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Monthly Archive for January, 2012
Brooklyn Rabbi Tells Fidler To Back Off
A Brighton Beach rabbi sent an open letter to City Council Lew Fidler telling him to tone down his attacks on David Storobin, his GOP opponent in the State Senate.
"Right from the outset, you have made it clear that you are determined to stake your campaign in the shifty foundation of negativity and fear mongering, " writes Rabbi Mordecltai Tokarsky of the Jewish Center of Brighton Beach.
"You did so when you not once, but many times falsely accused a member of my congregation, your opponent David Storobin, of (and I quote) "having ties to skinheads and neo-Nazi groups and white supremacist groups.
Let me first state unequivocally that your outrageous claims are totally baseless and untrue. I know David; and I must insist to you and everyone that the one thing David Storobin is not, is a neo-Nazi or skinhead sympathizer."
Rabbi Tokarsky notes that Mr. Storobin is a constituent.
The fracas came about after a number of blog posts Mr. Storobin wrote about were picked up by right-wing and neo-Nazi websites. Mr. Fidler raised questions about the posts, and today Mr. Storobin called a press conference to denounce Mr. Fidler's attacks. This didn't seem to sway the Democrat at all, who promptly sent out a press release accusing Mr. Storobin of having ties to "white supremacist groups."
The full letter is below:
Dear Mr. Fidler,
As a rabbinical leader, my policy is usually to stay out of politics and focus on my religious responsibilities.
However, your appalling behavior thus far in your campaign for New York State Senate has compelled me to action.
Right from the outset, you have made it clear that you are determined to stake your campaign in the shifty foundation of negativity and fear mongering. You did so when you not once, but many times falsely accused a member of my congregation, your opponent David Storobin, of (and I quote) "having ties to skinheads and neo-Nazi groups and white supremacist groups."
Let me first state unequivocally that your outrageous claims are totally baseless and untrue. I know David; and I must insist to you and everyone that the one thing David Storobin is not, is a neo-Nazi or skinhead sympathizer.
In fact, it is just the opposite. David is a proud Zionist Jew. His immediate ancestors, like so many others, perished at the hand of the Nazis in the Holocaust. Later, David's great uncle was murdered for being Jewish in the former Soviet Union. And when he was 11 years old he and his family escaped their communist county, fleeing from antisemitic persecution.
David Storobin is an active member of the Brighton Beach Jewish Center & Synagogue. He has also completed the Gateways Jewish heritage program. Additionally, David is active in many Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee and the Wallenberg Commission. He even started the very first Jewish Law Students Society at his law school and organized pro-Israel rallies while he was there.
But rather than acknowledge these facts, you are spreading falsehoods.
Mr. Fidler, what you are doing is wrong. You are mischaracterizing David's history as a journalist — where he occasionally wrote about and interviewed controversial topics and figures — and falsely portraying him as a Nazi sympathizer. You are misrepresenting David's past in an attempt to scare people and gain politically on those fears. And you are doing so by employing the worst episode in the history of humanity, the Holocaust, and the remnants of those responsible for it.
This behavior is unbefitting a moral Jew and, most especially, a public official.
What's more, your untrue assertions are not only hurtful and offensive to David and his family, they are an affront to all people of Jewish heritage and anyone who has been subjected to, as David has, the horrors of religious persecution.
And I am far from the only one who is disappointed with and offended by your remarks. Gedaliah Weinberger from Agudath Israel of America said this week that your comments are (and I quote) "an egregious act that is an insult to all of us."
Mr. Fidler, on behalf of my congregation and the broader Jewish community, I beseech you to be decent. Immediately retract your offensive and untrue remarks about David, and then apologize for making them.
Apologize to David and his family,
and to the residents of this senate district for fallaciously making this an issue in your campaign.
Politics and the people who run for office should be better than this, Mr. Fidler. But you still have time to do the right thing.
Rabbi Mordecltai Tokarsky
Jewish Center of Brighton Beach
Video: Julianne Moore's Sarah Palin Impression on Display in 'Game Change' Trailer
Cenedella Won't Run Versus Gillibrand
Top Romney Backer Says Campaign Should Keep Michael Grimm Around
Eric Ulrich , the youthful Queens City Councilmember who has been deputized as Mitt Romney's campaign chairman in New York City, defended the Massachusetts governor's use of Congressman Michael Grimm as a top surrogate for his presidential campaign.
"These are just accusations. The last time I checked people are innocent until proven guilty," he said.
Over the weekend, a story in The New York Times detailed how Mr. Grimm, a freshman lawmaker from Staten Island, raised more than $500,000 through an Israeli citizen now being investigated by the F.B.I over accusations that he embezzled millions of dollars from Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a famed Manhattan rabbi. According to the story, Mr. Grimm and the Israeli set up straw donors to secure money over the legal limit.
Mr. Grimm was in Florida last week campaigning for Mr. Romney, and had been in New Hampshire on the campaign's behalf during the primary there.
"I believe that Michael is an asset to the Republican Party and his constituents are very lucky to have him," Mr. Ulrich said. "In this business anybody can be accused of anything. I am sure that his name will be cleared and his reputation will not be tarnished by this. I believe he will move on and continue to do a great job."
"He is a rising star. Grimm is a rising star," said Mr. Ulrich, who is all of 26 himself. "I have a hard time believing these accusations."
Mr. Grimm had been taking an increasingly high-profile in the Romney campaign, rushing to defend the former governor after he told an audience that he likes "being able to fire people" and making himself readily available to reporters to tout the candidate. One would imagine that Mr. Grimm will take a less high-profile role in the coming weeks.
"These are very serious accusations and this will play itself out however it plays itself out, but ultimately I believe he will be vindicated," said Mr. Ulrich. "I always found Michael to be very honest, somebody who served our country with enormous integrity. That is why I have a very hard time believing that he would engage in anything like this. It just doesn't seem believeable."
Term Limits: Mayor Bloomberg Wants 10 New Gehry Buildings in Two Years
"You should know that Frank and I had a conversation bac… …
Cenedella is out of GOP Senate contention
Marc Cenedella Exits U.S. Senate Race
"I will not be running for the United States Senate in … …


