text: Ethiopia introduces new transfer pricing directive Share this 4 OCT 2016 By: Joel Cooper Monia Volpato Ethiopia recently adopted new transfer pricing rules in the form of Directive 43/2015 ("the Directive") issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The Directive provides detailed guidance as to the application of Article 29 of the Income Tax Proclamation (ITP) 286/2002, which requires taxpayers to ensure transactions between related persons are conducted at arm's length, and is effective as of 12 October 2015. The Directive is largely consistent with international standards and will provide Multinational Enterprise Group's doing business in Ethiopia with clarity concerning the application of Ethiopia's transfer pricing rules as well as the possibility to obtain certainty through an advance pricing agreement (APA). This tax insight presents a summary of this recent development. Legal Framework (Article 29 ITP 286/2002) Prior to this new Directive the only reference to transfer pricing in Ethiopian tax law was Article 29 of the ITP 286/2002, which required the application of the arm's length principle in transactions between related persons and provided a legal basis for advance pricing agreements (APAs) to be entered into between a taxpayer and the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority (ERCA). No further guidance was provided as to the application of this Article. Summary of the new Directive (Directive 43/2015) The new Directive details the application of Article 29 and is closely aligned with the principles detailed in the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Tax Administrations 2010 ("OECD Guidelines"). Key features of the Directive are as follows: Scope: Article 3 of the Directive clarifies the scope of Article 29 as covering transactions between resident taxpayers and their related non-resident entities ("international transactions") as well as any transaction between two related resident taxpayers ("domestic transactions") having an annual turnover of more than 500,000 Ethiopian Birr (approx. USD 22,000). Arm's length principle: Article 4 of the Directive provides a definition of the arm's length principle that is consistent with international standards, by referring to conditions that would have applied between unrelated persons in comparable transactions carried out under comparable circumstances. Comparability: The concept of comparability is defined in Article 5 of the Directive consistently with the OECD Guidelines. The five comparability factors specified ((1) characteristics of the goods or services, (2) functions, assets and risks of the parties to the transaction, (3) contractual terms, (4) economic and market circumstances and (5) business strategies) are also consistent with the factors details in the OECD Guidelines. Transfer pricing methods: Article 6 of the Directive specifies five methods that are considered to be "approved transfer pricing methods". These five methods (comparable uncontrolled price method, resale price method, cost plus method, transactional net margin method and transactional profit split method) are consistent with the transfer pricing methods elaborated in the OECD Guidelines. Provision for the use of "other method" by a taxpayer is also made, provided that it can be demonstrated that none of the approved methods can be reasonably applied and that the other method produces a result consistent with the arm's length principle. Selection of transfer pricing method: The Directive specifies (Article 7) that consistency with the arm's length principle shall be determined by application of the most appropriate transfer pricing method given the facts and circumstances of the case. A list of four criteria that require consideration when determining the most appropriate method are specified. These criteria are consistent with the guidance on method selection provided in the OECD Guidelines. Also consistent with the OECD Guidelines the Directive specifies a preference for the comparable uncontrolled price method or the resale price or cost plus method in cases where such methods can be applied with equal reliability to one or more of the other approved methods. Where a taxpayer has selected a method consistently with this guidance Article 7(5) makes it clear that the tax authority must respect the method applied by the taxpayer, unless it can provide that it is not the most appropriate method. Arm's length range: The concept of arm's length range in introduced in Article 10 of the Directive. This article specifies that a controlled transaction shall not be subject to an adjustment under Article 29 of the ITP where the relevant financial indicator being tested is within the arm's length range. Where the result falls outside the arm's length range, any adjustment by the tax authority is required to be made to the median unless the taxpayer or the tax authority can demonstrate that adjustment to another point in the range is more appropriate. The concept of arm's length range introduced in the directive is the "full range" of financial indicators observed from the uncontrolled transactions that are all of equal reliability and comparability. Sources of information: Article 11 provides guidance as to the possible sources of information on comparable uncontrolled transactions. Specifically, Article 11(2) prohibits the use of "secret comparables" by the tax authority as a basis for an adjustment under Article 29 of the ITP, and Article 11(3) provides for the same with respect to taxpayers (i.e. a taxpayer cannot rely of a "comparable" unless they make the relevant information available to the tax authority). As regards the use of so-called "foreign comparables", Article 11(4) provides for their use where there is no information from the same geographic market (country or region) as the controlled transaction. Transfer pricing documentation: Article 15 specifies that taxpayers must have in place contemporaries documentation and lists nine elements which must be included in the documentation. Documentation can be submitted in Amharic or English, and is considered to be contemporaneous if it is place at the statutory tax returns filing date. Specific guidance (Services and Intangibles): The Directive contains some specific guidance on the application of the arm's length principle to service transactions and intangibles transactions. This guidance is consistent with the OECD Guidelines and elaborates on concepts such as shareholder costs, as well as specifically providing for the possibility to apply indirect methods for service charges. Corresponding adjustments: The Directive contains specific articles (Art. 16 and 17) dealing with corresponding adjustments. Article 16 provides that where a "primary adjustment" is made to a domestic transaction, the authority shall make a corresponding adjustment. Article 17 details the procedure for applying for a corresponding adjustment where a transfer pricing adjustment is made by a foreign tax authority. Relevance of the OECD Guidelines: Although Ethiopia is not an OECD Member, the Directive is clearly heavily influenced by the principles elaborated in the OECD Guidelines. Article 18 specifies that the OECD Guidelines are a source of interpretation for the Directive, but that in case of any differences or conflicts with domestic law, the domestic law will take precedence. Possibility to seek an APA in Ethiopia Advance pricing agreements are becoming an increasingly popular tool for taxpayers (and tax authorities) to proactively manage and address transfer pricing issues. In recent years an increasing number of countries, including many emerging and developing economies, have been introducing the possibility for taxpayers to seek advance pricing agreements into their legislation. On the African continent however, the possibilities to seek an APA are still very limited. Ethiopia has followed the trend being observed on other continents and has introduced rules and procedures concerning APAs in this new Directive. Making it amongst only a handful of African countries that currently offer APAs. Under article 12 of the Directive a taxpayer may apply for APA which can be unilateral, bilateral or multilateral. The request to apply for an APA by the taxpayer shall be accompanied by the description of the taxpayer's activities and transaction, a comparability analysis as well as an economic analysis, the identification of other country(ies) (if applying to a bilateral or multilateral APA), the scope of the agreement and proposed duration, which may not exceed five fiscal periods beginning after the date of approval. For more information on transfer pricing in Ethiopia, or transfer pricing generally, please contact Joel Cooper who, in his previous position with the World Bank Group was involved in the provision of technical assistance on transfer pricing to the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and to the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority.


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Don't miss the Texoma debut of the big, fat production of Hairspray!
It is very difficult to get the rights to this show. Wichita Theatre is one of only a handful of theatres around the country that has been able to obtain the licensing rights. For that reason, we had people come from as far away as Kansas City to audition.
This all-star cast features Emily Clements (Tracy), Jeremy Motley (Edna), Abigail Clements (Amber), Whitney Longcrier (Velma), Sydney Frank (Penny), Nancy Brasfield (Prudy), Jonathan Barnes (Link), Michael Sherry (Corny), along with Ann Arnold from KFDX and Little Meg from NIN as singing/dancing prisoners. All of these performers are highly sought after by directors for their extensive stage experience and loved by audiences throughout Texoma.
Hairspray features a dozen black actors/singers/dancers in starring and supporting roles...such as Mineasa Nesbit (playing Motormouth Maybelle) who is the choir teacher at Hirschi, Jeremy Saxton (playing Seaweed) who is a dance instructor for Dance, Etc. in Wichita Falls and Eddie Randle (playing Gilbert) from KFDX.
In short, this is the largest, most anticipated, most requested modern production ever launched by The Wichita Theatre and we are so proud of our cast and crew on this one. This will be THE show to see for our 103rd Anniversary Season during 2011.
Friday, Aug 5 7:30pm
Saturday, Aug 6 7:30pm

