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Bolivia signs anti-drug deal with US and Brazil
Bolivia has signed an agreement with the US and Brazil to help reduce the production of illegal cocaine.
The US and Brazil will provide technical assistance, including satellite monitoring of coca crops.
The agreement comes more than three years after Bolivia expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing it of political interference.
Bolivia is the world's third biggest cocaine producer, and the main supplier to Brazil.
The deal was signed after months of negotiations and repeated delays as Bolivia sought changes to the document.
Bolivian Interior Minister Wilfredo Chavez said Bolivia had insisted on respect for its sovereignty as well as for the traditional consumption of coca leaf, which is used for medicinal and ritual purposes.
A senior official at the US embassy in La Paz, John Creamer, said the deal was "a very important step in the fight against drug trafficking," the news agency Efe reported.
"The project is aimed at improving the technical capacity of Bolivia to monitor excessive coca cultivation and promoting scientific and technical cooperation," he added.
Limited resources
Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the US ambassador in 2008, accusing them of plotting against him - a charge the US has always rejected.
His government says it has continued efforts to eradicate illegal coca crops and stop cocaine manufacture and smuggling despite limited resources.
It has also stepped up its defence of the traditional use of coca, which has been a vital element of indigenous Andean culture for many centuries.
President Morales is himself a former coca grower and is still head of the main coca growers' federation.
Last November the US and Bolivia agreed to restore diplomatic ties and resume anti-drug cooperation.
In March last year Brazil agreed to help train and equip Bolivian security forces for the fight against drugs, and also stepped up border controls.


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Series: Leaphorn/Chee
Works (32)
Series Information
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How do series work?
To create a series or add a work to it, go to a "work" page. The "Common Knowledge" section now includes a "Series" field. Enter the name of the series to add the book to it.
Works can belong to more than one series. In some cases, as with Chronicles of Narnia, disagreements about order necessitate the creation of more than one series.
Tip: If the series has an order, add a number or other descriptor in parenthesis after the series title (eg., "Chronicles of Prydain (book 1)"). By default, it sorts by the number, or alphabetically if there is no number. If you want to force a particular order, use the | character to divide the number and the descriptor. So, "(0|prequel)" sorts by 0 under the label "prequel."
What isn't a series?
Series was designed to cover groups of books generally understood as such (see Wikipedia: Book series). Like many concepts in the book world, "series" is a somewhat fluid and contested notion. A good rule of thumb is that series have a conventional name and are intentional creations, on the part of the author or publisher. For now, avoid forcing the issue with mere "lists" of works possessing an arbitrary shared characteristic, such as relating to a particular place. Avoid series that cross authors, unless the authors were or became aware of the series identification (eg., avoid lumping Jane Austen with her continuators).
Also avoid publisher series, unless the publisher has a true monopoly over the "works" in question. So, the Dummies guides are a series of works. But the Loeb Classical Library is a series of editions, not of works.
HelpersLittlemissbashful (61), tjsjohanna (41), jasbro (25), al.vick (6), tymfos (4), CDVicarage (3), mellu (3), TChesney (3), Biblee2 (3), Bettesbooks (2), ReneeGKC (2), quartzite (2), muumi (2), Imprinted (2), pmarshall (2), Jarandel (1), PhoenixTerran (1), inge87 (1), smithli (1), fbj1s (1), Shortride (1), Conkie (1), Shelda17 (1), Pears (1)

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Our Outcomes The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has a comprehensive rating system that allows for comparisons of the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. Approximately 12 percent of hospitals received a three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality. In the current analysis of national data covering the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, the cardiac surgery performance of St. Joseph Hospital was found to lie in the highest quality tier, thereby receiving a prestigious STS three-star rating for the third year in a row. To view outcomes data, please click on the links below: Open Heart Surgery Survival CABG Open Heart Procedure Survival Patient Risk Factors Readmitted within 30 Days Medications Received Receive Cardiac Rehab Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery Mitral Valve Repair Type of Valve Used for Mitral Valve Replacement Quality of Life Post Mitral Valve Surgery Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery Type of Aortic Replacement Valve Factors that Affect Quality of Life Post Aortic Valve Surgery


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Brussels, 3 December 2010
Market support for clean and energy-efficient vehicles
Clean and energy-efficient vehicles are essential if the European Union is to achieve its 2020 targets for improving energy efficiency, increasing the market share of renewable energy sources, and reducing CO2 emissions. The directive on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (1), which applies to all procurements of vehicles for public transport services from this month, will broaden the market. This directive requires public authorities, when buying a vehicle, to take account of its energy consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions over the vehicle's lifetime.
What will this directive change?
The clean vehicle directive introduces for the first time sustainability obligations into public procurement law for the whole EU. All purchase decisions by public authorities and private operators concerning vehicles for public transport services will now have to take into account the impact of their energy consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions affecting air quality, integrated over the entire lifetime of vehicles.
Thus, the real costs to be encountered over the lifetime operation of vehicles are anticipated, giving a relative advantage (lower lifetime costs) to vehicles that pollute less and consume less energy. The obligation extends to all purchases of road transport vehicles by public authorities or by transport operators charged with public service obligations.
How are lifetime costs of energy consumption and pollutant emissions calculated?
The directive defines a methodology for the calculation of lifetime cost for energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and pollutant emissions of vehicles:
How will the clean vehicle portal help to identify cleaner and more efficient vehicles?
The clean vehicle portal has been set up to support public procurement of vehicles as well as help private users in buying a cleaner and more energy-efficient car. The portal takes advantage of Europe's largest vehicle database and provides the consumption and emission data of vehicles, as required for the calculation of lifetime cost. It features an online calculator to carry out lifetime cost calculations for the vehicles chosen. An internet forum allows public procurers to team up to joint procurement calls. This should allow aligning and bundling purchases of vehicles to achieve economies of scale with larger volumes.
The portal also gives information on the technical and economic aspects of the different vehicle technologies, including hybrid, electric, biofuel, natural gas, LPG, and hydrogen vehicles. Information is provided on public procurement legislation and specific programmes and incentives for the purchase and operation of clean and energy-efficient vehicles, at EU level and in the different Member States at national, regional, and local levels.
What is the role of public procurement?
Public procurement is the purchasing of goods, services and public works by governments and public utilities. Its importance varies significantly between Member States, ranging between 11% and 20% of GDP. Total public procurement in the EU is estimated at about 16% of the Union's GDP or €1900 billion (2009 figures).
The opening up of public procurement within the internal market has increased cross-border competition and lowered prices paid by public authorities. All public procurement with some exceptions is subject to EU and international rules. Under these rules public sector procurement must follow transparent open procedures ensuring fair conditions of competition for suppliers across the EU. Some purchases can be exempted from EU rules under certain conditions, e.g. buying vehicles which are not subject to type approval or individual approval.
What features does the clean vehicle portal have?
The portal covers all main types of road vehicles: passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses. In particular, users will be able to:
The portal offers communication facilities and institutional information linked to public procurement activity, including:
The portal has been launched in three languages (English, French and German) and will be extended to all 27 European official languages of the EU, plus Croatian, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Russian by early 2011.
Why is it so important to also consider a vehicle's energy consumption and emissions?
By including a vehicle's lifetime operational cost for energy consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions, the economic assessment changes considerably. Operational costs can dominate for high consumption/emission vehicles. Comparison then shifts from the initial vehicle price to its long-term performance. As a result, more energy-efficient and cleaner vehicle technology can be more economic over its operational lifetime, despite a higher initial purchase price. Including the operational cost into the purchase decision therefore is a powerful tool to support innovation and accelerate market penetration of innovative high-performance technologies.
a) New expensive vehicles more economic than cheap old vehicles:
Lifetime cost of a new EURO V bus can be about €100,000 cheaper than for an old EURO III bus, due to lower emission cost.
b) Low-emission CNG bus:
Lifetime cost of a CNG bus can be about €8,000 cheaper than for a EURO V diesel bus, due to lower particulate emissions.
c) Energy-efficient electric car:
Lifetime cost of an electric car can be €5,000 cheaper than for a diesel car, due to lower energy consumption.
Examples for three types of vehicles (bus, diesel car, petrol car) show the relative importance of energy consumption and emissions, when comparing vehicle prices alone with the sum of vehicle price and operational lifetime costs:
Price versus lifetime cost of vehicles
Further information:
Clean Vehicle Directive:
Clean Vehicle Portal: http://www.cleanvehicle.eu
See also: IP/10/1654
Directive 2009/33/EC of 23 April 2009, OJ L120,15.5.2009, p.5-12
Non-methane hydrocarbons
Particulate matter
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Mark Martin (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
By Mike Mulhern
Mark Martin's part-time schedule just got a little more full-time.
Joe Gibbs signed him Thursday to fill in for injured Denny Hamlin over the next six weeks, while Hamlin recovers from Sunday's crash at California Speedway.
Hamlin suffered an L1 compression fracture in his back when he hit the inside wall hard on the last lap of the California 400.
Hamlin hit a part of the wall that wasn't not protected by the SAFER soft-walls, which can reduced G-force impact by as much as 70 percent.
It is unclear why that part of the track was not protected by the soft-walls. NASCAR officials are responsible for telling tracks where to install the SAFER barriers.
Martin's first start for Hamlin will be next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, a track where Hamlin would be one of the heavy favorites. That flat half-mile, however, has never been one of Martin's favorites. Martin, who drives for Michael Waltrip, would normally have yielded to Brian Vickers for that event.
"We've been real fortunate to have never been in this situation, with the need to find someone to fill in for an injured driver, J.D. Gibbs, the team's day-to-day boss, as team president, said.
"A lot goes into a decision like this. But we are really pleased to have someone of the character and caliber of Mark Martin to fill in while Denny is out.
"Obviously we're not exactly sure how long that is going to take. But Mark's career speaks for itself, and our team knows it will have the opportunity to compete for a win every week."
In 48 career starts at Martinsville Martin has two wins, 12 top-fives and 25 top-tens.
If Hamlin does sit out the next five races, as his doctors expect, he would miss Martinsville, Texas, Kansas, Richmond and Talladega. That would put Darlington's May 11th 500 his next start.
Denny Hamlin (R), may need six weeks on the sidelines (Photo: Toyota Motorsports)
Let's see what happens when Denny returns...
Remember how he torn up the tracks and won races after returning from knee surgery?
With Matt Kenseth in the #20 and Mark Martin in the #11 they once again become team-mates. As Matt\'s mentor, Mark badgered Jack Roush into giving Matt his first Cup ride. Matt rewarded them both with a Cup Championship, with Mark listed as the \"Car Owner!\"
As a \"forever Mark Martin fan,\" I would love to see Mark have \"one more shot\" at a Cup Championship in a fourth JGR car! Mark will always be remembered (along with Ned Jarrett) as one of the greatest Gentlemen to ever grace the sport of NASCAR!
© 2010-2011 www.mikemulhern.net All rights reserved.
Web site by www.webdesigncarolinas.com