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An MMO Fan Shot by Dave (FalseHustle)
I'm not going to do any research on the subject, but I'm confident in proclaiming that most of us around these MMO parts projected the Mets to be a 75-80 win team in 2014. Sure, there were some optimists who claimed .500 was within reach, and those blind loyalists who thought that it would only take a coin flip falling the right way for the Mets to land at 90 wins and a wild-card berth, and then, obviously, a World Series championship, because anything can happen in these short playoff series and the Mets pitching staff is solid, and… But really, most of us understood that the team we are trotting out this year is at best marginally better than the squad that took the field last year. So why, day in and day out, do we act so surprised that they are playing like the 70-80 win team 95% of us predicted they would be?
The losses come horribly. Some of these losses have occurred in the most "Mets" way possible. The bullpen has imploded each and every game. Terry Collins has made multiple tactical blunders. We have had injuries to major players. We have made fielding errors, flailed at pitches out of the zone, looked mismatched in general. But that's just the Mets, right?! This is what the Mets do. We love the Mets, but we make fun of them all the time. We make fun of our AAAA starting players, our "fat" shortstop, our clueless manager, our double-talking GM and our greedy owners. We commiserate about the product on the field and commiserate about what must be done behind the scenes to improve the team we can't help but suffer along with. Maybe it distracts us from the product that we are forced to stomach each and every night, but I believe we complain because it's the only form of catharsis available to us.
But let's not fool ourselves into thinking that this team is truly any worse than we all knew they were going to be. When we were all making our predictions before the season, what did we collectively believe a 75-win team looked like? A 75-win team trots out players who have no business in a major league uniform, just like the Mets do. They scrape the bottom of the barrel for free agents and pick up players off the scrap heap to keep the team afloat, just like the Mets do. They make numerous fielding and batting mistakes, just like the Mets do. They might have a manager who seems completely oblivious to in-game strategy, bungling pitcher/batter matchups and making bizarre roster moves based more on loyalty to veterans than to rookies in an ill-fated attempt to hang onto his job for just one more season, just like the Mets do.
After every game, I come to this site to see what like-minded fans think about the latest Mets' debacle. And after reading the post-game comments, I'm often baffled. Not at the fact that we, as fans, are fed up. We hate that our team loses so embarrassingly so often, and can't seem to get their act together, and we hate the ineptitude at seemingly every level, rightly questioning the motivation behind certain moves and the purported "plan" that was supposed to lift us into contention by 2014. I'm baffled because everyone seems so surprised that the Mets are playing the way they do. Why are we surprised when the bullpen blows it? We never thought the bullpen was any good! Why do we moan and cry that Ike Davis and Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada and EYJ can't seem to, as they say, hit the broadside of a barn? We never thought any of them were going to be worth anything! Why are we surprised when Terry bungles simple in-game transitions, when for multiple seasons we have seen him do the same thing day in and day out?
I just don't get why we are so shocked that the Mets are playing poorly. I'm not saying to stop rooting for your team to win; of course that's impossible. I don't think we should forgive the Mets' front-office transgressions either- I think they've lied to us to protect themselves, but have done so in such a transparent and smug manner that we can't help but feel personally betrayed by their every word. I just think that we need to temper our continued anger at the day in/day out ineptitude of a team that none of us thought would go far.
They won't lose 100 games, like some posters here now seem to think. But they sure as hell aren't going to win 90 games. Can we at least set that one to rest? Can we stop "cleverly" joking, "Hey Sandy, only 90 to go! Har har har"? The guy got caught saying something stupid while trying to placate his clueless bosses. Because he hasn't fully delivered on his plans to extricate the Mets from their financial and competitive morass, we think he's an idiot who is actually trying to make the team worse. There's no way Sandy (or, for that matter, David or Terry) thinks the Mets are winning 90 games (well, maybe Terry does; the guy truly is a mystery to me). Furthermore, deep in our hearts, I don't believe even one of us here on MMO thought the Mets would win 90.
I'm just trying to understand the lack of perspective. I get the emotion- I have literally broken a chair and punched a hole through a wall after particularly tough Mets' losses. But I suppose I just can't completely divorce my emotion from the logic of the situation. This is exactly the sort of team I knew the Mets would field this year, and it's exactly the sort of team you knew the Mets would field. Going into each game with that knowledge makes it easier to roll your eyes at the on-field blunders and stay calm when the Mets "unexpectedly" blow another lead or forget to bowl over a catcher or walk in a run or whatever stupid Mets-esque thing they did that day.
Nobody likes watching their team play the way the Mets have, and we have every right to get on them for it. But can't we just go into each game knowing that while sometimes things will fall our way, more often than not we are going to play the way Vegas and many of our smart readers think we will play? We shouldn't be surprised that they lost all three to the Nationals, and we shouldn't be surprised if we lose two out of three to the Reds. This is who the Mets are. And to quote Dennis Green (if you've read this far, you knew it was coming), "they are who we thought they were!"
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This Fan Shot was contributed by Dave (FalseHustle). Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to us at firstname.lastname@example.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