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Celebrating the young talented filmmaker- Kenneth Gyang
- 5 Posts
- Age 27
Nigeria and other African countries have been making strides in
developing various human endeavors like the Entertainment
Industry,Information Technology, Education Sector and many more
important sectors. The Nigeria movie industry popularly known as
Nollywood has been competing with its counterparts Hollywood and
Bollywood in a race condition. Nollywood have numerous actors,
filmmakers, directors, and scriptwriters who have done great work
in skyrocketing the industry.
One of these filmmakers, Kenneth Gyang (who is also a director) has made a significant effort in taking the industry to the next level. Kenneth Gyang is a young filmmaker born in Barkin Ladi of Plateau State, Nigeria. He studied Film Production at the National Film Institute in Jos and screenwriting at Gaston Kaboré's IMAGINE in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Two of his short films as well as a script titled "Game of Life" were selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus 2006 and "Mummy Lagos"was well received as an official competition ."Mummy Lagos" was also selected for the Sithengi Talent Campus as part of the Cape Town World Cinema Festival in South Africa.He has won numerous awards due to his hardwork, experience, artistry and competence and has worked with many Nigerian actors and filmmakers. In his newly highly anticipated movie "Confusion Na Wa" produced under his production company Cinema Kpatakpata, the movie won awards for Best Picture and Best Film in the recently floated Africa Movie Academy Awards, he also won an award for Best Director for Confusion Na Wa.
The movie was casted with some of the illustrious actors of Nollywood, Ramsey Nouah (Winner of the Best Actor In a Leading Role AMAA,2010), Ali Nuhu (Winner of the Best Upcoming Actor AMAA 2006), OC Ukeje (Winner of the Best Upcoming Actor AMAA 2008) and some other upcoming actors in the movie. When Kenneth was asked in an interview how he felt working with the above actors, he said;
"They did and they greatly aided us in affording great screen personalities in the film. The thing is, we had a screenplay that works and we needed not only great actors but star vehicles to entice people into thinking about going to see the film in the first place. Ali Nuhu has consistenly performed with a resonating aplomb from his award-winning performance in Sitanda to TV series like Wetin Dey and Finding Aisha and a host of other films. Apart from being a performer, he's a star.
Again, we looked around and Ramsey Nouah has been one actor who has always emerged with some credibility from mainstream Nollywood and some international productions. People always tend to pay attention to his good looks but apart from being a star with a handsome face which of course illuminates the camera, his talent and professionalism is incredible. There's also OC Ukeje who has always delivered when called upon. Gold Ikponmwosa who eventually got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in our film also made huge sacrifices. All our actors and crew members took pay cuts and we're grateful"
Other awards and honors won by Kenneth Gyang are;
His film "Omule" won Best Documentary Film at the 1st Nigerian Students International Film Festival in 2006 and "Mummy Lagos" also won Best Film at the Nigerian Field Society Awards organised by the German Cultural
Centre, Goethe-Institut, in Lagos as well as the Jury Special Mention at the ANIWA festival in Ghana.
In 2006 he was profiled by the influential UK-based BFM magazine as the youngest film director in Nigeria. Kenneth has worked with the BBC World Service Trust directing their highly quality TV drama "Wetin Dey" which was recently presented at the International Emmy World Television Festival in New York City. He has also worked with Communicating For Change as an Associate Producer on Bayelsian Silhouettes - a series of seven short films on HIV/AIDS. His most recent work is Finding Aisha, a TV series he co-wrote, produced and directed for the Nigerian production company Televista.
In 2010 Kenneth was listed by the popular Nigerian youth culture magazine, Y!, as one of 50 people under the age of 35 that will change Nigeria.


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United States ready for rematch with Canadaby Mike G. Morreale
The United States gets a shot at redemption Thursday when it plays Canada in the semifinal round of the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.
The anticipated matchup pitting the North American rivals is scheduled for 4 a.m. ET at Ufa Arena (NHLN-US, TSN). The survivor will meet the winner of the other semifinal later in the day featuring defending gold medalist Sweden and Russia. The Russians will be looking to avenge a 1-0 overtime loss to Sweden in the 2012 WJC final.
The gold-medal game will be held Saturday at 8 a.m. ET (NHLN-US, TSN).
The United States suffered a 2-1 loss to Canada in preliminary-round action of Group B pool play on Sunday. Canada then earned an automatic bye into the semifinal round by beating Russia 4-1 on Monday.
The United States needed a 9-3 victory against Slovakia on New Year's Eve to advance to the quarterfinals of the medal round -- where it routed the Czech Republic 7-0 on Wednesday to earn the rematch with Canada.
Not only does the United States have the best power play at the WJC, with a 36.4 percent efficiency (12 of 33), but the team is also leading the tournament with the highest penalty-killing percentage at 91.3 percent. In 23 times shorthanded, the United States has allowed just two goals.
The U.S. power play has accounted for nine goals in the last two games, including five in the triumph over the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
"I think we initially want to establish our shot and everything opens up after that [on the power play]," U.S. coach Phil Housley told NHL.com. "We've got some very good players of vision that can see players get open and any time you can get pucks to the net and convert on them, you're getting those second opportunities.
"I also feel the fact our defensemen our getting shots through is a key. A lot of teams have blocked shots very well, so we can't just shoot pucks into the zone. We have to find a way to get pucks on the net from up top. We've been doing that, and it's been allowing some down-low play at the net."
The teams are similar when it comes to offensive production: Canada has averaged 5.25 goals in four games; the U.S. has averaged 5.2 in five games.
"I think each game we've played, we've improved," Housley said. "Even in our losses [2-1 to both Russia and Canada], I thought we were getting better as a team. Against Slovakia we broke out in the scoring column and on the power play and against the Czechs we got the early goal which is important. But there are areas that need improving if we're going to move forward against Canada."
The United States has been led by defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has a team-leading four goals and is tied for the team lead with eight points. Alex Galchenyuk also has eight points (two goals, six assists). Defenseman Seth Jones has one goal and seven points for the Americans.
"I don't think we need to change much against Canada [on Thursday]," Jones told NHL.com. "We just need more bodies in front of [goaltender Malcolm] Subban. We might not have gotten as much traffic as we really wanted to in the first game, and he saw a lot more pucks than we wanted him to see."
"I don't think we need to change much against Canada [on Thursday]. We just need more bodies in front of [goaltender Malcolm] Subban. We might not have gotten as much traffic as we really wanted to in the first game, and he saw a lot more pucks than we wanted him to see." -- U.S. defenseman Seth Jones
In the earlier meeting with Canada, the United States had pulled to within 2-1 midway through the third period before being whistled for five straight penalties, including hit-to-the-head infractions to captain Jake McCabe and forward Ryan Hartman. Those penalties killed any momentum the Americans might have had and enabled the Canadians to seal the deal.
Jones was asked if there's any advantage to playing the Canadians after having seen them already.
"I don't think it matters too much, but we know exactly how they play," Jones said. "I think both teams play a very similar style. We like to go North-South and work the defense down low. They're a good team and we'll have to counter with our best effort."
It isn't too much of a surprise to see Canada's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leading all tournament scorers with 11 points, including three goals. Jonathan Huberdeau is second on the team with seven points (two goals, five assists).
The heart and soul of the American roster is goalie John Gibson. The second-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2011 is 3-2 with a 1.51 goals-against average and .950 save percentage. Gibson notched his first full game shutout of the tournament on Wednesday in a 31-save effort against the Czechs.
"John is a competitor," Housley said. "He's in there and he's fighting on every shot. It's pretty obvious he's been a huge part of our team and he's covering up some mistakes and making momentum saves for us. We certainly are not where we are without him."
Canada coach Steve Spott has relied exclusively on Boston Bruins prospect Malcolm Subban between the pipes -- Subban's superb 36-save performance against the United States in the preliminary round seemed to ignite his game to greater heights in this tournament. He's unbeaten in four appearances and sports a 2.00 GAA and .930 save percentage.
"Canada plays an extremely good game and they've got some guys that can finish and we understand that," Housley said. "We can't turn the puck over in key areas of the ice because of their transition game -- they have good puck-moving defensemen. We've had that net presence in front of Subban and he's getting better as the tournament has moved forward. He's a big reason why they're undefeated in four games, so we have to get rebounds and second-chance opportunities."
Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale


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Deena Scalf's Lists
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Other Teachers at Dyllis Springs Elementary School
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- Online Writing Courses - Time4Writing classes run eight weeks.
- Online Interactive Curriculum - PreK-8th afterschool & homeschool subscription site.


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The Duke of Cambridge, David Beckham and basketball star Yao Ming have released a video message urging people around the world not to support the trade in rhino horn.
The trio are filmed walking on the pitch at London's Wembley Stadium surrounded by computer-generated rhinos. The WildAid campaign video tells viewers that the world's entire rhino population could fit inside the stadium, but their numbers could be increased by stopping the demand for rhino horn.