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AMITY - In a special voting meeting Monday night, the Daniel Boone Area School Board unanimously approved three personnel changes, including the appointment of a new principal and a new assistant principal.
Megan Weber, a Daniel Boone Area High School math teacher, was appointed as an assistant principal at that school, effective July 8.
Weber was appointed the 10-month position with an annual salary of $72,000.
Annarose Massaro, also an assistant principal at the high school, will continue in that position on a 12-month contract.
Superintendent Marybeth Torchia said the two different contracts result from the school requiring only one assistant principal during the summer months.
The personnel changes were precipitated by the resignation of Andrea Dinsmore, coordinator of instructional services at the district office, effective Aug. 19.
Robert Hurley is the new coordinator of instructional services, effective July 8. He has served as Daniel Boone Middle School principal since the 2012-13 school year.
Jenny Rexrode, previously one of the high school's two assistant principals, is the new middle school principal, effective July 8, at an annual salary of $85,000.
'Mrs. Torchia has expressed the highest confidence in all three of you - make her proud,' board President Richard Martino said.
The board also unanimously approved to recall mathematics teacher Robert Mauger to the high school, effective July 8. His position was eliminated in June due to decreasing enrollment. Mauger was recalled to replace Weber.
The hours for three elementary physical education teachers were unanimously approved to increase from the current .58 to .71, effective July 8.
Martino said the additional hours are not attributed to a possible $800,000 in additional basic education money the district may receive from the state.
He said the increase from .58 to .71 is the result of the physical education teachers requiring additional time to teach kindergarten through fifth graders.
The other encore teachers of art, music, computer, and library sciences teach first through fifth graders and need .58 hours.
'They will be not quite full time, but it's more than it was,' said Martino.
'We will not revisit anything, including raising taxes,' said Martino, adding that the district had budgeted the proposed state funding amount.
He said the district would actually lose $300,000 with the state cutting by half the amount the district expected to receive from the Ready to Learn grant.
Instead of receiving $600,000, the district will receive $300,000.
Martino said the $2.8 million fund balance will be reduced to $2.5 million.
He added that unless there is pension reform in Pennsylvania, the board would need to increase taxes for the 2015-16 school year.
'I don't know anything else to chop,' said Martino.
The district is eligible to use its retirement exception through Act 1, due to the district's retirement costs that increased by $1.3 million in 2014-15, and which are expected to increase again next year by 21.55 percent.
Board members Carol Beitz, Connor Kurtz, Larry Speed and Michael Wolfe were absent from the meeting.


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A sensational finish of an eagle and three birdies in the space of five holes saw Jeppe Huldahl soar into the lead at the European Challenge Tour's Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda.
The Dane produced a brilliant eagle three on the par five 14th hole of the Pete Dye-designed Golf Club Klagenfurt-Seltenheim before three consecutive birdies brought the perfect finish to his eight under par 64 first round.
That was good enough to establish a one-stroke lead over young Frenchman Gary Stal, whose 65 started with five birdies and an eagle in his opening seven holes, with the English duo of Matthew Cryer and Tyrrell Hatton, Scotsmen Gavin Dear and Scot Drummond and Michael Lorenzo-Vera of France a further stroke back on six under.
The conditions were as good as they could possibly have been this morning," said Huldahl. "I think when you have the combination of a great golf course in perfect conditions plus nice warm conditions and no wind then you are always going to have the chance to go low.
"You still have to play the shots and hole the putts and I played well for 64, but the conditions were definitely in our favour this morning."
Huldahl could have been forgiven for arriving at the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda wondering what kind of golf he was going to produce after a terrible week in Wales last week on The European Tour.
As a former champion of the ISPS Handa Wales Open, Huldahl went to the Celtic Manor Resort looking to boost his confidence and build momentum for the second half of the Challenge Tour season, but a two round aggregate of 16 over par soon destroyed any positive hopes.
"Last week in Wales was a bit of a horror show," Huldahl admitted. "I mean, the conditions weren't great and I think everyone could see that but I played terribly and didn't know what to expect this week to be honest.
"But I suppose I have enough experience now to know that you cannot let one bad week affect you too much and I managed to come here in good frame of mind. Today's round certainly helps to stop thinking about last week.
"I am fully committed to the Challenge Tour for the rest of the season because I have only one goal for the year and that is to get my European Tour card back."
The perfect conditions during round one, coupled with perfect greens and fairways at the Golf Club Klagenfurt-Seltenheim, enabled the Challenge Tour's men in form to extract some outstanding scores during round one.
While Huldahl was head and shoulders above the rest, there was quality golf being played throughout the opening days play in Klagenfurt, with well over half the field going under par and England's Matt Haines holing in one on the par three fourth hole.
Among the more impressive first round scores were home stars Uli Weinhandl and young amateur Luka Nemecz, who lead the Austrian charge on four under par going into the second round.
But it was Stal who grabbed the attention in the afternoon with that incredible start of five birdies and an eagle in the space of seven holes.
"It was incredible to start this way," said the young Frenchman who only turned professional four months ago. "I did think about a 59 when I was seven under after seven holes, but it is such a difficult thing to do and in the end I was very happy to score 65."
|Player name
|STAL, Gary
|BROOKS, Daniel
|WALTERS, Justin
|LORENZO-VERA, Michael
|HATTON, Tyrrell
|LOCKERBIE, Gary