subset: commoncrawl


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Louisiana Hummingbird Banding - Winter 2005-2006The following is a summary of the hummingbird banding activities of Dave Patton, Linda Beall, Mark Myers, Paul Dickson, Steve Locke, and Nancy Newfield over the course of the 2005-2006 winter season in Louisiana. Patton, Beall, and Newfield are self-employed, permitting some flexibility in scheduling. Myers is the curator of birds at the Audubon Zoo. Dickson manages a large business. Locke is a University of New Orleans graduate student in biology who worked in tandem with Newfield some of the time.
Most hummingbirds were banded in the southern third of the state, roughly the area south of Interstate 10/12. Patton covered the area from Baton Rouge westward, while Newfield and Locke banded from Baton Rouge eastward, excepting St. Tammany Parish, which was primarily handled by Beall. Beall and Newfield both banded in Baton Rouge and probably caught only a fraction of the hummers around. Myers covered scattered areas around New Orleans. Dickson examined a small pocket of wintering hummers in Shreveport. This northern region of the state typically hosts fewer wintering hummers, but the area has been little studied, so generalities may not be valid
The Louisiana Winter Hummingbird Project differs substantially from passerine migration banding studies. Most sites host only a few hummers, so efforts must be made to catch individuals rather than mist-netting whichever birds might pass through during a specific time period. Most captures are made using cage wire traps placed around feeders. Electronic remote-control releasers permit the operation of several traps at one time and they allow the bander to watch from an indoor location, making inclement weather less of a factor. Mist nets and other types of traps are occasionally employed. Because of the dispersed distribution of the birds, operations must be completely portable.
Almost all birds were color-marked using specially-colored, water-soluble Liquid Paper on their crowns. Color-marking allowed us to avoid repeatedly capturing the same birds and it permitted hummerhosts to specifically identify each individual. Color-marking enabled the hosts to distinguish look-alikes and to notice new, unbanded birds as they arrived. Color-marked birds are more noticeable as they moved from one site to another as well. In several locations, we found more individuals present than had been originally tallied by the hosts. In most locations, the roster of individual hummers did not remain constant. Instead, while many individuals defend territories throughout the winter, others seem to be trap-lining over a fairly large area. This required the banders to make two or more visits to a number of sites as unbanded birds replaced individuals that had already been banded.
The project was initiated in 1979 as a means of documenting the numbers and species assortment of hummingbirds that spend the winter months in Louisiana. Traditional wisdom of the 1970s was that any hummers occurring in Louisiana during the winter months were vagrants or they were Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that forgot to migrate after the nesting season. Our banding studies have shown that the breeding population is almost completely gone by mid-August, so those that crowd feeders in late August and September are most certainly migrants. The 1974 edition of Louisiana Birds by George H. Lowery, Jr., lists 5 species of hummers. The state list currently stands at 12 species!
In the 1970s, most guides to hummingbird feeding dictated that feeders be removed by early September so that the ready availability of nectar would not cause hummingbirds to linger too long into the fall. At that time, it was thought that nearly all hummers that attempted to spend the winter in the area perished in cold weather and therefore spending the winter months in Louisiana was not a good strategy for survival. However, we have not found any Ruby-throateds banded during the usual period of breeding or of southward migration to remain for the winter. Therefore, members of Louisiana's only nesting species that arrive in late autumn belong to other, as yet unknown populations.
The season, as we define it, begins with the arrival of the first non-Ruby-throated Hummingbird in mid summer. Typically, the first arrivals are adult Rufous Hummingbirds in August and most of those are returnees from previous seasons. During the early part of the season, we primarily attempt to verify returning hummers. Later, as several birds stake out territories at a site, we try to capture and band as many as possible. We also attempt to capture marked birds that have moved in from other sites.
Because the last stage of Ruby-throated southward migration may extend well into December, it is very difficult to categorize individuals of that species as winterers or migrants early in the season. Therefore, we arbitrarily define wintering for Ruby-throateds as those we encounter on or after 15 November, though some of those birds may actually be tardy migrants. Some that occur earlier may well be winterers.
The winter banding season peaks in January and February, when maximum numbers are present at the various sites. The season usually ends in late February or early March as wintering birds begin leaving and summer resident Ruby-throateds begin arriving. At that time, wintering birds become more difficult to catch and banding trips become less productive. However some wintering birds stay well into April or even early May. This season wintering birds seemed more difficult to catch than ever before. However, a few new birds appeared in March and April so banding efforts continued longer than usual.
Totals for the 2005-2006 season are:
Explanation of terminology: Bird banders often use specialized terminology when discussing their favorite subject. Returnee – a bird that has returned to the specific wintering site where it was banded after having been away for its putative breeding season. Foreign Re-encounter – any subsequent capturing of a banded bird after it leaves the 10-minute block in which it was banded. A foreign re-encounter can be the capturing of one of our own birds at a distant site within Louisiana or one banded outside the state. The total of foreign re-encounters does not include birds banded during the season that were re-encountered elsewhere within our area as the season progressed.
The number of wintering hummingbirds banded [301] falls far short of the totals of the seasons from 2000-2001 through 2003-2004. Even compared to the disappointing season of 2004-2005, numbers were down. The total of returnees and foreign re-encounters raises the total of birds handled to 385, 92 individuals fewer than the previous season and 217 fewer than the greatest year. The previous high count of newly banded hummers, documented in 2003-2004, was 510 individuals of 8 species [+ 85 returnees + 7 foreign re-encounters] for a total of 602 birds handled. The amount of effort of the banders was similar to that of the previous few seasons, so the reduced tally cannot be attributed to a change of methods or lack of attention on the part of the banders.
The drop in numbers for the winters of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 is certainly disappointing after several years of increases. Our methods of finding wintering hummers continue to improve. The network of hummingbird hosts has expanded greatly and the practice of creating habitat for wintering hummers has become very popular in southern Louisiana. Few Louisiana hummerhosts rely on feeders alone. Better communications, particularly through the listserv Humnet, has given us the means to reach more people interested in hosting hummingbirds during the winter months. Yet, many hummerhosts reported fewer birds than usual.
It would be easy to blame the damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for the dearth of hummers. Several known and suspected returnee Rufous disappeared with the storms. Quite a few of our productive sites were lost either permanently or temporarily as homeowners either moved away or were preoccupied with rebuilding their lives. Still, one known returnee Rufous survived tremendous devastation in Covington.
Surely, the greatest impact of the two storms was upon Ruby-throateds migrating through Louisiana on their journey south for the winter. They were abundant at feeders immediately afterwards, probably a result of loss of natural sources of nectar. There is no way to determine the number of birds that might have been killed by the storms or that might have starved from reduced natural nectar sources afterwards.
We suspect several additional factors could be involved in the low numbers of the season. The previous season's shortage of immature Rufous surely translates to a smaller breeding population the following nesting season. Although the number of Rufous was much smaller than in several past seasons, the percentage of young birds among the newly banded seemed healthy. Perhaps a population cycle reached its low point and numbers will rebound after a few seasons.
In spite of low numbers, Rufous still accounted for the largest number of individuals – both new bands and returnees. In recent years, Rufous totals have run about 65% of the total. However, this season, as last, the total of newly banded Rufous was only slightly more than 50%. Among returnees, Rufous accounted for close to 65%.
Ruby-throated and Black-chinned numbers typically fluctuate greatly. This season's totals were solid but well below record numbers. Near equal numbers of the two species did not show any trend. About twice the number of Black-chinneds returned as did as Ruby-throateds.
Numbers of Buff-bellieds, both new bands and returnees, remained fairly constant. Allen's numbers were about average. Always exciting and unexpected, Broad-billed numbers were average so to speak. The banding of 6 Anna's brought the species diversity up to 9 species, one more than in any season since 1999-2000. Two Anna's arrived, at the same River Ridge home, after many of the winterers had already departed.
Calliope and Broad-tailed numbers were down, but the populations of those species in Louisiana are never large enough to demonstrate an established trend. [To read previous Louisiana Hummingbird Banding Winter Reports, log on to http://losbird.org/ and scroll down to "Hummingbirds".]
The season was very disappointing in many ways. Nevertheless, our purpose is to document and monitor the hummingbirds that spend their winter season in Louisiana and we know that each season has different attributes. Even in a poor season, we find interesting occurrences. Every band applied offers the possibility of discovering just one more data point to fill in the huge puzzle that the picture Louisiana hummingbirds has become!
One good reason to band is to find out where our birds go after they leave Louisiana. Astonishingly, an adult male Broad-billed that was banded in New Iberia in December 2005 was captured near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in April 2006 – a distance of 957 miles. It is a third record of the species for Colorado. Curiously, the first Broad-billed documented in Colorado [2002] had also been banded in Louisiana!
Banders elsewhere in the southeast found 4 Louisiana-banded hummers. In November 2005, Brandon, Mississippi, hosted a male Rufous that was already an adult when he was banded in January 2005 in Thibodaux. A male Rufous that was a youngster when banded in Covington in January 2005 was captured in Silverhill, Alabama, in January 2006. Georgia hosted 2 Rufous; one in Suwanee in January 2006 was an adult when banded in Covington in January 2004. Another in Decatur in January 2006 had been a young bird when it was captured in Baton Rouge in December 2003.
Over the summer of 2005, we learned belatedly that a Rufous that had been banded in Covington early in 2003 was captured in southwestern Alberta, Canada, in July the same year. The re-encounter site is nearly 2000 miles from the banding site. This is the second Louisiana-banded Rufous to be found in western Canada.
We caught 4 out of state foreigners this season. An adult female Black-chinned caught in Pearl River proved to be one banded as a youngster in Fort Grant, Arizona, in late September 2004. That banding site is approximately 1200 miles due west of the re-encounter site. This is the first southwestern-banded hummer ever caught in Louisiana! A young female Black-chinned banded near Raisin, Texas, in October 2005 was found in Lutcher on January 2006, 397 miles from the banding site.
Both out of state Rufous were originally caught in Pensacola, Florida. An adult male, banded as a youngster in mid-November 2001, was caught in Thibodaux on January 2006. He has spent the past 5 winters in Pensacola and he was previously caught in March 2005 at the same location in Thibodaux. In late January 2006, the same Thibodaux yard also attracted a young female that had been banded in Pensacola only about a month before. Both individuals were no doubt en route to their natal environs. The distance between Pensacola and Thibodaux is 222 miles.
One in-state foreigner was noteworthy. An adult male Broad-tailed captured in March 2006 in St. Francisville proved to be the same individual banded as an immature in Covington in November 2002. We can only speculate on where he has been all this time.
A few individuals banded in previous seasons returned to Louisiana, but they chose different sites. Most of these were within 10 miles of the original site. We can only speculate on the reasons these birds changed sites. However, the small distances are probably not significant, especially considering the distance these birds fly to reach our area. One female Ruby-throated was banded as an adult in December 2001 in Mandeville. She returned for the next two seasons. Then she skipped the following one before being captured again at the original site in 2005. However, in the 2005-2006 season, she was found 11 miles away in Abita Springs.
Returnees are resourceful birds that prove winter survival and exhibit an uncanny navigational ability when they are able to relocate their previous winter home after flying hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. Long-term returnees provide longevity data and attest to the value of created or enhanced habitats.
There were no new longevity records this season. The oldest birds were 2 Rufous banded as youngsters in the 2000-2001 season and the adult female Ruby-throated banded in December 2001. These birds would have hatched no later than the 2000 breeding season. Using the Bird Banding Laboratory formula for establishing age, each would be approximately 5 ˝ years old.
A banded adult female Rufous was thought to be the same individual that had held the same territory in Baton Rouge since February 2000. She was an immature when originally handled. That bird hatched in 1999 so her age is firmly established. However, despite several attempts, she could not be caught for verification.
Winter weather is seldom extreme in Louisiana, but weather can play a significant role in this project. We do not band during subfreezing temperatures or during heavy rain, but neither was a major factor this winter. Dense fog can impede travel and scheduled trips may be postponed because driving conditions are hazardous. However, the only effect of weather in the winter of 2005-2006 was difficulty in catching hummers because of a lack of cold weather. Floral nectar was abundantly available throughout the southern part of the state throughout the entire winter so hummers were not at all dependent on handouts from humans. In fact, in some gardens, flowers are much preferred over feeders.
The Louisiana Winter Hummingbird Project has benefited from the enthusiastic assistance and generous financial support of numerous people. Many hummerhosts welcomed us with strong coffee, juice, and breakfast at unbelievably early hours. Several maintained a running tally of birds in their cities or towns and they set up banding schedules for us. Others wrangled equipment, trapped birds, and recorded data. We thank Frank Arthur, Lynn Becnel, Laurie Binford, Olga Clifton, Paul Conover, Miriam Davey, Dennis Demcheck, Bill Fontenot, Erik Johnson, Bob Jumonville, Beth and Sammy Maniscalco, Kevin Morgan, Rose and Jack Must [Wild Birds Unlimited, Lafayette], John and Margaret Owens, Mike and Sue Roberts, Cheryl Stanbury, Ron Stein, Melanie and Pat Stephens, Gene and Edna Street, and Tom Sylvest for the many hours they have invested in this project with us. We appreciate their special help very much.
Already, Louisiana's hummingbird banders are looking forward to the next season – just a few months away! We are always searching for new sites where hummers reside during the winter months. Please contact us if you host wintering hummers or know someone who does. Dave Patton: firstname.lastname@example.com phone 337-232-8410. Linda Beall: email@example.com phone 985-893-5150 [home], 504-231-5150 [cell]. Nancy Newfield: email@example.com phone 504-835-3882.
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, LA USA