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NRA to Intervene on Behalf of Hunters in Potentially Pivotal Lawsuit
NRA to Intervene on Behalf of Hunters in Potentially Pivotal Lawsuit Seeking to Limit Conservationists Rights
For years, NRA has been fighting in the courts on behalf of conservationists, hunters and recreational shooters to stop the efforts of self-proclaimed environmental groups using lawsuits to limit access to public lands. These groups try to stretch the limits of environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), to use these laws in unintended ways in order to limit the managed public use of wilderness areas and parks for hunting, shooting, and other recreation.
Now, in a threatening new twist, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and several co-plaintiffs have sued the United States Forest Service (the Service) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Complaint available here. RCRA allows citizen groups to sue those who are allegedly contributing or have contributed to the past or present disposal of solid or hazardous waste, which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment[.] 42 U.S.C. § 6972(a)(1)(B). Stretching RCRA beyond the breaking point, CBDs newest lawsuit contends that the Service is acting illegally by allowing hunters in the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona to use traditional lead-based ammunition. CBDs lawsuit contends this is a violation of RCRA.
The implications of CBDs lawsuit are frightening. If the novel RCRA legal liability theory is adopted by a court, it would provide a template for anti-hunting groups to implement a RCRA-driven legal strategy that could devastate hunting and sport shooting. If CBD is able to convince a judge that the mere presence of spent lead projectiles in Kaibab National Forest may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment under RCRA, the legal precedent could cause a domino effect. One public hunting or shooting location after another could be shut down based on exaggerated claims of the threat posed by the mere presence of some lead bullets in the outdoors. Under CBDs new RCRA logic, tens of millions of acres of public hunting lands could be closed to traditional hunting based on a theory that simply hunting with lead ammunition may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment.
NRA will meet CBD head on in this new RCRA lawsuit. The fight starts with NRAs soon to be filed motion to intervene in this lawsuit. NRA will be joined by the Safari Club International (SCI) in that effort. NRA and SCI have assembled a legal team that is well versed in environmental litigation. And NRA has devoted resources to deconstruct the faulty science relied on by those anti-hunting groups seeking to ban the use of lead-based ammunition. In fact, NRA and the scientists it works with recently persuaded the California Fish & Game Commission that a special joint committee, including NRA, should be created to evaluate the merits of what one Commissioner has called pseudo-science about the alleged hazards of lead ammunition.
NRA has successfully sought and been granted intervention into three lawsuits brought by CBD in the last four years. CBD previously brought and lost a case in northwestern Arizona in which it claimed, among other things, that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to take the procedural actions legally required regarding the protection of the experimental population of California condors introduced to Arizona in 1996 under the Endangered Species Act (i.e., a 10(j) designated flock). Those animals were introduced into Arizona only after the federal government expressly promised that the introduction of the condors would not limit hunting in any way. CBDs current lawsuit against the service, like its previous one against the BLM, seeks to force the federal government to reneg on that promise.
More recently, NRA intervened in a case wherein CBD failed to convince the District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C.) that the EPA has the authority to regulate bullets and shot under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) notwithstanding the fact that TSCA has a clear exception regarding firearms, cartridges, and shells. That lawsuit was dismissed on procedural grounds, because CBD failed to bring its lawsuit in a timely fashion. CBD recently filed another action in the D.D.C., nearly a carbon copy of the previous complaint. NRA intervened in that action, and several motions to dismiss, including one filed by NRA and SCI, are now pending.
To combat the misguided efforts by environmental activists and researchers seeking to infringe on hunting and shooting sports regulations, the NRA and CRPA have collected tens of thousands of documents via public records act requests over the last several years pertaining to the use of lead ammunition. Many of these documents raise serious doubts about the veracity of claims that lead ammunition is poisoning California condors, wildlife, or humans. The NRA and CRPA Foundation have used these documents to debunk the faulty science being used to implement various lead ammunition bans across the country. These efforts are critical in defending the status quo for hunters and recreational shooters nationwide and have resulted in the rejection of several proposed and ill-conceived bans throughout the United States.
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text: China updates high and new technology enterprise tax rules: 5 key implications Intellectual Property and Technology Alert Global Tax Alert Share this 29 FEB 2016 By: Daniel Chan Windson Li Henry Ji The income tax reduction for high and new technology enterprises (HNTEs) is a key tax incentive available under current China tax laws and plays an important role in encouraging investment in high-tech and R&D areas. In late January 2016, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued the new Administrative Measures for Certification of High and New Technology Enterprises Circular (Circular 32), which significantly changes the HNTE certification rules and came into effect as of 1 January 2016. Circular 32 lowers the criteria for qualifying as an HNTE, but at the same time enhances the requirements for intellectual property ownership as well as compliance. The key implications for HNTEs are summarized as follows: 1. Ownership of core intellectual property A qualified HNTE shall maintain ownership of the technological intellectual property that is essential to the enterprise's production of products or provision of services. Such ownership may derive from proprietary R&D, purchase, donation, acquisition or other means, but intellectual property made available to an enterprise through an exclusive licensing arrangement would no longer qualify. 2. R&D personnel requirements The requirement that a company have a minimum percentage of R&D personnel is now lowered to 10 percent of the enterprise's total employees, compared with the previous minimum, which was 30 percent of the total employee numbers. At the same time, it is no longer required that each qualified R&D employee hold a college diploma. 3. R&D expense requirements The R&D expense ratio requirement is lowered from 6 percent to 5 percent for small and medium sized enterprises with an annual sales revenue less than RMB50 million. The R&D expense ratios for enterprises with an annual sales revenue between RMB50 million and RMB200 million, and enterprises with an annual sales revenue above RMB200 million, remain unchanged at 4 percent and 3 percent respectively. 4. Application documents The required application documents remain similar to those set out in the previous rules, but now include income tax filing records from the last three years. 5. Strengthened compliance requirements Under Circular 32, certified HNTEs are now required to conduct an annual recordal with the authorities, providing the year's intellectual property status, R&D personnel, R&D expenses, sales revenue and other information. Where an HNTE fails to meet the prescribed criteria in a particular year, or where an HNTE fails to conduct the annual recordal for two years, the HNTE qualification will be revoked and the income tax benefit received in the relevant years may be clawed back. In addition, Circular 32 requires the authorities to conduct random reviews and investigations on certified HNTEs. Circular 32 also provides that the administrative guidelines for HNTE certification will be updated and re-issued for implementation of the new rules. It is generally expected that the above changes will be further expanded in the updated guidelines, and the eight business areas eligible for application of HNTE benefits may be expanded. Find out more about the implications of Circular 32 for your business by contacting any of the authors.


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Veteran NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte suffered three broken ribs in a cycling accident Wednesday morning and won't participate in this weekend's race in Atlanta, said his firm, Bobby Labonte Enterprises.
The accident happened while Labonte, 49, was riding his bicycle near his home in Trinity, N.C. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Details of the accident were not disclosed.
Labonte had no other injuries but was being held overnight for observation.
Mike Bliss will replace Labonte this weekend in the No. 51 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car fielded by Phoenix Racing, the announcement said.
Labonte has 21 Cup victories, the last coming in 2003, in 712 starts. The Texas native was the series champion in 2000. He has made 22 starts this season without a top-10 finish.


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ROCKFORD - The windchill was minus 25 on Monday night when Deshawnda Woods drove past them. Homeless, Phillip and Melissa Ozier were walking down Montague Street, pushing the baby in a stroller in the street as their 2- and 3-year-olds walked beside them.
Woods steered around them, uneasily, and drove home.
Then she went back. Woods' daughter was scared, but they went anyway.
"I'm a woman with three kids and I (had) seen a woman with three kids in ice cold temperatures," said Woods, who was heading home from work.
"I just wanted to help them."
Woods' Good Samaritan act collided with a cold social service reality: There's no place for homeless families like the Oziers to stay in Rockford this winter. They are staying temporarily in Woods' grandmother's house, waiting to go someplace else.
"We are out of emergency beds in Rockford for families," said Lou Ness, executive director of Shelter Care Ministries. "I consider that to be a public health issue, that we have people living outside in this winter."
Shelter Care is a non-profit that provides apartments and emergency shelter for homeless families. It has 12 "emergency" apartments where homeless families can stay six months. Four available emergency apartments were taken in November by families who were living in automobiles, she said.
Determining how many people are homeless here is difficult. At 3 p.m. Wednesday, volunteers began the annual count of how many people access services for the homeless in a 24 hour period. Last year volunteers counted 800 people who visited an overnight shelter, ate at charity kitchens or who lived in homeless camps.
Shelton Kay, who runs Crusader Community Health's Care for the Homeless program, believes the number could be as high as 2,000 people, who are homeless but finding shelter on the couch of a friend or relative.
Families like the Oziers, who may be staying someplace temporarily and not accessing services, may not be counted unless they visit an agency seeking services today.
They've had help in a two-day search for shelter by Lonnie Woods, Deshawnda's father. So far it has been fruitless.
Woods said Wednesday that he had called agencies, visited churches, gone to the City of Rockford Human Services Department and then to the Register Star.
But there's no place for the Oziers to go.
"Maybe we have to embarrass the churches and the city," said a frustrated Woods on Wednesday. "We need to take care of families."
The Oziers became a family last summer, about 18 months after Melissa moved to Rockford from Racine, Wis. They married July 19.
She said she had been in an abusive relationship there and had to get out of town. She moved here with Phillip, who she's known since the fourth grade.
The last two years they've been on the move, bouncing from place to place to find shelter. The couple had been working temporary jobs, but neither is working now. Neither has a high school diploma. Phillip said he's working on his GED.
They'd been staying with a friend since November, waiting for a place to open up with the Rockford Housing Authority. They had no money.
But money became an issue where they were staying, and on Monday they were asked to leave.
Phillip said the family had been outside for about an hour when Deshawnda threw caution into the wind chill and picked them up.
She planned to give them a ride, someplace. Then she found out they had no place to go.
"I didn't know them, and I didn't know their situation," she said. "I couldn't put them out in the cold."
She took them to her father, Lonnie, a landlord, to see whether he had a place for them. His places are all rented, but his mother was out of town. He offered to let them stay in her house on Chestnut Street overnight.
"I was afraid you were going to say no," Deshwanda said.
"I was gonna say no," Lonnie said. "Then I saw them babies. You can't leave them in the cold."
But one night became three and the Oziers and their children - Lilliana, 3, Willie, 2, and Mariahyiana, 1 - still have no place to go.
On Tuesday, the family applied for rental assistance through the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program. It's a new federal program the city began using this week, said Angie Walker, of the Human Services Department. The Oziers are among the city's first applicants, she said.
If they are accepted, the Oziers must find a landlord who'll rent to them. The city will then subsidize rent through the federal program.
"They have to find the place, and then we process their information to get it moving as fast as possible," said Walker, who didn't know how long the process would take because the program is so new.
Lonnie says his mother, who has been stuck in Milwaukee because of the weather, is eager to come home. When she gets back, the living arrangement will have to be re-evaluated, he said.
In the meantime, the Oziers are grateful for shelter.
Melissa said if Deshawnda hadn't acted as she did, "we'd have been probably still walking around the streets."
Brian Leaf: 815-987-1343; firstname.lastname@example.com; @b_leaf