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Group our minimal DOCK+ LIGHTNING MARBLE EDITION and DOCK FOR APPLE WATCH MARBLE EDITION together to create a larger system for charging all of your Apple devices in one place. Now they're all within an arm's reach, even when recharging.
Each DOCK+ comes with a braided, reinforced Lightning cable, thoughtfully designed to perfectly complement the tones of the marble and aluminum finish.
The finest genuine marble is paired with brushed aluminum for a sleek finish that will stand the test of time. The DOCK's minimal design make a stylish addition to any space.
We designed DOCK to be compatible with all Apple Watch models, sizes, and strap styles. DOCK magnetically holds your watch in place, so you don't need to worry if it's buckled or unbuckled.
Since you'll mostly be charging your devices at night, place the dock system on your nightstand so you can conveniently access both your watch and phone at once. Connect your Apple Watch to DOCK in its horizontal orientation, and your device will automatically go into Nightstand Mode for the perfect bedside alarm clock.
DOCK+ is designed to accommodate your iPhone or iPad, whether you're using it naked, with a standard case, or an extra-large case. Choose from three separate adapters included in the box to ensure you get the perfect fit every time.
*Works with cases up to 3.5mm thick
Which Apple Lightning devices are compatible with DOCK+ Lightning?
DOCK+ Lightning is compatible with iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 6/6s, iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini (all generations), iPod Touch (5th generation or higher), iPod Nano (7th generation or higher), Apple Magic Keyboard, Apple Magic Trackpad 2, Apple Magic Mouse 2 (if you remove the DOCK's back-plate), Apple TV Remove with Touch (for 4th generation Apple TV), and the Apple Smart Battery Case. If you're unsure as to what iPad model you have, check out Apple's iPad Model Guide.
Is DOCK+ Lightning compatible with all Lightning Cables?
DOCK+ Lightning is only compatible with the included color-matched MFi certified Lightning cable. It is not compatible with Apple's Lightning cable.
Will my iPhone or iPad fit with a case?
As long as your case isn't thicker than 3.5mm (total thickness, as well as thickness on the bottom bumper), your iPhone or iPad will fit perfectly.
Are the Apple Watch & magnetic charging cable included?
No, we only manufacture and sell the charging dock. You must use your own Apple Watch and magnetic charging cable (included with your Apple Watch) with DOCK for Apple Watch.
Is DOCK for Apple Watch compatible with my existing Apple Watch magnetic charging cable?
Yes. You can feed your Apple Watch magnetic charging cable into DOCK where it is locked in place, so there's no need to purchase another charging cable. DOCK is compatible with both the 1m and 2m Apple Watch magnetic charging cables.
Do I need to buckle the Apple Watch around the aluminum arm to start the charging process?
No. What's great is once the Apple Watch magnetic charging cable is inserted into DOCK, you can simply place the back of your watch onto it, and it will be magnetically secured, even when it's unbuckled.
Will the DOCKs easily topple over?
No. We designed DOCK with a weighted base to provide a sturdy platform to charge and navigate your devices.
Do I need to specify which Apple Watch size, model, or strap I have?
No. For convenience, we designed DOCK to be compatible with all Apple Watch models, sizes, and strap styles.
How does the DOCK for Apple Watch reversible design work?
By simply turning the base over, you can position the rotating arm on either side. This is especially helpful if you want to move your watch from one side of the bed or desk to the other, or if you're left handed or right handed. This way you'll always have easy access to the watch face and visibility when it's charging.
What is the purpose of the horizontal position of DOCK for Apple Watch?
As you'll mostly charge your watch at night, we designed DOCK so that it could charge your Apple Watch horizontally as well as vertically. The horizontal position is especially useful with Nightstand mode, turning your Apple Watch into a bedside alarm clock.
Is the packaging recyclable?
We're proud to say that all our packaging is 100% recyclable, so you can enjoy our great products without hurting the planet.


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Mountain range in the Yukon
Mountain range in the Yukon
Images are printed on high-quality archival paper for durability. We use professional photo printing services for quality insurance. Catherine personally verifies each print before shipping. Print sizes are approximate based on image with a 2:3 ratio. For any customization requests or specific sizes, please feel free to contact us.
The watermark does not appear on the print.
Copyright Notice: When you purchase one of the fine art prints, you are buying the actual physical copy. Unless expressly authorized in writing, you may not scan, duplicate, copy, resell, publish, or otherwise utilize the image in any manner without prior written authorization from Catherine Babault Photography. You will own the print, not the rights to the original image.


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In case any Marvel fans were getting distracted by what actress may have been cast as a future Wasp, the latest reports remind us that in the shared movie universe, The Avengers take top billing for the foreseeable future. Apparently, the artificially intelligent butler of Tony Stark will be getting an upgrade from voice to Vision.
That's right, Paul Bettany (having previously provided the voice of JARVIS, Iron Man's A.I.) is reportedly set to take on the mantle of the Vision, an intelligent android and future Avenger in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The report comes from England's Daily Mail, further strengthening suspicions that Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) will be the driving force behind the creation of Ultron, not Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant-Man. While the comic books had Ultron spawned from the mind and work of Ant-Man, Marvel has made no secret of the fact that they are going to be changing canon - and this announcement of Vision's inclusion adds further evidence of their new take.
The first look at Ultron's helmet design made the connections between the Avengers enemy and Iron Man's own armor clear, but now it seems that Stark may be responsible for both the super-team's robotic foe and its android ally. But just as James Spader's face and performance will be worked into Ultron's design, it seems Paul Bettany will finally be lending more than his voice to a Marvel film.
According to Daily Mail, the actor was spotted visiting the film's production offices this week not to meet and greet, or record some lines, but to endure a team of make-up technicians as they applied "various powders and potions on Bettany's pale skin to bring about the Vision's chalk-white complexion." Die-hard comic fans will know that the most popular depictions of the Vision have him sporting his green and red costume, but it sounds like director Joss Whedon is going with the character's white makeover instead.
If the report is accurate, then the exact means by which Ultron is created become even more mysterious. Early on, it was thought that the easiest way to adapt the typical origin of Ultron was to have Tony Stark's JARVIS evolve some unsavory ambitions and take a suit of armor for himself. Those theories became less likely when Spader, not Bettany, was revealed to be bringing the villain to life. So where does JARVIS fit in?
It's too early to tell if JARVIS and Ultron are both the result of the same event, fracturing Stark's trusty A.I. ally into a light and dark side, or if the butler gains a fighting form to offer his human allies a better chance of survival. We doubt that mystery will be solved prior to the film's release, but the Age of Ultron is already seemingly being filled with more superheroes than Whedon will know what to do with. Of course, there's one way Whedon can solve that problem.
Nobody is going to doubt Bettany's skills, so fans will likely be pleased to know that he (or a digital copy of him) will finally get to appear alongside the rest of Marvel's most beloved characters. But the cast members themselves have spoken about how Whedon's story for the Avengers sequel will carry storylines forward - and JARVIS' ascension to the Vision could be a serious source of that character progression.
The previous team-up forced Tony Stark to 'make the sacrifice play,' but will he be as quick to sacrifice his closest friend and AI confidant? Will the Vision find love with the "messed up" Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)? We'd recommend holding off on theories until Marvel makes an official announcement, but the questions this raises about the overall film - and the films beyond it - are impossible to ignore.
What do you make of the new story for JARVIS? Is this the kind of twist you've been waiting for to bring the new origin stories together, or are you concerned there may be too much story for one film to handle well? Share your thoughts in the comments.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1st, 2015.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
Source: Daily Mail


