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Behind The Scenes
When Bella jumped off the cliff, Jacob saved her a little while later. Bella hit her head hard and got amnesia and doesn't remember anything. 5 years later, she is the sucessful lead-singer of Paramore. Edward, Emmet, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice made a crime-solving team called the Elite Five Force. What does Edward do when he's duty is to protect Bella from a stalker? How does his family react when they find out that she doesn't remember them?
1. Behind The Scenes
Rating 5/5 Word Count 1520 Review this Chapter
Your private jet needs it's engine replaced, so you will
have to take a public plane to Seattle.
Jeremy, Zac, Taylor and I are here waiting for you.
Your plane leaves at 8:30 p.m and your limo will
come at around 8:00.
PS: Stephen and Tom are going with you. Don't
You need your bodyguards with you.
Sigh. Josh is definetly taking the concert thing a little too far these days. I wish I could go back to Forks with Charlie and Jacob. Life on the road can really get you homesick. I haven't been back to Forks, Washington since my 23rd birthday. It was a shame that I couldn't even remember who the people - Charlie invited over - were. I could see the hurt in their eyes when they greeted me and I couldn't call them by name. Stupid amnesia.
I sighed again and put my phone away. I had just finished a Covergirl photo-shoot half an hour ago. I walked overto the couch and spread myself across it. I closed my eyes and tried toget some sleep. of course I knew that would be impossible since there is always something that gets in the way.
Unsuprisingly, the door bell rang. I groaned and slowly walked to the door and opened it. Strange. There's no one here. I looked around the high gates of my so-called mansion when a brown parcel caught my eye. Definetly strange. How could a fan get through the gates? Curious, I picked it up and examined it. It said "Bella" with hearts sprinkled all over it. I cautiously opened it and found a brown bear holding an electric guitar inside. I smiled. I loved getting fanmail. I noticed that they're was paper underneath it. I picked it up and read the messy scrawl.
To my Bella,
I love from the bottom of my heart.
And I will always do.
I shall marry you,
and we shall live together until death seperates us.
Love from your future-to-be husband,
It took me 3 tries to read the last 2 lines because my hands were shaking. This was the thirdparcel that got which signed K.L.J at the end. This is begining to creep me out.
I quickly ran to the phone and dialed my manager Claudia's number.
"Hello?" her high-pitched, energetic voice asked.
My eyes glazed over as a musical voice that sounded like a tinkle of bells rang clear in my head. "Hi Bella!". The voice was so clear. It was like the person that said it was right next to me. It was so beautiful, yet so unfamiliar. Stupid glimpses. They don't even sense!
"Hello?" Claudia asked again, now impatient.
"Claudia, hi it's Bella."
"Oh hey, what's the problem?"
I rolled my eyes. She always thought there was a problem everytime I called her.
"I got another one of those creepy letters again. This time it came with a bear rather than flowers."
"Oh." She sounded surprised. "Hold on let meget someoneto come over there to examine it. It will take about 10 minutes."
"Are you even dressed for Seattle yet?" she asked. I supressed a chuckle. She knew me well.
Before I even got the chance to answer, she sighed "I'm certain that's a no. GO!! Get ready, you slowpoke!"
I laughed."Thanks", then she hung up. I did what she told and went to my ridiculously huge closet. I took out black skinny-jeans, a black tank top and a purple blouse to go over it, and a white scarf.
I looked in the mirror. I looked alot different ever since I started touring. My dark hair was layered and it just passed my shoulders which made my hair curlier than before. My forehead was covered with a straightened layer of hair that stopped just passed my eyerbrows. My cheeckbones were alot higher and my lips were more fuller. my skin had the slightest bit of tan from all the moisturizers that I use, but the tancould easily be washed off. All my curves were in the right place.
I had just put on a pair of over-sized pair of glasses when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw Tom - One of my bodyguards - with a serious expression on his face. His black hair pointed to random directions on top of his head and he had a chunk of hair down his face that covered one of his big, hazel eyes.
"Where's the parcel?" he asked me sternly.
I lead him to the kitchen where I put the package away. He lifted it and took out the bear. He examined it with narrowed eyes. When he was finishedlooking at the bear, he picked up the letter and read it to himself.
"Interesting." he said after a moment.
"What should we do?" I asked him.
He sighed and started at me with a thoughtful expression for a few minutes.
"Your going to be living in Seatlle for 16 months so there's no point getting the police on the case here now." he paused and then said "When didyou get this?" he gestured to thebook with the gifts inside.
"About 20 minutes ago."
"Did you see anyone outside?"
"Did you look around beforeyou opened the gift?"
"Yes, but it doesn't make sense. How could anyone get past those gates and the security behind them?"
He thought about his answer before saying "That is something to consider. If the stalker tracks you down to Seattle with us, we will have to set things up with the police force there."
"Okay" I agreed.
Two sharp beaps outside interrupted our conversation. I looked out the window to see that a black, shiny limo was waiting outside.
Tom noticed the limo outside and said "Let's go"
I sat back on my chair and closed my eyes. Oh Bella. I saw her face in my mind. Her beautiful heart-shaped face surrounded by thick, dark-brown hair. Her wide brown eyes were staring at me with wonder. I wonder what my sweet, sweet angel could be doing now?
"Edward." Jasper spoke from the speaker. "The plane for Seattle is due to depart in about 50 minutes. We've done our job here in L.A, and we are due back there. I don't know much but all I know is that it is a stalker situation. Get ready... well, not about packing your clothes because has that part, but do what you before we go. I need you her."
I sighed. The first two years i have spent away from Bella was hell. I couldn't be around my family, so I went to an abandoned warehouse, hoping to rot away from existence. After those wo years, Alice and Emmet dargged me out and back to my family. I knew trying to sneak away from them wasn't the brightest idea so I just stayed in my room and thought about my Bella. Well, she isn't my Bella any more, since I left her. Alice wanted to cheer me up so she go6 Jazz,Em,Rose,her and I and created a crime-stopping force called Elite Five Force (cheesy, I know). Ever since then, we have been helping humans find their pets, belongings, etc. The depression is still there, but at least it distracts me for several hours.
I got out of my office and down to Jasper's. Everyone else was already there, except for Alice. I raised and eyebrow at him and he silently told me,
Packing, of course
I nodded slightly and sat down on the spare seat.
Oh, dude we have another mission! I feel like I'm in that Charlie's Angle movie. Except I'm not a girl.
I rolled my eyes, Emmet and his movies.
Oh great, another stalker motive. Goodie. Rosalie thought bitterly.
"Rose, It's one of the things we do. Proctect things. Remember?" I reminded her.
She glared at me and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
Jasper sent a wave of reassurance of Rosalie.
"Alice will be back in 2 minutes and then we will be going back to Seattle. But first i wantedto talk to you guys about the new situation that we have. A woman named Claudia Green called and said that her client - who she says is the lead singer of a certain band called 'Paramore" - has been getting disturbing fanmail. She said it started off as innocent mail, then it got more voilet over the course of weeks."
Sweet! We get to meet a rockstar!!I've heard of Paramore on the radio once upon a time. Their music is quite good. Never knew who sang those songs, though her voice sounded farmiliar...
Emmet's silent ranting was interrupted by Alice who burst through the door of Jasper's office.
Yay! Yay! Yay! We're going to see- oh right, Edward. Uno, Due, Tre, Quatro, Sienque, Se - Alice was counting in Italian. She was hiding something from me. I narrowed my eyes at her suspisiouly and Alice just stuck her tiny tounge out at me.
"Okay, guys! Let's go. The plane will be leaving soon!" She chirped in that annoyingly high voice of hers.
I groaned. I didn't really want to put up with Alice's enthusiasum, since she was keeping something from me. We exited Jasper's office and went in to the Volvo. Today was going to bea long night.
- Author
- Mrs-Jasper-Cullen
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- 02 Jul 09
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- 11 Jul 09
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text: Jeffrey B. Layton wrote: <snip> > >> 2. What type of cluster should I select for FEA ? >> >> > If you are using either a commercial package or writing your > own, network bandwidth it likely to be a bottleneck. So something > like Myrinet, IB, Quadrics, Dolphin, etc. are good choices. If > these are too expensive, then GigE is the way to go. > For commerical apps, you're going to need lots of IO in > the nodes. As Jeffrey mentions later in his mail, the solver is the most important part. So before answering the questions to the point, we actually need to know the type of solvers you are envisioning. Direct solvers will generally have to run out-of-core so disk-io is indeed important. To maximise the block-size of the out-of-core solver, memory is also important. The switch is less important in this case In My Experience. Iterative solvers OTOH have a smaller memory footprint. The switch is a little more important as compared with direct solvers IME. And if you're using explicit solvers (which are hopefully not out-of-core ;-), disk-io is not important but a fast processor is. And probably a fast interconnect will be important. <snip> toon -- Check out our training program on acoustics and register on-line at http://www.fft.be/?id=35

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WalterFootball mocks 2013
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Fat Elvis
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Originally Posted by
Mr. Arrowhead
new one up today
Kansas City Chiefs: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
Scott ***** was fired, as the awesome @saveourchiefs movement was pushing for, and he's been replaced by Andy Reid and his staff. The question is whether Reid will take a shot on a quarterback or go the safe route with Luke Joeckel.
