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Federal Register Notice
90-Day Finding on Petitions To Delist the Gray Wolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the Western Great Lakes
Below are the Summary and Background sections. Click here to download a PDF file of the entire 6-page Federal Register Notice of the 90-Day Finding on Petitions to Delist the Gray Wolf in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2010–0062; 92220–1113–0000–C6]
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of petition finding and initiation of status review.
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a 90-day finding on petitions to remove (delist) the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) established under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petitions present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that removing the gray wolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan from the List may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if delisting in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding the gray wolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petitions, which will address whether any of the petitioned actions are warranted, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.
DATES: To allow us adequate time to conduct this review, we request that we receive information on or before November 15, 2010. Please note that if you are using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES section, below), the deadline for submitting an electronic comment is 12:00 Midnight, Eastern Standard Time on this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit information by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// www.regulations.gov. In the box that reads ''Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter the Docket number for this finding, which is [FWS–R3–ES–2010–0062]. Check the box that reads ''Open for Comment/ Submission,'' and then click the Search button. You should then see an icon that reads ''Submit a Comment.'' Please ensure that you have found the correct rulemaking before submitting your comment.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R3– ES–2010–0062, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203. We will post all information we receive on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see the Request for Information section below for more details).
After the date specified in DATES, you must submit information directly to the Regional Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below). Please note that we might not be able to address or incorporate information that we receive after the above requested date.
Laura Ragan, Endangered Species Listing Coordinator, Midwest Regional Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, 55111, by telephone (612–713–5350), or by facsimile (612–713–5292). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), please call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800–877–8339.
Request for Information
When we make a finding that a petition to remove (delist) a species from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife presents substantial information that the petitioned action may be warranted, we are required to promptly commence a review of the status of the species (status review). For the status review to be complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we request information on the gray wolf in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan from governmental agencies, Native American Tribes, the scientific community, industry, and any other interested parties. We seek information on:
(1) The species' biology, range, and population trends, including:
(2) The factors that are the basis for making a delisting determination for a species under section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), which are:
(3) Current or planned activities in the western Great Lakes region and their possible impacts on the wolf and its habitat;
(4) Information concerning the adequacy of the recovery criteria described in the 1992 Recovery Plan for the Eastern Timber Wolf;
(5) The extent and adequacy of Federal, State, and tribal protection and management that would be provided to the wolf in the western Great Lakes region as a delisted species;
(6) Whether gray wolves in Minnesota alone; or in Minnesota and Wisconsin combined; or in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan combined constitute distinct population segments or entities that which may be removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife under the Act; and
(7) Information or data regarding the taxonomy of wolves in the western Great Lakes region. Please include sufficient information with your submission (such as scientific journal articles or other publications) to allow us to verify any scientific or commercial information you include. Submissions merely stating support for or opposition to the action under consideration without providing supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in making a determination. Section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Act directs that determinations as to whether any species is an endangered or threatened species must be made ''solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available.''
You may submit your information concerning this status review by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. If you submit information via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire submission—including any personal identifying information—will be posted on the Web site. If you submit a hardcopy that includes personal identifying information, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this personal identifying information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will post all hardcopy submissions on http:// www.regulations.gov.
Information and supporting documentation that we received and used in preparing this finding is available for you to review at http:// www.regulations.gov, or you may make an appointment during normal business hours at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midwest Regional Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(3)(A)) requires that we make a finding on whether a petition to list, delist, or reclassify a species presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. We are to base this finding on information provided in the petition, supporting information submitted with the petition, and information otherwise available in our files. To the maximum extent practicable, we are to make this finding within 90 days of our receipt of the petition and publish our notice of the finding promptly in the Federal Register.
Our standard for substantial scientific or commercial information within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) with regard to a 90-day petition finding is ''that amount of information that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the measure proposed in the petition may be warranted'' (50 CFR 424.14(b)). If we find that substantial scientific or commercial information was presented, we are required to promptly conduct a species status review, which we subsequently summarize in our 12- month finding.
Petition History
On March 15, 2010, we received a petition from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) requesting that the gray wolf in Minnesota be removed from the lists of endangered or threatened species under the Act. In an April 16, 2010, letter to the MNDNR, we responded that we received the petition and provided an explanation of the petition process. On April 26, 2010, we received a petition from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) requesting that the gray wolf in Minnesota and Wisconsin be removed from the lists of endangered or threatened species under the Act. In a May 14, 2010 letter, to the WIDNR, we responded that we received the petition and provided an explanation of the petition process. On April 26, 2010, we received a petition from the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, representing five other organizations, requesting that gray wolves in the Great Lakes area be removed from the lists of endangered or threatened species under the Act. In a May 28, 2010, letter to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, we responded that we received the petition and provided an explanation of the petition process. On June 17, 2010, we received a petition from Safari Club International, Safari Club International Foundation and the National Rifle Association of America requesting that wolves of the western Great Lakes be removed from the list of endangered and threatened species. In a June 30, 2010, letter to the Safari Club International we responded that we received the petition and provided an explanation of the petition process.
All of the petitions clearly identified themselves as such and included the requisite identification information from the petitioner, as required by 50 CFR 424.14(a). This finding addresses the four petitions.
Previous Federal Actions
The eastern timber wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) was listed as endangered in Minnesota and Michigan, and the northern Rocky Mountain wolf (C. l. irremotus) was listed as endangered in Montana and Wyoming in the first list of species that were protected under the 1973 Act, published in May 1974 (USDI 1974). A third gray wolf subspecies, the Mexican wolf (C. l. baileyi), was listed as endangered on April 28, 1976, (41 FR 17736) with its known range given as ''Mexico, USA (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas).'' On June 14, 1976, (41 FR 240624) the subspecies C. l. monstrabilis was listed as endangered (under the misleading common name ''Gray wolf''), and its range was described as ''Texas, New Mexico, Mexico.''
On March 9, 1978, we published a rule (43 FR 9607) relisting the gray wolf at the species level (Canis lupus) as endangered throughout the conterminous 48 States and Mexico, except for Minnesota, where the gray wolf was reclassified to threatened. In addition, critical habitat was designated in that rulemaking. In 50 CFR 17.95(a), we describe Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, and Minnesota wolf management zones 1, 2, and 3 (delineated in 50 CFR 17.40(d)(1)) as critical habitat. At that time we also developed special regulations under section 4(d) of the Act for managing wolves in Minnesota. The depredation control portion of the special regulation was later modified (50 FR 50792; December 12, 1985); these special regulations are found in 50 CFR 17.40(d)(2).
On April 1, 2003, we published a final rule revising the listing status of the gray wolf across most of the conterminous United States (68 FR 15804). Within that rule, we identified three distinct population segments (DPS) for the gray wolf. Gray wolves in the Western DPS and the Eastern DPS were reclassified from endangered to threatened, except where already classified as threatened or as an experimental population. Gray wolves in the Southwestern DPS retained their previous endangered or experimental population status. The three existing gray wolf experimental population designations were not affected by the April 1, 2003, final rule. We removed gray wolves from the lists of threatened and endangered wildlife in all or parts of 16 southern and eastern States where the species historically did not occur. We also established a new special rule under section 4(d) of the Act for the threatened Western DPS to increase our ability to effectively manage wolf– human conflicts outside the two experimental population areas in the Western DPS. In addition, we established a second section 4(d) rule that applied provisions similar to those previously in effect in Minnesota to most of the Eastern DPS. These two special rules were codified in 50 CFR 17.40(n) and (o), respectively.
On January 31, 2005, and August 19, 2005, U.S. District Courts in Oregon and Vermont, respectively, ruled that the April 1, 2003, final rule violated the Act (Defenders of Wildlife v. Secretary, U.S. Dep't of the Interior, 354 F.Supp.2d 1156 (D.Or. 2005); National Wildlife Fed'n v. Norton, 386 F.Supp.2d 553 (D.Vt. 2005) . The Courts' rulings invalidated the revisions to the gray wolf listing. Therefore, the status of gray wolves outside of Minnesota and outside of areas designated as nonessential experimental populations reverted back to endangered (as had been the case prior to the 2003 reclassification). The courts also invalidated the associated special regulations.
On March 27, 2006, we published a proposal (71 FR 15266–15305) to identify a Western Great Lakes (WGL) DPS of the gray wolf, to remove the WGL DPS from the protections of the Act, to remove designated critical habitat for the gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and to remove special regulations for the gray wolf in Minnesota. The proposal was followed by a 90-day comment period, during which we held four public hearings on the proposal.
On February 8, 2007, we published a final rule identifying a WGL DPS of the gray wolf, removing the WGL DPS from the protections of the Act, removing designated critical habitat for the gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and removing special regulations for the gray wolf in Minnesota (72 FR 6052).
On April 16, 2007, four parties filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) and the Service, challenging the Service's February 8, 2007 (72 FR 6052), identification and delisting of the WGL DPS. The plaintiffs argued that the Service may not identify a DPS within a broader pre-existing listed entity for the purpose of delisting the DPS. Based on this argument, on September 29, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia remanded and vacated the February 8, 2007, WGL DPS final rule (72 FR 6052). The court found that the Service had made that decision based on its interpretation that the plain meaning of the Act authorizes the Service to identify and delist a DPS within an already-listed entity. The court disagreed, and concluded that the Act is ambiguous as to whether the Service has this authority. The court accordingly remanded the final rule so that the Service could provide a reasoned explanation of how its interpretation is consistent with the text, structure, legislative history, judicial interpretations, and policy objectives of the Act (Humane Society of the United States v. Kempthorne, 579 F. Supp. 2d 7 (D.D.C. 2008).
On December 11, 2008, we published a final rule reinstating protections for the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains pursuant to court-orders (73 FR 75356).
On April 2, 2009, we published a final rule identifying the western Great Lakes populations of gray wolves as a DPS, revising the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife by removing the DPS from that list, removing designated critical habitat for the gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and removing special regulations for the gray wolf in Minnesota (74 FR 15070). That final rule addressed the narrow issue objectionable to the court and was otherwise substantially the same as the 2007 vacated rule. We did not seek additional public comment on the 2009 final rule.
On June 15, 2009, five parties filed a complaint against the Department and the Service alleging that we violated the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and the Court's Remand Order by publishing the 2009 final rule. The Humane Society, et al. v. Salazar, 09– cv–1092 (D.D.C. 2009). On that same day, the plaintiffs also filed a motion for preliminary injunction alleging that we violated the notice and comment requirement of the APA, the Endangered Species Act's requirement that we consider the best available science, and the court's remand order by publishing the 2009 final rule. We conceded that we erred by publishing the 2009 final rule without providing for notice and comment as required by APA (5 U.S.C. 553). On July 2, 2009, a settlement agreement between the parties was signed by the court, remanding and vacating the 2009 final rule. On September 16, 2009, we published a final rule reinstating protections for the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes pursuant to the settlement agreement and court-order (74 FR 47483).
Species Information
For a discussion of the biology and ecology of gray wolves and general recovery planning efforts, see the proposed WGL wolf rule published on March 27, 2006, (71 FR 15266–15305), also available on http://www.fws.gov/ midwest/wolf/.
Defining a Species Under the Act
Section 3(16) of the Act defines ''species'' to include ''any species or subspecies of fish and wildlife or plants, and any distinct vertebrate population segment of fish or wildlife that interbreeds when mature'' (16 U.S.C. 1532 (16)). Our implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424.02 provide further guidance for determining whether a particular taxon or population is a species or subspecies for the purposes of the Act: ''The Secretary shall rely on standard taxonomic distinctions and the biological expertise of the Department and the scientific community concerning the relevant taxonomic group'' (50 CFR 424.11).
To interpret and implement the distinct vertebrate population segment (DPS) provisions of the Act and Congressional guidance, the Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration— Fisheries), published the Policy Regarding the Recognition of Distinct Vertebrate Population Segments (DPS Policy) in the Federal Register on February 7, 1996 (61 FR 4722). Under the DPS Policy, three elements are considered in the decision regarding the establishment and classification of a population of a vertebrate species as a possible DPS. Similarly, these three elements are applied for additions to and removals from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. These elements are: (1) The discreteness of a population in relation to the remainder of the species to which it belongs, (2) the significance of the population segment to the species to which it belongs, and, if these first two criteria are met, (3) the population segment's conservation status in relation to the Act's standards for listing, delisting, or reclassification.
Above are the Summary and Background sections. Click here to download a PDF file of the entire 6-page Federal Register Notice of the 90-Day Finding on Petitions to Delist the Gray Wolf in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin
Gray Wolves in the Western Great Lakes States - Home