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- Nursing – BSN
- Nursing (Generic RN) – AS
- *NEW* Nursing – (Evening/Weekend) – AS
- Nursing (Transition LPN to RN) – AS
- Practical Nursing (PN) – OC
- Nursing Contacts
Begin a Rewarding Career in Nursing
Nursing is a rewarding career, providing higher-than-average pay, job security, and opportunities for professional growth. Once nurses obtain essential degrees and certifications, they can branch out into any number of specialties, such as surgery, emergency and trauma care, neonatal, pediatrics, geriatrics, hospice, or mental health. Nurses may discover their calling in caring for elderly patients in a rural hospice, providing critical care and emotional support to victims of natural disasters, or vaccinating children in places where preventive care is scarce. Nurses who begin their careers as practical and registered nurses commonly go on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and become nurse practitioners, educators, and administrators.
With the demand for nurses projected to grow by 20 percent over the next decade, the nursing profession offers job stability and higher-than-average wages, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, 2012-2021 Employment Projections Data. In DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties, registered nurses earn approximately $30 per hour, while licensed practical nurses make approximately $20 per hour.
A Great Place to Start
SFSC's Nursing programs offer state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment and expose students to a variety of clinical settings.
SFSC's nursing educators developed The Seven C's of Caring as a guide for instilling in their students the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be successful as registered nurses, practical nurses, and nursing assistants. The quality of SFSC's Nursing programs is reflected by the fact that nearly 100 percent of graduates pass their state licensing exams each year.
Financial assistance is available to students who qualify. Talk to an SFSC advisor today to find out what makes SFSC the ideal place to begin and grow your career in nursing.
South Florida State College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award the associate and baccalaureate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of South Florida State College.
South Florida State College's Nursing Programs are approved by the Florida Board of Nursing.
South Florida State College's Associate in Nursing Degree programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), formerly the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
South Florida State College's Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850 • Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: 404-975-5000 • Fax 404-975-5020 • www.acenursing.org
Year of most recently completed cohort: Associate Degree 2016-17
Graduates' success on the NCLEX-RN® licensure examination: 100%
National average for reporting year NCLEX-RN®: 84.36%
Students' completion of the nursing program: 87.2%
Graduates obtaining a job: 100%
Year of most recently completed cohort: Baccalaureate Degree 2016-17
Students' completion of the nursing program: 87%
Graduates obtaining a job: 100%


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We've seen plenty of cringe-inducing holiday videos in which athletes are forced to sing Christmas carols and wear funny Santa hats, but we've never seen one like this. For some reason, the Chicago Blackhawks decided to make their holiday video movie-themed.Why is this happening? What do any of these movies have to do with Christmas? I am so confused!
Patrick Kane makes for a pretty good Anakin Skywalker, though.


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Frequently Asked Questions on climate change
New UN climate report: what you need to know >>
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has put together this website resource in order to provide easy-to-understand information in answer to some of the most common questions asked on the topic of climate change.
We have done our utmost to ensure the information in this FAQ is correct and as up-to-date as possible (as at March 2013). If however, you note any factual errors, please get in touch with us.
The FAQ is split into four main sections. Click on the links below or scroll further down this page to get started:
Climate change science - see further down this web page
Impacts of climate change now and in the future
Governmental and global action to tackle climate change
Reducing our emissions
Climate change science
Is climate change happening?
Yes. The scientific evidence that the world is getting warmer is overwhelming. Tree rings, glaciers and other natural sources, as well as human records, show that climate has changed considerably over the past few centuries, but the ten warmest years on record have occurred since 1998 [1].
These measurements are borne out by retreating snow cover and glaciers, rising sea levels (due to water expanding as it warms and loss of land-based ice), and increasing extremes of dry and wet weather, leading to ever more frequent droughts, heat waves and flooding across the world [2].
Is climate change definitely caused by human activity, not by natural phenomena?
Scientists have mapped everything from sun spot activity, planetary orbits, polar shift and volcanic activity to see if something else explains the change. They have also considered the effect of natural climate variations, such as El Niño and La Niña (which cause warming and cooling of the Pacific Ocean surface). Scientists conclude that only the increasing trend of atmospheric CO2 concentrations is big enough to match (almost perfectly) the global temperature trend.
CO2 and other gases such as methane in the earth's atmosphere capture heat that would otherwise escape to space: the 'greenhouse effect'. The dramatic growth of CO2 in the atmosphere has been caused by human activities such as deforestation and industrial burning of fossil fuels [3]. All of this is clear from the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the scientific body, made up of thousands of climate scientists across the world, that was set up to provide a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge of climate change and its potential environmental, social and economic impacts [4].
If the planet's warming, why have we had more snow during recent winters?
The particularly cold winters of 2009–10 and 2010–11 have been interpreted by some as evidence against global warming. However, local weather in one part of the world is not an indicator of global climatic trends. Scientists record the increase in global climate by averaging measurements from all over the world. So the global climate is not the same as weather in individual places.
What global temperature is safe?
Scientists predict that, if global temperatures rise more than 2°C over pre-industrial levels, extreme droughts, floods and heat waves will become more frequent and 20-30% of species face a high risk of extinction [5]. Loss of water resources, disruption to agriculture, forest fires, flooding by rising sea levels, and wider damage to ecosystems could reach catastrophic levels.
Currently, global temperatures have risen by 0.75°C since the start of the twentieth century [6]. And as these are global averages, temperatures in some regions, particularly the Arctic, have increased considerably more. The problem is that the hotter it gets, the more likely we are to experience 'feedbacks' (see below) in natural systems, in which huge stores of CO2 or methane are released because of warming temperatures, resulting in even greater temperature change. So what sound like small global average temperature changes could have huge impacts.
What are these feedbacks?
There are many potential feedbacks which can cause accelerated global warming. For instance:
- Polar ice and snow reflects sunlight, whereas sea water, which increases as polar ice and snow melts, absorbs sunlight;
- Forests and soils dry out and burn, releasing CO2 and absorbing less;
- Permafrost heats up, releasing methane;
- Seas warm up and become more acidic, releasing stored CO2.
What was the 'Climategate' email hacking in 2009 all about?
In November 2009, 1,000 private emails and documents were stolen or leaked from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit. Select contents were used by some to suggest that scientists had been manipulating or hiding data. As a result of the various official investigations that took place, the scientists were absolved of fiddling their results and trying to silence their critics, but they were criticised for not working in a more open, accessible manner.
However, all the unit's scientific findings which supported the view that global warming is human-induced were found to be correct and reliable [7].
How credible are the challenges to the science from climate 'sceptics' or 'deniers'?
Every academy of science in the world agrees that human activities are the primary cause of global warming [8].
Challenges from climate deniers look even less credible when they refuse to reveal how their activities are funded. For instance the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a particularly prominent climate change sceptic think tank headed by Lord Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, has refused several Freedom of Information requests for more openness about its operations, including the identity of its financial backers [9].
More information on this topic is available at www.skepticalscience.com.
Aren't we in Scotland only 0.2% of global CO2?
The UK Government claims that Scotland is responsible for 0.2% of global CO2, but this doesn't take our global impact into full account. Whilst Scotland's overall contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is small, as a developed nation we have a disproportionately high carbon footprint per head of population. Our footprint also goes well beyond our national borders, both in terms of the goods we import from elsewhere, and Scottish business operations based abroad.
As a developed nation which has benefited from the industrial revolution, we have a responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions. We have a world-leading climate change law and expertise in, for example, renewable energy technologies to export, and natural resources to utilise, that enable us to deliver our world-leading ambitions on climate change.
Where are most emissions coming from?
Scottish emissions increased in 2010 (latest figures available as at March 2013) compared to the previous year, but overall are 24% lower now than in 1990 (the baseline year for calculating reductions) [10]. The transport and home energy and power sectors are the only areas where emissions are higher now than they were in 1990.
In terms of worldwide emissions, highest emissions levels per capita are small, rich, energy-intensive countries like Qatar, which in 2009 emitted nearly 80 tonnes of CO2 per person, compared to the UK's 8 tonnes, Australia's 20 tonnes, Canada's 19 and the United States' 18 tonnes per person [11].
Impacts of climate change now and in the future
Governmental and global action to tackle climate change
Reducing our emissions
[1] Met Office (2011). 2010: A near-record year; www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2011/2010-global-temperature
[2] For a more detailed overview, see Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC), Climate Factsheets (PIRC, 2010), pp. 10-13, 16-19.
[3] The Royal Society, Climate Change: A Summary of the Science (The Royal Society, 2010), royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294972962.pdf
[4] IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf
[5] IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-spm.pdf
[6] Met Office, How has our climate changed?, www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-change/guide/how
[7] For a good introduction, see The Guardian, 7.7.10, www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/07/climate-emails-question-answer
[8] Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand, Haydn Washington and John Cook
[9] The Guardian, 21.2.12, www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/21/climate-change-sceptic-not-influential-funder
[10] UK Committee on Climate Change, March 2013, Second Scottish Progress Report, P13, www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1674_CCC_Scots-Report_bookmarked_2.pdf
[11] The Guardian, World carbon dioxide emissions data by country, January 2011, www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/31/world-carbon-dioxide-emissions-country-data-co2