Chris Mortensen said Monday that he expects Joeckel to be the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, but has a feeling that Reid will select a quarterback - which means he expects him to trade down. I agree with Mort. I'm not sure about the moving down part - Kansas City will sure as hell try - but here's why Geno Smith will be the pick, barring any big acquisition in free agency:
1. New regimes mean new quarterbacks, and if history is any indication, Reid will use this pick on Smith. Reid eschewed all the top free-agent quarterbacks when he took over as the Eagles' head coach, taking a mobile, Big East product with a good deep ball and upside instead. Well, Smith is a mobile, (former) Big East product with a good deep ball and upside. He fits perfectly into Reid's offense.
2. ESPN and other outlets will tell you that Smith nor any other signal-caller is worth taking No. 1 overall, but that could easily change. Remember two years ago when ESPN was mocking Da'Quan Bowers and Nick Fairley to the Panthers? Well, Cam Newton ballooned to the top, as will some other quarterback this year. It could be Smith, Matt Barkley or Mike Glennon. We'll see. Three months is a long time.
3. Think no one believes Smith is worth the No. 1 pick? Think again. Anthony Gargano of 94 WIP in Philadelphia revealed that he spoke to a general manager who told him that he would draft Smith with the first-overall selection. This is just one general manager, but if one GM wants Smith that badly, then there's a chance that several do. Smith has a ton of upside, so a quarterback-friendly coach like Reid might think he could coach him up to a Pro Bowl level.
4. My Chiefs' source, who has a high success rate of delivering Kansas City's first-round picks, told me Smith is currently the favorite to go No. 1 overall,
but conceded that it's still too early in the process. He said that the combination of Joeckel and Tyler Wilson is also a strong possibility.
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Road Racket
Some Florida highway contractors are building court cases as they construct roads. The state settles up eagerly -- and generously.
The contract specified that the project should be completed in 20 months, by June 1997. Anderson Columbia finished more than a year late, in July 1998. The delay was due in part to DOT's construction plans, which required numerous revisions. But the company was to blame as well: It neglected the job for six months to do various other projects, according to DOT records. Overall, DOT rated the quality of Anderson Columbia's work on the project as poor.
But later in the summer of 1998, when Anderson Columbia demanded an additional $5.9 million for the project, neither timeliness nor quality seemed to matter. DOT District 3 Secretary Edward Prescott negotiated a settlement with Anderson Columbia Chairman Joe Anderson III in a telephone call that included two other District 3 employees, engineer Steve Benak and operations director Jimmy Rodgers. The DOT's only documentation of the negotiation is a piece of scratch paper scribbled by Benak on Sept. 18, 1998:
"I had offered $1.5 million on 8-12-98," Benak's note reads.
"Joey wanted $3.4 million.
"Jimmy offered $2 million.
"Joey lowered to $2.9 million.
"Edward settled at $2.4 million if Joey would send in back up documentation.
"Joey agreed."
And so the DOT officials coughed up the extra millions -- for work that wasn't delivered on time, and that the agency had deemed poor. They did so despite a consulting engineer's recommendation that Anderson Columbia should receive only $108,931 in additional payments. The DOT officials also allowed Anderson Columbia to send in backup paperwork later, when agency rules require up-front justification for every dime.
It's neither unusual nor inappropriate for road contractors to file claims for additional payments. Unanticipated problems such as sinkholes or hidden utility lines can make it impossible to bring a highway project in for the bid price. Often, the DOT and the contractors work out claims on the job, with what's known as supplemental agreements. If they can't agree, there's an appeals process that can, all else failing, end up in court.
But both DOT and industry insiders say that in recent years, some contractors have used the claims process to re-engineer the low-bid system -- they underbid to win the job and then try to make their profits with supplemental claims and lawsuits. In some cases, contractors have tried to make as much from the claims as they did on the original contract. After completing a $34-million Interstate-75 widening project in Marion County, for example, White Construction demanded $30 million in additional payment. The DOT, which tends to lose lawsuits, is often willing to settle -- even without proof that contractors deserve the money. From the time they make their bids, complains Gregory Xanders, the DOT's state construction engineer, "Some of the companies are trying to build a court case instead of a road project."
The figures tell the story: Over the past five years, Florida road builders have demanded more than $185 million in claims from the DOT. In 1996-97, the agency paid out a total of $20.9 million in settlements. That figure grew to $41.3 million in 1997-98 and to $65.4 million in 1998-99 -- a 217% increase in just three years. The growing sum paid out in claims is eating up an increasing percentage of Florida's highway construction budget, up from 2.5% in 1996-97 to 3.2% in 1997-98 to 4.8% of the total in 1998-99. The figures don't include the cost of consultants and lawyers who investigate and litigate claims.
Not all road builders are inclined to work the system. Former DOT Secretary Ben Watts, now with Carter & Burgess engineering firm in Orlando, sums it up this way: "The vast majority of the contractors who do public work don't approach business that way. I had contractors that I would have had do any project in Florida with just a handshake. And then there were contractors who, in my opinion, saw every new contract as a starting point for claims."
In the past five years, just five companies accounted for 44% of all claims-related lawsuits against the DOT (See "Lawsuit Happy," page 96). Anderson Columbia accounted for 18% of all lawsuits. In the same time frame, the company was awarded 14% of DOT's contracts. White Construction, with 9% of contracts, accounted for 13% of litigated claims.
But even builders who never take the transportation department to court say it's becoming more difficult not to get dragged into the claims game. John Coxwell, a highly respected Jacksonville contractor who built highways in Florida for 44 years, sold his JB Coxwell Contracting in 1997 to Couch Construction, which now has been bought out by APAC. Why did he sell the family business? "I got out of the business because it's become a dogfight," Coxwell says. "The contractors get greedy; they bid impossibly low; and they manufacture claims. A contractor has two choices at that point: He can play the game, or he can go out of business. It's that simple."
DOT is also to blame
Coxwell admits that over the years, he felt forced to play the game, too. "Everybody has become part of it," he says, "everybody in the contracting industry."
There's no question that contractors need a mechanism for charging more as they encounter hidden utility lines or find plan errors, two of the major factors that lead to claims. And DOT brings a lot of its problems on itself, contractors say. Often, the agency doesn't respond promptly to problems and to necessary contract changes. The road builder has little choice but to keep his employees working and his machines running, while hoping to resolve the bills later. "We'd have a lot less claims if we could just shut roads down and stop working until conflicts are worked out," says Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association, an industry group. "But we can't do that."
Anderson, chairman of Anderson Columbia, says that some projects, such as the State Road 96 widening in Pensacola, present such complicated drainage and other puzzles that they are impossible to solve on-site. "The goal is to get these projects built and get the traveling public safe and moving," he says. "You can't solve some of these things in one day, and you've got to keep working."
That doesn't explain why a few companies, including Anderson Columbia, account for most claims that reach the lawsuit stage, while other firms are able to successfully negotiate additional payments with DOT on the job, never ending up in court. Anderson says it's simply a matter of numbers: Since his company has the lion's share of Florida's highway contracts, it's reasonable to expect it to account for a bigger share of the lawsuits as well. Others say DOT employees play a significant role. Some project managers are more difficult to work with than others, they say.
Neither poor oversight by DOT nor lawsuits are inevitable. Engineer Bill McDaniel, a vice president with URS Corp. in Tampa, is a former secretary of DOT District 7, which covers the Tampa Bay region. On one large bridge rebuilding project, he recalls, the contractor set up lawyers in an on-site trailer the first week of construction. McDaniel put his foot down. "I came in and said cost overruns and huge claims aren't going to happen on this job," he says. "I asked what we needed to do to ensure we didn't have a lot of claims on the project." To his surprise, the contractor told him exactly what it would take: He said his last DOT job had been a nightmare, that he'd lost money due to poor plans and poor response and that he feared things would be even worse on an old bridge project. Mostly, the contractor wanted fast responses to problems, and McDaniel made sure he got them. The lawyers left the job site and the project came in on budget. "We feared the worst," McDaniel says, "but when we got people talking to each other, it worked out."
A lawyer who has frequently represented Anderson Columbia and other companies in lawsuits against the DOT says he finds it ludicrous that a contractor would plan a costly claims process from the start of a project. "No one likes claims," says Joe Lawrence, a partner in the Fort Lauderdale law firm of Vezina, Lawrence & Piscitelli, whose Tallahassee office is across the street from the Transportation Builders Association. "No one ever walked into a project wanting to employ lawyers at a later point," he says.
But clearly, as McDaniel's story illustrates, some contractors do just that. And too often, the DOT hands millions of dollars over to contractors with scant evidence that they are due the money, according to a draft of a DOT Inspector General's audit out this month. The audit, a review of 49 large claims, finds that the DOT approves claims in all stages of the process without proper documentation. DOT settled the claims for about $54 million -- 43% of the more than $124 million contractors had asked for. But the auditors found that the department's own financial and engineering analyses supported just 29% of the $54 million.
