGS}}} Wishing you peace and comfort... wishing your family peace and comfort!
Sending you love, Deb!
I have travelled almost the same journey, one thing I always remind myself is that I did a terrific job raising my children and they will be 'just fine'
I just found your blog, and this post moved me the most bc I am going thru this as well. My child is younger -- 4 years old. He's with both of us.
Thanks for sharing. I hope you come to see my blog and read my story sometime. I'll continue to read yours! :)
YOU REMIND ME of the story of King Solomon and the two women who both claimed to be a boy's mother. The true mother was willing to let him go with the other women so he would not be harmed. Everyone will be better due to you unshelfishness. SMART WOMAN
You've come a long way, baby....xoxoo
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I don't feel like posting today. I feel sick to my stomach.
After this, the markets will absolutely crash… and for the first time in a long time, you'll see 'NO BID' in even the most liquid stocks after this squeeze sorts itself out.
via Slope of Hope: Sorry About All That:
"As I woke up this morning, I realized I owe American an apology.
I'm sorry I put Lehman Brothers out of business. And Fannie Mae. And Freddie Mac. As well as Bear Stearns. Come to think of it, since I've been trading a while, I also want to apologize for the destruction of HealthSouth, WorldCom, and Enron.
I used to think their failure was due to their own wreckless mismanagement by people paid hundreds of millions of dollars. But, assuming we live in a rational world, the cold fact of the matter is that by selling the stock of these companies, and then buying it back at a lower price, I put them out of business.
I hope that Dick from Lehman, Mr. Cox from the SEC, and all the other gentlemen (including the late, great Mr. Lay from Enron) can find it within their little black souls to forgive me. Thank you for your consideration."
Ridiculous. Just ridiculous.
via MacroMan: You Know It Makes Sense:
"Given that the Russians seem to own most of the UK (or at least London), it makes sense for the British authorities to adopt certain practices of their new uber-lords. And given that the Russkies, upon reaping the harvest of their serial unpleasantness towards foreigners, have simply shut their stock markets down until further notice, you know it makes sense for the FSA to simply ban all short selling of financial stocks for the next eight years.
Pretty soon, the authorities will simply delete the "sell" key off of all electronic and broker trading systems, and appropriate all red paper sell tickets that may have survived from the 1980's. Only one way for stocks to go then, baby.
Yep, all is good with the world. BUY BUY BUY!
Addendum: Apparently the NY attorney general will use the Martin Act to deal with short-sellers, er fraudsters. (Might Macro Man suggest he start with the slippery characters at Lehman NY who drained all the cash out of Lehman London on Friday night, leaving his buddies there with nothing but a pile of stationery and $80 billion worth of turds.)
Big Brother is now truly watching you.
Remember, folks...you heard it here first. "
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Disgusting Super Spike
I don't feel like posting today. I feel sick to my stomach.
Posted by Ben Bittrolff at 8:29 AM
16 comments:
- Anonymous said...
The New World Order...."it is a big idea."
They want it all
- September 19, 2008 at 8:59 AM
- Anonymous said...
I'm learning a very expensive trading lesson today. I didn't know that after you learn all the rules and start to do really well, tptb can pull the rug out from under you. I, too, feel like I'm gonna puke.
- September 19, 2008 at 9:02 AM
- Anonymous said...
This is crazy. You'd think we are dealing with a 3rd world financial system here.
The largest financial system in the world is being slapped together with tape and band aids.
To truly fix this problem, it needs to be cleaned and rinsed thoroughly.
Average Joe Blow needs to accept responsibility every time he swipes his credit card.
Someone earning $45k a year needs to realize they don't "deserve" a $700k mansion.
This quick-fix they are slapping together is absurd. If I was a foreign government or invester, I'd be pulling my money out and finding some other place for it. The US system has lost all credibility.
Guess I will sleep soundly tonight. All the world's problems have been fixed! Thank you America!
- September 19, 2008 at 9:04 AM
- Anonymous said...
I think I will drain all the equity from my house, go upsdie down, and go to the govt for a handout.
The fed is playing God with fundamental economics... someone, somewhere, will have to pay for this.
Our kids will suffer because of this move. I'm sure Bernake just wants to get through this and then he will retire to the Caymans. Bastard!