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Where's the VAR? Contentious goal denies Southampton in EPL
Video assistant referees were trialed in domestic English soccer for the first time this week.
Unfortunately for Southampton, they aren't being used in the Premier League.
Southampton conceded a 90th-minute equalizer in its 2-2 draw at Watford on Saturday after Abdoulaye Doucoure forced the ball into the net with his right hand.
Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure scores his sides second goal during the English Premier League soccer match at Vicarage Road, Watford, England, Saturday Jan. 13, 2018. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Southampton's players protested but neither the referee nor his assistants saw an offense. A VAR surely would have.
"If VAR had come in, we probably wouldn't get that," said Watford captain Troy Deeney, who set up Doucoure's goal, "but today we got it. It's the luck of the draw."
Used for the first time in England for the national team's friendly against Germany in November, VARs were deployed in domestic soccer this week for the FA Cup third-round game between Brighton and Crystal Palace on Monday. They were also used for the League Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Arsenal on Wednesday.
They remain a source of debate, but incidents like the one at Vicarage Road may yet hasten their arrival.
Here's a look the rest of Saturday's games, where there were wins for Tottenham - on another record-setting day for Harry Kane - West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and West Ham:
Harry Kane overtook Teddy Sheringham as Tottenham's record scorer in the Premier League era (since 1992) with a second-half double in a 4-0 win over Everton
The England striker moved onto 98 goals, one more than Sheringham, and reached 20 goals in the league for the fourth consecutive year.
Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen scored the other goals at Wembley Stadium as Tottenham moved level on points with fourth-place Liverpool, whose game in hand is against Manchester City on Sunday.
Held 0-0 at home by Leicester, Chelsea has recorded three straight goalless draws across three competitions - and four in its last seven games.
Leicester dominated at Stamford Bridge until the 68th minute when Ben Chilwell was sent off for a second yellow card, and then easily saw off Chelsea's late rally.
Chelsea missed the chance to climb into second place above Manchester United, instead moving level on 47 points. Both teams are 15 adrift of Man City.
West Bromwich Albion forward Jay Rodriguez is set to be investigated by the English Football Association for an alleged remark made to Brighton defender Gaetan Bong during West Brom's 2-0 win.
Neither club has commented on the nature of Rodriguez's alleged comment to the Cameroon international, but it has been reported to the referee and he will be obliged to include in it his report. That means the matter will be examined by the FA.
In an incident that took place during the second half at The Hawthorns. Rodriguez pinched his nose after clashing with Bong, who alerted the match officials moments later.
It overshadowed West Brom's first win in 20 league games, with Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson scoring the goals from corners.
Crystal Palace and West Ham both won to continue their revivals under their new managers.
Palace didn't have a point or a goal after seven games, but Roy Hodgson has engineered a turnaround that has seen the team lose just once in the league since then. The latest win was 1-0 against Burnley, courtesy of Bakary Sako's first-half goal.
Sitting level on points with Palace is West Ham, which has only lost one of its last eight games under David Moyes, who replaced the fired Slaven Bilic in early November.
West Ham won at Huddersfield 4-1, with Marko Arnautovic scoring one goal and setting up two more for Manuel Lanzini.
In the other game, Newcastle drew 1-1 with last-place Swansea, which is four points from safety.
Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match Tottenham Hotspur versus Everton at Wembley Stadium, London, Saturday Jan. 13, 2018. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Chelsea's Marcos Alonso controls the ball with Leicester City's during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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Undergraduate Degrees, Majors and Concentrations
MGMT4205 - Human Resource Mgmt Seminar
Summer 2019
This course, a capstone course in human resource mangement, is developed as a summarization of information obtained in other courses in the major and in the support courses that are provided. The focus will be to provide a strong exposure to current problems in the field with the opportunity for each student to employ problem solving skills necessary for success in the human resource field. Outside speakers and case study presentations will be used.
Prerequisites: 90 credits and MGMT3600
3 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with MGMT4205
No Courses Found


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Addressing the Effects of Factory Farming on the Environment, Human Health, and Communities
Washington, D.C. — Since the latest outbreak of avian flu began in southeast Asia in 2003, public health officials, farmers, veterinarians, government officials, and the media have referred to the threat as a "natural" disaster. However, avian flu, mad cow disease, and other emerging diseases that can jump from animals to humans are symptoms of a larger change taking place in agriculture: the spread of factory farming. In the latest release from the Worldwatch Institute, Happier Meals: Rethinking the Global Meat Industry, Research Associate Danielle Nierenberg describes how factory farms are breaking the cycle between small farmers, their animals, and the environment, with collateral damage to human health and local communities. Mitigating the fallout will require a new approach to the way animals are raised, concludes Nierenberg.
Happier Meals notes that the greatest rise in industrial animal operations is occurring near the urban centers of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where high population densities and weak public health, occupational, and environmental standards are exacerbating the impacts of these farms. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) account for more than 40 percent of world meat production, up from 30 percent in 1990. Once limited to North America and Europe, they are now the fastest growing form of meat production worldwide.
"If [Upton Sinclair's] The Jungle were written today, it would not be set in the American Midwest," says Nierenberg. "As environmental and labor regulations in the European Union and the United States become stronger and more prohibitive, large agribusinesses are moving their animal production operations overseas, primarily to countries with less stringent enforcement."
Industrial systems today generate 74 percent of the world's poultry products, 50 percent of all pork, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs. While industrial countries dominate production, it is in developing nations where livestock producers are rapidly expanding and intensifying their production systems.
"Factory farms were designed to bring animals to market as quickly and cheaply as possible. Yet they invite a host of environmental, animal welfare, and public health problems," says Nierenberg.
Among the leading concerns cited in the report:
- Crowded, inhumane, and unhygienic conditions on factory farms can sicken farm animals and create the perfect environment for the spread of diseases, including avian flu, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease), and foot-and-mouth disease.
- Factory-farmed meat and fish contain an arsenal of unnatural ingredients, among them persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic, hormones, and other chemicals. Overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials in livestock and poultry operations, meanwhile, is undermining the toolbox of effective medicines for human use.
- Factory farming is resource intensive: producing just one calorie of beef takes 33 percent more fossil-fuel energy than producing a calorie of potatoes. Eight ounces of beef can require up to 25,000 liters of water, while enough flour for a loaf of bread in developing countries requires only 550 liters.
- Despite the fact that fisheries worldwide are being fished out, about a third of the total marine fish catch is utilized for fish meal, two-thirds of which is used to fatten chickens, pigs, and other animals.
- Only about half of all livestock waste is effectively fed into the crop cycle; much of the remainder ends up polluting the air, water, and soil.
Global trade and advertising, lower meat prices, and urbanization have helped make diets high in animal protein a near-universal aspiration, writes Nierenberg, noting that the world price of beef per 100 kilograms has fallen to roughly 25 percent of its value 30 years ago. Meat consumption is rising fastest not in the United States or Europe, but in the developing world. From the early 1970s to the mid-1990s, meat consumption in developing countries grew by 70 million tons, nearly triple the rise in industrial countries.
Other trends concurrent with the global spread of factory farming include:
- The number of four-footed livestock on Earth at any given moment has increased 38 percent since 1961, from 3.1 billion to more than 4.3 billion, while the global fowl population has quadrupled since 1961, from 4.2 billion to 17.8 billion birds.
- In Europe, more than half of all breeds of domestic animals that existed a century ago have disappeared, and 43 percent of remaining breeds are endangered. As developing countries continue their climb up the protein ladder, the genetic stock of their livestock is eroding as higher-producing industrial breeds crowd out indigenous varieties.
- The true costs of factory farming are not reflected in the low price consumers currently pay for meat. Environmental and health effects—such as rising antibiotic resistance and cardiovascular disease—are absent from most assessments of the costs and benefits of this growing trend.
Addressing the ill-effects of factory farming will require a different approach to the way we raise animals, says Nierenberg. Positive initiatives include educating consumers about the benefits of organic and grass-fed livestock and of vegan and vegetarian diets; supporting small-scale livestock production; encouraging producers to adopt alternative production methods; and improving occupational and welfare standards for both animals and industry workers.
In response to intensifying consumer demands and other factors, several food companies and international policymaking and funding institutions are exploring new approaches to the business of food. In the United States, McDonald's Corporation and Whole Foods Market have introduced more comprehensive animal welfare standards in the past decade. And in 2001, the World Bank reversed its previous commitment to fund large-scale livestock projects in developing nations, acknowledging that there was a significant danger of crowding out smaller farmers, eroding the environment, and threatening food safety and security. Also, in June 2005, the 167 member countries of the World Organization for Animal Health unanimously adopted voluntary standards for the humane transportation and slaughter of animals.
While many in the agribusiness industry have embraced food irradiation and genetic engineering of livestock as solutions to the myriad problems caused by factory farming, such technology-based responses are often merely stop-gap measures, says Nierenberg. "These end-of-the-pipe remedies are certainly innovative, but they don't address the real problem. Factory farming is an inefficient, ecologically disruptive, dangerous, and inhumane way of making meat."