Multimillion-dollar claims that reached the DOT General Counsel's Office also were settled without evidence. In one case, White Construction filed a $5.9-million lawsuit against the department. Numerous DOT analyses of the claims showed White and its subcontractor had caused their own problems. The agency had paid out $586,596 to resolve problems for which it believed it had some responsibility. But the day before a trial was to start, DOT District 3 officials and the firm's lawyer, Lawrence, reached a $4.2-million settlement. The officials never documented that White Construction deserved the $4.2 million.
Losing in court
So why is the DOT so quick to settle? It's impossible to discount the considerable political influence that companies like Anderson Columbia bring to bear. But on a more practical level, the DOT has good reason to fear losing in court. Lawrence boasts that in 12 years of litigating against the DOT, his firm has won all 20 cases that went before a jury. In all 20, the jury came back with much more money than the DOT offered, Lawrence says. "If the DOT is concerned about losing cases before judges and juries, it's because judges and juries don't believe the DOT's position."
Others say it's because the contractors can afford better legal resources than the DOT, whose staff lawyers juggle heavy claims caseloads while dealing with a myriad of other DOT issues as well. Says retired contractor Coxwell: "A good attorney who is going to get 30% or 40% is going to work much harder on the case than a DOT attorney who makes $60,000 a year working on 20 different claims."
Coxwell believes there are only two ways the DOT can get a handle on illegitimate claims: "They've either got to start winning some cases, or they should put some people in jail."
DOT Secretary Tom Barry handles the issue gingerly. He ordered the DOT Inspector General's audit that's so critical of his agency's settlements. But he clearly prefers the peacemaker's stance. He says he has no proof that any contractor bids low purposefully to rake in claims later. And if the DOT is paying too much, he says, that's the agency's fault -- not the contractors. "If the department has signed off on settlements without proper documentation," he says, "that's our bad."
Quietly, however, Barry's administration has been cracking down on contractors far more harshly than that of his predecessor, Watts, who carries a sterling reputation as the secretary who cleaned up DOT a decade ago. This spring, for example, the DOT booted Cone Constructors, another one of the largest road builders in Florida, from its $75-million job to build sections of the Suncoast Parkway because the company failed to pay $2.4 million to subcontractors. Currently, the agency is investigating Tallahassee's Mitchell Bros. for exorbitant double-billing on claims. (See "The Claims Game," above.)
Most notably, this spring DOT investigators worked with the statewide prosecutor for the first time to indict a road builder for filing fraudulent claims. White Construction had filed $30 million in claims against DOT related to the widening of Interstate 75 through Marion County in 1994 and 1995. The company's original bid for the work was $31.8 million, and DOT had paid $34 million after change orders and unforeseen problems. DOT officials settled with White for $6.9 million on the eve of a jury trial in 1997. But lawyers in the General Counsel's Office who'd worked on the case were convinced the claims had been fraudulent. In March, a statewide grand jury agreed. White Construction was indicted on 12 counts of grand theft and racketeering. Also indicted was the company's claims consultant, William Thomas Cooper Jr. of Clearwater. The grand jury report charges that White Construction and Cooper double- and triple-billed DOT for labor and equipment and filed claims for incidents that never occurred.
New approaches
Family members who have run Chiefland-based White Construction for five decades declined to be interviewed for this story because of the criminal case. But Lawrence, the company's lawyer on the claims issue, says the indictment should worry Florida companies that do business with the state. Lawrence asks: If the DOT had a problem with the claims, why did the agency settle them? If the agency found new information, why didn't it return to court within the year allowed and attempt to have the settlement overturned? "It should send a shiver down people's spine that the DOT seems to have its own private police department," Lawrence says. "They haven't won in civil court and so they've taken a new approach. Maybe they're going to be successful, but that doesn't mean it's right."
As the DOT turns up the heat on contractors, as well as on DOT employees suspected of wrongdoing, Barry prefers to talk about his efforts to work more closely with the road-building industry. Contractors have to make a profit to stay in business, he says, and he's pushed the department to help make that happen, by trying to respond more quickly to on-the-job problems. His administration also has worked with the industry on new specifications that better assess the costs of projects upfront to try to cut down on surprises later.
Burleson, the head of the road builders industry association, applauds those efforts, as well as DOT's Dispute Resolution Board, chaired by Coxwell, aimed at settling claims before they turn into lawsuits. "When you're dealing with people who know the business, you're going to get disputes resolved a lot quicker," says Burleson. "It's not like talking to a jury where you can fake them out."
Some, including Watts, believe the state should move away from awarding contracts to the lowest bidder, as it becomes more clear that system doesn't produce either the best value or the best roads. The Florida Legislature in 1996 authorized DOT to try some alternative contract techniques to save time and money. The nine different techniques range from bid averaging -- an effort to get contractors to bid true to minimize claims -- to incentives for early completion, to design-build, which combines the design and construction phases of a project, cutting down on faulty plans.
Early results show the experimental contracts still had cost overruns, but less than traditional low-bid contracts. Alternative contracts had an average cost overrun of 3.6% compared to an average of 12.4% for traditional contracts in 1997-98. The alternative contracts had an average time overrun of 7.1% compared to 30.7% for traditional contracts.
The low-bid system, which many believe is the best way to keep favoritism out of government contracting, isn't likely to be tossed out any time soon, however. And some say that in the long run it probably doesn't matter what type of contracts DOT uses. Like any other industry, they say, most companies are going to stay within the boundaries of good business practices while a few are going to push the limits. Greed is the taproot, observes another former DOT secretary, Kaye Henderson of Tampa. "Greed subsides with the threat of exposure," he says, "but look out -- it's going to pop up in some other form."
Retooling the Agency
Tom Barry has to slim down the DOT even as the state embarks on a $6-billion highway improvement program.
The young, bearded man seems out of place at the monthly meeting of the Florida Transportation Commission, an oversight board whose members and their audience tend to be gray-haired and blue-suited. Dressed in chinos and a short-sleeved shirt, he looks like he might be there to set up the slide projector. But soon, he's called to the podium: "Mr. Secretary, can we hear your report?"
Tom Barry, who this month begins his fourth year as secretary of the DOT, ambles up in his signature dock shoes-sans-socks. At 44, he's poised to lead the $4.5-billion department through one of its greatest periods of change. The Legislature has ordered a $500,000 study of the agency that's expected to recommend major downsizing and reorganization. At the same time, DOT is embarking on one of the most ambitious road-building periods in its history. The $6-billion Mobility 2000 will speed up projects in Florida's 20-year road-improvement plan to be built between one and 10 years sooner. Interstates 4, 10, 95 and 75 are all up for major improvements under the plan, which focuses on expanding trade and tourism routes, relieving urban congestion and improving Florida's emergency evacuation.
Once nicknamed the Department of Trouble, DOT used to be known for financial crises and corruption. Secretaries served an average of two years before being ousted or quitting. All that has changed under Barry and his predecessor, Ben Watts, who is credited with cleaning up the financial messes and modernizing DOT considerably in the early 1990s. But while the agency has cleaned up corruption left over from the days of the old Road Board, when contracts were awarded in Tallahassee hotel rooms, DOT hasn't been able to shake other problems. Construction time and cost overruns on highway projects remain high. On average, projects take 30% longer than contracts stipulate. The average cost overrun is about 12% per project.
Meanwhile the agency is bloated: DOT hasn't significantly reduced its 10,000-employee staff even as it has contracted out more and more work. Florida's DOT is the most privatized in the country, with private contractors handling 75% of design, 100% of construction and 70% of routine maintenance. But the agency hasn't downsized accordingly. About 1,200 employees work in the central office in Tallahassee, which is responsible for policy and oversight. About 7,500 work in the agency's eight district offices, which build and maintain 12,000 miles of roads and 6,000 bridges on the state highway system and which help local governments develop airport, rail, seaport and transit facilities. Another 1,200 operate the state's tollbooths; about 400 are in DOT's enforcement division; and about 175 work in a Gainesville lab that tests road materials.
David Brown, an Orlando lawyer appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the transportation commission, is leading the study of the agency. He describes Barry as ideal to lead DOT's transition because he's able to bring an engineer's objectivity even to the retooling of his own agency.
Brown, Watts and others describe Barry -- the only Lawton Chiles appointee left in Bush's administration -- as a squeaky clean public servant who has strong opinions that he's willing to shelve if his bosses disagree. Despite Barry's enthusiasm for high-speed rail, for example, he supported the governor when Bush killed the project. Despite some of his employees' anger at highway contractors who are constantly suing the department, Barry downplays the lawsuits and encourages strong partnerships with the industry. And despite spending his entire career working for DOT -- he started out in 1979 in the department's District 4 office in Fort Lauderdale after earning his bachelor's in civil engineering from Penn State -- he is remarkably unworried about the imminent reorganization. "In my opinion, a review of everything that we do, of every function, is not unreasonable," he says.
Barry, a fan of the cartoon strip Dilbert, is remarkably unworried about most things, say staffers, who also note he's conscientious about not taking himself too seriously. Barry has his staff reading a management book called "Who Moved My Cheese?" a quick parable about dealing with change. He says the biggest challenge he faces in the reorganization is asking employees to embrace change when they know the end result will be far fewer employees. His mantra: "No one should think that any of the discussions are a reflection of their work effort or product. It is just time for us to realize that the world is changing, and we need to be prepared to change with it."