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This is the first of a series of posts to be titled Where's My Family?
Each post in this series will feature a specific Surname with the known connected names, places , dates, etc. Can you help me fill in the blanks? Today's surname is LONGBOTTOM.
William Chambers LONGBOTTOM was born abt 1870 in East Retford, Nottinghamshire, England. He married Elizabeth Ann COLTON abt 1895 in East Retford, Nottinghamshire. Elizabeth Ann Colton was born abt 1874 also in East Retford, Nottinghamshire. I know they had a son by the name of Albert Edward LONGBOTTOM born 2 Dec 1911 in East Retford, Nottinghamshire.
Does anyone know the parents of William Chambers LONGBOTTOM and/or Elizabeth Ann COLTON? Any further dates, family members, or whatever. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
GENEALOGY SHARING AND DISCUSSION BLOG - Welcome. Please look over the surname lists, maybe we have common ancestors we can share notes on.
10 November 2010
Where's My Family? - LONGBOTTOM
2 comments:
- AnonymousNovember 11, 2010 at 5:12 PM
William Chambers Longbottom's parents were: David Daniel Longbottom, b 1846 in East Retford, Notts, ENG & Betsy (possibly Chambers??)b 1851 in West Retford, Notts, ENG. The 1861 census stated David was 15 yrs. The 1881 census shows David with 5 children, gives wife's name as Betsy with her b year & place. Children were William Chambers 1871; John 1873; Mary Jane 1878; Anni 1879; Frank 1881. (smiles,Joy)ReplyDelete
Thanks for the information.ReplyDelete
Can anyone expand on this?
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European Commission
Brussels, 26 June 2013
CAP Reform – an explanation of the main elements
The Commission, the Council and the European Parliament (EP) have today reached a political agreement on the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy – subject to formal approval by the Council and the EP as a 1st reading Agreement once the texts have been formalised in all languages. Based on the Commission proposals from October 2011 (see IP/11/1181 and MEMO/11/685), the agreement relates to four basic European Parliament and Council regulations for the Common Agriculture Policy – i) on Direct Payments, ii) the Single Common Market Organisation (CMO), iii) Rural Development and, iv) a Horizontal Regulation for financing, managing and monitoring the CAP. A number of issues will be dealt with separately within the negotiations on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014-2020 – notably on the transfer of funds between Direct Payments (1st pillar) and Rural Development (2nd Pillar), the allocation of national envelopes for Direct Payments and Rural development, and rates of co-financing, and the question of capping & degressivity.
The main elements of the proposals can be summarized as follows:
1. Direct Payments
In order to move towards a fairer distribution of support, the CAP system for Direct Payments will move away from one where allocations per Member State - and per farmer within the Member State - are based on historical references. This will mean a clear and genuine convergence of payments not only between Member States, but also within Member States. Moreover, the introduction of a Greening Payment – where 30% of the available national envelope is linked to the provision of certain sustainable farming practices – means that a significant share of the subsidy will in future be linked to rewarding farmers for the provision of environmental public goods. All payments will still be subject to respecting certain environmental and other rules [see "cross compliance" point 4 below horizontal regulation
The Basic Payment Scheme (BPS): Member States will dedicate 70% of their Direct Payments national envelope to the new Basic Payment Scheme – minus any amounts committed for Young Farmer top-ups, and other options such as Less Favoured Area top-ups, the Small Farmers Scheme, the Redistributive Payment and as "coupled" payments. For the EU-12, the end-date for the simpler, flat-rate Single Area Payments Scheme (SAPS) system will be extended until 2020.
Internal Convergence: Those Member States that currently maintain allocations based on historic references must move towards more similar levels of payment per hectare. They may choose from different options: to take a national approach, or a regional approach (based on administrative or agronomic criteria); to achieve a regional/national rate by 2019, or to ensure that those farms getting less than 90% of the regional/national average rate see a gradual increase – with the additional guarantee that every farmer reaches a minimum payment of 60% of the national/regional average by 2019. The amounts available to farmers receiving more than the regional/national average will be adjusted proportionally, with an option for Member States to limit any "losses" to 30%.
Member States also have the right to use a redistributive payment for the first hectares whereby they can take up to 30% of the national envelope and redistribute it to farmers on their first 30 hectares (or up to the average farm size if higher than 30ha). This will have a significant redistributive effect. A further possible option is to apply a maximum payment per hectare.
Young Farmers: In order to encourage generational renewal, the Basic Payment awarded to new entrant Young Farmers (those under 40) should be topped up by an additional 25% for the first 5 years of installation. This shall be funded by up to 2% of the national envelope and will be compulsory for all Member states. This is in addition to other measures available for young farmers under Rural Development programmes.
Small Farmers Scheme: Optional for Member States, any farmer claiming support may decide to participate in the Small Farmers Scheme and thereby receive an annual payment fixed by the Member State of between 500 € and 1 250 €, regardless of the farm size. Member States may choose from different methods to calculate the annual payment, including an option whereby farmers would simply receive the amount they would otherwise receive. This will be an enormous simplification for the farmers concerned and for national administrations. Participants will face less stringent cross-compliance requirements, and be exempt from greening. The total cost of the Small Farmers Scheme may not be more than 10% of the national envelope, except when a Member State chooses to ensure that small farmers received what they would be due without the scheme. There will also be Rural Development funding for advice to small farmers for economic development and restructuring grants for regions with many such small farms.
"Coupled" option: In order to address the potentially adverse effects of internal convergence for specific sectors in certain regions and to take account of existing conditions, Member States will have the option of providing limited amounts of "coupled" payments, i.e. a payment linked to a specific product. This will be limited to 8% of the national envelope if the Member State currently provides coupled support, or up to 13% if the current level of coupled support is higher than 5%.The Commission has flexibility to approve a higher rate where justified. In addition, there is a possibility of providing a 2% "coupled" support for protein crops.
Areas with Natural Constraints (ANCs) /Less Favoured Areas (LFAs): Member States (or regions) may grant an additional payment for areas with natural constraints (as defined under Rural Development rules) of up to 5% of the national envelope. This is optional and does not affect the ANC/LFA options available under Rural Development.
Greening: In addition to the Basic Payment Scheme/SAPS, each holding will receive a payment per hectare for respecting certain agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment. Member States will use 30% of their national envelope in order to pay for this. This is compulsory and failure to respect the Greening requirements will result in penalties which go beyond the Greening payment, i.e. after a transition offenders will also lose up to 125% of their Greening payment.
The 3 basic measures foreseen are:
Greening Equivalency: In order to avoid penalising those that already address environmental and sustainability issues, the accord foresees a "Greening equivalency" system whereby the application of environmentally beneficial practices already in place are considered to replace these basic requirements. For example, organic producers will have no additional requirements as their practices are shown to provide a clear ecological benefit. For others, agri-environment schemes may incorporate measures that are considered equivalent. The new regulation contains a list of such equivalent measures. To avoid "double funding" of such measures, the payments through RD programmes must take into account the basic greening requirements [see RD section below].
Financial Discipline: Subject to approval of the MFF and notwithstanding the separate decision for the 2014 budget year, it was agreed that any future Financial Discipline reduction in annual direct payments (i.e. when payment estimates are higher than the available budget for the 1st Pillar) should apply a threshold of €2 000. In other words, the reduction would NOT apply to the first €2 000 of each farmer's Direct Payments. This will also serve to feed the Market Crisis reserve where necessary [see horizontal regulation].
"Active farmers": In order to iron out a number of legal loopholes which have enabled a limited number of companies to claim Direct Payments, even though their primary business activity is not agricultural, the reform tightens the rule on active farmers. A new negative list of professional business activities which should be excluded from receiving Direct Payments (covering airports, railway services, water works, real estate services and permanent sports & recreation grounds) will be mandatory for Member States, unless the individual businesses concerned can show that they have genuine farming activity. Member States will be able to extend the negative list to include further business activities.
Eligible hectares – The rules foresee setting 2015 as a new reference year for land area, but there will be a link to beneficiaries of the direct payments system in 2013 in order to avoid speculation. Member States which might see a large increase in declared eligible area are allowed to limit the number of payment entitlements to be allocated in 2015 to either 135% or 145% of the number of hectares declared in 2009.
2. Market management mechanisms
With milk quotas expiring in 2015, the reform foresees the end to the sugar quota regime on September 30, 2017, confirming the indication of the 2005 sugar reform to put an end date for the quota regime while allowing for additional time for the sector to adjust. This will ensure improved competitiveness for EU producers on the domestic and world market alike (as EU exports are limited by WTO rules under quotas). This will also provide the sector with a long-term perspective. Ample supply on EU domestic markets at reasonable prices will also benefit the intermediate and final users of sugar. In order to provide added security, standard provisions for agreements between sugar factories and growers will be maintained. For the period after quotas, white sugar will remain eligible for private storage aid. Most developing countries will continue to enjoy unlimited duty-free access to the EU market.
On wine production, the accord respects the decision of the 2006 wine reform to end the system of wine planting rights at the end of 2015, with the introduction of a system of authorisations for new vine planting from 2016 – as recommended by the High Level Group on Wine last December (see IP/13/1378) – with growth limited to 1% per year.
Other amendments to the Singe Common Market Organisation (CMO) rules aim to improve the market orientation of EU agriculture in light of increased competition on world markets, while providing an effective safety net for farmers in the context of external uncertainties (together with direct payments and options for risk management under rural development). The existing systems of public intervention and private storage aid are revised to be more responsive and more efficient, for example with technical adjustments for beef and dairy. For dairy, these changes, come in addition to the 2012 "Milk Package" which is incorporated into the Regulation and strengthening the bargaining power of farmers.
Moreover, new safeguard clauses are introduced for all sectors to enable the Commission to take emergency measures to respond to general market disturbances – such as the measures taken during the e-coli crisis in May-July 2011. These measures will be funded from a Crisis Reserve financed by annually reducing direct payments. Funds not used for crisis measures will be returned to farmers in the following year. In case of severe imbalance in the market, the Commission may also authorise producer organisations or inter branch organisations, respecting specific safeguards, to take certain temporary measures collectively (for example market withdrawal or storage by private operators) to stabilise the sector concerned.
The School Fruit Scheme and the School milk scheme are to be extended, and the annual budget for the school fruit scheme is increased from EUR 90 to EUR 150 million per year.
In order to improve farmers' negotiating position in the food chain, the Commission is looking for a better organisation of the sectors with a few limited derogations to EU competition law. Rules related to the recognition of Producer Organisations (POs) and inter-branch organisations are now covering all sectors – with further options for establishing such oganisations now transferred to Rural Development funding (see below). Furthermore, the possibility for farmers to collectively negotiate contracts for the supply of olive oil, beef, cereals and certain other arable crops is foreseen under certain conditions and safeguards. The Commission will provide guidelines about potential issues relating to competition law.
In the interests of simplification and market orientation, a number of minor or unused schemes are abolished (aid for the use of skimmed milk and skimmed milk powder in animal feed and casein, coupled aid for silkworms!)
3. Rural Development
Rural development policy will retain its current, successful foundation concept: Member states or regions will continue to design their own multi-annual programmes on the basis of the menu of measures available at EU level – in response to the needs of their own rural areas. These programmes will be co-funded from the national envelopes – where the amounts and rates of co-funding will be dealt with within the context of the MFF. The new rules for the 2nd Pillar provide a more flexible approach than at present. Measures will no longer be classified at EU level into "axes" with associated minimum spending requirements per axis. Instead, it will be up to Member States / regions to decide which measures they use (and how) in order to achieve targets set against six broad "priorities" and their more detailed "focus areas" (sub-priorities), on the basis of sound analysis. The six priorities will cover: Fostering knowledge transfer and innovation; Enhancing competitiveness of all types of agriculture and the sustainable management of forests; Promoting food chain organisation, including processing and marketing, & risk management; Restoring, preserving & enhancing ecosystems; Promoting resource efficiency & the transition to a low-carbon economy; and Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas. Member States will have to spend at least 30 % of their rural development funding from the EU budget on certain measures related to land management and the fight against climate change, and at least 5 % on the LEADER approach.
Rural Development policy will also operate in closer co-ordination with other policies through an EU-level Common Strategic Framework and through Partnership Agreements at national level covering all support from European Structural and Investment (ESI) funds (the EAFRD, ERDF, Cohesion Fund, ESF and EMFF) in the Member State concerned.
In the new period, Member States / regions will also have the possibility to design thematic sub-programmes to pay especially detailed attention to issues such as young farmers, small farms, mountain areas, women in rural areas, climate change mitigation / adaptation, biodiversity and short supply chains. Higher support rates will be available within sub-programmes in some cases.
The streamlined menu of measures will build on the strong points of measures available in the current period. Among other things, it will cover:
4. Horizontal Regulation
Controls: Control requirements will be lowered in regions where previous checks have shown good results, i.e. the rules are being properly respected. However, checks will need to be increased in regions where there are problems.
Farm Advisory Service: The list of issues on which Member States will have to offer advice to farmers has been enlarged to cover, beyond cross compliance, the green direct payments, the conditions for maintenance of land eligible for direct payments, the Water Framework and Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directives, as well as certain rural development measures.
Cross compliance: All direct payments, certain rural development payments and certain vine payments will continue to be linked to the respect of a number of statutory requirements relating to environment, climate change, good agricultural condition of land, human, animal & plant health standards and animal welfare. The list has been simplified to exclude rules where there are no clear and controllable obligations for farmers. The deal confirms that the Water Framework and the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directives will be incorporated into the cross-compliance system once they have been shown to have been properly applied in all Member States, and obligations to farmers have been clearly identified.
Crisis reserve : A crisis reserve will be created every year for an amount of €400 million (in 2011 prices) by application of financial discipline. If the amount is not used for a crisis it will be reimbursed to farmers as direct payments in the following year.
Transparency: Member States will have to provide full transparency of all beneficiaries – with the exception of those farms which are eligible for the Small Farmers Scheme in that Member State.
Monitoring & Evaluation of the CAP: The Commission will present a report before the end of 2018 – and every 4 years thereafter – on the performance of the CAP with respect to its main objectives – viable food production, sustainable management of natural resources, and balanced territorial development.
5. Further elements
Alignment: In terms of further implementation, a number of issues in particular relating to the Single CMO regulation have been designated as subject to approval under Article 43(3) and others under Article 43(2).
Transitional arrangements: The aim is that all the new Regulations enter into force from January 1, 2014 – and the Commission can now start work on the implementing rules for these Council Regulations. However, given the preparation necessary, it is already clear that the Member State Paying Agencies do not have enough time to have the necessary administration and controls for the new system of direct payments in place by the start of next year (when the IACS forms are sent out to farmers). As a result, the Commission has made a separate proposal that there should be a transition year for Direct Payments in 2014. In other words, the new elements such as Greening and the Young Farmers top-up will only apply from 2015 onwards. Similarly, Member States are encouraged to work on their multi-annual Rural Development programmes, which should be approved early next year. However, for certain annual elements, such as agri-environment payments, transition rules should apply so that there is no interruption in this type of scheme.
For more information:
Documents and information on the CAP reform proposal are available at:
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cloudplaynetwork needed a new banner ad design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 24 designs submitted by 10 freelance designers.
We are a production company which is working on a project that is still in stealth mode.
US University student market.
I want a campaign poster of Obama (we will replace this character later) running for President of the World.
I want the design to be striking, noticeable even if it was just a banner ad on facebook.
But still detailed enough that it would look good as the cover page of our website.
I want there to be reference to obamaforpresident.com.
I want there to be space for a single campaign slogan.
The colors I am seeing right now are red, blue and yellow but I want something to convey worldwide authority and trust.