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A shorter version of this blog was posted on the Shambhala SunSpace blog. What makes human beings unique is also our Achilles heel – the defect that may yet destroy us. Like other animals, we have instincts, but, thanks to our large neo-cortex, we can gain some degree of freedom from them by choosing how to respond to them. This ...Read More »
Buddhism, Cosmology and Evolution
Even with all these profound scientific theories of the origin of the universe, I am left with serious questions: What existed before the big bang? Where did the big bang come from? What caused it? Why has our planet evolved to support life? What is the relationship between the cosmos and the beings that have evolved within it? Scientists may ...Read More »
A Buddhist Ecology of Self
I saw that ordinary people believe they have a self and that everyone they meet has a self. They think of it as within the body. Because it is not like that, I have shown that the self is not there in the way it is thought to be. This is expedient means, the right medicine. But that does not ...Read More »
Beyond the Matrix — A Buddhist Approach
"To be, or not to be: that is the question." –Hamlet "Psychopaths are capable of taking the perspective of somebody else, but only to take better advantage of you. They're able to play the empathy game, but without the feelings involved. It's like an empty shell. The core of empathy — being in tune with the feelings of somebody else ...Read More »
Occupy the Climate Emergency: Buddhist Reflections on Inter-generational Justice
We will do our best to survive, but sadly I cannot see the United States or the emerging economies of China and India cutting back in time, and they are the main source of emissions. The worst will happen and the survivors will have to adapt to a hell of a climate. –James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia You live ...Read More »
Awakening From The Illusion Of Our Separateness
We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness. –Thich Nhat Hanh I came to realize clearly that mind is no other than mountains and rivers and the great wide earth, the sun and the moon and the stars. –Dogen By David Loy & John Stanley Do Buddhist teachings offer a different way of understanding the ecological crisis? ...Read More »
Buddhism and the End of Economic Growth
"We are seeing a perfect storm of converging crises that together represent a watershed moment in the history of our species. We are witnesses to, and participants in, a transition from decades of growth to decades of economic contraction." –Richard Heinberg "True development is in harmony with the needs of people and the rhythms of the natural world. Humans are ...Read More »
Why the Buddha Touched the Earth
"The entire cosmos is a cooperative. The sun, the moon, and the stars live together as a cooperative. The same is true for humans and animals, trees, and the Earth. When we realize that the world is a mutual, interdependent, cooperative enterprise — then we can build a noble environment. If our lives are not based on this truth, then ...Read More »
Compassion and the Shadow
"We need more understanding of human nature, because the only real danger that exists is man himself. He is the great danger. And we are pitifully unaware of it. We know nothing of man … far too little. His psyche should be studied — because we are the origin of all coming evil." –C.G. Jung "Compassion and love are not ...Read More »
A Buddhist Perspective On Ecological Responsibility
"The institutions of our society co-arise with us. They are not independent structures separate from our inner lives, like some backdrop to our personal dramas. Nor are they merely projections of our own minds. As collective forms of our ignorance, fears and greed, they acquire their own momentum, enlist our massive obedience, and depend on our collective consent." –Joanna Macy: ...Read More »
Buddhism and the Fate of the Species
Another externality dismissed in market systems is the fate of the species. Systemic risk in the financial system can be remedied by the taxpayer, but no one will come to the rescue if the environment is destroyed. That it must be destroyed is close to an institutional imperative. Business leaders who conduct propaganda campaigns to convince the population that anthropogenic global ...Read More »
A Sustainable Enlightenment (Earth Day 2011)
By John Stanley & David Loy It may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the process of doing. Elizabeth Kolbert, Field Notes from a Catastrophe Looking again and again at that which cannot be looked at, Unseeable reality is seen just as ...Read More »
David Loy Interview
David R. Loy is a Buddhist philosopher who writes on the interaction between Buddhism and modernity. He has been practicing Zen since 1971 and is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo-Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David has taught at the National University of Singapore and Bunkyo University in Japan. From 2006 to 2010 he was the Besl Family Chair ...Read More »
Loy, David R.
David R. Loy (born July 27, 1947; Dharma name David Tetsu'un Loy) is a Buddhist philosopher who writes on the interaction between Buddhism and modernity. He has been practicing Zen since 1971 and is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo-Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David has taught at the National University of Singapore and Bunkyo University in Japan. From ...Read More »


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Exactly 125 years ago, a young Harvard graduate penned the immortal words, �� there is no joy in Mudville � mighty Casey has struck out!� All eyes were on the annual President�s Cup Golf Tournament, held annually at the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club�s Pines Course, and open only to members of the Walton County Snowbirds.
Founded five years ago by Canadian snowbird Mike Serniuk, the annual event, held on Feb. 21 this year, quickly became a good-natured contest between American and Canadian snowbirds. Good-natured, or not, the Americans struck out each time they met the Canadians in match play, leaving the cup in Canadian hands for four successive years. The Americans entered the lists in 2013 as clear underdogs desperately in need of a Casey who wouldn�t strike out. They found not one, but four Caseys! They are Fred Dunlop, Tom Hobel, Bob Sabol, and Mike Maloney.The golfing quartet lifted the Americans to a hotly contested victory that was announced at the conclusion of the match to customary table-slapping, hooting, and irreverent jesting by the bi-national sportsmen.
Sue Cummins, Susan Litwiller, Sue Dickinson, and Peg Dods led the field with low scores during the Ladies Charity Scramble held concurrently with the President�s Cup. Trina MacIntyre, Ruth Rusk, Suzie Cizmar, and Karen Weber followed only one stroke behind the leaders.
The double tournament serves double duty in that it is a fundraising event for the Shelter House of Fort Walton Beach. Shelter House received $1,000. The club�s scholarship fund received an additional $200.
Golf commanded more attention in February when the Tuesday and Thursday golf leagues joined together to share lunch at the 790 on the Gulf Restaurant Feb. 20, where 108 golfers partook of good food, fellowship, a presentation to Ken Garr to acknowledge his hole-in-one during league play and lots of door prizes.
Speaking of lunch, more than 200 Walton County snowbird women enjoyed a lunch and fashion show at Embassy Suites Feb. 27 where they munched on Chicken Cordon Bleu and triple chocolate cake while enjoying a fashion show sponsored by Bealls Department Store with the assistance of 12 Walton County snowbird women who modeled two-piece casual wear.
It was standing-room-only at the Santa Rosa Community Church on Feb. 23 when the Walton County Snowbirds, under the direction of Katie Ott, performed the first of two planned concerts. Mert Thomasma accompanied on the piano. The performance, Music from Broadway & More, concluded with a reprise of The Snowbird Song composed by the Snowbird Singers co-founder, Bill Addington. The season�s final performance will take place at the Santa Rosa Community Church, 3524 U.S. 98, during the organization�s final general meeting at 10 a.m. March 6.
The Tuesday golf league turned in scores for match play held on Feb. 19. First place went to Bev Meredith�s team, second place to the team captained by John Van Dueser. Tuesday, Feb. 26, play saw team players Bob and Eunice Collins, Keith Brown and Connie Taylor take first place. Thursday golf leaders were First Place, a tie with Kay Kempf�s and Bev Ward�s teams. Second place went to Lee Garbell's team. Paul Tomlinson will coordinate for the Thursday League next year. Tom Rajnovich will cover for the Tuesday League.
Betty Martin, reporting for the bridge players, relates that the winners for Feb. 19 and 20 play were Theresa Quinn, Gene Zwickey, Betty Martin and Jerry Emholtz, Cindy Schreiner, and Kay LaBelle respectively. Feb. 26 winners were Jerry Emholtz, Ruth Towns, and Bob Shewchuck. On Feb. 27, winners were Gordon May, Ruth Price, and Ron Nicholson.
Tom Mahar writes for the Walton County Snowbirds. Reach him at email@example.com. For snowbird information, www.waltoncountysnowbirds.com.