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January 2013 Whoops!Posted in Whoops on January 1, 2013
Independence Roll
We decided to go to the mountaintop to celebrate the Fourth of July. A misjudgment of the hole–to–tire-size ratio sent my rig on its lid in a hurry! Once the truck was on the roof it actually started sliding down the hill. Thankfully, my friend wasn't too far behind in his Jeep, which ended up acting like a parking brake for my wrong-side-up truck. Talk about one heck of a Fourth of July!
Jaydee Hubbard
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Southern California House Prices Continue On Hot Streak After Summer
Southern California's housing market settled into a typical seasonal pattern in September with sales falling from August, but prices continued making big gains from a year earlier, a market tracker said Wednesday.
Last month the median home price across the six-county region increased 21.3 percent to $382,000 from $315,000 a year earlier, said La Jolla-based DataQuick. The median price did slip $3,000 from August, the first month-to-month decline since February. It was basically flat all summer.
However, the median has increased year-over-year for 18 consecutive months, DataQuick said. The increases have been in the 20 percent range for the last nine months as distressed properties have been weaned from the market and sales of more expensive homes increased.
Last month sales increased 7 percent to 19,112 properties from 17,859 a year earlier. Sales fell 17.1 percent from 23,057 in August as the summer buying season wound down.
"We've seen a fairly normal downshifting in the housing market this fall. Couple that with the rise in inventory, higher mortgage rates and the ongoing gradual drop in purchases by investors and cash buyers, and it's no wonder prices have leveled off in recent months," DataQuick president John Walsh said in a statement.
What is not yet clear is how the government shutdown, which ended on Wednesday, impacted the housing market. That won't be known for several months, Walsh said.
In San Bernardino County during September the median price jumped 32.4 percent to $225,000 from $170,000 a year earlier, the biggest increase in the region. Sales increased 15.4 percent, also the region's biggest gain, to 2,358 properties from 2,044 a year earlier.
Los Angeles County's median price increased 25 percent to $425,000 from $340,000 a year earlier and sales increased 5 percent to 6,494 from 6,188 in September 2012.
DataQuick tracks sales and prices of new and previously owned houses and condominiums.
During September the number of homes that sold from $300,000 through $800,000 — a range that would include many move-up buyers — increased 25.5 percent year-over-year. The number that sold for $500,000 or more jumped 42.1 percent from one year earlier, while $800,000-plus sales rose 43.4 percent.
Transactions involving foreclosed homes and short sales also continued trending down.
In September sales of homes foreclosed on in the prior 12 months accounted for 6.3 percent of the Southland's resale market, down from 6.9 percent in August and down from 16.6 percent a year earlier.
Last month's foreclosure resale rate was the lowest since 5.5 percent in May 2007. During the downturn foreclosure resales hit a high of 56.7 percent in February 2009.
Short sales, deals in which the sale price fell short of what was owed on the property, accounted for a 13.1 percent share, down from 13.3 percent the month before and down from 28 percent a year earlier.
September's level was the lowest since a 12.9 percent share in May 2009.
Absentee buyers, mostly investors and some second-home purchasers, bought 26.3 percent of the Southland homes sold last month. That was down from 26.7 percent the month before and down from 27.7 percent a year earlier.
DataQuick analyst Andrew LePage said that the market is downshifting a bit.
"I've heard of fewer multiple offers and properties are staying on the market a little bit longer," he said. "And there are some drops in asking prices. Some sellers are really trying to reach for the stars based on the appreciation we were seeing during the summer. The market has cooled somewhat from then."


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Versacom is an opportunity- driven company which is best positioned to work in a partnering relationship with large Telecommunication and Wireless providers offering managed expertise and services across the Wireless and Telecommunication spectrum.
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Global chocolate crisis looms
Expert warns of 'instability in cacao growing areas'
The world's chocolate supply is at risk, according to Professor David Guest of the University of Sydney's Faculty of Agriculture and Environment.
Professor Guest will tomorrow deliver a talk titled The Chocolate Crisis in which he will warn that "We're in a situation where chocolate manufacturers are anxious about meeting demand, as there's rapidly increasing chocolate consumption in developing economies, paired with instability in cacao growing areas."
Guest and his colleagues have travelled to cacao-growing regions in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Bougainville to promote sustainable farming practices for the precious bean.
"We work with farmers to select better genotypes of cacao, to demonstrate improved crop and soil management, to understand the constraints they face and what can be done to improve technical support," Professor Guest said.
"We've found it's really effective to explain to farmers that disease is caused by microorganisms similar to those that cause human disease. Showing farmers how the pathogens survive and spread helps their understanding and leads them to realise that they can reduce disease with improved management. Otherwise cacao farmers tend to blame nebulous factors like climate change or more virulent pathogen strains, which they feel powerless to do anything about."
Teaching farmers about these issues, and other farming methods that increase yields, are necessary to help producers keep up with rising global demand for delicious choccy treats.
"One estimate is that global production will need to increase by one million tonnes per year by 2020 - from 3.6 million tonnes in 2009/2010 - to meet global demand," Professor Guest said, with increased Chinese interest in chocolate one reason for the rise.
If that demand is to be met, Professor Guest says farmers need to act now.
"While controlling disease is relatively straightforward in theory, changing farming practice to become more sustainable and rewarding is a much more complex challenge involving social, economic, political and environmental factors," Professor Guest said.
It goes without saying that all Register readers wish Professor Guest and his colleagues every success in his work. ®