His biggest challenge on Mobility 2000? Simply being able to deliver what he told the Legislature he could, particularly as his department reorganizes amid escalating tension with at least some of Florida's highway contractors. Two of the top 10 contractors in the state have been investigated for criminal activity related to road projects. "We're up for that challenge as well, or we wouldn't have made the proposals,'' Barry says. "The governor and the Legislature had the confidence to give us additional revenues. I think that says a lot about us and our partners.
The Claims Game
So do road builders deserve all those millions they demand in claims? In many cases, the answer is yes. But others, as in the following case of Tallahassee's Mitchell Bros., raise a lot of questions:
In 1995, according to DOT records, Mitchell Bros. was simultaneously working on the DOT's Tharpe Street project in Tallahassee and the city of Tallahassee's Blair Stone Road extension. During the Tharpe job, the company filed claims with DOT stating numerous pieces of equipment were idle. During the same period, Mitchell Bros. declared the same equipment idle on the Blair Stone job in claims to the city. At the same time, the company was filing claims with the Leon County School Board demanding payment for the same idle equipment.
The contractor also sought $231,264 from the city of Tallahassee for a total of 792 days the company said its project manager, Eugene Cassels, was idle. In Cassels' idle period, however, he was project manager on the DOT's Tharpe Street project and other projects.
In 1998, Mitchell Bros. was the low bidder on a DOT project on Tallahassee's Pensacola Street. Almost immediately, the company began filing claims. They included double-billing for equipment and personnel and contained overlapping claims for delay. The company went so far as to claim it was delayed for more days than had elapsed on the contract. In one claim, according to DOT documents, the company encountered a minor problem that caused a short delay, for which DOT approved a $900 change order. The company stopped work and submitted a claim for $158,684.88 -- even though the work had been completed in four hours.
Overall, on a 216-day contract time period, Mitchell Bros. claimed 296 days of delay, which is neither mathematically possible nor rational, according to a DOT letter to the company informing President Edward Mitchell Jr. of the agency's intent to deny him from bidding future DOT projects.Mitchell's response? He's taking the DOT to court.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has received state approval to form a two-county coalition to help reform the state's Medicaid system.
The effort was prompted by the federal government's recent approval of a groundbreaking Medicaid waiver that will bring $8 billion in new federal health care dollars to New York state over the next five years. The state plan, known as the delivery system reform incentive payment program, will result in the transformation of the state's health care system and ensure access to quality care for all Medicaid members.
Memorial Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sheila K. Kee said the state Health Department will be selecting coalitions of health care providers in a competitive process to determine who will administer DSRIP in regions across the state.
The DSRIP program will promote community-level collaborations and focus on system reform, specifically a goal to achieve a 25-percent reduction in avoidable hospital readmissions over five years. Safety net providers will be required to collaborate to implement innovative projects focusing on system transformation, clinical improvement and population health improvement.
"I am pleased to announce that, in its first round of decision-making, the New York State Department of Health approved our letter of intent to form a Niagara-Orleans organization," Kee said. "We are now asking other health care organizations to join the Niagara-Orleans DSRIP coalition. Agencies and organizations that do so can be sure they will play a significant role in New York state's health care delivery system reform."
More than 100 providers have already confirmed their intent to participate. Included in that group are the both the Niagara County Health Department and Orleans County Health Department, Eastern Niagara Health System, Medina Memorial Hospital, DeGraff Memorial Hospital, Niagara Hospice and Hospice of Orleans Inc.
Kee noted Niagara and Orleans counties have a long history of working together through such organizations as Orleans-Niagara BOCES, the NIOGA Library System and the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance.
"By working together as a united DSRIP coalition, we can maximize our counties' receipt of federal funding by reducing the cost of health care while delivering better health care," Kee said.
To learn more about the Niagara-Orleans DSRIP Coalition, contact Kee at 716-278-4301.


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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Google Reader is out...what's in?
10 comments:
- Rosemary said...
I'm looking for a replacement also.
- March 14, 2013 at 11:21 AM
- Kathryn said...
Ack, I didn't know this! I'll be checking back to see what suggestions people have.
- March 14, 2013 at 12:48 PM
- Lori said...
I use the reader on wordpress.com.
- March 14, 2013 at 3:53 PM
- Smadar Belkind Gerson said...
I've very sad about google reader shutting down. There is a petition to try to get google to change their mind, it's worth a try: https://www.change.org/petitions/google-keep-google-reader-running
- March 14, 2013 at 8:17 PM
- Kathryn said...
I'm trying out Feedly. They automatically import your Google Reader info and plan to continue when Google Reader shuts down. There are some tips on transitioning here: http://blog.feedly.com/2013/03/14/tips-for-google-reader-users-migrating-to-feedly/
- March 15, 2013 at 8:03 AM
- Joe Lowry said...
Try http://theoldreader.com. They are experiencing a lot of volume right now with users switching over to it. There are instructions for importing your Google Reader feeds into The Old Reader here: http://lifehacker.com/5990456/google-reader-is-getting-shut-down-here-are-the-best-alternatives
- March 15, 2013 at 8:54 AM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
Smadar, I'll have to sign that petition, I really like Google Reader!
- March 15, 2013 at 9:03 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
Lori, Kathryn and Joe: thank you for the ideas. I'll have to test drive them and see what works best for me. Luckily, we have a few months to pin it down. You'll have to let us know how these options work for you!
- March 15, 2013 at 9:06 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
Rosemary, please let me know if you come across a reader you like. I plan to research some of these options and post my findings. Also, Jana at Jana's Genealogy has some links to other suggestions here: http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2013/03/follow-fridayfab-finds-for-march-15-2013.html
- March 15, 2013 at 9:10 PM
- Rosemary said...
Heather, I'm going to leave it until May. Perhaps something will come along. I really don't want one that is image oriented; most of the blogs I read are text oriented with the occasional image to illustrate a point or show something interesting. I've bookmarked a lot of sites comparing readers and so far I like what I see of NetVibes.
- March 15, 2013 at 9:16 PM


text: Volkswagen unveiled variations of its new three-door supermini van, the Up!, at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall. It will be showing four new variations of the Up! next week at the Geneva Motor Show. VW throws Up! out there The Up!, which goes on sale in Europe on March 5, is an economical city Read on! →


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Beth Anne needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 382 designs submitted by 94 freelance designers.
Roswold Law Group
Attorneys serving both Kansas and Missouri accident and injury victims. Vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and workers compensation cases.
Victims of accidents, negligent medical personnel, or improper work conditions.
Wants a clean, simple design incorporating their firm name:
Roswold Law Group
Would like to see designs with a "Monogram" in front of the name (an "R" or "RG" in a box for example)
Would also like to see designs with their firm name and then perhaps underneath Kansas City Accident & Injury Attorneys (or some variation)
NO scales of justice, NO gavels, NO legal columns...
Likes Dark Blue, White and Gold
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Parents' No. 1 fear when it comes to their kids heading off to college isn't that the student will flunk out or attend one-too-many frat parties. It's that their kid will get accepted into their top school choice and they won't be able to afford tuition costs, according to The Princeton Review's College Hopes and Worries Survey for 2012.
Continue Reading Below
And in today's economy, with student loan debt topping $1 trillion for the first-time ever and tuition costs steadily climbing while wages remain stagnate, the concern is valid. But experts warn students and their families to look past the "sticker shock" of their most desired schools and look for funding options to help cover costs.
On Tuesday, The Princeton Review released its Best Value Colleges for 2013 list, naming the University of Virginia the nation's best value public college and Swarthmore in Pennsylvania as the best private college for value. California had the most colleges represented on the list with 19, followed by New York with 18 and Massachusetts with 14 schools.
The 150 schools on the list, 75 public and 75 private, are ranked from a total of 650 schools based on admissions, costs and financial aid data from the 2011-2012 year. The schools on the list admitted less than half of their applicants, and what's more, student debt at the country's most selective schools is lower than the national average, The Princeton Review reports.
According to Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher at The Princeton Review, nearly two-thirds of college students are receiving financial aid, but the biggest mistake parents make in the selection process is failing to look past the sticker price.
"Parents don't do the homework. They will cross a school off the list, and make the mistake of not asking about grant money that students don't have to pay back, and about financial aid."
The survey shows that overall, parents and students applying to college are becoming savvier about both academics and cost. Despite this trend, college costs are still starkly increasing, with private school net costs up 4% from last year alone, Franek says. He adds that if they aren't talking cost, it's out of fear.
"Not talking about costs is one of the most avoidable mistakes families and students can make. They are nervous, but the truth is that some schools make it more affordable, so there is a silver lining here."
Among the Review's top 10 public colleges, the cost on average for in-state students was about $8,300 a year, after deducting average grants awarded to students with need. Among the top 10 private schools, the average cost of attendance is about $17,600 a year after grant deductions.