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No. 1 Present: Selling a whopping 1,258,667 albums during Christmas week, The Beatles prove that they are more popular than … well, the Backstreet Boys. The Fab Four's greatest hits collection, 1, was a hit with last-minute shoppers, selling more units than in any single week since its Nov. 14 release.
Not that the Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue didn't find a way into quite a few stockings — the boy band's disc moves 724,067 copies for a solid No. 2 finish.
Top Dogg: In a week with few new releases, Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal sells almost 400,000 to become the top new album on the list, checking into the Top 10 at No. 9.
In an apparent attempt to sabotage the success of the album, Snoop's former label, Death Row Records, posted all the songs from the album for free download on its Web site several weeks ago. The site asked fans to compare the songs to the material from Dead Man Walkin', which Death Row released over Snoop's objections in October. Death Row subsequently removed the files from its site, but fans seem to have voted with their pocketbooks: the Death Row album (which, admittedly, had less promotion) debuted at No. 24 when it was released and has since dropped off the charts.
Lil' Help From the Holidays: Rapper Lil' Wayne bows at No. 24, selling 204,000 copies of Lights Out for the second-highest debut of the week. The only other new album to chart is also a hip-hop release: Q-B's Finest, which includes new music from Nas, Capone, and Havoc of Mobb Deep, debuts at No. 90.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old rapper Lil' Bow Wow gets a holiday boost, jumping from No. 23 to No. 17 with Beware of Dog.
Solid Sellers: Aside from Snoop's entry — which bumps Charlotte Church's Dream a Dream to No. 23 — the remainder of the Top 10 holds solid. Now That's What I Call Music! 5, with hit songs from 'N Sync and Britney Spears, stays at No. 3; Creed's longtime top-seller Human Clay remains at No. 4; deep-voiced dancehall singer Shaggy sees Hotshot move up two slots to No. 5; Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water comes in at No. 6; Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits lands at No. 7; Spears' Oops! … I Did It Again finishes at No. 8; and 'N Sync's No Strings Attached comes in at No. 10.
Tough Market: With virtually every artist getting a boost in sales, it's a difficult chart to move up on — U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind inches up two spots to No. 18, while Sade's Lovers Rock climbs up a spot to No. 11, narrowly missing a reentry into the Top 10.
Many artists have the rare combination of increased sales but a lower chart position. The Baha Men see an increase of more than 90,000 units for Who Let the Dogs Out, but they still slip three spots to No. 14. Ricky Martin's Sound Loaded falls to No. 30, and K-Ci & JoJo slide nine spots to No. 42 — though in both cases their record sales surge.
Bottom Feeding: Though selling more than 20,000 copies of an album would ordinarily push it somewhere between No. 100 and No. 150, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Vol. 2 Collection clings to the bottom of the list at No. 200.


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Half a century ago the New England News editor of The Christian Science Monitor, Robert Hallett, summoned me – a 21-year-old copy boy at the time – to his desk.
"Shep," he said, "we have two visitors here eager to discuss their story. Could you talk to them?"
I readily agreed and introduced myself to the tall men cloaked in elegant black overcoats. They both headed temples of the separatist Nation of Islam – in Boston and in the Harlem neighborhood of New York – but I knew little about them. I suggested interviewing them after my work shift ended. Thus began a remarkable series of events.
One of the pair intrigued me especially. A former inmate, he had risen upon his release to become a firebrand leader of the fast-growing Black Muslim movement.
Ironically, the minister of Harlem's Temple of Islam, born with what he called the "slave name" Malcolm Little, had grown up in my hometown of Lansing, Mich. Yet that bit of shared history trickled out only a few years later.
Malcolm's companion, known then as Louis X, remained silent during the interview. Minister Louis's "slave name" had been Louis Eugene Walcott. He would play a crucial role in Malcolm's life – first as his protégé, later as an embittered rival.
A gifted musician, the man now known as Louis Farrakhan composed an opera titled ORGENA ("A Negro" spelled backward) staged in Boston, where I saw it during the early 1960s. It recalled the enslavement of Africans and their forced resettlement in Colonial America. Farrakhan, a talented violinist who attended the prestigious Boston Latin School and graduated from Boston English High School, seemed to view Malcolm as a big brother.
Malcolm X may have cultivated contacts with others in the mainstream American press, but his polite 1961 outreach toward the Monitor could also have been one of a kind. As expected, he spoke with wit and cutting sarcasm in responding to tough inquiries. But he could also dodge uncomfortable questions, parrying with an enigmatic "Those who know don't say. And those who say don't know."
I submitted my story on the Black Muslims, which ran a week later. An editor deleted Malcolm's harsh invective, but my first Monitor story appeared otherwise intact. That pleased me. A few years later Malcolm told me at his family's vegetarian restaurant in Harlem that my story had been fair to him and his movement. I took that as outright praise.
The Harlem visit occurred after I entered military service in late 1961 as the Berlin crisis loomed. I found myself stationed at a major recruiting center in lower Manhattan, and decided one weekend to drop by Malcolm's eatery.
Malcolm greeted me with a broad smile, admitting his surprise at seeing me in an Army uniform. He even seemed glad to see me. Then a strange thing happened. The Black Muslims were holding a food bazaar that afternoon, and Malcolm planned to attend and address it.
"Hey, would you like to come along?" he asked.
Since I had the time, I immediately told him "Sure," and we soon walked north up Lenox Avenue (now Malcolm X Boulevard) to the Washington Heights bazaar site – the Audubon Ballroom.
Assassins would gun Malcolm down there in early 1965 as he addressed a weekly meeting of his Organization of Afro-American Unity. He had founded the OAAU in 1964 after breaking away from the Nation of Islam. The break caused a bitter rift with Farrakhan, who branded him a traitor. Some, including Malcolm's widow, accused Farrakhan of hatching the assassination plot. He denied this but admitted much later that his sermons' hostile tone could have egged on the group in Newark, N.J., that was blamed for the fatal shooting.
"I may have been complicit in words that I spoke," he told a "60 Minutes" interviewer in May 2000.
But only amity and the aroma of baked goods prevailed as we entered the ballroom in 1962. We walked together past display tables of homemade foods and handicrafts. Members of Malcolm's Harlem Temple No. 7 had prepared the wares for sale. The minister greeted each vendor warmly. No one seemed bothered to see a young uniformed soldier at his side. Nor did it faze Malcolm.
Weeks later I attended a Black Muslim street rally in Harlem Square – my first chance to see Malcolm show off his fiery oratorical flair. A master of rhetoric, he focused not on "white devils" but influential black Americans who failed to combat racism. His remarks prompted heavy applause from followers and bystanders alike.
I saw Malcolm X only once after that. My military duty ended and I returned to Boston and an editing role in the Monitor newsroom. Meanwhile, Malcolm had founded the OAAU and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. It mellowed him, and changed his approach to battling for civil rights in the United States. But Louis Farrakhan hadn't changed. This "quiet" partner of our first interview now viewed Malcolm as a turncoat.
I had barely settled into my new desk job when the shocking news of the Audubon Ballroom tragedy reached me. Like many others, I felt a sense of bereavement – the loss of a thoughtful friend.
Looking back, I recall Malcolm's disarming smile as a highlight of our unexpected and all-too-brief bond. It revealed a man who had learned to transcend his rage and channel it productively where it belonged.


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As temperatures promise to heat up Oklahoma City, The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command will hand out box fans to qualified citizens who need relief from the heat.
OG&E will donate 200 box fans at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma's Social Services office, 501 S. Harvey, to help with the fan giveaway.
ACE Hardware is also donating 100 box fans to The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command.
By providing cooling box fans, the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command hopes to prevent the heat-related deaths that Oklahoma experienced in past years. Many of our frailest citizens die due to extreme heat.
The Salvation Army provides box fans to needy and qualified senior citizens age 62 and older, families with infants under 6 months of age and the disabled with chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, emphysema and people taking psychotropic and other medications.
Fans will be distributed between 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., Monday – Thursday. The Social Service Office is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays for clients that receive disability benefits and/or seniors 62 years of age and older.
"Heat poses a very real danger to our elderly clients and those with medical issues," said Ashley Jones, director of Social Services for the Central Oklahoma Area Command. "These box fans literally can mean the difference between staying cool and dying from the heat."
"We are especially grateful to OG&E and ACE Hardware for their loyal and generous donations of fans. Without their help every year, we would be hard-pressed to be able to supply as many fans as we do for those in need," Jones added.
Applicants are required to bring the following documentation to the appointment:
1) Picture ID – (Driver's License, State Issued ID, Governmental/Military ID, or Passport or ID from Country of Origin) for ALL adult household members
2) Social Security Cards, legal documents bearing Social Security numbers or equivalent documentation from Country of Origin for ALL household members.
3) Proof of Residency – current gas, electric, water or lease agreement/mortgage payment.
4) Applicants must reside in Oklahoma County.
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command also provides a cooling station at the Red Shield Kitchen, 330 SW 4th, at the Norman Corps at 318 E. Hayes in Norman and at the Canadian County Service Center at 201 S. Bickford in El Reno when temperatures reach more than 100 degrees.