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The Jabra UC VOICE 750 Duo MS is a corded headset designed specifically for Unified Communications deployments. It's ideal for office professionals who often use UC voice applications.
The Jabra UC VOICE 750 Duo MS is certified and optimized for Microsoft Lync 2010 and Microsoft Office Communicator and is fully compatible with the latest generation of softphones. Simply connect the headset to the computer and it's ready for use. The inline call-control functions allow for fast user adoption.
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Directions for Preparing an Abstract
Students must carefully follow these directions when submitting their abstracts to their faculty advisers. Abstracts that do not follow these guidelines will not be accepted for presentation at the symposium. Abstracts will not be altered in any way; any errors that appear in the submitted abstract will appear in the abstract booklet! Once abstracts are approved by the faculty adviser, students will submit the Abstract Submission form found to the right of this page.
- All parts of the abstract should be neatly formatted, single-spaced, on a single page.
- The top, left, and right page margins should be one inch each; the bottom margin should be 5.5 inches.
- The title should be centered and typed in bold, using all capital letters.
- On the next line, below the title, the student's name and department should be typed (also centered and in bold) in upper and lower case letters with the student's email address in parentheses.
- The name and department of the faculty sponsor should then follow, in bold type, on a third line, directly below the student's name.
- Times New Roman 12-point font in Microsoft Word must be used.
- Abstracts should be one paragraph in length, no longer than 200 words.
- Students must submit an electronic copy as an e-mail attachment of the abstract to the departmental or program representative.
The deadline for abstract submission to the appropriate departmental representative is February 22, 2019.
Rebecca Julianne Lewis, Department of Political Science
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David Winder, Department of Political Science
This paper examines the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The Family and Medical Leave Act is a significant piece of legislation passed shortly after Clinton's election in 1992. This paper traces the history of the legislation. In addition, the analysis addresses voting behavior in the House and Senate on the bill. The analysis looks at voting behavior in four ways: party, region, Northern and Southern Democrats, and finally, perceived ideology based on ADA scores. The statistics in the analysis show a propensity for Congressmen to vote based on recognized ideology. In addition, party plays a significant role in voting behavior. Region appears to be less significant.
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Microsoft Patents Pressure-Sensitive Controller
Since Nintendo pushed the envelope, hardware manufacturers seem intent on making new controller types. Now that each of the big gaming companies have at least dabbled with motion controls, biometric feedback seems to be the next big thing. Sony is looking into biometric controllers to measure factors like sweat and heart rate. Not to be outdone, Microsoft is apparently considering a pressure-sensitive controller. The company has registered a US Patent (8,172,675) for a controller with a "pressure-sensitive exterior surface." The patent suggests that device memory could store the output signatures to identify users simply by how they grip the controller. And confirming that these plans relate to gaming, the patent also mentions the device as "a game controller that interacts with a game console service."
The patent makes repeated mention of the controller being used for identification, but doesn't go much deeper than that. Microsoft could potentially find gaming utilities, but doesn't seem to be going in that direction with the initial patent application. As always, a patent doesn't mean a product will ever come to market.
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Why Professional Women Aren't Reaching the Top — And 5 Ways Other Women Can Change That
The fact that many of us had to overcome significant hurdles as we banged our heads against the glass ceiling doesn't relieve us of the responsibility to help smooth the path for the women who come after us. If we don't, how can we expect our male colleagues to do so? As Madeleine Albright famously quipped, in her 2006 keynote address to the WNBA, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
Reading Bentley's recent Women in Business study, I was struck in particular by survey responses relating to differences between millennial women and men, and by the need for more women to step up to the plate and use their individual and collective clout to level the playing field for all women — from those just entering the business world to those ready to take top leadership positions.
Some of the findings include:
- 90 percent of respondents think women have what it takes to succeed in business
- 95 percent think that women are as ambitious as men, and 83 percent are as interested in business
- 57 percent of corporate recruiters feel women are better job candidates than men
- A majority of recruiters and business decision makers (61 and 54 percent, respectively) think women they have recently hired are better prepared than their male peers
- 80 percent of business leaders consider women better suited for business success in terms of organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
Nevertheless, 70 percent of respondents still believe men are better suited to succeed in "today's business climate."
What does this mean? Both male and female survey respondents attribute the disconnect between women's abilities and their success in pursuing business careers primarily to four interrelated factors. Specifically, when compared to men, women don't have:
- Enough encouragement to enter and remain in the business world
- As many opportunities in business as men
- Enough mentors in the business world
- Family and other constraints that continue to hold them back
At the Center for Women in Business at Bentley, my colleagues and I might put it differently, focusing instead on the institutional structures and corporate culture that either encourage or thwart the creation of a supportive, inclusive environment where women are retained and can advance to leadership positions. Regardless how one defines this situation, however, there is no question that those of us who have "been there, done that" can make a big difference for all those who follow after us.
Here are five ways to do that:
Start with the right mindset.
Regardless of our individual career paths, all of us have benefited to some extent from the help of women and men who preceded us or provided support at critical junctures in our lives. It doesn't detract from the enjoyment of our own hard-won success to also pay it forward. At our Women in the Workplace event in March, Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA and MassDOT, said, "There's nothing meaningful about being the only." Her point was then reiterated by Governor Deval Patrick, who urged women to, "Pass it on. It doesn't mean a thing to be the first in your senior position unless there's a second, and there are a lot of seconds waiting to be discovered." In order to bring along the second, third, and fourth, women need to embrace their own power and be prepared to expend it on behalf of other women. This is a legacy whose benefits will be far-reaching.
Share your story.
Be aware of your influence on younger women — and men, too. They are watching you and learning from your example. One of the highlights of our center's annual Gearing Up Conference for women in the first decade of their careers is the lunchtime panel, where senior and mid-level women share their stories and answer questions posed by the audience. These young women are looking for a range of role models who can help them visualize where they could be at different points in the future. They take inspiration from those who've gone before them, and they learn how to better navigate their own careers from your experiences — your successes and your failures.
Take a broad view of mentoring.
While individual mentor-mentee relationships and sponsorship are critically important, there are many less time-consuming ways in which women can provide the encouragement and advice that Bentley's survey respondents say are needed:
- Invite a more junior woman (or group of women) out for a casual lunch where there's an open dialogue. You'll provide a comfortable environment for a discussion of issues on which your observations and experience can be pivotal.
- Take a minute to pat someone on the back for a job well done to shore up the confidence that too many women lack in themselves. Don't let a female colleague or report undersell or doubt herself.
- Recognize that women often aren't comfortable promoting themselves unless they feel 100 percent ready for an opportunity (while men will do it when they're only 60 to 70 percent confident in their abilities)
- Take a chance on a woman who shows promise. Your male colleagues do these things as a matter of course, and women ought to do the same.
Some women corporate directors even make it a point to meet with groups of women employees at each company on whose board they sit. Not only do these meetings offer a director a relevant perspective on the company's operations and workforce, but they send a clear message that there is room at the top of the company for strong and accomplished women.
Combat unconscious bias and help create a gender intelligent workplace.
In addition to the institutional barriers that all women — whatever our age or position — face as we try to build lives for ourselves beyond the workplace, while at the same time pursuing our career goals, is the very real fact that the business world as a whole is still run by men, many of whom make unwarranted assumptions based on stereotypical notions about how women do or should behave.
One of the most important roles that senior women can play is educating their male colleagues about gender intelligence. They also need to call out situations in which different standards are applied to the evaluation of women and men — in hiring, work assignments, compensation, and promotions. Women must insist on having a voice in all of these processes, so that they can ask the questions that need to be asked and assure that unwarranted assumptions and stereotypes are addressed and eliminated from consideration. It's not necessary to be heavy handed about this or to be seen as "waving the pink flag."
I've always loved the story of a woman director of a Fortune 1000 company, whose answer to a male colleague on the nominating committee when he dismissed a woman board candidate from consideration because "We already have one woman on the board," was to later point out — with respect to a particular male candidate — "We can skip over this resume, too, since we already have two bald white men on the board."
Open doors for other executive women.
Senior women need to help one another, too. Being the only woman in a leadership position can be terribly isolating. We are fortunate in the Boston area to have organizations such as The Boston Club, Women Corporate Directors, and The Commonwealth Institute. These and similar organizations provide venues for women leaders to develop trusting relationships with peers confronting similar challenges, and otherwise can provide advice and support when it's most needed.
In the course of my years of working with companies and executives to advance more women to board positions, I have found that sitting women directors and executives have been the most effective agents of change. They are the folks who speak up when a nominating committee or search firm presents an all-male slate of candidates, and they are the ones who reach out to identify women whose skill sets and experience meet the company's needs.
It is disheartening when the only woman on a board joins her male colleagues in holding female candidates to a higher standard than is called for by the situation, or she remains silent when qualified women are either passed over or simply not given serious consideration. Without intention, her failure to help open the boardroom door can be viewed by those colleagues as implied permission to continue to fill board seats with people just like themselves. We all ought to follow the example set by Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, who keeps in her purse a list of 10 women qualified to run companies as CEOs or directors and pulls it out whenever someone complains that they can't find one.
In order to attain a critical mass of women on corporate boards and in executive suites, women must play an active role.
Toni G. Wolfman is an executive-in-residence at Bentley University's Center for Women in Business, a passionate, well-known and effective advocate for placing women on corporate boards, and a former attorney recognized for her contributions to the legal profession and the advancement of women.


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The 2013 Lancaster Dixie Baseball season is in the books and it's been quite a story.
The 2013 LDB seasons saw five all-star teams advance to state tournament play.
"We did really well," said veteran LDB chairman David Hance. "These coaches and players were outstanding. Their parents, grandparents and fans had plenty to cheer about this summer."
The youth baseball organization's 2013 all-star campaign ended with the AA stars, ages 7-8, playing in the Dixie Youth Baseball regional tournament in Walterboro.
Heath Springs Mayor Ann Taylor recently received a nice surprise.
Taylor, the Heath Springs mayor since 1990, received the Hettie Ricket Leadership Award last month in North Myrtle Beach.
The award was presented by the S.C. Community Development Association which honors community development leaders. The group is affiliated with the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
The Hettie Ricket Leadership Award is named after Hettie Ricket, a Cassatt native from neighboring Kershaw County who worked to get water service for her community.
Declaring independence from the mother country England was to be celebrated with devotion to God, pomp, parades, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the United States to the other – forever more. That was how John Adams said the American colonies were to claim their freedom on July 2, 1776.
However, the official declaration day wasn't until two days later and some historians still debate the official day.
The Andrew Jackson High School Volunteer Regiment is going to be in some "high cotton" come July Fourth.
The school's award-winning band will be among the nation's elite when it goes to Washington, D.C., for the annual National Independence Day Parade.
The AJ band earned its trip to the nation's capital after its division-winning performance in the Hartsville High Tournament of Bands last fall.
We search the various greeting cards for just the right words. Words that adequately reflect how we feel in our hearts for that important man.
Today is that important man's special day – Father's Day. It's a day set aside to thank that man who plays such a pivotal role in our lives. He provides and protects his family. His love is unconditional. A father's daily presence in children's lives provides a stable family foundation.
The bowling lanes at the Kershaw Recreation Center at Stevens Park are taking on a new life.
Thanks to a major renovation project, the lanes sport a more pleasing, modern look.
Back in February, Kershaw Town Council voted to allocate $118,330 from the town's reserve fund for the bowling alley's major improvements.
Town officials have considered ways to increase attendance at Stevens Park and use of its facilities, and the bowling alley has been a major part of those discussions.
Richard Band devoted 35 years to the Lancaster County Library and it's likely his legacy will be felt for years to come.
Band, 64, retired May 31 after spending nearly half of his life improving and expanding the Lancaster County Library system.
Band's impact is obvious.
"When I came, we had no branches and were only open one night a week," Band said. "We had a big old card catalog in the middle of the room with 40,000 cards that took up all the room. There wasn't a lot of technology."
On May 20, we were reminded that natural disasters of all kinds can bring devastation on a massive scale. In just a few seconds, the lives of Moore, Okla., residents were changed by an EF5 tornado that destroyed entire buildings while injuring or killing residents as they took shelter.
We can't prevent natural disasters, but we can prepare for them. By being ready and knowing what to do in a disaster, we can minimize risk, reduce the time it takes to recover and most importantly, prevent the loss of life.
Take a good look at the Graduation 2013 special section. It's full of the graduates from all four county high schools.
Today, about 787 Lancaster County students will march across four graduation stages to receive their high school diplomas.
Later, they'll flip the tassels on their mortarboards as they celebrate their graduation with the friends, family, teachers and administrators who helped them along the way.
Occasionally The Lancaster News receives an email from Gov. Nikki Haley's office announcing that flags across the state will be flown at half-staff on a certain day.
Often the reason is because a South Carolina soldier has been killed in action, usually in Iraq or Afghanistan. We post those announcements on our website.
Those half-staff flags are reminders of why we observe Memorial Day. It is so easy to get caught up in the celebration of the holiday with picnics, cookouts and get-togethers that we forget just why there is a Memorial Day.
Copyright © 2019
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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Published Jul 3, 2014
The place where it is ok to stare. Who has the best designer jewelry in town?
Where do you go if you don't want to shop til you drop, but you still want... see the Top 5 →
Shoe shopping could be an olympic sport for some ladies. Where's your... see the Top 5 →
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The 2014 Houston A-List awards are based on more than 15,000 votes from local Houston-area experts.