- September 19, 2008 at 9:11 AM
- Anonymous said...
Oops, shorts get shafted again! The DOW didn't even break 10,500. LOL
- September 19, 2008 at 9:25 AM
- Doug said...
Strange that they ban short selling because it was hurting the ultra rich, but they wont ban speculation in energy markets even though its crushing the budgets of the poor and middle class.
- September 19, 2008 at 10:40 AM
- Anonymous said...
I didn't read your post yet, all I saw is "I don't feel like posting today." I feel your pain but I saw the writing on the wall and went all cash except a small bet on BAC 32.50 calls expiring today -- 800% profit overnight.
In more on-topic-to-Financial-Ninja news . . . SMN could be had this morning at 36 . . . THIRTY-FREAKING-SIX!! If you were nimble enough.
This is a rigged market and you can't play by the rules because there are no rules. The fundamentals remain just as they were 24 and 48 hours ago. Triple digit S&P, four digit Dow 30 coming to a ticker tape near you . . . this is all a great setup for an equity, bond and FX crash sometime in October that will be the catalyst for global war and continuation of Bush/Cheney. FOUR MORE YEARS!!
-Mike J
- September 19, 2008 at 10:42 AM
- Ben Bittrolff said...
Strange? Watcha mean? Isn't that normal? Isn't that how it's always been...
The donkey's in power can change the rules anytime to make sure they come out on top...
- September 19, 2008 at 10:43 AM
- Anonymous said...
Who was it that said something like, "If you only have a water pistol you may have to use it, if you have a bazooka, the more chance you won't have to use it." So is the gov't now officially "all in"? I guess they can't do much more than this.
I guess they couldn't quite get this mess past the elections.
So Bush says you shorters are going to be prosecuted, but the golden parachute CEOs still get their Cayman Island retirements?
- September 19, 2008 at 10:55 AM
- Anonymous said...
Why is SKF halted?
- September 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
- Anonymous said...
one black swan (unforseen event... attack, disaster, etc..) could be the catalyst that triggers a free fall.
NKorea is acting up again.
Hugo and the Reds are in bed putting planes/missles in our back yard.
New election year...
The golbal powers at be know the US is in a very weak, unstable state right now, and some nut-job may pull the trigger to make his mark in history.
- September 19, 2008 at 11:06 AM
- Anonymous said...
"Progress is born of co-operation...not from governmental restraints. Expansion of government in business means that the government, in order to protect itself from the political consequences of its errors, is driven irresistibly...to greater and greater control."
Hoover's inaugural address during the depression era.
- September 19, 2008 at 11:32 AM
- MST said...
You and Larry Kudlow agree for once:
"The decision by SEC Chairman Chris Cox to ban short selling is a terrible idea. It is an encroachment on free-market principles. In extreme, the absence of short sellers would inflate stock market upturns, probably into bubbles...As much as I agree with Paulson's new RTC-type agency, which is what I call a smart regulatory move, I disagree with Cox's action, which is an incredibly stupid regulatory move. "
- September 19, 2008 at 12:00 PM
- Anonymous said...
There is More: How does one hedge the writing of PUT options? By shorting the underlying stock!!
The effect is that now there will be no buyers for the stocks one cannot short.
The people who are short must eventually buy back - they did this today. The pension funds and insurance companies crowd cannot reduce risk by buying PUT's - no short sales, no PUT's written, no investment in dodgy stocks. We got clear air all the way to Zero!
- September 19, 2008 at 1:18 PM
- Anonymous said...
Seems like the tooth fairy has finally arrived in the markets, just a little too late for LEH...
- September 19, 2008 at 2:57 PM
- Anonymous said...
Hello Ben, I think you are correct this has set us up for a market implosion of massive proportions. The "No Bid" will be the call of the day and stocks will magically got to zero in a blink of an eye.
- September 19, 2008 at 3:49 PM


text:
EPA Makes Data Available On Emissions StudyUS - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making data publicly available from a two-year study of air emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs).
AFOs, which house large numbers of animals for production of meat, dairy products and eggs, were monitored for the following air pollutants: ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.