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Court Decides Strict Gun Law Violates Rights
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: March 10, 2007
Interpreting the Second Amendment broadly, a federal appeals court in Washington yesterday struck down a gun control law in the District of Columbia that bars residents from keeping handguns in their homes.
The decision was the first from a federal appeals court to hold a gun control law unconstitutional on the ground that the Second Amendment protects the rights of individuals, as opposed to the collective rights of state militias. Nine other federal appeals courts around the nation have rejected that interpretation.
Linda Singer, the District's acting attorney general, said the decision was ''a huge setback.''
''We've been making progress on bringing down crime and gun violence,'' Ms. Singer said, ''and this sends us in a different direction.''
By contrast, advocates of gun rights praised the decision, by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, saying it raised the prospect of a national re-evaluation of the meaning of the Second Amendment and the rights of gun owners. They said the District of Columbia would have to begin procedures to allow handgun possession in private homes unless yesterday's decision was stayed.
Lawyers on both sides of the case said it had created a conflict among the federal courts of appeal on a significant constitutional issue, making review by the Supreme Court likely. The Supreme Court last considered the issue in 1939, and there are only scattered hints about how the current justices might rule.
The majority in yesterday's decision pointed to a 1998 dissent in which ''at least three current members (and one former member) of the Supreme Court have read 'bear arms' in the Second Amendment to have meaning beyond mere soldiering.'' They were former Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died in 2005, and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia and David H. Souter.
In a 1996 dissent while serving on the federal appeals court in Philadelphia, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., now a justice of the Supreme Court, wrote that he would have struck down a federal law regulating the possession of machine guns under the commerce clause of the Constitution.
If the Supreme Court were to adopt the District of Columbia Circuit's interpretation of the Second Amendment, gun control laws and gun prosecutions around the country could be endangered.
The case decided yesterday was brought by Dick Heller, a guard at the Federal Judicial Center who was permitted to carry a gun on duty and wanted to keep one at home. His application was denied by officials in the District of Columbia.
Mr. Heller challenged provisions of the District's law, one of the most restrictive in the nation, that almost always banned the registration of handguns, that prohibited carrying handguns without a license even from one room of a home to another and that required lawfully owned firearms to be kept unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock.
In a 2-to-1 decision, a panel of the District of Columbia Circuit court ruled those provisions unconstitutional.
The decision relied on what has so far been a minority interpretation of the Second Amendment, though one that has been embraced by the Justice Department in the current administration and by some constitutional scholars.
The Second Amendment says, ''A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.''
The basic question in the case was whether the first clause in the amendment limits the last one. Most federal appeals courts have said that the amendment read as a whole protects only a collective right of the states to maintain militias.
In yesterday's decision, the majority focused on the final clause, saying that the amendment broadly protects the rights of individuals to own guns.
''It seems passing strange,'' Judge Laurence H. Silberman wrote for the majority, ''that the able lawyers and statesmen in the First Congress (including James Madison) would have expressed a sole concern for state militias with the language of the Second Amendment. Surely there was a more direct locution, such as 'Congress shall make no law disarming the state militias' or 'states have a right to a well-regulated militia.' ''
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which hears appeals from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, also embraced the individual-rights view of the Second Amendment in 2001. But it did so in an aside in a ruling that allowed a gun prosecution to go forward.
By contrast, said Robert A. Levy, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and one of Mr. Heller's lawyers, ''the D.C. opinion is unequivocal.''
In a statement on its Web site, the National Rifle Association called the decision a significant victory that ''affirmed that the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an inherent, individual right to bear arms.''
The immediate consequence of the decision, Mr. Levy said, is that ''D.C. will have to implement a process for enabling people to keep handguns in their houses.''