text: Nitrogen or Oxygen inflation. 02 February 2011 TireGuy Tire Tech Should I be using Nitrogen to inflate my tires? A correctly inflated tire will have exactly the same ride quality, same fuel usage, and same tread life whether it uses nitrogen or just plain air. The main cause of reduced tread life and poor fuel efficiency is incorrectly inflated tires. Once the air pressure in a tire is low, the tire creates more rolling resistance which increases fuel consumption. Also, an underinflated tire becomes slightly deformed where it contacts the road which reduces traction and contributes to uneven, premature tire wear. Regular air is naturally made up of approximately 80% nitrogen, so by using pure nitrogen you are only really gaining a 20% increase. Air can leak through a tire at a rate of about 1 psi per month. Nitrogen leaks about half that rate, so if you forget to check your air pressure, the Nitrogen inflated tire will leak less, and therefore will not run into under-inflation problems as soon as a tire inflated with plain air. An advantage that Nitrogen does have is that is that is has less water in it compared to regular air. This moisture can start to corrode the tires' internal materials which can potentially reduce the life of the tire. Using Nitrogen will reduce the amount of moisture that gets into the steel belts and beads of the tire. Another thing to keep in mind is this: if you have nitrogen inflated tires you have to find a service center that offers nitrogen inflation to adjust the pressure. If you have Nitrogen inflated tires and then you top up with plain air, you are cancelling out the advantage of using Nitrogen. In our opinion, if you are offered Nitrogen inflation for no charge, then there is no real harm in going that route. If someone tries to charge you for it, you are probably better off just using air, since its free and available everywhere. Nitrogen is relatively new for public use therefore it is not as commonly used. If you go with air inflated tires be sure to maintain your air pressure monthly (as you should be anyways). More useful reading at: http://www.getnitrogen.org/why/index.php