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Blu and Exile
Recommend albums, songs, bands, etc.
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Blu and Exile
if you are into hip hop.. Blu and Exiles newest release ( and I think first ) "Below the Heavens" .. is really great.. serious beats and great rhymes!!
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Blu was recently interviewed on (the excellent) Sound of Young America. I haven't heard the album yet, but it does sound really good.
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Thinking about production scale virtualisation projects?
Well today's your LUCKY day!
Webcast We estimate that most of you are exploring the idea of taking your virtualisation plans up to production scale. You've done the easy stuff, the tinkering, some moderate x86 consolidation, perhaps even some desktop virtualisation in branch offices. But chances are you're now thinking about stepping up to the plate.
How timely. Today we've got three experts in our studio, who are going to take you step-by-step through the process of taking virtualisation into the real world, with real apps and real volume.
Tim Phillips is hosting the event and he's joined by Jon Collins and Neil Sanderson, a tech guru from Microsoft. The three of them will take you through the planning process, they'll get you thinking about the risks in detail and they'll explain how to get the right management in place. All of this should give you and your bosses a proper feeling and understanding of the cost benefits.
For those of you that are about ready to take the next virtualisation steps with your business, this should be just the ticket. We hope to see you there. You can join right here for free. ®


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From the Trainer:
"One of the nice things about this workout is that it can be done anywhere and any time with no equipment. It will challenge you, but it's progressive – it will get harder as you progress. By the end of your 6-week-cycle, you will feel so much stronger and more confident. Good Luck! Life is full of choices!" Wende Leuba, Results Fitness
After you warm up, you'll be sprinting a number of times (scroll down to see a video of me sprinting!).
What's a sprint? It's an all-out run, and will serve as your main form of Bursting. And yes, you should do it even if you aren't a runner. Just run for 30-60 seconds like you've got zombies chasing you. When you're done, you won't be able to talk and you might feel like keeling over and dying – your heart will be racing. That's how you know you're doing it right. Trust me. Between each sprint, take a 1-2 minute break to allow your heart rate to come down. It will suck the first few times you do it, but as you progress, the sprints will get easier. The best part? They are over fast and they will keep your metabolism and your energy up for the rest of the day!
After your sprints, you'll do a group of exercises. Do each exercise the prescribed number of times, without stopping, and then immediately move on to the next exercise. Once you've finished all the exercises, please don't skip the stretching. You'll be sorry! Trust me. Make sure to stretch your entire body.
Below are the exercises! You can click on them and see a short demonstration video that Wende and I put together.
Shrinking Bootcamp W1D1
- Warm up walk/jog 10 minutes
- FIVE (5) Sprinting Bursts* – 30-60 seconds in length (see above video)
- Lunge kick– 15 each leg
- Push ups- 15 total push ups – (start on toes, and drop to knees if needed)
- Squat Reach Up Side– 15 each side
- Side plank dips– 15 each side
- Squat leg lifts– 15 each leg (demo at 1:35 on video)
- One arm tricep extension– 15 each side
- Cool down and stretch
See, it's not so bad is it? You were scared for nothing!
I want to impress upon you how important those sprinting bursts are. Seriously. If you don't do them, you might as well not do any of the workout!
*If for some reason you cannot do a sprinting burst, you can modify this move by doing 30-60 seconds of Burpees or Mountain Climbers – FAST PACED.
Here is what I look like sprinting (and don't laugh!):
If you have ANY questions at all, please leave a comment below.
If you want to Tweet about Shrinking Bootcamp, use the #sjbootcamp hashtag!
Free 6-Week Online Bootcamp


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Welcome to World Harvest Missions & The New Life Children's Home.
We now have a second web site. This new site is our information site. Please click on the link below.
New Life Children's Home
To read our recent News Letter, Click the link below and you can open a PDF file you can print.
God Did More Than We Could Ask Or Imagine
It has been an awesome week at New Life. Getting kids ready for school is a major task and we have so many kids! It is quite a job to prepare for their needs including uniforms, shoes, socks, underwear, books, book bags, notebooks, and supplies. From belts to hair accessories and toiletries, it's a big job to say the least. Can you imagine preparing 120 children for grade school, middle school and high school? We also continue to help children who grew out or aged out of our New Life home. I can see why most mothers on that first day say "whew" then don't know what to do with the quietness because it's so strange. The kids had a good summer and many went to summer camp and learned various skills. I wanted to finish off the summer with something that was weighing on my heart. It is so important to continue to build good childhood memories by doing some special things that they would always remember. With a very strained budget and trusting God to supply and meet all these extra needs, I knew that God could also help with things that are important to us. The light came on as Jean Rony and I brainstormed! What could we do that would be fun for the kids and be as inexpensive as possible? We decided on a fun girl's night slumber party in the church with movies and snacks and then another night for the boys! We met with all the children and they picked the menu. They chose PIZZA, watermelon and popcorn Pizza? I didn't exactly count on that in the budget! God, did you hear that? With all those excited faces, what would you say? "Lord could you sell one of the cows you own on a thousand hills?" We told the kids to bring a pillow and a sheet. We needed 15 pizzas. Ok Lord, throw in another cow in please! They were so excited! We also planned a special prayer service and BBQ on Sunday for the beginning of the school year. It was an awesome prayer service. The kids were so excited. I never should have asked the next questions... "What else would you like to do? Do you have any other ideas?" I meant like playing soccer, games, etc.? In one accord they screamed "THE BEACH". I tried to pretend I didn't hear but they knew that I did. We prayed and dismissed. Summer is over and it's almost time for school. The guesthouse is empty and bills and tuition need to be paid. We don't have a sponsor to go to the beach and it costs a lot for gas, food, drinks and admission even if we use our bus. I couldn't forget their excitement and the look on their faces. I grabbed a piece of paper to work out how to do this reasonably if we did go. We could possibly just have hot dogs. No, hot dogs never filled these kids up at the beach. That would only be an appetizer waiting for the chicken, rice and beans. Maybe they will forget about it after all the excitement of the slumber parties. We had a guest from Canada come in on Sunday. She was staying for three weeks to help with chores and assist with the special needs children who are always a special blessing here. On Monday, she told us that she just happened to bring some extra money and she wanted to know if there was something special that she could do for the kids! There were enough funds for the beach, gas, drinks, hot dogs, and for the chicken and rice! It was a day to remember filled with fun, food and boat rides. God is so good! We came home with a bus full of tired and happy kids. On the ride back I was thanking God and hoping that one day in the struggles of life, they will look back on a happy childhood and good memories and remember that God loves them and that He is a 'table in the wilderness' , giving them the desires of their hearts.
Hugs and Blessings from all of us at New Life!
Miriam, staff and kids