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1 onion cut in slices
2 tablespoon of butter
1 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1 garlic clove
2 cups of carrots peel and cut
1 green apple peel in cubes
1 cup of coconut milk
Saute onions in butter. When they are translucent, add the ginger and garlic, cook for about two minutes and then add carrots, chopped apple and salt.
Cover with water and cook for about 40 minutes.
When the carrots are tender, drain reserving the cooking water.
Grind in a blender with coconut milk and cooking water you want to add.
Serve with green onion into pieces.


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Relationship between functional capacity and gait parameters in Parkinson's disease patients
Suche in Medline nach
|18. Dezember 2006
Gait parameters change with the aging process. Less relevant changes are observed in physically active older individuals. The influence of the functional capacity levels on gait parameters in the elderly is well known but little is known in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
The aim of this study was to correlate the performance on tests of agility/dynamic balance, endurance, coordination, strength, and flexibility with the gait parameters of PD patients.
Eleven individuals with idiopathic PD (3 men and 8 women; 66.73+6.77 year-old; severity stages from 1.5 to 3.0 by Hoehn and Yahr Scale) participated in the study. Functional capacity tests followed AAHPERD guidelines. Participants walked a 10m pathway with markers attached on the following body structures: right fifth metatarsal joint, right lateral calcaneus, right lateral malleolus, left first metatarsal joint, left medial calcaneus and left medial malleolus. Five trials were performed for each subject. All trials were recorded by means of a camcorder sampling at 60 Hz. After the images had been captured by Pinacle Studio 8.8 software and all measurement procedures had been carried out by Dvideow 5.1 software, the Pearson's coefficients of correlation were calculated between each component of functional capacity and gait parameters. The following gait dependent variables were collected and analyzed: stride length, double support time, and cadence.
The results revealed that: a) agility/dynamic balance and endurance presented negative relationships with stride length (r=- 0.733, p<0.01; r=-0.682, p<0.02; respectively), and a positive relationship with double support time (r=0.613, p<0.045; r=0.612, p<0.047; respectively); b) coordination was only related to double support time (r=0.765, p<0.006); c) there were no significant correlations (p > 0.05) between strength and flexibility with any of the gait parameters and between cadence with any functional capacity components.
These findings suggest that: a) the central pattern generators of gait, that are intact in PD, can be responsible for cadence which, in its turn, seems to be relatively independent from a wide range of functional capacity status and; b) the stride length and the double support time of PD patients are affected by the functional capacity status, mainly by those related to agility/dynamic balance and endurance.
Acknowledgements: FAPESP, PIBIC/CNPq, CNPq, FNS-MS.


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Fabio Capello has made it vehemently clear that he is currently committed to his role as Russia manager.
The former England boss is being heavily linked with the Chelsea job but he insists he is focused on Russia's 2014 World Cup campaign and has no understanding of any interest from the reigning European champions.
"I know nothing about this (link to Chelsea). I am really happy with Russia and focused to qualify for the World Cup," he said.
Capello's Russian side, who sit top of Group F qualifying with a perfect record, are preparing to take on fourth-placed Northern Ireland in Belfast tomorrow night.
Click here to reach the No1 destination for hard news and exciting gossip on Chelsea


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Manchester United will have a scout watching Alessio Cerci in Torino's game at Genoa on Saturday, reports La Stampa.
The winger, who is being successfully used as a second striker this season, is on the radar of a number of clubs.
United have been linked in the past and they will further monitor the Italian international at Marassi in Week 14.
Cerci, a regular in Cesare Prandelli's Giro Azzurro, has scored eight goals in 13 games for Giampiero Ventura's outfit this term.
The 26-year-old is in his second season in Turin and was signed outright for the Granata in the summer after initially arriving in a co-ownership.
See the latest Serie A predictions and betting tips with Eurotips.co.uk


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3M Co. is offering early retirement packages to 3,600 employees in the U.S. — about 11 percent of its total — as it moves to cut costs amid the economic downturn.
The diversified manufacturing giant isn't saying if it has a target number of employees it hopes will take the package.
But a large chunk of the eligible employees are likely to be in the Twin Cities, as 10,000 of 3M's 33,600 U.S. employees work at its corporate campus in Maplewood. Employees receiving offers are nonunion.
"It just goes to show how tough it is out there," said Lenny Sanicola, a benefits expert at WorldatWork, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based human resources consulting firm. Larger companies often turn to early retirement offers because they can save more money in pension expenses with such programs, he said.
"One thing you have to be careful of: You don't want to diminish your work force so that when things turn around you're at a competitive disadvantage,"
said Sanicola. "There may be key talent they need to retain." The company likely put together a formula to estimate how many people would take the deal, he said.
Financial details of the package weren't available Wednesday. The 3M package is being offered based on an employee's age and years of service.
The decision whether to take the offer is up to individual employees, said Jacqueline Berry, a 3M spokeswoman. Eligible 3M employees are receiving details of the packages today and will have until May 31 to make a decision.
The early retirement program follows a wave of layoffs at 3M in recent months, including 2,400 jobs cut late last year, and another 1,200 in the first three months of 2009. Those included a mix of international and U.S. jobs.
The maker of office supplies and industrial and electronic products has been growing its business overseas for decades, where roughly two-thirds of its sales now occur. About 57 percent of 3M employees are now outside the U.S.
With its early retirement offer, 3M joins a growing list of U.S. companies that are making similar moves to trim employee numbers. Delta Air Lines, General Motors, the U.S. Postal Service and many government agencies across the nation are offering early outs, hoping to balance their budgets.
When 3M reported its fourth-quarter results for 2008, CEO George Buckley said the first quarter of 2009 would probably be the toughest of the recession for 3M.
The company already has made other cost-saving moves, including deferring merit pay and the phasing out of banked vacation hours. 3M is scheduled to report its results for 2009's first quarter on April 24.
John Welbes can be reached at 651-228-2175.