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A lawsuit filed on Friday alleged that laboratory equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc sold a Mexican plant last year without revealing that a drug cartel was operating there, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Reynosa, Mexico-based manufacturing facility, part of a larger deal between Opengate Capital Group LLC and Thermo Fisher, was occupied by gangsters from the Gulf Cartel, the Journal reported Saturday.
Continue Reading Below
The private equity firm filed the lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles.
The report said the lawsuit alleged that Thermo Fisher acted in bad faith by withholding documents and directing employees to conceal the drug gang's presence at the facility.
Opengate alleged gangsters brandished weapons at employees and parked their cars and "tractor-trailers filled with unknown cargo" at the facility, the newspaper reported.
The firm did not specify damages sought, it said.
The suit said that the company rushed the negotiations and provided misleading answers to due-diligence inquiries, the newspaper reported. (http://r.reuters.com/byj97t)
Thermo Fisher, the world's largest maker of laboratory equipment and scientific instruments, agreed to acquire Life Technologies Inc in mid-April for more than $13 billion.
Thermo Fisher was not immediately available for comment outside normal U.S. business hours.
The company's shares closed at $84.46 on Friday on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting by Pallavi Ail in Bangalore, Editing by Doina Chiacu)


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Reviewed By Daniel M (Sheridan, IN) Reviewed for a 1999 Toyota Solara —3/28/2017 8:35 PM
Great quality, fast shipping, great fit overall and easy installation. The headrest covers don`t fit so great- they`re a bit too large which makes them baggy looking. Color of course was a bit darker than I expected, but that`s the computer`s fault. I didn`t bother with swatches or color samples- it wasn`t that important for an old pleasure car. I would buy again.


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I also know that she is one of my most dedicated followers (Hi Granny!), and for that if nothing else she deserves a marvelous birthday cake! I fancied baking a cake a little lighter than my previous two monsters (Lime & Pistachio and Chocolate Honeycomb). This cake seemed perfect: light and refreshing, just what we needed after a delicious lunch at a local French-style cafe.
This recipe, with some minor alterations, is from The Clandestine Cake Club Book. I used my neighbour's chickens freshly laid eggs for extra freshness. There's nothing like baking with eggs quite that local!
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
225g self raising flour
zest of 1 large orange
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp milk
icing sugar, to dust
orange slice, to decorate
(I also added a teeny weeny bit of orange juice, and a drip-drop of vanilla essence)
For the orange syrup:
grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 tsp orange blossom water or 2 tsp Cointreau
1 tsp caster sugar
For the white chocolate icing:
150g white chocolate
grated zest of 2 large oranges, plus 4 tbsp juice
200g butter, softened
75g icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (fan 170). Grease and line two 20cm round sandwich tins.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition, and adding a tablespoon of flour with the final addition to help prevent curdling. Mix in the orange zest, then fold in the remaining flour and the baking powder until thoroughly combined. If the mixture looks a little stiff then add a little milk. (I didn't need to as I added some orange juice.)
In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the COLD chocolate, beating all the time, until thoroughly combined. (BE WARNED: IF THE CHOCOLATE MIXTURE IS STILL WARM IT WILL MELT THE BUTTER AND THE MIXTURE WILL SPLIT!!)
Sandwich together the cooled cakes with the filling, then dust the top with icing sugar and decorate with a slice of orange.
Here's a picture of Granny herself cutting a slice of cake. The sponge was beautifully soft and fluffy, a darn good bake even if I do say so myself! It was just the right way to end a very happy day.
If you like the look of this but fancy something a little more exotic, then try this Passionfruit Cake for an equally refreshing summer treat.


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NBA sim game still in the works at EA; More JAM this fall
EA Sports announces NBA JAM: On Fire Edition for Xbox Live and PSN, and confirms NBA-sim title in the works for fall of 2012.
Need some more boomshakalaka in your life? EA Sports has announced NBA JAM: On Fire Edition, a new, enhanced (digital-download-only) iteration of the updated arcade basketball series that came out last year.
Headed to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in October, NBA JAM: On Fire Edition boasts a number of improvements, including new gameplay modes and AI that adjusts to your tactics as you play.
From the press release:
- New features in NBA JAM: On Fire Edition
- REAL AI - Featuring the ground-breaking AI system used in the Fight Night franchise that learns your tendencies and throws them back in your face.
- JAM Arena – Play solo, or team up with friends and take on the world in a new, dynamic online competition.
- Road Trip – A cooperative online campaign where you can team up with friends and compete in a series of white-knuckle challenges against the current superstars and timeless legends from each of the 30 NBA Teams.
- Tag Mode and Team Fire return! – Swap players "on the fly" and ignite your entire team by performing consecutive cooperative moves!
- More NBA JAM Hotness – Online roster updates, more NBA superstars, legendary NBA players, over-the-top animations, JAM challenges, secret teams and unlockable characters than ever before!
Of course, the biggest question mark is the one looming over the ultimate fate of NBA Elite, EA's ill-fated sim series that was canceled before release last year. According to EA Sports President Peter Moore, the next NBA-sim is in the works, but won't be out until fall of 2012.
"As planned, our next NBA simulation title is in development at our Tiburon Studio in Orlando," said Moore. "We have top talent on the game, and we're giving the new development team time to deliver a superior experience. We're making great strides and looking forward to launching a new game next year."
Comment on NBA sim game still in the works at EA; More JAM this fall, by Jeff Mattas.