Less than half of the students attending the colleges that made the list took out loans as undergrads and median debt rates were lower than national averages. Private Best Value schools grads had lower median debt of $20,556, compared to public universities, with $21,373.
Schools don't publish their average post-graduation debt rates, and that needs to be taken into account as well, Franek says. Most of the schools The Princeton Review includes in the round up focus on a full four-year graduation rate, while many others take into account a five or six-year graduation rate.
CSPN chair and Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald says parents and students also need to consider the value of the degree in today's tight job market. Putting off "the talk" isn't an option, despite the fact that bills and a world post-graduation may seem far off to students.
"This is a post-recession mentality," he says. "Because the world has changed. Forty years ago with a college degree, you were a valuable commodity. Today you may get a good degree in Art Appreciation, but if you are $80,000 in debt, you have a real problem on your hands."
Start at school guidance counseling offices to discuss potential school options and aid packages. Also ask any and all schools your child is applying to if there are grants available, which do not need to be repaid. Work-study programs are another great way for families to curb costs. Failing to do so is leaving money on the table, plain and simple.
"The future may feel like a ways away, but parents realize it's not," he said. "The costs are overrunning what's available. There are strategies to keep debt down, and families are becoming more concerned."
The "Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges for 2013" are:
1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
3. New College of Florida (Sarasota)
4. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg VA)
5. Univ. of California – Los Angeles
6. North Carolina State University (Raleigh)
7. University of Wisconsin (Madison)
8. State University of New York at Binghamton
9. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
10. University of Georgia (Athens)
SOURCE: The Princeton Review
The "Top 10 Best Value Private Colleges for 2013" are:
1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore PA)
2. Harvard College (Cambridge MA)
3. Williams College (Williamstown MA)
4. Princeton University (Princeton NJ)
5. Pomona College (Claremont CA)
6. Yale University (New Haven CT)
7. Rice University (Houston TX)
8. Hamilton College (Clinton NY)
9. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont CA)
10. Grinnell College (Grinnell IA)
SOURCE: The Princeton Review


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General Questions
What's that great music you're playing under the stories?We list the songs between stories on the individual episode pages in the radio archive. Over the years, we've used hundreds of songs under our stories—and in some stories, we use a number of different songs in different sections. We tried to answer these emails for awhile, but often it was impossible sometimes to pinpoint which song people were asking about—and the reality of digging up the answer completely overwhelmed us. For this reason, it's unfortunately not possible for us to answer emails asking what music was playing under a particular story. That said, if you're just browsing for ideas generally, some of the music on the show comes from movie soundtracks: Donnie Darko, Amelie, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Virgin Suicides, I Heart Huckabees, and others. We also use a lot of Calexico and Bexar Bexar.
I heard this great story but I can't find it on your site. Can you help me?We receive tons of email, and we're thrilled because we know it means that lots of people are listening to the show. The trouble is, this means we can't respond to everyone's email personally. So, we ask that you take some time first to research your question yourself by searching our radio archive. Use that search engine! We've been working really hard to flesh the website out with as much information as possible, so chances are good that if you hunt around, you'll find what you're looking for. Likewise if you've forgotten a name or something from a show—try listening to the segment again via our free streaming audio. Thanks for lending a hand.
Why haven't you responded to my email?We have an extremely small staff—of one person (!)—handling email about our website and online store. As a result, we ask you to be as patient as possible. Many thanks.
Can I get tickets to one of your weekly shows?Our regular weekly broadcasts are closed to the public, but host Ira Glass performs numerous solo shows throughout the year, recreating the sound of the show on stage. We also occasionally perform an episode on stage, and beam it live into movie theaters. The most recent was The Invisible Made Visible, from May 2012. Right now we have no live shows planned, but you can stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter or following our blog, Facebook and/or Twitter feeds.
How can I get a transcript of a broadcast?Transcripts become available the week after broadcast, normally on Tuesday. Links to transcripts are located on each episode page.
Who is Torey Malatia anyway?Torey is our real-life boss: the President of our home radio station, WBEZ Chicago. Torey and the WBEZ Board wanted to start a national radio show and approached Ira Glass, who was a reporter for National Public Radio in Chicago at the time, to ask him if he had any ideas for a program.
Podcast / Streaming
How do I get the This American Life podcast?Visit the podcast page.
I'm subscribed, but having trouble receiving the podcast.If you're a newbie and you're having trouble setting up podcasts, we recommend first that you check out the info on our podcast page.
If you usually get the podcast just fine, but this week is giving you trouble, check the schedule on our homepage to see if we're podcasting a rerun that you may have already downloaded when it was initially broadcast. Even if you've since deleted the file from iTunes, it will not re-download the episode. (If you'd like to re-download, you can do so from our homepage and then drag the file into your library.)
If you know you have everything set up right and you're still having problems, email firstname.lastname@example.com with specific information on what's happening when, and what platform/programs you're using.
Your shows download to my iTunes library, but they won't move onto my iPod.This is most likely due to an iTunes quirk beyond our control. To verify, try opening the MP3 in a different audio player (e.g., Windows Media Player, Quicktime, Winamp). But, if you just want a quick workaround:
* Go to the folder on your computer that contains the MP3. If you're not sure where it is, right-click (if you're on a PC) or control-click (if you're on a Mac) the file in iTunes, select "Get Info," and the bottom of the "Summary" tab should say: "Where."
* Make a copy of the MP3 in the same folder. Either double click or "play" the new file, then it will move to the iTunes library—and you should be good to go. To prevent confusion, you'll probably want to delete the dormant file from your iTunes and your computer.
I downloaded the newest show from your site. Where did the file go?If you were not prompted to select a destination for the download, it probably went to your computer desktop or to a "downloads" folder. Our files are named by show number, for example 401.mp3. So if you search for that filename, you should find the file.
How long are podcasts and free downloads available?Each week's episode is posted on the Monday following national broadcast and is free for seven days. After that initial week, the show migrates into our 400+ episode archive. You can download archived shows from iTunes or Amazon for only $0.99 an episode. You can listen to these shows for free any time, via streaming audio, right here on our website (or via our mobile apps for iPhone, iPad or Android, which cost a few bucks).
Your streaming MP3s won't play on my machine.If you have trouble streaming audio from our site, first make sure you have the latest version of Flash installed on your computer. You may also have to contact your Internet service provider and ask them to add our audio server to a "safe list."
Your streaming MP3s stop playing right in the middle of a show, even though I know I have a fast, stable connection.If you've got Flash and a stable, fast (non-dialup) connection, if you're able to stream MP3s from other locations without buffering or dropouts, but you're still having trouble, try this: When you begin streaming a file and the special streaming player pops up, right-click (or control-click on a Mac) and select "Settings" from the pull-down menu. Then select the tab with the image of the file folder. Under the "local storage" option, it says "How much information can audio.thisamericanlife.org store on your computer?" Slide the slider over to "unlimited." This should make a huge difference. If, after doing this you subsequently can't re-stream shows you've started to listen to but want to finish later, just be sure to clear your browser's cache.
If this doesn't work, the culprit may be a temporary Internet burp somewhere between you and us that we can't really treat. You may also have to contact your Internet service provider and ask them to add our audio server to a "safe list."
What if I'm on a dialup connection?Sadly, many folks on dial-up have trouble listening to our files. If you open one of the streams and let it sit for awhile, giving your computer time to queue the audio file, you'll eventually be able to play it without interruption—this can take 45 minutes to four hours, depending on your connection speed.
Submitting Stories
How do I submit work or send a story or show idea to This American Life?Visit the submissions page for more information.
How can I make radio stories of my own?Click here.
What kind of equipment do you use to record and edit your stories at This American Life?We use the Marantz PMD 661 and 670 digital audio recorders, set to record either 192 kbps MP2 files, 320 kbps MP3 files, or 16 bit WAV files, depending on whether we're more worried about sound quality or file size. We use the Audio Technica 835B, 8035 and 897 shotgun microphones, and a few different kinds of wireless microphones. We convert the files to WAV format, and edit on Macs using Avid/Digidesign Pro Tools. Click here for a lot more info on making your own radio stories.
How do I apply for an internship with the show?Click here.
About Our TV Show
Television! Wait, what?In 2006 and 2007, in addition to our weekly radio show, we shot and edited a television version of This American Life for the Showtime cable network.
We did everything possible to make the TV show feel like the radio program. To see what we mean by that, check out the section of our website devoted to TV episode descriptions, TV-related links, and TV trailers and clips.
Why did you decide to do a show for a cable network, and not for public television?Showtime approached us; public television didn't. That's how we ended up on Showtime. And one advantage of working with a commercial network is that when they decide to do your series, they can just write a check, and you begin production. Public TV greenlights their series and then begins the fundraising process, which takes years. And though we had no idea what it would be like to work with a commercial network, and had some fears about it, it was very easy to work with Showtime. As Ira says, "We kept waiting for the moment when they'd say, 'This stuff is fine, but when do the girls take off their tops?'" That never happened. They supported our vision of the show at every step. When they gave us critiques of our stories, the notes were the same kinds of questions we were asking ourselves: "Is this part of the story dramatic enough?" "Can I hear more about this character?" They never overrode any of our creative decisions. It was a very happy working relationship.