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Story highlights
- Jury asked to rehear the testimony of two witnesses
- Drew Peterson is on trial in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio
- Defense says Savio fell and died accidentally
- Expert says jury has a lot of circumstantial evidence to consider
The jury in the Drew Peterson murder trial deliberated for more than eight hours Wednesday before a judge sent them home for the night.
Peterson, a former Chicago-area police sergeant, is accused of killing his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004.
The seven men and five women began deliberating Wednesday morning and asked during their discussions to hear again from the testimony of a defense witnesses, Harry Smith, who was Savio's divorce attorney, and a prosecution witness, Neil Schori, a pastor.
Schori had testified that Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, told him she woke up alone the night Savio died and Drew Peterson later coached her on how to talk to police about his whereabouts that night.
Smith had testified that Stacy Peterson asked him, "She wanted to know if, in my opinion, the fact that he'd killed Kathy could be used against him."
After 8 1/2 of deliberations, Judge Edward Burmila sent the jury home for the night.
When Stacey Peterson went missing in October 2007, investigators said they would look again at Savio's death, which was initially ruled a drowning. Stacey Peterson still has not been found and Drew is considered a suspect in the case.
Savio was found dead in her dry, clean bathtub March 1, 2004.
Savio's death was ruled a homicide in February 2008, and Peterson was later arrested and indicted on first-degree murder.
On Wednesday, the jury also asked for Drew Peterson's and Stacy Peterson's phone records for the weekend Savio died.
"There's a lot for the jury to go through. This is an entirely circumstantial case," Beth Karas, a legal correspondent at In Session, which airs on CNN sister network TruTV, said.
Peterson was married to Savio in 2001 when he had an affair with then-17-year-old Stacy Cales, who became his fourth wife. Savio and Peterson filed for divorce in October 2001 and their relationship remained contentious for the next several years.
Bolingbrook police records indicate officers were called to Savio's home 18 times to intervene in domestic fights from 2002 to 2004. Peterson had Savio arrested twice for domestic violence, though she was found not guilty in both cases.
On February 27, 2004, Peterson picked up his two sons from Savio's home and spent the next two days with them. Prosecutors believe he entered her home again early on February 29 and killed her.
At the time of her death, which authorities initially treated as an accident, a court was mulling how the couple's marital assets would be divided, and Savio was set to receive part of Peterson's pension and other support.


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Blueberry Pie Salad Recipe
Bed of Mixed Greens
3 ounces blackberries
1 banana
6 ounces blueberries
Juice of 1/2 an orange
Zest of 1/2 an orange
Create a bed of greens on top of a salad plate.
Place the blackberries in the center of the bed of greens.
Slice the banana into circular disk.
Line the banana disk around the perimeter of the circular salad plate to form a faux pie edge.
Pile the blueberries on top of the blackberries, inside the banana ring.
Douse the entire salad with orange juice.
Sprinkle with orange zest.
Salad #7 is done. Eat up.
About The Sweetest Vegan:
Vegan Culinary & Pastry Artist. Southern Belle. Master of Public Health.
About The #10000Salads Project:
You don't have to eat salads to be healthy, but it'd be a lot easier if you did. Though I'm little health nutty, I have always loved sugar, dessert, and their resulting art. Join me on my new health quest to make 10,000 dessert inspired salads.
Cached every 5 min. Retweets are not included (coming soon).


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Based on a comic book mini-series by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, the film's premise is so ingeniously simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of it yourself: A band of vampires targets an isolated Alaska town where there's no sunlight for 30 days at a stretch. That's a lot better than movies about vampires who live in L.A., which makes no sense at all.
These bloodsuckers are smart, making sure to cut off electricity and communication, and to sabotage the local helicopter. Tiny towns like Barrow -- population 563, except during the dark month, when all but 152 of the stalwarts move to sunnier digs -- need a chopper because the nearest community is 80 miles away, and the road to it is often impassable. Everyone lives here because they like the cold and isolation. They live here because "nobody else can," as one character puts it.
We begin in the waning hours of the last day of sunlight as town sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) is scurrying from place to place, making sure the town is ready for the month-long night. His estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George), a state fire marshal, is in town on regulatory business but doesn't want to talk to him. When she finally calls him, it's only to ask for a ride to the tiny local airport before it closes for the night -- so he sends his trusty deputy to chauffeur her instead. Two can play at this game.
Strange things have already begun to happen outside of Eben and Stella's marriage. Someone stole a cache of satellite phones and burned them in a field. A group of sled dogs were murdered at a kennel. There was the aforementioned helicopter vandalism. The likely culprit for it all is a man referred to as The Stranger (Ben Foster), a filthy, rotten-toothed little weasel who isn't a local resident and smugly refuses to tell Eben anything about himself or his activities. He warns that dark things are a-comin', and it ain't just the 30 days of night.
The vampires -- vicious, malformed, shrieking devils who speak their own Germanic-sounding language and have a clear pack leader (Danny Huston) -- beset the village in a hellish attack. Most victims are killed, though a few are turned into vampires themselves. (The rules governing when and how that occurs are not clearly established.) Eben, Stella, and a band of survivors alternate between fighting, hiding, and running. Guns aren't very effective against the beasts, but Eben discovers that an ax can be.
And there you go. There's your vampire movie, uncomplicated, straightforward, suspenseful, and clever when it needs to be. I find it interesting that it was directed by David Slade, whose first film was "Hard Candy," a sexual-predator thriller that was all about tension and apprehension rather than actual on-screen mayhem. "30 Days of Night" gets a lot of mileage from that same type of thrill, particularly in the calculated way the scenario is set, and in the strategic use of silence. Much of the film is eerily quiet, with very little musical accompaniment, and always the low howl of the wind in the background.
Then, gradually, the story becomes grislier and more visceral, though it never stoops to wallowing in the gore. By the end, everyone on both sides is grungy and blood-soaked, and you feel almost as worn out from watching it as they are from experiencing it. Not nearly as cold, though, thank goodness.


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ESC Black Friday Toy Drop
A bunch of killer toys will be released on Black Friday, including these two from ESC. The Camo Drake is a custom painted vinyl limited to 4 editions. Marina Oyl is a hand-painted resin figure limited to 15 pieces. Drake will run $400 and comes with an entry to win a Drake Shiro. Marina will be $100. Grab 'em here on Black Friday.