text:
With its propulsion system working flawlessly, a SpaceX cargo ship loaded with supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station was cleared by NASA on Saturday to press ahead for a day-late capture by the lab complex early Sunday.
NASA space station managers and their SpaceX counterparts met Saturday to assess the Dragon capsule's performance following launch Friday and concluded all systems were "go" for a replanned rendezvous and capture by the station's robot arm Sunday at 3:31 a.m. PT.
"The station's Mission Management Team unanimously agreed that Dragon's propulsion system is operating normally along with its other systems and ready to support the rendezvous," NASA said in a Web update.
The original flight plan called for capture and berthing Saturday morning, but mission managers were forced to replan the approach after SpaceX flight controllers ran into problems with the capsule's maneuvering thrusters.
Just after the Dragon capsule separated from its Falcon 9 rocket after launch Friday, telemetry showed that three of four sets of thrusters were offline owing to problems pressurizing oxidizer propellant tanks. As a result, the spacecraft could not be properly oriented for normal communications and battery charging once its two solar arrays were deployed.
After reviewing telemetry, SpaceX flight controllers concluded the problem likely was the result of blockage in a pressurization line somewhere in the system. By cycling other valves and "pressure hammering" the lines, whatever was causing the problem eventually went away and all four oxidizer tanks were successfully pressurized.
A series of rocket firings verified the thrusters were healthy and commands were uplinked to carry out a critical maneuver to raise the low point of the Dragon's orbit.
Since then, the Dragon, flying six miles below the space station, passed ahead and looped up to a point well above the lab complex. At the higher altitude, the Dragon's velocity was slightly less than the station's, causing it to drop back behind the outpost.
Rocket firings later this evening were planned to drop the Dragon behind and below the station where it will start its final approach early Sunday.
"SpaceX officials reported to the multinational management team that all of Dragon's systems are operating as planned," NASA reported in its update. "SpaceX said it has high confidence there will be no repeat of the thruster problem during rendezvous, including its capability to perform an abort, should that be required."
If all goes well, the cargo ship will reach a point about 30 feet from the lab shortly after 3 a.m. PT At that point, Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford, operating the station's robot arm from a robotics work station in the multiwindow Cupola compartment, will lock on to a grapple fixture around 3:31 a.m. PT to complete the extended rendezvous.
During the first two dockings of Dragon capsules last May and October, the station crew manually operated the arm to maneuver the supply craft to berthing at the Earth-facing port of the forward Harmony module.
But this time around, ground controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston will take over, sending commands to remotely operate the arm through berthing to demonstrate their ability to carry out complex arm procedures and to give the astronauts a bit of a break during a very busy day.
The Dragon capsule is packed with some 2,300 pounds of equipment and provisions, including 178 pounds of crew supplies; 300 pounds of space station hardware, including replacement components for the lab's carbon dioxide removal system; and more than 700 pounds of science gear, including a pair of Glacier freezers and experiment components.
A spacewalk equipment handling fixture called a grapple bar is mounted in the Dragon capsule's unpressurized trunk section. The station's robot arm, again operated by flight controllers in Houston, will be used a few days after berthing to extract the grapple bar assembly and stow it on the station's exterior for future use.
After unloading the capsule, Ford and his crewmates will repack it with 1.5 tons of no-longer needed gear, components that need refurbishment or failure analysis, and experiment samples needed by scientists back on Earth.
The return manifest includes 209 pounds of crew equipment; 1,455 pounds of science gear, including a Glacier freezer and cold bags loaded with experiment samples; and 884 pounds of space station hardware.
The Dragon will be detached from the station March 25, setting up a fiery re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule is the only space station cargo craft designed to bring cargo back to Earth, a critical capability that was lost when NASA's space shuttle fleet was retired in 2011.
The manned Russian Soyuz spacecraft that carry three-person crews to and from the space station can bring back only a few hundred pounds of cargo. All other station vehicles -- unmanned Russian Progress supply ships and European and Japanese cargo craft -- burn up during re-entry.
Marsquake! NASA InSight lander detects a shimmy on Mars: Shake it up. Mars' stomach is rumbling and InSight is there for it.
CRISPR gene-editing used in US patients for the first time: Researchers treat cancer patients with experimental therapy.


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DNA to Protein
Importance of Gene Regulation
Cell Schedule
It's five o'clock somewhere...unless you're a cell. You can learn about some jobs that cells do in our Cell Specialization video. https://youtu.be/wNe6RuK0FfA
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Hockey Canada's Shared Respect Initiative has the goal to educate and encourage greater respect between all participants in the game. Consider your role in showing respect for the game of hockey and all its participants.
• The safety of the participants in the game is more important than the final score.
• I value the contribution of the coach in developing the players' talents, even though I may not always agree with their methods.
• I understand that officials do not make the hockey rules, they only apply them.
• I understand that children learn from adults, and my behavior reflects what I want children to learn.
• I understand that officials are responsible to ensure that the game is played in a safe and fair manner for all participants.
• I understand that players, coaches and officials are learning the game, and mistakes will be made in the learning process.
• I may not cheer for the opposition team, but I will also not cheer against them or verbally abuse them.
• I understand that the biggest reason for players and officials quitting the game is abuse.


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Badge of the Order of the Dooranie Empire, awarded to Brgdr George Warren 1839
Obverse, inscriptions in gilt on a blue and green enamelled ground in a circle of pearls on a gold ground, all on a Maltese Cross of eight points with gold balls at each point, on crossed swords, with a scallop at the uppermost arm of the cross to which suspender is attached
Reverse, plain gold disc on crossed swords and a Maltese Cross of eight points with a gold ball to each one; the uppermost arm of the cross is surmounted by a scallop to which is attached the suspender
Badge of the Order of the Dooranie Empire, 1839 (First Afghan War)
The early nineteenth century found Afghanistan riven by succession contests in the ruling Durrani clan, in which various candidates enlisted foreign aid and the powers that bordered the country, such as Persia and the Sikh Kingdom, took an acquisitive interest. In 1801 Sultan Zaman Shah was deposed by his younger half-brother Mahmud, but Mahmud ruled only two years before his elder brother Shujah al-Mulk deposed him in turn. The two brothers changed places again in 1809 and in 1818 one of Zaman's two brothers 'Ali Shah managed to take power, only to be deposed by the other, Ayub Shah, and killed, within the year. By 1823 he too was ousted and the country fell into a bewildering interregnum divided between Sardars of the Barakzai clan. Only in 1839, with aid from the Sikhs and British India, was the kingdom reunified under Sultan Shujah al-Mulk, whom the British escorted to Khabul and enthroned there. The country would revolt against him within two years and result in a more lasting British involvement reflected in the Watson Collection by a series of awards for fighting there.
Almost the first action of Shujah's short second reign was to found the Order of the Dooranie Empire (as it was then spelt), and immediately admit to it the British officers who had restored him to his throne. (For lower ranks he also issued, among others, the Ghuznee Medal.) When the first installation of the Order, which was modelled on that of Hannover with three classes, was carried out, decorations were only available for the first three recipients, but others were distributed some months after the award ceremony. Many officers seem to have had their own made, so that sizes and standards of this award can vary widely.
This badge is not named, but from its provenance it is clear that it was awarded to Brigadier George Warren of the European Regiment. Brigadier Warren's medal group has come as one into the Watson Collection and the Catalogue considers them as Group 9, but as the pieces are not physically attached they are treated separately here. Lester Watson purchased them as a group from the London dealers Baldwin in 1931.


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Video sites such as YouTube are great for watching entertaining clips, music videos and a whole bunch more. But what about videos you would like to save for posterity? There is no guarantee that a video you watch today will still be available tomorrow, and you may want to have the option of watching a clip when you do not have access to the internet. These are all situations in which Wondershare vDownloader can help, making it possible to download video from YouTube, Veco, Hulu and more.
There are various other video downloading tools available, and this is one that can be used in two different ways. Firstly, there are browser plugins available for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome, and this gives you a dedicated download button whenever you view a page that features a video. The second option is to simply browse your favorite video sites as normal and copy the URL of a video you are interested in.
As well as archiving purposes, there are lots of other uses for this tool. We've already mentioned that it can be used to allow videos to be watched when there is no internet connection available, but it is also useful to help overcome problems with a slow connection. Rather than enduring frustrating buffering and stop-start playback, just download the whole thing in advance and enjoy stutter-free viewing.
The videos you download might be in one of several formats including MP4 and FLV. Thankfully you will find that there is built in support for playback of these video types within the program so you do not need to worry about installing another player.
Support for a good selection of sites and wonderful ease of use makes this an absolute winner.