The data just published are from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, which resulted from a 2005 voluntary compliance agreement between EPA and the AFO industry. The study was funded by industry and conducted by Purdue University researchers with EPA oversight. Throughout the studies, participating AFOs made their operations available for monitoring and worked closely with the researchers, industry experts and EPA.
Researchers monitored emissions at AFOs that raise pigs and broiler chickens, at egg-laying operations, and at dairies, with a total of 24 monitoring sites in nine states. A separate industry study monitored emissions from a broiler chicken operation in Kentucky. EPA will use data from the studies to help develop improved methodologies for estimating AFO emissions. Such methodologies are commonly used to estimate emissions from industries where site-specific monitoring data are not available.
At the request of the agriculture industry, EPA also is issuing a Call for Information seeking data from other monitoring studies of AFO emissions. Submitting this information is not required; however, it will help the agency ensure that its emissions estimating tools are based on the best scientific data available. EPA is requesting quality-assured data on emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, along with information about how animals are housed or managed, and how manure is stored and treated at the monitored operations.
The Agency is asking for this information for operations that raise pigs, chickens, turkeys and beef cattle, and for egg-laying and dairy cattle operations. Once the Call for Information is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 45-day comment period.
EPA will make draft methodologies available for public review and comment on a rolling basis, beginning in spring 2011.
For information on submitting data and data from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, click here.
TheCattleSite News Desk


text:
Back in October, Deadspin acquired photos that showed Brian Cashman, general manager of the Yankees, meeting with an alleged girlfriend in February 2009. Soon after that story ran, we were tipped off that Cashman, still married to his wife of 16 years, had ended that particular affair but had since moved on to another mistress.
In October, I reached out to the second woman and she (along with Cashman) insisted that their relationship was strictly platonic. But last week, this other-other woman—who insists on only being called "Lou"—reached out to me again to explain that she had carried on an extramarital affair with Cashman since last April. Things had soured.
"Fuck him," she said Tuesday night, when we met at her Manhattan apartment. "I'm finished with him destroying my life and his family."
Lou claimed that Cashman is still married to his wife, Mary, but that the two have lived in separate residences since 2009—the wife in Darien, Conn., and Cashman in an apartment in Rowayton. As their affair progressed, Lou said, she planned on moving to Connecticut to be closer to Brian, but only on the condition that he legally separate from Mary.
That never happened. Lou became increasingly frustrated. She said that she called Brian's wife a few days ago and told her about their affair.
At our interview Tuesday night, after Lou shared voicemails and text messages she'd received from Cashman over the past few months—
—she detailed the story of their affair. She said that Cashman visited her apartment a couple of times each week, and that he set aside tickets for her in Yankee Stadium's family section (
284F see photo here) for most of last season. Cashman has met some of her friends. They've been spotted bopping around various bars and restaurants in Tribeca—he's a "lightweight" of a drinker, she said. He sometimes took the on the alias "Steve" to ward off any Yankee fans who recognized him. They watched The Hangover Part II together. ("It was the first time he'd seen a he-she," Lou mused.) He even wrote her a recommendation letter:
She showed me the black American Essentials pajama bottoms (size: medium; game-worn) that Cashman had purchased at T.J. Maxx so he'd be more comfortable during their sleepovers. Finally, she showed me the orange toothbrush he kept in her bathroom.
And then she took my photograph.
There is much more to Lou's story, including some of the Yankee-related conversations she had with Cashman throughout last season. ("He was really pissed at Jorge Posada," she said at one point Tuesday. "He said Jorge was acting like a spoiled brat.")
We'll share more with you in the coming weeks. To be continued ...


text:
Now, we want to call on Michael Rezendes. He is one of the investigative reporters, and the lead writer, on that Boston Globe story that revealed a serious problem with the abuse of children by a number of priests in the Boston Archdiocese. In the months and years that followed, literally hundreds of similar cases were revealed across the country. We want to take a look back at that watershed moment, and we do want to say again that, owing to the subject matter, this may not be an appropriate conversation for everyone.
With that being said, Michael Rezendes, thank you so much for speaking with us.
MICHAEL REZENDES: Oh, it's a pleasure to be here.
MARTIN: Now, you made the point to us earlier that the important thing about your reporting, and the reporting of your team, was not that you discovered clergy sex abuse, but that you discovered the cover-up. Would you talk a little bit more about that?