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Death and decapitation seem to go hand in hand in the Devon village of Aller. When the first victim's head is sent floating down the river, the village's rural calm is shattered. Soon the corpses are multiplying and the entire community is involved in the murder hunt. While the rector, the major, the police and a journalist, desperate for the scoop of the century, chase false trails, it is left to Gervase Fen, Oxford don and amateur criminologist, to uncover the sordid truth.
©2012 Edmund Crispin (P)2013 Audible Ltd
"Such fun!"
This is one of the funniest, zaniest detective stories I know, beautifully written in dead-pan style. The plot is weirdly wonderful but the characters and the events are the books real joy. This title is one I turn to when I am feeling ill and depressed.
"What an treasure for my library"
I can hardly believe that I have not read or listened to any Fen mysteries before now. What a treasury of perfect, gentle and humorous, English detective stories unsullied by sex and unnecessary gore. I am now well on the way to acquiring all available audiobooks in this series. Beautifully read by Philip Bird.
"some very funny moments"
the humorous parts, made brilliant by the narration
the Major, he was so matter of fact
the intonation of the different characters
i found it funny and entertaining
"Great twist"
Edmund Crispin's use of the English language is second to none, which makes his stories a pleasure to read on so many levels. I doubt many writers today have such a grasp of the breadth and beauty of our rich language.
Glimpses of the Moon is the funniest of the Gervaise Fen mysteries that I have read. He brings together an eclect cast of characters into a witty whodunnit with a clever twist.
Very entertaining and enjoyable!
"Fun and different"
This was a fun book and very different from my usual listening. The story was amusing the characters well drawn and a rich variety of people is depicted.
Story and characters so different from the norm
This is the only one to date
It made me laugh several times
I shall look out for more by the author
"Elegant read"
Enjoyed time, place, tone and great narration. Denouement bundled and hurried unappealingly into final chapter.
Another one of the Gervase Fen stories with the usual collection of eccentrics and suspicious villagers.
As always Fen helps the police solve the seemingly unsolvable murder mystery. The stories may merge one into the other but they are lively and light, unlike some earnest and grim contemporary detective stories. It is always nice to be able to smile or chuckle at something someone says or does in these stories.
"Smug, sarcastic and trying too hard to be funny"
Having read other reviews, I was so disappointed. I think perhaps this is one of those books that you either love or hate - I hate it! I've listened for three hours and I can't go on. The author's 'voice' is very strong, he makes cynical and sarcastic descriptions that interrupt the 'reality' of the story. It's trying far too hard to be funny and to me it just comes across as smug and unpleasant. I love the English Country House Murder Mystery genre but I prefer the light spoofing humour of James Anderson more than this sarcastic, cynical offering. Not for me!
"enjoyabe listen"
well written with murder and humour this is the last book in the series.
in this story I liked the major who burst into song singing the advert jingles.
enjoyed the series and recommend it.
Philip bird performed all the books making them an enjoyable listening experience.
"So good I listened twice"
Whilst I enjoy reading Crispin, Philip Bird is so good a narrator he makes it even better
So many threads ravelling and twining together, so many fine 'rustic' characters.
Bird just brings the characters to life in the best way.
(Benny Hill chase music)
Proper laughed.
"Excellent Narration of A Satirical British Mystery"
This was my first run-in with Philip Bird, but I am really pleased with his work on this book. He manages to differentiate the characters very well-- which isn't easy when the speaking characters are mostly male. I thought this was as close to a five star performance as makes no difference.
As for the story. This is the last book published by Edmund Crispin (aka Robert Bruce Montgomery). His popular detective, Oxford Don Professor Gervase Fen, is house sitting for a couple of friends traveling in Canada while writing a book on the post WW II modern novel. About eight weeks before the beginning of the story, a murder had been perpetuated against a most deserving victim. However, it was the events that occurred after the murder that led to the arrest and incarceration in an insane asylum of Hagbert, a local eccentric with a mania for work.
As usual Crispin populates his story with a host of amusingly looney characters. There's also some jokes that don't quite come through in the narration. For instance one character is named Thouless who is composer of music for movies-- he is currently working on music for a horror movie title Unalive. Crispin under his real name, Bruce Montgomery, composed music for movies including the first six "Carry On" movies. There's also a tortoise named Ellis with an underbite who needs his pansy petals premasticated; an overly amorous tom cat named Stripey; the Major who despite his years of service in the Cavalry disliked horses, mainly because he had never been thrown; and assorted other local characters including Titty and Tatty (Titania and Tatiania) a pair of elderly sisters who had one deaf aid between them and a devotion to what they fondly imagined was a Botticelli painting of the Assumption of the Virgin.
So part of the time the book is a mystery and part of the time it is a farce. And I have to believe that the ridiculously drawn out denouement was intentional. There's also sly literary references everywhere.
Recommended highly for those who are willing to accept a satire of the mystery genre and delight in ferreting out Crispin's donnish humor (or humour, I guess I should say).
"lighthearted listen and a murder mystery"
"There is humour which for the cheerful friends we got, and for the thinking parties there is a plot"
Taking some time in Devon, Fen meets up with the Vicar and the Major at a time when a few peculiar murders are done. A journalist joins the trio and together they, like everyone elce in town, talk about who might have 'done it'..
In amongst the Church Fete, Anti Hunting protests,. misbehaving power lines, a gift of a pigs head to make brawn and promiscuous people, the plot unfolds.
Scatterings of Donish quotes from often obscure authors and creative observations are here in plenty. ( 'as insubstantial as ectoplasm at a séance').
Tongue in cheek as usual, this is a delightful listen so well narrated by Phillip Bird.
The following is the order of writing/publishing (not all available yet from Audible)
The Case Of the Gilded Fly..(1944)
Holy Disorders
The Moving Toyshop
Swan Song
Love Lies Bleeding
Buried for Pleasure
Frequent Hearses
The Long Divorce
Beware of the Trains
The Glimpses of the Moon (1977)
Fen Country (posthumously)
The use of language is wonderful.There is a goog plot a d good character.I really like witty writing.
"Sublime nonsense."
This is one of my favorite books. Full of good humor, gore, and adorable characters.
"A winner. "
If you're like me and enjoy learning new words, appreciate beautiful sentence structure, and like eccentric characters, you will enjoy Crispin's work. I had previously read the book and got much more of the humor through Bird's excellent delivery. This is a rare book that I will re-read and listen to again. Odd insight--I liked the speed better at 75%. Perhaps that made the British accent easier to understand.
"Best Crispin on Audible"
This is the funniest of the Edmund Crispin on Audible. Philip Bird does an excellent job of conveying the period feel and delivering Crispin's understated humour with subtle style.
"A disappointment"
no. It was hard to keep track of the characters and frankly they just weren't very interesting.
I bought it to listen to on a long trip with my husband, he couldn't understand the British accent of the reader. We haven't had this problem before with British narrators. I wish I hadn't wasted my credit on this book.
There wasn't any cursing.
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What does EARS mean in Amateur Radio?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand EARS in the Academic & Science field in general and in the Amateur Radio terminology in particular.
Edmond Amateur Radio Society
Find a translation for EARS in other languages:
Select another language:
What does EARS mean?
- ears
- Plural noun of the word ear.
Discuss this EARS abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"EARS." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 19 Mar. 2018. <https://www.abbreviations.com/term/1395217>.


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Charts and graphs
Research has shown that many individuals prefer to receive information graphically rather than from numbers or written text. The charts and graphs below were derived from various sources, including CDA studies. Please feel free to download and print the charts and graphs to support your needs, and help support our mission to raise awareness of the risk of disability through education and public awareness.
Infographic: The Disability Disconnect
Download our handy infographic highlighting the risk, causes and consequences of disability, and how wage earners' perceptions differ from the reality.
Download PDF for electronic use
Download PDF for print - letter size
Download individual chart images
1. Preparing for Disability - Protect Your Income
- Disability can happen at anytime (JPG | PDF)
- Percent who could pay the bills with no income (JPG | PDF)
- Percent who believe disability typically lasts "X" amount of time (duration) (JPG | PDF)
- What employees value (financial resources) (JPG | PDF)
- Where would the money comes from to pay bills if disabled? (JPG | PDF)
This section last updated June 13, 2014
- Number of employers with LTD plans (View Chart)
- Number of employees with LTD coverage (View Chart)
- Number receiving disability payments (View Chart)
- Total disability payments (View Chart)
- Number of new disability claims approved (View Chart)
- Percent of disability claims by age (View Chart)
- Average age of new claimants (View Chart)
- Percentage of new claims by gender (View Chart)
- Percentage of claims by diagnosis (View Chart)
This section last updated June 13, 2014
- Average monthly SSDI benefit by gender (View Chart)
- Average monthly SSDI benefit by age (View Chart)
- Percent of covered workers by age 10 year comparison (View Chart)
- Diagnostic causes of new SSDI awards (View Chart)
- Number of SSDI applications, number approved (View Chart)
- New SSDI awards as a percentage of applications (View Chart)
- SSDI historical payment data (View Chart)
- Fifteen year SSDI trends (View Chart)
Visit the CDA website for more information: www.disabilitycanhappen.org


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GEF is now officially supported by the CEA
We have the pleasure to announce continued involvement from the CEA at GEF in 2013.
Brian Markwalter the Senior Vice President, Research and Standards at Consumer Electronics Association US will support our event in China Shanghai by sharing his knowledge and expertise on key trends in consumer electronics via a much awaited keynote presentation.
The continued collaboration in 2013 is a direct result of the success enjoyed by both parties during our 2012 collaboration.
We look forward to cementing our relationship further and developing this relationship in the future.
GEF was the partner for the 2012 CES, which was held on Jan. 10-13 (Tuesday-Friday), 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.