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ORLANDO, Fla. - On Tuesday, four years after Universal Orlando opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure, the theme park giant revealed its counterpart -- the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, at Universal Studios.
[RELATED: 'Harry Potter' returns in short story | LOCAL 6 THEME WORLD: Diagon Alley impressions]
Universal park-goers flooded the park very early Tuesday to be among the first into the new land.
Many of them wanted to ride "Escape From Gringotts," a high-tech, 3-D roller coaster experience, that had at least a six-and-a-half hour wait by noon. Universal says it doesn't have plans to extend park hours and riders that are in line with enough time to make it through the queue before the park closes will get on.
Guests who buy a two-park ticket can travel to and from the two areas of the park via the Hogwarts Express train, which is based at King's Cross Station in "London" -- or Universal's version of it.
Crowds lined up as early as 5 a.m., when the parking garages open, for the opening day.
"I don't care about the crowds. We're going," said Cristina Matos, who traveled from Columbus, Ohio, to experience it.
Matos went to scope out Diagon Alley on Monday as guests have been allowed to visit the shops and walk around for the past week. But the main attraction, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott's ride, has been closed with a sign out front saying it would open Tuesday.
"We don't think we have any chance whatsoever of getting on the new ride because we've heard people in our hotel talking and trying to book it and it's a six, eight, 10 hour queue," said Adiran Hill, who is visiting from the United Kingdom.
The ride was open during the park's media and VIP preview but had to be shut down following technical difficulties. Universal said the intricately timed ride had to be stopped twice for technical glitches, but so far thousands have made it through the ride.
Die-hard Harry Potter fans said even if it breaks down, they'll make the most of the experience.
"Just spend the whole day in Diagon Alley and then take the train to Hogsmeade and see what that's like," said Amanda Forbes, who is visiting from Jacksonville.
Hogwarts Express, which takes people between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, ran pretty reliably during the soft opening, with an average 45-minute wait.
Last month, Universal hosted a star-studded media preview in which several stars from the movies got a taste of Gillywater, new dishes from the Leaky Cauldron restaurant and the signature attraction, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The ride introduces theme parkgoers to Bellatrix Lestrange, second in command to Lord Voldemort, or rather He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix in the movies, lent her voice as the "naughty-but-fun" character for the ride. A fire-breathing dragon sits atop Gringotts, which is run by well-dressed goblins whose suits were custom-made in Italy.
Like the books by J.K. Rowling, Diagon Alley is largely shops where Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger bought wands, books and other supplies needed for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Universal introduces seven new shops in Diagon Alley, including the practical joke shop, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.
With a new land comes new dishes. Available at the Leaky Cauldron are Bangers and Mash and Toad in the Hole. Guests can nosh on fish and chips at Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
Feeling thirsty? Sip on Potter favorites Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice, or try one of the latest drinks, like Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice, concocted by Universal's executive chef Steve Jayson.
The park is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, Universal's website states. The park hours change to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 1-9.
If fans want to see both parks and ride the Hogwarts Express, a two-park ticket will be required. For adults, a two-park ticket for a single day is $136 and for children it is $130. Vacation packages start at $135 per adult per night.
Copyright 2014 by ClickOrlando.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Carmichael, Stokely, 1941–98, African-American social activist, b. Trinidad.
Stokely Carmichael — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0810493.html#ixzz1okD0RFZy
He lived in New York City after 1952 and graduated from Howard Univ. in 1964. Carmichael participated in the Congress of Racial Equality's "freedom rides" in 1961, and by 1964 was a field organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Alabama. As SNCC chair in 1966, he ejected more moderate leaders and set off a storm of controversy by calling for "black power," a concept he elaborated in a 1967 book (with C. Hamilton). His increasingly separatist politics isolated him from most of the civil-rightsmovement, and he emigrated to Conakry, Guinea, in 1969. There he spent the rest of his life, calling himself a pan-African revolutionary but largely relegated to the political fringe. He changed his name to Kwame Ture, and was briefly married to the singer Miriam Makeba. His memoir Ready for Revolution was posthumously published in 2003.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.


text: On Wed, 17 Sep 2008, Joe Landman wrote: > Have you ever administered a lab full of these units? You need as much help > as you can get to administer the windows machines. Sadly, while claims of > there being more windows admins are true (thats not the sad part) you need > (far) more to administer fewer windows machines than the fewer admins needed > for more Linux machines (that is the sad part). There was a lot to parse there, but I think I precisely agreee, and sort of said that. > We have seen 2 full time admins handle 4000+ Linux machines with time to > develop software to make their lives easier (Incyte), as compared to seeing > 10 windows admins struggle to keep 100 machines each up to date. Yeah, that's precisely our experience here as well. But somehow, in spite of the fact that hardware is CHEAP and it is PEOPLE that are expensive, you never see this actually discussed in a CBA. Microsoft has worked near-miracles of FUD-seeding to convince people that alas don't know any better that it is somehow the other way around. > But that is straying a bit. Large organizations often are not admin rich, > they tend to try to cut out costs. Admins == costs. Admins need as much > help as they can possibly get. If for $150/machine in a large organization, > you can take away some level of their pain, this might be worth more than the > cost of the additional healthcare coverage, heartburn medicine, and > upper/lower GI series needed ... I actually do a bit of consulting -- nothing like what you do -- for an organization that runs a lot of Windows boxes. It drives me absolutely nuts. If they were running a set of 40+ plus Linux desktops and a small stack of Linux-only servers, I could manage the entire operation, close to 24x7, in even MY copious spare time (not) with time to spare. If anybody had a problem, I could trivially fix it from home. And they'd basically never crash or (with 40 clients to 3+servers) EVER EVER load the network or the servers to the point where I could detect a meaningful load, given what they are doing. I could be absolutely certain, when problems occurred, where they occurred and why. With a mixed lin-win operation (several key linux servers) it is maddening. The Windows systems crash. They hang, for no reason, even if they aren't "doing" anything. Unless one is ubervigilant (or in spite of it) they get viruses. The primary operational server for the whole LAN is linux, and almost never has a load average over around 0.3, yet responsiveness drops to near zero in resonance with the primary Windows server -- that does almost nothing that any human can see that should be involved with the primary work tool -- peaking in load. Then there is messing with licensing, buying copies of Office where needed, installing AV everywhere, getting the printers to work, configuring the systems to "join a workgroup" and access server-based disk. Windows is "easy"? Cheap to manage? Fast and efficient in a LAN client/server context? I see only two advantages to Windows over Linux these days, and only one of them matters. The one that matters is there is still a lot of software that only runs under Windows. Even for the application that is the core application in this organization, where there actually is a linux version of the server, the clients only run under Windows. That's it, right there. The other advantage is that Windows still has a slim edge in hardware drivers and support -- one is "guaranteed" that Windows will install on anything you buy and work with all the hardware simply by virtue of the fact that it comes preinstalled with Windows already working with it. That is in part why many vendors -- even enlightened ones that do have linux-based servers for their clients -- still require windows for the clients. They can be sure that the printers will work, that (however slow and clunky the configuration) the NIC will function, they can "borrow" things like MS Word and use them in place of writing an actual printer stack of their own (yes, people use MS Word as printer interface/library, believe it or not). They can be sure that their product will run on NEARLY any hardware package a user comes up with. Part of even this is FUD, these days. The last few years, Linux has worked nearly flawlessly out of the box with nearly all desktop hardware, and is doing pretty decently even on rapidly varying laptop hardware. Microsoft has once again broken MS Office relative to all previous versions (while converting to an "open" XML for the docs themselves) , leveling the playing field with Open Office and providing it with a surprising opportunity to pull very nearly dead even. Vista of Evil sucks and everybody knows it even if MS tries to convince them otherwise with their "Mohave" ads. Apple (running basically Unix) openly mocks Microsoft on TV and people believe their ads. Cracks -- some of them quite serious -- have appeared in MS's once invincible facade. It's hard to say what will happen over the next year or two. I've been predicting MS's crash-n-burn for years now, and will readily admit I've been wrong at least about the time frame -- it has taken Linux longer to get to where it is now than I expected, and the mass of all those WinXX boxes out there proved more robust and long lived than I expected (helped considerably by the fact that XPpro, SP2 and then SP3, did not really suck all that much outside of its absurd price and the long waits to update through limited bandwidth lines with arcane license validation tools in the pathway. However, I also remember DEC -- one year it looked rock-solid, then in the twinkling of a year it failed to make a hardware cut and in a year more it disappeared without a trace after decades of phenomenal growth. I remember Apple sinking almost to the point of bankruptcy. I remember OS/2. There is nothing more fickle and cruel than the public when the price/performance of something like a computer OS tips past a certain balance point. Ubuntu, at long last, has even put desktop linux out there with enough hardware support and "stuff" that many former Windows users are finding themselves quite content with it. One of these years RH or some other big player is going to realize two things: a) Desktop Linux, sold for 1/3 or 1/6 of the price of any version of Vista (where the price buys a modest amount of SUPPORT, not the software), can make them small money over large volume and actually be a big source of profit. b) TV ads work. Even as a loss leader, to shake confidence in Microsoft and to convince people that they can actually run linux on a desktop and get all their work and a lot of their play done, with less hassle and expense an ad campaign targeted at consumers is totally worth it. Look at Apple's success at portraying MSWin as the brain-dead piece of trash that it is. Are we at the tipping point? Who knows. MS Windows 7 is supposed to come to the rescue about now and revert to non-suckiness per desktop, but Server 2008 and a LAN full of clients still looks nightmarishly difficult to install, maintain, manage, support. If only users -- or corporate buyers and administrators -- WOULD factor in the $200/month that MS thinks is a "bargain" for lease/management per box into the overall cost of their system, MS might well continue their slow spiral down into V7. I don't see any killer apps on the horizon, and "transparency" (at the cost of 4 GB systems and immense slowness) is obvious hype and glitz without substance. As the marginal difference between Win and Lin functionality on an installed desktop continues to shrink, commercial third party applications may soon by MS's ONLY edge, and I've noted that the commercial 3rd party app aisles for Win continue to shrink at e.g. Best Buy (except for games). After all, why develop for Windows, given the CERTAINTY that any killer app you develop and release will be cloned by MS and that they'll drive you out of business (or if they feel nice, buy you out of business, their option) at any moment? The really good developers work elsewhere, these days, and the entrepreneurial excitement is drained off into Google, into Amazon, into open source, into the web (where MS is far from monolithic and where truly large scale Win-only operations are rather scarce). Things are dicey. The economy sucks, companies look for ways to cut corners. Suddenly that enormous pile of Windows licenses, the one-admin-per-fifty systems looks exorbitant and expensive. Somebody tells them a Linux admin can do 200+ systems with no license fees (and a lot more security and fewer user headaches) and the "luxury" of $200/month Window admin is a real candidate for the block (as in chopping). rgb -- Robert G. Brown Phone(cell): 1-919-280-8443 Duke University Physics Dept, Box 90305 Durham, N.C. 27708-0305 Web: http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb Book of Lilith Website: http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Lilith/Lilith.php Lulu Bookstore: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=877977