REZENDES: Well, yes. I tell people all the time that we did not discover the clergy sex abuse scandal. By the time we came along in 2002, there had been many clergy sex abuse scandals all over the country - one of them, right next to Boston in the city of Fall River, where a priest by the name of James Porter molested more than a hundred children. We wrote about that extensively, back in the early 1990s.
But what we accomplished in 2002 was to prove that high officials in the Archdiocese of Boston, including Cardinal Law, actually knew for decades that priests were molesting children and nevertheless, transferred those priests from parish to parish, which enabled them to continue molesting still more children.
It's the old adage that the cover-up is worse than the crime, and that was the case with this story.
MARTIN: Why do you think it is that your reporting, and the reporting of your team, opened the floodgates - given, as you said, that there had been stories earlier about some really, really terrible behavior directed at children? What is it, you think, changed with your reporting?
REZENDES: Well, our reporting was different because we obtained documents written by church officials - for instance, documents written by Cardinal Law - which proved that they knew there was a serious problem, and they were covering it up.
Before that, the reporting all over the country was restricted to reporting on the claims of victims, and describing the abuses that had occurred. But for the first time, we were able to get the church's internal documents - which were under a court seal, by the way. We were able to get those documents, which were written and signed by the church officials themselves. And that's what was different about our reporting.
MARTIN: I think it's important to point out that in response to this - that the archdiocese itself has marked the 10-year anniversary. The - Cardinal Sean O'Malley released five pages of reflections on the crisis. It's too detailed to give all of his comments here, but one of the points that he makes here is that there's been tremendous progress; that there have been, you know - 800 claims of abuse have been settled; that, you know, hundreds of thousands of children have been trained, and offered sort of a curriculum on how to identify and protect themselves from this kind of abuse.
And he really says - he kind of says, in effect, that while we thank the media for bringing this to light, this really is something in the past that needs to be put into that context. How do you respond to that?
REZENDES: Well, I think that I would say that Cardinal O'Malley is right in that the church has done a great deal to prevent future sexual abuse by priests. Priests and laypeople who work with the church are being trained to prevent abuse, to recognize the signs of abuse. Really, quite a lot has been done, at least in the Boston Archdiocese. It's not true of all dioceses in America, but in the Boston Archdiocese, I think a lot has been done to prevent future abuse.
I think what a lot of the victims would say is that the archdiocese has still not really looked very deeply into the causes of the abuse, and has really stopped trying to measure how broad the problem was.
In the immediate aftermath of the crisis, the archdiocese made an attempt to determine the percentage of priests that had abused children. And at the time - this goes back to 2004 - they determined that about 7 percent of the priests who had been serving since 1950 had abused children.
Since that time, allegations have been leveled against scores of additional priests, but the church has stopped trying to figure out exactly what percentage of priests offended. So I think some of the victims would feel that the process has not been completely transparent.
MARTIN: And your reporting on this continues, I understand.
REZENDES: Yes, it does.
MARTIN: Michael Rezendes is an investigative reporter for the Boston Globe. He was the lead writer on the story that exposed a pattern - a very disturbing pattern - of clergy sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese, and the behavior of officials who knew about it and did not stop it.
And he joined us from the studios at the Boston Globe. Michael Rezendes, thank you so much for speaking with us.
REZENDES: My pleasure.
MARTIN: Earlier, we heard the personal story of a survivor of clergy sex abuse. He later went on to become a priest himself. Father Bob Hoatson. He's no longer a priest. To hear both interviews, just go to NPR.org/TellMeMore. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Home Page Chess Life Online 2009 December The U.S. Chess Scoop Episode 4
|The U.S. Chess Scoop Episode 4
|By Jennifer Shahade
|July 17, 2009
|In the fourth episode of the U.S. Chess Scoop, Chess Life Online editor Jennifer Shahade recaps the U.S. Junior Closed (Milwaukee Wisconsin, July 13-16), which Ray Robson won. This week's scoop also discusses Hikaru Nakamura's domination of the Donostia Chess Festival in San Sebastian, Spain. The Robson-Lenderman game from the video will also be on uschess.org, with annotations by BOTH players.