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FREE MO CDL Passenger Vehicles Marathon 2018
Missouri CDL Passenger Vehicles Test Fact Sheet:
|How many questions:
|How many correct answers to pass:
|Passing score:
Ready for something really challenging? This Missouri CDL Passenger Vehicles Marathon is a massive practice test that contains a combination of all 81 questions that we have available for this MO endorsement. If you give an incorrect answer, we'll remember that question and will display it to you again at the very end of the Marathon until you've answered that question correctly. In other words, the Marathon will cycle through your missed questions until you answer each one correctly. You must make a 100% to pass. As you work your way through the Marathon, you'll see that unlike the other Missouri CDL practice tests there are no explanations and no hints here. We suggest you attempt this one after you have practiced the state's "regular" tests, but before the "Exam". Delivers some serious studying power! Do your best to complete this mega test!
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Do you like Dino Steak? Share it with your friends.
URL of the game
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Dino Steak - help a small dinosaur to eat all the food on the board.
Game controls: by mouse
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text:
- Out of Character: To quote The Half-World:
The author got Chell out of character even though she has very little canonical personality and doesnt talk. The author got the co-op bots out of character even though they dont talk and we dont even know if they have human-like intelligence. Last, but certainly not least, the author has managed to get an inanimate object, the Companion Cube, out of character.
- And the turret, which is supposed to be a sympathetic killing machine, as well.
- And the morality core, which restricts GLaDOS from killing test subjects, not make her consumed with friendship.


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by Miranda NolandMay 15, 2009
1. 051509 Best Dressed Dayana Mendoza
Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza is exquisite in her fuschia assymetrical cocktail dress and black strappy sandals at People En Espanol's 50 Most Beautiful Event in New York City.
2. 051509 Best Dressed Elsa Pataky
Elsa Pataky is stunning in a black scoopneck sequined gown, black clutch, diamond cuff and blunt bangs at the Chopard Perfume Launch/Cascade Perfume Party during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
3. 051509 Best Dressed Eva Longoria Parker 1
At the White House Correspondents' dinner after party in Washington, DC, Eva Longoria Parker is girly in a pale pink ruffled Ports 1961 by Tia Cibani gown and H.Stern jewels.
4. 051509 Best Dressed Jennifer Lopez
At the 'Noches de Ninos Gala' in Beverly Hills, Jennifer Lopez is enchanting in a teal ruched gown by Temperley London, strappy heels and Neil Lane jewels.
5. 051509 Best Dressed Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato is all grown up in a black halter dress and black pumps at the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders Gala in West Hollywood.
6. 051509 Best Dressed Nina Sky
Twins Natalie and Nicole Albino of Nina Sky are stylish at The Doe Fund's "Friends of Doe Celebrity DJ Series" in New York City. Natalie rocks a red satin jacket with black skinny jeans and a diamond necklace. Nicole is casually cool in a rock T shirt and pink printed skirt with oversized sunglasses and strappy heels.
7. 051509 Best Dressed Eva Longoria Parker 2
At People En Espanol's 50 Most Beautiful Event, Eva Longoria Parker is eye-catching in a sequined and bejeweled Blumarine minidress and nude Christian Louboutin pumps.
8. 051509 Best Dressed Kat DeLuna
Kat DeLuna is fashion-forward in her belted white gown at the "Welcome to Gulu" exhibition opening at the United Nations in New York City.
9. 051509 Best Dressed Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is flirty in a cream maxi dress at the Precious photocall during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
10. 051509 Best Dressed Dania Ramirez
Dania Ramirez is polished in a striped satin V neck dress, gold strappy heels and hoop earrings at the T-Mobile Sidekick LX launch event in Hollywood.


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Daily Wine News: Good News in Brooklyn
Posted by Wine News | Posted on 11-13-2012| Posted in
"Abe and Chris now believe the wine gods kept an eye on their babies after all. After tasting through the wines… they found much of the juice alive, in excellent condition." In the Village Voice, Lauren Mowery shares some (potentially) good news from Brooklyn's Red Hook Winery.
In other Sandy news, Lettie Teague learns how some New York wine drinkers found solace during the storm.
When Alice Feiring has lunch in Burgundy at the home of Russell Hone and Becky Wasserman, her readers salivate.
"El Dorado Roussanne? Arizona Tempranillo? Georgia Sauvignon Gris? Anything goes." Some great Thanksgiving advice from Jon Bonné.
Live from the European Wine Bloggers' Conference in Turkey, W. Blake Gray writes a great post on "the Prestige/Intrigue divide" in the U.S. wine market.
In Bloomberg, Elisa Martinuzzi writes about the efforts of former Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons, who is attempting to "make money in retirement in the wine-rich Tuscan hills." (Memo to Parsons: Don't describe your wine as tasting like "dirt… well-oaked.")
On Forbes.com, Katie Kelly Bell writes about Amazon's entry into wine sales. Meanwhile, Tyler Colman predicts that "Amazon Wine could have an enormous impact is in the user wine reviews."
Bill Foley's empire continues to grow. WineSpectator.com reports that Foley Family Wines "is closing a deal to purchase Lancaster Estate in Alexander Valley."
Janice Nieder of Stark Insider had a blast at the Kohler Food & Wine Experience.


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This GirlVisitor's Question from a 16-20 year old Male
So, I finally worked up the nerve to to talk to this girl that I like on facebook. I kind of feel like I was the only one in the conversation, but I got a few lol's out of her, so I guess it wasn't totally one-sided. Then the next day I told her in class that I really enjoyed talking to her and that I wanted to get to know her better. Not sure how well that went over. then last friday we were at a christmas party and when I finally got myself to talk to her she got up and walked away. Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic, but she was taking pictures at the time so maybe she just has something else to do, or maybe since I had asked if she had gotten any good pics from that angle she just assumed I was there to take pictures instead of talk to her. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure where I stand or what move I should make from here. it's hard for me to approach her because she mainly keeps to her herself and I'm afraid I'm gonna creep her out if I haven't already. any suggestions?
RomanceClass.com Advice
It's nice you found a girl you like.
She was probably just nervous at the party. Keep talking with her and she may soon come around and lose those awkward feelings. It is often this way at the beginning.
Don't give up. It is the Holiday season and she is like everyone else and wants to find someone to spend some happy times with.
Hope you have good luck with her. Happy Holidays! George
-- from George
One of Your Friendly Advisors at RomanceClass.com
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