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I have spent much time on this blog since 2002 examining the persuasive intentions of journalists and politicians in order to help people understand, if just in my particular way, how and why journalists and politicians speak as they do.
Such a project assumes two things (among many):
- That journalists and politicians are basically reasonable people.
- That political and journalistic discourses are understandable as rational attempts at persuasion.
But we have a problem. The political discourse in America has been destroyed (you can pick your own agent — there are many). Not broken. Not troubled. Destroyed, as in it no longer exists.
So let me define what I'm talking about. By political discourse I mean to indicate texts (complexly understood) intended to identify and examine political/social/economic problems. Further, political discourse is then about negotiating solutions to problems (and, within the solutions role, political discourse is also about "winning" politically and accepting the democratic bargain). And, more positively expressed, political discourse is also about negotiating our common understanding ourselves as a nation and a culture.
That has been destroyed. Don't believe me? Conduct an experiment: Turn on any cable news channel. Watch for 30 minutes.
Or read The New York Times. This article in today's edition is arguably the most perfect example of the total loss of our political discourse and what prompts me to write today: Conspiracy Theories Over Jade Helm Training Exercise Gets Some Traction in Texas.
Because we no longer have a functional political discourse, Gov. Greg Abbott knows he faces no political cost whatsoever in feeding red meat to idiots. I absolutely reject any argument that would claim he is himself an idiot, i.e. actually believes Jade Helm 15 is anything more than just another military exercise (albeit a large one).
And he knows it's a sure win. In that sense it is a heresthetic maneuver. Because every American with half a working brain (a dwindling number, apparently) — and regardless of political ideology — knows that President Obama has no intention "taking over Texas" (whatever the hell that could possibly mean), Abbott will be able to claim victory at the conclusion of the exercise.
This situation (all the bazillion ways this is seriously fucked up) can only occur in a country with no rational political discourse and no news media willing to promote and defend a rational political discourse.
And if you think this one is bad, wait a week.
I have, by fits and starts, tried to reinvigorate Rhetorica. But that's just impossible in a country with no rational political discourse. In the real world I'm walking around in, Rhetorica is a colossal waste of time.
And that's why it sucks.
For the three or four of you still reading, it'll continue to suck by fits and starts.


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FAIRHAVEN — The clatter of skateboards on concrete was music to the ears of Hastings Middle School teacher Ann Richard at Livesey Park on Saturday.
FAIRHAVEN — The clatter of skateboards on concrete was music to the ears of Hastings Middle School teacher Ann Richard at Livesey Park on Saturday.
Richard watched as dozens of kids on skateboards, bikes and scooters competed for prizes at the popular skateboard park in North Fairhaven. The contest was the opening event in a fundraising effort designed to give the park an upgrade. Heavily used since it first opened in the '90s, the park is showing its age, she said.
"This is a project of my eighth-grade community service class at Hastings Middle School," she said. The students have already met with the Board of Public Works and the North Fairhaven Improvement Association, who have been very supportive, she said. "This is our first fundraiser. It's a beautiful day and we've had a great turnout. Hopefully this is just the first of many."
In addition to raising money from the $5 fee to enter the contests, students were also selling 'Save Livesey' t-shirts that were designed and silkscreened by the students themselves with the assistance of Hastings art teacher Tim Lee.
Prizes for the contestants, shoes, hats and skateboards, were donated by Solstice and Xtreme Board, and many local businesses have also stepped up to help, she said.
Cardoso's Roofing of Fairhaven donated two bouncy castles and Richard is hoping the whole community will get behind the effort to raise around $50,000.
Trevor Castello, 13, was making a good start as he energetically worked the crowd, selling raffle tickets. "This has been a skate park for more than 20 years and we're trying to fix it because it's all cracked up," he said.
Competition was hot and heavy out on the park. Colby O'Neil, 11, a student at Rogers School was going through some impressive moves on the scooter as he warmed up for his competition. "I just started three months ago, but I practice a lot," he said.
On the bike Eli Noonan was also ready to rock. "I come here every day so I hope they can fix this up," he said, looking at the deep cracks in the blacktop. Noonan began doing tricks on his bike two years ago. "I fell off a few times," he said. "It's fun when you get better at it."
Now he can do 180, 360, Tuck No Hands and Toboggans, he said proudly.
Lisa Petruski watched as her two children enjoyed the bouncy castle. "We come here all the time. My husband is 38 and he still skates. He's been doing it since he was a teenager," she said. "It's nice to see them taking the initiative to keep it functioning for everyone."


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Fun With Chocolate: How to Make a Cornet (Paper Cone) for Cake Decorating
All About Chocolate
Everything you want to know about chocolate
Hello, and welcome! Please, take a seat. Today in arts and crafts, we'll be making paper cones. What you do after that is up to you—with this versatile technique under your belt, you'll be able to effortlessly produce: bird costumes (specifically, beaks), french fry holders, and party hats galore. Also, a one-material, five-minute DIY tool for piping frostings and melted chocolate. In other words, an incredibly handy, not to mention FUN, tool in any intrepid home cook's arsenal.
Now, if you've ever piped frosting out of, say, a zipper-lock bag, you may be wondering why you should bother with this whole cone business. And to a certain degree, you'd be right—if you don't have a pastry bag and tip, a Ziplock bag with a corner snipped off will do you just fine. But when it comes to melted chocolate, you need something a little more firm and insulated to get your decorating work underway. Enter the cornet—yes, it's just a fancy (read: French) word for a cone —your quick 'n' easy, make-it-anywhere, take-it-anywhere piping pal. And as you'll soon see, making four cornets is just as easy as making one, which is why you'll always have extras and might as well use 'em for your other piping needs, too.
Making the Cornet
Shall we get on with it? Here's what you'll need to start (and finish) your very own paper cone:
- A rectangular sheet of parchment paper; the exact proportion doesn't matter as long as it's a not-too-long rectangle. It's all good—whatever you do, don't stress!
- Two hands
- A knife, scissors, or some not-chewed-to-the-quick fingernails
Fold the paper in half
Turn the parchment so that it is in a portrait (not landscape) orientation. Fold it in half widthwise (towards you).
Cut along the crease
You can get all bad-ass (like me!) and use a knife, take the scissor route, or just make a real good crease and tear that baby up. Set aside one of the rectangles; you can follow the next steps with it later to make another cornet.
Fold diagonally
Position the parchment in a landscape orientation in front of you and fold the paper diagonally so that the crease connects the opposite corners—I find it easiest to start by lifting the bottom-right corner, but you can do the opposite if you prefer; it won't make a difference.
Cut along the crease
Same as before, just slice the paper along your crease and set aside one of the halves, it doesn't matter which.
Behold, a triangle!
Look at that! You made that! Revel in it. Then orient it so that the triangle's longest side (the hypotenuse, for you all geometry whizzes out there) is nearest you, and the shortest side is on the right.
Create the cone's tip
Lift the right corner of the triangle and gently fold it over so that the bend forms a vertical line that runs from the triangle's top corner down to the base; using your finger, make a firm crease only at the base of this fold (do not make a full crease along this fold's entire length). This will be ultimately the point of your cone.
Then unfold the paper to its original position.
Start Rolling
Lift the right corner again, this time bringing the corner in line with the top of the triangle and the crease you just made. Don't crease the edge; just line things up. Now fold it slightly under itself to form a cone shape.
Feeling okay? Good. You're doing great.
The first couple of times you do this, it may pop up or unravel. If this is your first time making a cornet, you may want to apply a small piece of Scotch tape to the cone's inner edge, just to keep things stable while you get the hang of things.
Bring the left corner around
Holding the cone in one hand, begin winding the left section of the triangle around the cone with the other hand (to keep things nice and clear, we shot this flat on the table. You'll probably want to pick up your cone, though—it'll be a lot easier to control.)
As you roll, try to keep the innermost edge vertical (or tape it up!) and the point of the cone as tight and pointy as possible—if you look down into the cone, you shouldn't be able to see any light coming through the point.
Tuck 'er in
Once it's almost fully wrapped around the cone, that left corner will leave you with a nice little point to tuck into the cone's opening. Give it a good crease and it'll hold your creation together. This should stay put, but if you have trouble, another piece of tape will secure it.
Give yourself a nice pat on the back! You did it!
Using the Cornet
Prepare Your Workspace
If you're just learning how to work with chocolate, I highly recommend a few practice rounds on a spare sheet of parchment paper. Just tape it down to keep it from flapping around. You can practice with melted chocolate, frosting, or even toothpaste!
Fill 'er up
Fill the cone with your chocolate (or frosting). Go no more than two-thirds of the way up. Unless you want a gross, overflowy accident.
Seal the Cone
Fold the opening over at least twice to close the cone.
If your cone starts pouring chocolate out of the point, it means it wasn't rolled tightly enough. If it's just dripping, it may be fine—just skip the next step.
With a pair of scissors, snip off the very tip of the cone—just the tip. Start very, very small; you can always widen the opening, but once it's cut, there's no going back.
Write/Draw/Make a Mess!
I'll be honest with you—I'm still not exactly gifted at writing with chocolate. It takes a lot of practice to develop the kind of control that professional pastry chefs have at their command. But once you've got the basics down, you'll be able to decorate birthday cakes and cookies and your poor, innocent sleeping boyfriend's face.
A few tips for newbies:
- Slow and steady: Stand at a countertop and support your wrist with your other hand, guiding it in slow, rounded motions. Stop regularly to rest and keep from shaking. That said, chocolate's actually pretty forgiving, so if you have a gap or wobble in your writing or drawing, just go back over it.
- Don't squeeze: Gravity will be nearly enough to guide the chocolate out of the cone. You may need to exert some gentle pressure, but a squeeze will cause it to gush out or, at the very least, leave you with uneven decoration.
- Have fun: This is the most important lesson I can impart. Because if you're not having fun, what's the goddamn point?
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Each lesson or activity in this toolkit is related to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The toolkit is designed so that each lesson can be done independently, or combined and taught in a sequence. The Teacher Implementation Guide provides... (View More) recommendations for combining the lessons into three main strands: 1) Lunar Exploration - These lessons provide a basic introduction to Moon exploration. Note that this strand is also appropriate for use in social studies classes. 2) Mapping the Moon - These lessons provide a more in-depth understanding of Moon exploration through the use of scientific data and student inquiry. The lessons also include many connections to Earth science and geology. 3) Tools of Investigation - These higher-level lessons examine the role of technology, engineering and physics in collecting and analyzing data. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students
This is a demonstration about the density of the planets. Learners will compare the relative sizes and masses of scale models of the planets as represented by fruits and other foods. They will then dunk the "planets" in water to highlight the fact... (View More) that even a large, massive planet - such as Saturn - can have low density. They discuss how a planet's density is related to whether it is mainly made up of rock or gas. This activity is part of Explore! Jupiter's Family Secrets, a series designed to engage children in space and planetary science in libraries and informal learning environments. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $5 - $10 per group of students
Learners will model the gravitational fields of planets on a flexible surface. Children place and move balls of different sizes and densities on a plastic sheet to develop a mental picture of how the mass of an object influences how much effect it... (View More) has on the surrounding space. This activity is part of Explore! Jupiter's Family Secrets, a series designed to engage children in space and planetary science in libraries and informal learning environments. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $5 - $10 per group of students
The 9-session NASA Family Science Night program emables middle school children and their families to discover the wide variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics being performed at NASA and in everyday life. Family Science Night... (View More) programs explore various themes on the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the Universe through fun, hands-on activities, including at-home experiments. Instructions for obtaining the facilitator's guide are available on the Family Science Night site. (View Less)
This is an activity about the states of matter. Learners will participate in a demonstration to reintroduce them to three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. The demonstration also introduces them to a fourth state of matter, plasma, through... (View More) investigation of the properties of volume and shape as they relate to common solids, liquids, and gases, and to the mystery matter later identified at the end as plasma. The demonstration also covers plasma's connection to the Sun and connections to science related to the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft. This activity complements other IBEX informal education materials. The demonstration requires use of a small plasma ball and, ideally, a slightly darkened room so that the plasma ball can be more easily seen. An instructional video explaining how to facilitate this activity is available: http://bit.ly/125ZW5k. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Over $20