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Katie's Take
A violent crime against a woman occurs every five minutes in the United States. With such staggering statistics, women need to be prepared to protect themselves. Gabrielle Rubin, founder of Female Awareness, suggests that every woman take a self defense class. She joined Katie Couric in studio to share some basic techniques to keep yourself safe.
Rubin says that women can avoid an attack before it happens but simply being aware of their surroundings. In a day in age when people are tethered to their devices, we are often focused on our phones or wearing headphones so we are not in tune with our surroundings. By carrying yourself with confidence, keeping your hands free and looking people in the eye when they approach you – you decrease your chances of being a target.
Even while taking precautions, it is good to have safety devices on you. There are a variety of choices on the market from the go-to pepper spray or something as simple as a pocket flashlight. Rubin recommends a kubotan, which is a small hollow baton that can be used to fight of an attacker. When using the kubotan, aim for bones or sensitive areas on the body like the eyes or throat. Another safety device that does not even require contact is an alarm. You can carry this small device on your key chain and can easily trigger a loud sound to attract attention and deter an attacker. Regardless of your safety device choice, be sure it is always easily accessible and not buried in your bag.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to physically fight of an attacker, Rubin suggests being familiar with at least two strikes – or self defense moves – one for the upper body and one for the lower body. With a few strong moves, you can fight off an attacker twice your size. In these cases it is important to make strong and quick strikes, speed is the key to making the strikes effective and increasing your likelihood of getting away unharmed and not becoming a statistic.


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Intimate portrait of an orchid (jpeg cropped). Exif data.
For years the jpeg v raw debate has raged. Advocates of both formats defended their positions and 'wars' were waged in internet forums.
A Google search will bring up thousands of hits on the topic and you're welcome to wade through all of it but if you're short on time, here's a quick summary.
Proponents of shooting jpegs say:
- The files are smaller and don't clog up your hard disk.
- The quality is just as good as RAW or so close it doesn't make a difference in the real world.
- Saves time as there is no RAW post processing to be done.
Proponents of RAW say:
- RAW gives you all the options to tweak your images to your heart's content, while jpegs lock you into the processing decisions programmed in by your camera manufacturer.
- You can easily correct white balance mistakes.
- You can retrieve more detail, particularly out of highlights.
- The quality of the final image is superior to a straight jpeg.
There are many more ancillary points that both camps make but I think that captures the basic differences.
The thing that bugs me is that a lot of self-styled internet photography gurus tell enthusiasts that shooting in RAW is a more professional approach and something to be aspired too; that the results of shooting in RAW will be infinitely superior to the bog standard jpeg that comes from your camera. They offer spurious arguments and image comparisons. Amateurs spend (waste) hours upon hours trying to perfect their workflow and learn how to develop their images out of RAW.
It's time to dispel these myths. I agree that until recently some cameras were not entirely up to scratch when it came to producing perfect jpegs out of the camera. Now days though if you make the right photographic decisions regarding exposure and white balance your images will be spot on, without having to sit behind a computer for hours processing RAW files.
Here's why you should shoot jpegs instead of RAW:
Camera manufactures have come a long way and modern DSLRs are in fact amazing computers processing thousands of bits of information to deliver you the perfect jpeg image. Ignoring the clever in camera processing decisions of your DSLR makes to generate a jpeg these days is like insisting on using a handheld light meter instead of your camera's advanced matrix metering system. Camera manufacturers provide you with a wealth of tools to tweak white balance, exposure and colour in camera.
Save time, electricity and effort wasted on processing RAW shots on your computer.
Save space on your hard drive. Think of all the space used to store large RAW files (not forgetting your backup space too). But do remember never to save over your original jpeg after you work on an image!
Free time up to go out and take more images or perfect your best images in your favourite image manipulation program.
Many photographers will not be able to work a RAW file to a point where it is superior to the out-of-camera jpeg. Why give yourself all that aggravation?
Professional photographers in most disciplines shoot jpeg unless specifically asked to shoot RAW format by a client. One example is my wife, pro-photographer Magda Indigo; she never shoots RAW with her Nikon DSLRs. Her images are sold through stock libraries like Getty and used world-wide by agencies and publishers.
These days auto white balance and presets together with in camera adjustments give you all the scope you need to ensure you have a good white balance. The LCD screen on the back of the latest cameras has also become far more accurate and gives you an excellent idea of what the final jpeg will look like. Trust it. If you're still unsure you're getting it right you can use a white balance target or a neutral white piece of paper to take manual WB reading. Easy. Get it right in camera.
When to shoot RAW:
- If individual colours need to be finely tuned for a colour critical fashion, product or reproduction shot.
- In a very high contrast scene where you're trying to retrieve every miniscule detail out of shadows and highlights, and your shots will be printed extremely large.
- You want to heavily manipulate your image and need to reduce the risk of blowing out colours.
Most of my images have been shot in RAW over the years although I am confident that clients, the public and even experts will not be able to see the difference in final prints or on screen between an image shot as a jpeg or one shot in RAW.
UPDATE: March 2012 - I never did quite transition to shooting mostly JPEG. Although I know that JPEG will deliver great results the added 'safety net' of shooting in RAW and the potential to adapt images in the digital darkroom, together with a slick workflow have kept me shooting RAW.
This blog post remains valid as each photographer should continually challenge their assumptions and the way they work. This is the only way to progress.
UPDATE: March 2012 - I never did quite transition to shooting mostly JPEG. Although I know that JPEG will deliver great results the added 'safety net' of shooting in RAW and the potential to adapt images in the digital darkroom, together with a slick workflow have kept me shooting RAW.
This blog post remains valid as each photographer should continually challenge their assumptions and the way they work. This is the only way to progress.
Till soon,


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Election Day Is Tuesday! Vote, Vote, Vote!
November 2, 2012
Election Day is this Tuesday, November 6! Both President Barack Obama (D) and Governor Mitt Romney (R) have made it clear that the vote you cast on Election Day is a vote for one of two very different paths. As a country, we are at a crossroads, and this election will determine the future of many aspects of our lives.
Whomever the next President is will determine whether or not the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fully implemented. The landmark health care reform law will expand health care access to millions of Americans, including those living with and at risk of HIV/AIDS. This law prohibits discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions (including HIV status), bans lifetime limits on insurance coverage, and increases access to critical prevention services, including HIV testing. The next president will face an ever-growing deficit and will be forced to make decisions regarding budget cuts on social programs that will have an impact on every single American. He will most likely be charged with nominating at least one justice to the Supreme Court, which is expected in the near future to hear cases regarding same-sex marriage, a woman's right to choose, and others with major societal implications. He will also preside over the 2013 reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, a crucial program that provides support services and covers health care costs for more than 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.
We cannot stress the importance of this election enough! Four days from now, our votes will decide which path this country takes. Regardless of political affiliation, we encourage everyone to exercise her or his right to vote on Election Day, this Tuesday, November 6!
Want to know why the staff at AIDS United is voting on November 6? Click here to find out.
Tell us why you pledge to vote on November 6 here. And don't forget to send us a picture!
This article was provided by AIDS United. It is a part of the publication AIDS United Policy Update. Visit AIDS United's website to find out more about their activities and publications.
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Payday Loans and What You Should Know
Payday accommodation companies are everywhere,
but what do payday loans in fact do? Individuals generally accept a payday accommodation because they are actual simple loans. Payday loans are about for abate amounts than added loans and are accepted to be paid aback aural the timeframe of the next payday. Banknote beforehand is addition name for a payday loan.
There are abounding purposes for payday loans. Medical bills are not consistently anticipated, for instance, and a payday accommodation my ample the banking gap. With a payday loan, there is no allegation to delay until payday to pay off the bills and get the creditors off your back. Instead of activity trapped in a banking situation, you can get out with a payday loan.
Almost anyone can yield out a payday accommodation with little difficulty. While a lot of loans allegation the borrower to accept a top acclaim score, this is not the case for payday loans. Simply application a payday accommodation has no aftereffect on a acclaim score. For demography out a payday loan, a abiding job is the alone necessity. The payday accommodation aggregation just wants to apperceive you will accept the adeptness to pay the accommodation back.
What Almost No One Knows About Help
Applying for a payday accommodation is acutely easy. There are websites accessible for applying for payday loans, as able-bodied as banknote beforehand storefront opportunities. All that is appropriate is your accepted advice for a lot of applications and advice about your employer. Occasionally, a banknote beforehand aggregation will as for a anatomy of affidavit of payment. This is far beneath than a lot of banks require. In person, the action of accepting a accommodation is expedited, but even alone it usually alone is about a one day process. This is decidedly quicker than a coffer loan.
6 Facts About Options Everyone Thinks Are True
You may be apprehensive if there is annihilation you should analysis or be alert of. There are alone a few things to be alert about, and if you are, a payday accommodation can be actually bolt free. First, accomplish abiding that you are accepting the best fee allegation available. Some companies beachcomber fees for assertive reasons, others do not. Then, be assertive you are actually abiding if the accommodation is due to be repaid. Payday loans usually endure until you next pay period, but this depends on the company, so be mindful. You can occasionally ask for best time periods. Asking for extensions on transaction is area the big accuse appear in, however, so try not to use extensions if possible. If you can accord a accommodation in a abbreviate bulk of time, again payday loans are appropriate for you.
Payday loans are the simplest and easiest to accept blazon of loans. Provided that you pay your accommodation in abounding in a appropriate manner, payday loans can be after a bolt at all. Abounding borrowers acquisition payday loans to be a admirable banking decision.