How can I watch if I don't have Showtime?DVDs of our first and second seasons are on sale online everywhere and in our store. You can also download Season One and Season Two on iTunes.
About Our Store
Why didn't I receive items I ordered from your store?It can take up to 3 weeks for items to arrive. Also, orders are sometimes split if they include posters, mugs or other fragile items. If something seems really late, email us (please include your order number if you have it).
How can I buy a copy of a show on CD?Because of reduced demand, we no longer offer individual episodes on CD. You can still get Greatest Hits collections on CD in our store. You can download every episode on iTunes or Amazon MP3. We've collected 35 favorite episodes onto a USB drive.
How can I find the title of a book mentioned on the show?Find the episode where you heard the story in our radio archive; you'll find links to most books in the story descriptions.
About Our Mobile Apps
I can stream all of your shows here on the site; why would I want a This American Life app?
With our apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, you can stream shows whenever and wherever you have a cell phone or internet connection. You can even download one show at a time for offline listening (three shows on the iPad). Since most smartphones don't support Flash, you likely can't currently stream our archived episodes via the a web. Plus the apps have exclusive audio and video bonus content, links to the Friday live feed from WBEZ, and more. For a user testimonial, check out this column at Poynter Online, called "Why I Bought the 'This American Life' iPhone App." And below is a video of Ira Glass demonstrating the iPhone app's features (which are similar to the Android's - the iPad has even more features, like play buttons for every story and more bonus materials like photos, essays and our comic book).
Are you going to make the app for Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc..?Not sure. Right now, demand isn't high enough to cover the development costs. But who knows. This stuff changes really quickly.
I'm having trouble with the app. Help!In the app, hit More -> Talk to Us -> Send App Feedback. If you can't get to that screen in the app, email firstname.lastname@example.com, which goes to the folks at Public Radio Exchange, the organization that built our apps.
Does money from the app go to This American Life?Yes. Most of the money makes its way back to the show.
About Our Movies
Are stories from the radio show really going to be turned into films?
Yes! A few already were! Susan Burton's melancholic essay about being trapped in an airport with her sister at Christmas was turned into a 2006 kids' comedy Unaccompanied Minors. In 2012, Mike Birbliglia and Ira Glass co-wrote Sleepwalk With Me, based on a story that Mike told on the radio. Mike directed it and starred in it. It won an audience award at Sundance and was released theatrically by IFC Films.
Others are in the works. Our story about Carlton Pearson is being written by Marcus Hinchey, for director Marc Forster and Endgame Entertainment. Endgame is also developing Wenceslas Square, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that Phillip Noyce will direct. The cryonics story in Mistakes Were Made is the basis of a screenplay that Zach Helm is adapting for Errol Morris to direct – as a fictionalized feature, not a documentary. We're working with Steve Zaillian's company Film Rites, and Mandate Pictures on that. At Fox Searchlight, Joshua Marston is writing a screenplay that he plans to direct, based on the story "Making Money the Old-Fashioned Way." Elan Mastai is adapting Starlee Kine's story about breakup songs and Phil Collins for Paramount Pictures.Finally, screenwriters Danny Futterman and Anya Epstein have written a fictionalized pilot for an HBO series based on a story in our episode Testosterone.
I want to turn one of your stories into a film or TV show. Who do I talk to?Please contact our Production Manager, Emily Condon, at firstname.lastname@example.com. This American Life is represented by Keya Khayatian for film and Dan Erlij for television, both at United Talent Agency.


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Having the POTUS dine at your restauarant must be a rush — but also a major hassle. How, exactly, does it work?
According to a story in the Washington Post, it's all about maintaining a semblance of calm for the First Couple — while dealing with the security. Oh, and you don't get much warning.
On the day of an outing, a small Secret Service detail might show up (in the morning, for lunch; in the afternoon, for dinner) to do a walk-through with the restaurant manager, choose a table and inform the manager if other tables will be needed for Secret Service agents. About an hour before FLOTUS and/or POTUS arrive, 20 to 30 more agents appear. Next comes the motorcade, which, in the president's case, includes police motorcycle and sedan escorts, armored limos, multiple black Suburbans and assorted vans, an ambulance and more police cars and motorcycles. The first lady's motorcade is shorter.
Other diners get searched. And Secret Service also haunts the kitchen, which has got to be disconcerting. It's lower key when it's just Sasha or Malia, who apparently favor the kid-friendly eateries of Top Chef's Spike Mendelsohn. The parents, meanwhile, are apparently good — but not lavish! — tippers, and don't take comps. That said, it's all worth it for the word-of-mouth factor: reservations go way up after an Obama dinner, although because people are hoping for a repeat or just want to follow in the great man's footsteps, is unclear.
The Mission At A Restaurant Where The Obamas Dine: Remain Calm. [Washington Post]


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I was worried that I was not going to have time to blog about this, but as I waited in rush hour traffic and enjoyed the gentle breeze and pleasant weather, I was reminded of how grateful I should be. Grateful that I am not living under the extremely violent, horrific, and turbulent conditions that others endure on a daily basis. With this realization comes purpose and meaning. In Islam, we are taught that everything has meaning, even the smallest details that we tend to overlook. No leaf falls without God's knowledge, as the Qur'an says (6:59). For those of us in the west, we typically do not think reflect on the hardships and struggles that people on the other side of the globe are battling (look at what's happening in China today). Many times, I believe that one of my purposes in this life is to help people in all possible manners. Not just through words, but more through action.
For most of the west, May 15th of 2008 is the 60th birthday for the state of Israel, but for the Muslim world, it is Youm al-Nakba — "The Day of Catastrophe". I have seen other people decorate their blogs and Facebook profile pages with Palestinian flags and "Free Palestine" slogans. I've seen people change their profile pictures to images of themselves wearing a Palestinian scarf, or keffiyah. I have no intention to generalize about people, but from the certain individuals that I know, they display such patriotism for Palestine and yet they hardly know anything about the current events, the history, or even about the politicians. I remember when I was directing my short film, "A Flower from the East," my main characters were Palestinian, and my film professor asked, "what is the significance of the Palestinian scarf? Does it serve any religious significance?" This question made me reflect on what the Palestinian cause means to me personally, and I believe this is a question we all should ask ourselves. What do the flags, scarves, and slogans mean and symbolize? We have to avoid chanting slogans emptily. It's like the young and proud Pakistanis who shout "Pakistan Zinadabaad!" (Long Live Pakistan) just for the sake of showing off their Pakistani pride, but not really understanding what they're saying.
The Palestinian people have suffered a great deal and their story is still neglected by the mainstream media, which is what frustrates Muslims around the world, myself included. A common mistake that many anti-Islamic and even well-intentioned conservatives make is that they think anti-Zionism equates anti-Jewish (yes, I'm one of those people who refuse to say anti-Semitism, since Arabs are Semites too, not just Jews). This is absolutely false. Another mistake is that they think Islam teaches Muslims to hate and kill Jews. Again, this is false. The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has nothing to do with Judaism and Islam; this conflict needs to be understood in light of historical context. More than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were brutally and systematically evicted from their homes by the terrorist organizations known as Irgun, Stern Gang, and the Haganah, "the precursor of the Israel Defense Forces." Examples of where these groups evicted Arabs can be found in the villages of Deir Yassin and Duwayma. According to Dan Freeman-Maloy of ZMag, the Zionist forces controlled 78% of mandatory Palestine by 1949. They declared the State of Israel after razing "some 400 Palestinian villages to the ground." As mentioned earlier, to this day, the creation of Israel is infamously known around the Muslim world as a great historic injustice and/or the Nakba (Catastrophe). In the years that followed, the Israeli military occupation (or the Israel Defense Force) patrolled the Palestinian settlements for "security" purposes. This is not to insult or stereotype the Israreli Defense Force, but just to point out that so many horrific crimes against innocent Palestinians have been committed by countless Israeli soldiers, who are not branded "terrorists" or charged with war crimes. In 1982, the prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, ordered the massacre of Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps. He formed an alliance with a Lebanese Christian militia-men, who were permitted to enter two Palestinian refugee camps (Sabra and Shatila) in an area controlled by the Israeli military. They massacred thousands of Palestinian civilians — something that the Palestinians and the Muslim world will never forget.
And the west ponders why the Muslim world is so antagonistic towards them and Israel. Extremist televangelists like John Hagee claim that this is a "religious war," which sounds very medieval if you ask me. It reminds me of the Crusades, when the Pope Urban II called for a holy war against the Muslims. The truth of the matter is that Christians, Muslims, and Jews have coexisted for centuries. Contrary to the "Islam-spread-by-the-sword" myth, Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their religion, pray in churches and synagogues, and hold honorable positions in the government (for example, the Christians would translate the Greek philosophical texts into Arabic). When the Muslim leader, Salah Al-Din, captured Jerusalem in 1187, he did not slaughter a single Christian civilian. He established peace and coexistence among the Christians, Muslims, and Jews. To read more about Salah Al-Din, read my entry on the Crusades here.