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many verses
The main motivation of no-collapse interpretations is to emphasize that the unitary Schroedinger evolution is all there is.
In order to reconcile this with our experience a description considering 'many worlds' or 'many minds' and the 'splitting' of the universe into different 'branches' is often used:
The physicist does not kill the cat but really creates two worlds and then repeating this experiment doubles the number again and again.
It seems that the number N of 'branches' or different 'minds' etc. increases like N(t) ~ wt where w is some unknown constant. Now one can calculate something like an entropy S from it as S = log(N) and therefore S ~ t; time really is 'm.w.i entropy'.
But how does one reconcile all this with the time-reversible Schroedinger evolution?
13 comments:
Could you elaborate a little? Not sure I understood properly
- October 18, 2011 at 2:15 AM
Well, to repeat the idea in different words:
The unitary Schroedinger evolution does not 'prefer' the future over the past, it has no time arrow built in.
But the picture of the 'branching worlds', as usually used in many worlds interpretations, seems to have such an arrow with many branches in the future and less in the past.
This seems to be a problem to me.
How do you get the clean initial state (only one branch) if you evolve the wavefunction backwards in time?
- October 18, 2011 at 4:52 AM
Have you ever brought this issue up to any proponent of the MWI?
If you have, what did they reply?
- October 18, 2011 at 9:40 PM
The physicists I know personally are not too interested in this kind of problem (at least I am not aware) - so there was no opportunity yet for me to directly ask this question to a mwi proponent.
- October 19, 2011 at 5:53 AM
Ok, does it apply equally to the approach proposed by Wallace ?
I think those worlds sort of "emerge" rather than the "strong splitting" by Dewitt
- October 19, 2011 at 11:23 AM
I know that David Wallace tried to derive the Born rule using decision theory. A discussion of this issue is e.g. here.
I am not familiar with his particular proposal that the many worlds "emerge".
Do you have a link or reference?
- October 19, 2011 at 2:55 PM
There you go
Which MWI is it you are critizing?
- October 19, 2011 at 3:42 PM
Thank you for the link.
I don't think that this is different from e.g. deWitt mwi except for mentioning decoherence.
So I guess the question applies as well...
- October 19, 2011 at 10:43 PM
Decoherence is what the entire modern MWI is built on.
It's the decoherence which "splits" the worlds.
- October 19, 2011 at 11:57 PM
... and it seems that decoherence (if understood as branching of worlds) comes with an arrow of time and I would like to understand where it comes from.
- October 20, 2011 at 12:28 AM
I understand, but why don't you raise this issue to Wallace himself?
I doubt he would mind answering, and if he doesn't have an answer that's a answer in it self.
Maybe if you got other objections too you should include all of them in a mail and send it to him and see how he fares against them
- October 20, 2011 at 12:56 AM
maybe I should, but I assume that he is busy even without receiving email from cold-callers.
- October 20, 2011 at 8:49 AM
I doubt he's too busy to answer some genuine questions regarding a controversial interpretation which he adhere to..
Alternatively you could try to raise these issues over at physicsforums.com and see how the proponents respond there, thers a couple of PhDs there
- October 20, 2011 at 1:27 PM


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Sweet Family "P" | Family Photography | South Surrey, BC
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Sarah Funk is a photographer living in Aldergrove, British Columbia. A wedding photographer and portrait photographer serving, Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Aldergrove, White Rock, Burnaby, New West, Vancouver and all areas of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley that require a photographer. Sarah is available for weddings, family photography, newborn photography, maternity sessions as well as head shots for coporate clients. You can email Sarah at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 604 308 2592
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Sex, Drugs... And Facebook? Moral Panic Police Blaming Social Networks For Kids Being Kids
from the correlation-vs.-causation dept
"The anything goes, free-for-all world of Internet expression and suggestive television programming that teens are exposed to on a daily basis puts them at increased risk of substance abuse," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Columbia's founder and chairman, in a statement.It seems we have a classic conflation of correlation and causation. You could just as easily suggest that taking drugs, smoking and drinking lead teens to spend more time on Facebook. Or, more likely, it's a third factor. The general type of teen who is more likely to be active on a social network is also more likely to be active in the sort of social activities that teens are involved in -- which (despite some adults' denial) still includes drinking, smoking and taking drugs (sex too, I imagine). But pinning the blame on social networking is silly. I would bet that the same kids probably use text messaging more often. Would CASA also say that text messaging "puts kids at increased risk." Correlation is not causation and since the "National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse" is based at Columbia University, you'd think that someone there was familiar with this basic concept.
Oh, and... obligatory xkcd:


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
"Goo-goo-eyed." That's how Tim McGraw describes how he and his wife Faith Hill felt about each other at first. "We were goo-goo-eyed … newly, grossly, disgustingly in love," he told People Country for their "True Stories Behind the Songs" special issue. And that's how their duet for the 1997 smash, "It's Your Love," was born. They had just started dating and were sitting on the back of the bus when their producer's wife played the demo for them. "Instantly, I looked at Faith and said, 'We're going to do this song together.' It was just that simple and quick," he recalled. He also said that it's still — after all these years — a special song to them. "At the risk of sounding even more disgusting, it's because we still feel that way after 15 years," he said. "Most of the time." I wouldn't call that disgusting. Rare, for sure. But not disgusting.