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heya, it's been a minute. long catch-up letter...& i've got a new album
hola everybody!!!
Greetings from upstate new york. i've missed you.
this is an email to my long-lost, wonderful 24,883 ttheatre Is evil" kickstarter backers. long time, no see….
TL;DR: i... Read more
lots of newses + a video from me & kyle cassidy about THE BED SONG BOOK!
hola comrades!
it's been quite some time since last i poked my head in here.....mais VOILÁ, here's an update mostly covering "the bed song book" (which was a $1,000 backer... Read more
the art book & the art auction for a non-profit + a video from me saying hi. HI.
my dear ones.....
i've missed you.
real quick like: i've still been semi-based in cambridge for the past few months....running around doing one-off house parties...i'll send you guys a bunch of... Read more
the make-up tour dates (UK! EUROPE! OZ/NZ! FESTIVALS!) and a house party question.
hola comrades!
at long last, the tour dates i cancelled are re-scheduled (plus there are some awesome EXTRA appearances all over the place)!!! hopefully everyone will be able to come... Read more
you, me, and the TED talk.
hola kickstarter comrades -
dear lord, okay....if you missed it, i did a TED talk called "the art of asking":
....it's been up on the TED website and youtube... Read more
the STATE of THINGS, five months on...the BED SONG, and HI....I'VE MISSED YOU.
how the hell are you beautiful 24,883 people?
first of all, hi, i love you. i've missed you.
in this update, i have Many Things to Share!!!:
1... Read more
THE KILLING TYPE: vivisected
(written august 8th, for delivery august 9th to kickstarter backers before anyone else)
hola comrades.
the whole band just spent 3 CRAZY FUCKING days in oklahoma city at flaming-lips-land with... Read more
FALL TOUR TICKETS on sale for EVERYONE (+ album pre-order!!!!)
The following update is from the mailer that went out to the AFP email list subscribers, LAST WEEK. If you received that, this is all pretty much stuff you've read.... Read more
*drum roll*.....THE NEW STOP-MOTION VIDEO for "WANT IT BACK" is UP.
greetings from italy, where i've come from boston to do a day of press - heading to paris tomorrow to do same. i will have been in europe... Read more
next we take manhattan...london is left burning. (PLUS: TRACKLIST REVEALED! TOUR DATES COMING!)
before we dive into the whole barrage of the past week (playing art openings, playing rock shows, making a NEW NEW MUSIC VIDEO) we gots some exclusive announcements for... Read more
LET THE ART CIRCUS BEGIN!!!!!! update from the german front.
sorry for the long delay, lovers....
i wrote this update a few days ago but we had problems posting. updates about london COMING NEXT!!!!!
i have barely... Read more
COUNTDOWN WEBCAST PARTY IN BROOKLYN, hold the DATE! and ALL ABOUT "THE BED SONG" BOOK.
hola comrades!
SMURF-TITS & SCIENTOLOGY OH MY (the KICKSTARTER Q&A part 2)
hola my dear comrades.
in case you missed it, this is a cross-post from my blog.
same txt, i just wanted to make sure you all saw it since it's more kickstarter... Read more
all you ever wanted to know about all this kickstarter money & where it's going.
my dear comrades,
GREETINGS FROM my desk in boston, where it's raining and the birds are going crazy and i'm tied to my computer crank crank cranking on the artwork... Read more
news from the front, plus lots & lots & lots of your questions answered...
HOLA everybody.
on we roll, on we roll!!
the phone's been ringing off the hook and strangers are coming up to me in the street and congratulating me on this... Read more
welcome to the project! HOLY FUCK.


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Lil Boosie "Last Dayz" Episode 1
"On September 22, 2009, Torence "Lil Boosie" Hatch plead guilty to a third-offense marijuana charge. While awaiting trial, Boosie was placed on a probationary house arrest while he awaited his date to turn himself in. In his last days before November 9th, his life was documented. In this 9-part candid series, we will offer a visual documentation of his last days of freedom."
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Wealthy families looking for new investment opportunities should keep an eye on highways, bridges and other infrastructure projects. These already are presenting nice opportunities for institutional investors and they'll eventually become available to smaller players, says a savvy group of family-office leaders.
Wigmore Association, a collaboration of six chief investment officers from family offices, says infrastructure investments offer solid long-term returns, relatively low risk and hefty dividends.
Wigmore, profiled by Penta last year, represents family offices from North America, Europe, and Australia and meets semi-annually to exchange investment ideas with a global perspective. They gathered most recently in Toronto to discuss economic trends they consider critical for investors.
"Traditional public sector projects like bridges, highways, and hospitals are increasingly being supplemented by new private/public partnerships," according to a news release from the group.
Rick Pitcairn, a founding member of Wigmore and chief investment officer of family office Pitcairn, tells us that in the aftermath of the financial downturn, "both federal and local governments will have less ability to fund these projects, but no less need." Wigmore sees especially strong opportunities in energy projects like natural-gas pipelines, which, as Pitcairn points out, are "core investments" in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Pitcairn said his office "will be prioritizing research on global infrastructure investing for wealthy families," though there's not much on the menu at the moment for "all but the largest investors and institutions." He called infrastructure, "an investment vehicle of the future" that will be available to high net worth families through direct investment, private equity firms, and big banks "in about the next 5 years."


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The mission of Employment is to ensure and promote fairness and consistency in the recruitment, selection and retention of qualified applicants and provide service and guidance to upper management, employees and applicants.
Employment consists of three functional areas:
CO Recruiting/Staffing
The Recruiting/Staffing program is responsible for developing qualified Correctional Officer applicant pools for locations that support Agency prison units. This is accomplished by screening (testing and interviewing) prospective applicants on a regular basis throughout the state. Recruiting staff also attend job fairs and career days, participate in hiring seminars and special screenings and conduct other prospecting activities. They process Correctional Officer applications and make offers of employment to qualified applicants to maximize the number of applicants assigned to their area of choice, while ensuring that the Agency's Correctional Officer staffing needs are met. Other areas of responsiblity include managing the Correctional Officer transfer and reassignment process, and monitoring work authorization expiration dates for employed aliens. They are responsible for processing and distributing the Executive Director's Recruiting Award.
Selections/Clearances provides support to Human Resources staff, as well as agency management. Some of their core functions include conducting minimum qualifications screening and assisting with the coordination of interviews for Human Resources positions; clearing outside applicants for agency, contract, volunteer and Private Facilities positions; conducts former CO clearance review; conducts audits of selection packets for Operational Review; maintains selection paperwork for all positions posted for the agency; maintains applicant flow statistics; and provides policy guidance to managers, Human Resources staff, employees and outside applicants.
Employee Classification and Job Postings
This department is responsible for ensuring the proper classification of agency positions relative to the FLSA, State Classification Plan, and Hazardous Duty/Longevity authorizations. They develop and revise position descriptions to ensure consistency and compliance with federal, state, and agency requirements, to provide a strong foundation for selection of qualified applicants, and to effectively evaluate employee job performance. They coordinate website availability and maintain position descriptions and employee performance evaluations for every position in the agency. This department also posts position vacancies and announcements, as well as producing employee and contract ID cards; and provides reception and mail room support to the HR Headquarters.
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