Why do I mention history? Because if we really care about the Palestinians and peace among human beings, we must learn from our history. Salah Al-Din and the Christian King Baldin IV were not afraid of negotiating with one another. Right now, President Bush is heavily criticizing Barack Obama for wanting to negotiate with "terrorists." Notice the terminology: "terrorists." In the mind of right-wing extremists, the Palestinian leaders, along with the Iraqi and Iranian leaders, are nothing less than "evil." According to tonight's CNN report, there are many Jewish-Americans are concerned about Obama's wanting to negotiate with the aforementioned leaders, particularly with Hamas. My question is: what's the alternative? Violence? War? Salah Al-Din and Baldwin IV negotiated to prevent bloodshed and slaughter. Salah Al-Din and Balian of Ibelin negotiated for the same reasons. What happens when there's no communication and understanding? People start to fear one another, and fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering (I learned that from "Star Wars").
We are told that the Palestinians "hate freedom and democracy". This is probably one of the biggest insults to human intelligence. By promoting this mentality, we are ignoring what is called cultural responses. When people are oppressed by a foreign invader, they develop a stronger connection with their culture and religious background. When the British occupied India, for example, they stripped the Indians of their language, culture, and religion. Many Indians who studied in England would come back to the India and didn't even know how to speak their own language. They were culturally confused. The rebellion against the British was sparked by the violent and brutal treatment of Indians, but the Indians also used their culture and religion(s) to energize and motivate them even more. "Why should we be like them?" they thought, "they're taking away our culture and religion." So they established a stronger and more patriotic connection with their ethnic identity and used that to fuel their energy to rebel. Cultural response.
Palestinians shout "Allahu Akbar" and other Islamic slogans because of the same reasons I mentioned above. War splits people into a duality, it separates humankind. Dehumanization occurs in the media, in the newspapers, on the battle field, and in society. Terms like "rag-head," "dune-coons" and "camel-jockeys" (among much worse slurs) are used to dehumanize the opposition. The media needs to vilify the "enemy" in order to rally more supporters of their political agenda. The Nazis did this with the Jews – they depicted them in cartoons with hooked noses and ugly features so that the rest of the country didn't feel sorry about killing them. The American cartoons even did this to Africans, drawing them ridiculously ugly and mentally retarded (see Spike Lee's "Bamboozled"). It's important to understand that the same is happening to the Arab/Muslim world. Instead of understanding why people behave certain ways, the media just simplifies it for us. They simplify it so that the rest of the west doesn't feel like they're supporting the deaths of other human beings; they want to know that they're killing "terrorists," and saving the "innocent" Israel (notice how Israelis use images of children on billboards and television advertisements). No one is born a suicide bomber, something happens to them in their surroundings and environment that cause them to behave that way.
Do I know what it's like to have a Loved one murdered? Do I know what it's like to see my home demolished? Do I know what it's like to be evicted and deported to another country? I have not been in these situations, yet I am deeply saddened and disturbed whenever I hear about what happens. Both the Israelis and Palestinians are suffering heavily, and whenever I speak about Palestinian causalities, I am accused of being a "terrorist sympathizer." I would like Israelis (and those who support Israel) to know that Muslims do not hate Jews and that there is nothing within Islam that teaches us to hate or kill them. Whenever Palestinians are killed by the Israeli military forces, those soldiers are never called "terrorists." When Israel bombed Lebanon in 2006, we were told by the mainstream media that it was an act of "self-defense." And yet, when a Palestinian defends him/herself, it is an act of "terrorism." I had a neighbor who was once an American soldier stationed in Israel. He saw with his own eyes, Israeli soldiers taking two Palestinian teenagers on top of a hill and then beating their faces in with rocks. He wanted to stop it, but his fellow soldiers held him back and told him to "let it be." The next day, as my neighbor told me, there was nothing on the news about what happened to those two Palestinian teenagers. What were their names? Who were their families? Who cares?
To my fellow Muslims, I say that we cannot allow hatred toward Jews and Israelis to persist. There were some people on my Facebook who wrote something against the Jews and I was really disturbed by it. I personally do not feel that the state of Israel should have been created without a Palestinian state. Since there are human beings living in Israel now, I do not believe it is practical or even humane to say that they should be annihilated or evicted. They have homes there and they shouldn't be punished for what their ancestors did. We need to think forward. I believe in a two-state solution. I believe a Palestinian state needs to be established and I don't think we should rely on the United States government to make that happen. One of the major lessons in life: If you want something done, do it yourself. Never rely on someone else to give you "freedom". We are all born as free human beings. That is our God-given right.
We must learn from our history. We must learn that despite our differences, we can still get along and establish a much needed understanding. Christians, Jews, and Muslims are the descendants of Abraham — the children of Abraham, peace be upon him. Promoting hatred towards Palestinians/Muslims or promoting hatred towards Israelis/Jews is not going to solve anything. The more we promote these of attitudes, the more of a mess Jerusalem will be. Allah says He does not help people until they change what is in themselves first. I believe there can be peace in the Holy Land. I believe in it because it has happened before. Deep down in my heart, I wish to see the Jerusalem that I see described in the pages of history — a Kingdom where people of all walks of life can live peacefully and together. Allah did not bring us into this world to fight each other. He brought us here to Love.
I dream of a day when the world will announce, "Jerusalem has come!" and over the ruins of war, there is a congregation — a new generation of Muslims, Christians, and Jews who will not tolerate the violence and hatred that greedy and corrupt politicians have fueled relentlessly for so many years. A new generation that will restore the world with consciousness and understanding. Jerusalem is not just the land of our Holy Prophets, it is in your heart. The Kingdom of Heaven is one of unity, peace, acceptance, and Love; it is within us all. And just like anything in life, if you want to accomplish something, you must have the confidence. You must have Faith, and the Universe will open a path for your dreams and aspirations. If we don't believe, then how do we ever except to achieve anything? What would we be without Love?
Wa ana ba'min be-mamlakt al-Janaah
Wa ana ba'min be-mamlakt al-Houb
Wa ana ba'min be-mamlakt al-Janaah
Wa an-nour al-Hayaat hiya al-duniya
La ilaha illa Allah
And I believe in the Kingdom of Heaven
And I believe in the Kingdom of Love
And I believe in the Kingdom of Heaven
And in the Light of Life of this world
There is no god, but God
~ Natacha Atlas
From the "Kingdom of Heaven" soundtrack


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Earlier this month Motorcheck highlighted the rise of a popular internet scam known as the 'Ghost Car'.
We were pleased when consumer affairs expert Tina Leonard picked up the story and highlighted it with Pat Kenny on RTE Radio 1′s 'The Today Show'.
On yesterday's show Tina took time to explain how Motorcheck was able to thwart a scammer after we noticed some unusual activity on our database. We've included the segment below for anyone who missed it.
Tina Leonard explains the 'Ghost Car' scam to Pat.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.READ MORE »
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There are so many bad stories in the press about diesel cars right now that you'd seriously start to wonder why anyone still buys one?READ MORE »
How far away, exactly, is the self-driving car?READ MORE »
Years built: 2009 to date Bodystyles: Four-door saloon What is it?READ MORE »
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We have long since suffered a pothole epidemic on Irish roads, so much so that it has become a running joke, and even lead to an outbreak of people 'helpfully' drawing attention to potholes by drawing, um, shall we say 'male members' around them.READ MORE »
The recent events in Donegal will have left so many of us numbed with shock, and most will be simply unable, even unwilling, to imagine the terrible emotions being experienced by those close to the tragedy.READ MORE »
This past week, PSA Group, which basically means Peugeot and Citroen, released what it calls 'Real World' fuel economy figures for three of its key models.READ MORE »
It's an oft-asked question when it comes time to shop for a second hand car.READ MORE »
Years built: 2007 to 2013 Bodystyles: Five-door hatchback, five-door seven-seat estate What is it?READ MORE »
Years built: 2006 to 2015 Bodystyles: Four-door executive saloons What is it?READ MORE »
Santa's sleigh luggage space is the real selling point – room for toys & treats for every child, plus some space for a few lumps of coal.READ MORE »
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I know, I know.READ MORE »
The number of dangerous cars on our roads are a serious risk to all road users. NCT stats & research on write-offs cars highlight the problemREAD MORE »
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Figures released today show new car sales January 2015 are up 25.4% on 2014 but used imports have declined for the first time since 2008READ MORE »
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June and December are now the ideal months for new car buyers seeking the best bargains to get out and spend their cash, according to research by Motorcheck.READ MORE »
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New Car Sales figures released today show that 2014 has delivered the highest New Car Sales in six years. The figures show an increase of 24% against the same period last year with almost 66,000 units sold to the end of June this yearREAD MORE »
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Irish drivers are fully in agreement with the recently introduced legislation on texting while driving, a fifth say they frequently use their phones behind the wheel and there is still confusion over what the legislation actually covers.READ MORE »
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This morning we were invited into the Ireland AM studios at TV3 to chat with Mark Cagney about some of the more common problems we come across daily. Car clocking, insurance write off's, outstanding finance and a variety of other important pieces of information we report on for Irish car buyers were all featured.READ MORE »
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10 Designers To Know at Australian Fashion Week
Australian Fashion Week in Sydney is fast becoming the fifth Fashion Week to follow on the international schedule. But unlike the New York, London, Milan, and Paris runways, Sydney's Fashion Week is a once-a-year do, with designers presenting Spring/Summer 2014 collections (that's Autumn/Winter 14 for those up north) kicking off the Sunday, April 6th. In honor of AFW, here are the top 10 Australian labels you need to know now.
Aje has always catered to the girl who dresses up or down, and the label can cleverly blend a mix of high-low dressing with ease and sophistication. Last year's Australian Fashion Week presentation saw pearlescent penny sequins in cream and black adorn everything from blouses to jackets and skirts — and we're hoping for an equally bright lineup for 2014.
Fashion Week's reigning veteran is Alex Perry, the Aussie man who has been designing women's fashion for over two decades to become the go-to for Australian eveningwear. And with fans like Sandra Bullock, it's obviously not just the Aussies who love this designer.
Is anyone really surprised that Carla Zampatti's daughter delved into fashion — and nailed it? The master of wearability, Bianca Spender has a reputation for giving an easy-to-wear, contemporary take on ladylike trends.
Johnny Schembri, the name behind Australia's most closely watched up-and-coming label, is fast earning a name for ultra-modern, sculptural collections punctuated with colour that are a hit with fashion-forward party girls (Georgia May Jagger included). Oh, and did we mention that most pieces are under $300? That's awesome too.
Yep, Fashion Week runways are the place to look for big-budget designer duds, but this Aussie label is also injecting a welcome dose of fashion that's decidedly more wallet-friendly (phew). If you're looking for designer-inspired outfits that don't look like rip-offs, this one's for you.
This year's Fashion Week opener might have been born in Italy, but there's no way we're not claiming Carla Zampatti as our own. Her design debut was back in '67 and she won the Australian Fashion Laureate in 2008. For four decades Zampatti has kept her collections fresh, fash-forward, and feminine.
It's no happy coincidence that editors, celebrities, and models all seem to own a piece by Dion Lee. Stocked alongside cult-hit names like Alexander Wang, Kenzo, and Stella McCartney on Net-A-Porter, this is the label ticking all the boxes to become Australia's most-wanted wardrobe addition. After showing in New York earlier this year, Dion is back on the Sydney runway, presenting his diffusion line, Dion Lee Line II.
This is the ticket everyone in the industry is clamouring after. Ellery always delivers a directional, brave collection that just toes on the line of bold. Before launching her line, designer Kym Ellery did her time at Central Saint Martins and worked among Russh magazine's creative team. Today, she has presented in Paris, is stocked globally, and has earned a rep as one of the most respected "It" names in Australian fashion.
Rainbow-prism patterns and placement lace prints marked Ginger & Smart's 2013 collection, so be prepared for an equally distinctive line-up this year. Headed up by two entrepreneurial, red-haired sisters, designers Alexandra and Genevieve Smart have become two of the country's most loved designers since launching their line in 2002.
Newbie Kahlo was founded three years ago, but is already familiar with the Fashion Week schedule in Australia. Cool, sporty designs and a knack for nailing leather dresses aside, the collection is 100% Australian made — and what's not to love about that?
More stories from POPSUGAR Australia:
The 10 Types Of People You Meet At Fashion Week
Which Designers Will You Be Following During Fashion Week?
Fall In 100 Outfits: The Must-See Looks From The Major Fashion Weeks


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Kate Simmons
Faculty Vice Chair
Kate is a Fellow and Senior Examiner for the Cecchetti Faculty, holder of the Maestro Cecchetti Diploma and MBBO. Kate won the Espinosa Scholarship to the Royal Ballet School, were she studied under Julia Farron, Kathryn Wade, Nancy Kilgour and Richard Glasstone to name but a few. After less than two years training she graduated to London Festival Ballet (now ENB) under the Directorship of Beryl Grey, John Field and Peter Schaufuss.
Whilst with the company she was lucky enough to dance all over the world and appear as a member of the Ballet Russe in the Herbert Ross Film-Nijinsky. Kate also choreographed ballets for the splinter group (LFB2). On retiring from the company, she returned to the Royal Ballet School part time to study for her teaching qualifications.
Kate is Principal of her own college (KS Dance Ltd) which is fully accredited by CDMT and Trinity College London for delivery of the Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance. In between teaching at her college and examining, Kate still teaches and choreographs internationally. Kate was elected to Faculty in 2008 and as Vice Chair in 2014.


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Twitter has already built a great service to track what people are saying in real-time. But knowing where they're saying it could be even more valuable. So as Twitter continues to build out its product, adding location data to tweets will be an important move.
The good news is that Twitter seems to be moving in that direction. For instance, the company has recently hired a new member for its platform team with a background in location services: Ryan Sarver, who most recently worked at Boston-based Skyhook Wireless. That's the company whose wi-fi-based location service powers Apple's iPod touch and helps out on the iPhone, among other gadgets.
And at a recent conference, Twitter's API lead Alex Payne reportedly said the company "would make other changes to support search, including adding location based info to each Tweet." So it seems geotagging tweets is an area the company will be investing in sooner than later.
There is already some location information attached to each tweet -- via the "location" field that's attached to your Twitter profile. Right now, that data can be used in an advanced Twitter search, or for developers, via a call to Twitter's search API. But in most cases, that's something you've entered by hand, and is very broad: "New York, NY" or "Paris, France." And sometimes, it's useless. My Twitter location is "NYC via Chicago," which is how I choose to describe myself. But that's not going to help Twitter much.
To make location more useful within Twitter, it's probably going to have to actually get your real-time location -- or an approximation -- for each tweet.
That will be relatively easy to do on mobile phones with GPS or other location features, such as Apple's (AAPL) iPhone or Google (GOOG) Android-powered devices. Today, iPhone apps like Tweetie and Twitterfon can already get your location. And the next version of MobileSafari will also be able to tap into the GPS.
But on older phones, or via text messaging, Twitter may have to figure something else out. One option could be making deals with mobile carriers to get approximate coordinates for your location, but we're not sure if carriers would want to offer that information for free.
Meanwhile, on a desktop or computer, it's also tricky, but not impossible. For instance, there are ways to figure out roughly where you are over the network. Major League Baseball uses a technology they patented to figure out where your computer is -- to decide if you're allowed to stream live baseball games online, or if you're in a local-TV blackout area. Other technologies exist, such Skyhook's Loki, and if Twitter (or popular desktop apps like TweetDeck) can figure out a way to get more people to install it, it might just work.
What's the point? Besides making Twitter more interesting to users -- get a glimpse of nearby tweets, see which friends are in the neighborhood, etc. -- it might also become more powerful for corporations, which Twitter will try to recruit as paying members later this year.
For instance: Filter only nearby tweets about local businesses, see what people in Denver are saying about Sprint or Verizon service, or see if different parts of the country like a certain TV show or music artist more than others. And if Twitter ever hopes for a future in local advertising, knowing someone's location will be especially important.


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Author Notes: Last year I canned a sweet and savory tomato jam, and it came in quite handy recently when I had a craving for a caprese sandwich. Rather than buy out-of-season tomatoes, I used some of that jam with creamy fresh mozzarella from the local Italian shop and luckily spinach had already made its debut at the farmers' market (was still too early for basil). In fact, I often make a big batch of the spinach I use in the sandwich and keep it on hand to add to pasta or serve as a vegetable side. If you don't have a homemade tomato jam in the pantry, Katchkie Farms makes a very lovely one that can be mail ordered—and it reminds me very much of the one I'll be making once tomatoes come around again this year. —Jennifer Perillo
Serves: 2
teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
shallot, thinly sliced
cup packed baby spinach, well rinsed and dried
tablespoon raisins
slices, country or white pullman bread
tablespoons tomato jam
3 to 4
ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- Heat olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and raisins and saute until raisins are plump and the spinach is wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat cast iron skillet over medium flame, or alternately preheat your panini grill.
- Meanwhile, arrange two slices of bread on a countertop or cutting board. Slather an equal amount of tomato jam on each slice. Top with equal amounts of mozzarella slices. Arrange equal amounts of spinach on top of cheese. Top with remaining slices of bread.
- Place sandwich into hot skillet and use a heavy-bottomed skillet or pot to weight it down, or alternately place it into your heated panini press. If using the manual stovetop method, turn the sandwich once the underside is nicely browned, return heavy-bottomed pot on top of sandwich and continue to cook until golden on other side. Serve hot.
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe Using Fresh Mozzarella
More Great Recipes:
Sandwich|Italian|Jam/Jelly|Mozzarella|Shallot|Spinach|Tomato|Vegetable|Raisin|Cheese|Cast Iron


text: karnataka-tourist-spots-1-dandeli-river-rafting by Sanchari Pal November 8, 2017, 12:50 pm Written by Sanchari Pal A lover of all things creative and happy, Sanchari is a biotech engineer who fell in love with writing and decided to make it her profession. She is also a die-hard foodie, a pet-crazy human, a passionate history buff and an ardent lover of books. When she is not busy at The Better India, she can usually be found reading, laughing at silly cat videos and binge-watching TV seasons.