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2016 Award Winners
The competition and festivities are sponsored and hosted by the Twin County Regional Chamber of Commerce and supported by the City of Galax, The Galax Smokehouse, the Memphis Barbecue Network and many more sponsors.
Professional barbecue teams from all over the country will come to Galax to compete for the coveted handmade banjo trophy — made as always by local artisan Tom Barr — and a chance to earn a spot for their team in the 2014 The Memphis Barbecue Network World Championship of barbecue in Tennessee.
Winners from Galax are both state champions and qualified for the world title.
Runners-up get fiddle trophies. The instruments reflect that city's long heritage of traditional music.
Twin County Regional Chamber of Commerce | 405 North Main Street, Galax, VA 24333, US


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September 2008
Innovating for Excellence
How are these magnet programs meeting the challenge of high school reform? Each of these profiled schools was created as an instrument for change, either as a means to reduce minority-group isolation in schools or to answer the call for a more skilled workforce by raising the quality of high school education. To meet those challenges, these schools have developed a variety of promising strategies and responses that may be useful to other schools and districts.
The eight schools profiled in this guide exemplify some of the innovative program strands and curricular themes found in magnet schools. The schools have attracted students to select these demanding, content-rich educational programs and bring families from diverse backgrounds to the schools. Some themes are designed to prepare students for careers, such as the health professions and engineering, that have workforce shortages, making the magnet programs even more attractive to students and their families. For example, Galileo Magnet High School (Danville, Va.) offers study strands in air and space technology, biotechnology, advanced communications and networking, as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (see fig. 1 on p. 8). Miami's Design and Architecture Senior High School (DASH) is another exemplar of a career-focused high school program, the first in its district to focus on design careers in the arts. DASH combines a rigorous academic program with specialized design training. Other magnets emphasize innovative pedagogic approaches as a way of setting high standards for children of all backgrounds. At Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS), founder Jack Murrah believed that the principles of democratic liberal arts education, espoused by the philosopher Mortimer Adler in The Paideia Proposal, could change how students learn by emphasizing critical thinking, reflection, and active participation in seminar classroom settings. Nationally recognized as a Paideia model, CSAS offers a college preparatory, liberal arts education that aims to realize the potential of any student who comes through its doors.
Figure 1. Magnet Strands of Study at Galileo Magnet High School, School Brochure (Excerpt)
Magnet schools can be innovative in the thematic curriculum they provide, but sometimes it is the organizational structure in the district or the school environment itself that is inventive. Forward-thinking districts have implemented systemic change by creating feeder systems, aligning thematic magnet schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. In Houston, the Aldine Independent School District developed thematic curricular vertical strands spanning K-12, starting with students at a young age to prepare them for rigorous high school programs (see fig. 2 on p. 10). This strategy has been so popular in the district that in 2007-08, G. W. Carver Magnet High School (Carver) had only 25 lottery seats open for 300 non-feeder applications, with most of their 845 students coming up through the vertical feeder elementary and middle schools.
Magnet programs also have been developed as part of community solutions to complex challenges. Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC), a grade 6-12 magnet, whose interdisciplinary theme focuses on global education, grew out of a climate of crisis for public schools in the Hartford area. Due to the nature of that community's housing and demographics, an inter-district model was adopted as a strategy for desegregating public schools there as mandated by a 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court case settlement.8 MLC serves students from the 543-square-mile capitol region of Hartford, with six or more towns sending students and contributing funding for them. The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) manages the cooperative partnership among the participating districts that send students to MLC.
Innovation at the district level is one avenue for improving high school programs. In the late 1980s, Miami-Dade County, Fla., launched the Saturn School project, as a means to create cutting-edge teaching and learning models throughout the district. A request for proposals called on educators and community members "to design the school of your dreams." That led to the development of Miami's Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH), whose program focuses on preparing students for careers in the visual arts and design. At Northeast Magnet High School (NEM) in Wichita, Kans., it was district superintendent Stuart Berger who spearheaded the use of magnet programs as a catalyst for high school reform.
A distinctive feature of these schools is the sophisticated way that they leverage thematic curriculum, exposing students to professional quality projects with real-life applications. In some instances, this teaching strategy connects classroom-level work to community-based practice; in others, it involves raising the accountability and performance level for final products. For example, when Hurricane Wilma blew down an observatory tower in the southern part of Everglades National Park in 2005, students in the DASH architecture program were invited to design a replacement structure. Each student drafted plans, and submitted them to a local architectural firm to select one design for the park. At the same school, students in the industrial design program created drawings for a chair design contest (see fig. 3 on p. 11) sponsored by a local real estate firm and the HSBC bank in Switzerland. Students completed 48 chair designs and from these, 11 finalists were selected, and five were manufactured as prototypes demonstrating the students' professional quality work.
Figure 2. The Magnet School Strands in Aldine Independent School District, Houston (Excerpt)
Figure 3. Sample Chairs Designed By Students in the Industrial Design Program At Design and Architecture Senior High School (Miami)
Source: Design and Architecture Senior High School. Used with permission.
The U.S. Department of Education does not mandate or prescribe particular curricula or lesson plans. The information in the figure above was provided by the identified site or program and is included here as an illustration of only one of many resources that educators may find helpful and use at their option. The Department cannot ensure its accuracy. Furthermore, the inclusion of information in this figure does not reflect the relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information; nor is it intended to endorse any views, approaches, products, or services mentioned in the figure.
Teaching in these schools is often project-based, with students experiencing the relevance of their rigorous learning. For example, at Galileo Magnet High School (Galileo), in an Advanced Application of Biotechnology class, students work in pairs in a state-of-the-art laboratory. Using a special kit with pipettes to detect antibodies in the blood stream, they can determine if there has been exposure to a disease, such as smallpox.
Several of these schools have innovative strategies for infusing technology in their environments. At Carver, the principal piloted an internal communication technology system for staff so that any teacher can check the status of a student's grades, attendance report, and testing data with the click of a mouse. At MLC, teachers use interactive whiteboards, and every student has a laptop. Instead of a school library with books, Galileo has a research center to give students access to cutting-edge science. They can download data, reports, and conduct their own online research. For students in rural areas, small towns, and inner-city neighborhoods that are often quite insular, new technology offers an expansive array of resources that aims to open local viewpoints to global perspectives.


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Harry Dutton Grunwell, a retired Army warrant officer with a talent for linguistics and computers, died Dec. 5 at Howard County General Hospital from complications of multiple sclerosis. The Marriottsville resident was 66.
Mr. Grunwell was born in Ogden, Pa., the son of Paul and Bernice Grunwell. He graduated in 1963 from Chichester High School in Pennsylvania, where he was class president his last two years.
In his senior year, Mr. Grunwell was voted "most talented" for his skill at the piano and "most dependable," said Norman Guarinello, who became friends with Mr. Grunwell in sixth grade when they competed against each other in sports.
"If he said something to you, you knew it was the truth," Mr. Guarinello said. "And if he said he was going to do something, he followed through with it."
Mr. Grunwell attended Pennsylvania State University and graduated in 1967. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968, and shortly thereafter was sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., to be trained as a Korean linguist. Mr. Grunwell had a facility for languages and later became an instructor at the institute, his family said.
After several months in California, Mr. Grunwell proposed over the phone to his high school sweetheart, Marie Iacono, and asked her to come to California to be married.
"The first time he proposed, I said, 'No,'" said Mrs. Grunwell. She wanted a big wedding in Pennsylvania surrounded by her extensive Italian family, she said. But a week later, Mr. Grunwell proposed again, and this time on the advice of her father to follow her heart, she agreed. Her family threw a large shower for her at a local firehouse, then she packed up a cake and her wedding dress and took her first flight on an airplane. The couple married in September 1968.
During his military career, Mr. Grunwell worked in Army intelligence and cryptography. He served six year-long tours of duty in Korea, and part of that time he commanded the helicopter surveillance program in the Demilitarized Zone, his family said.
In 1979, he was stationed at Fort Meade. He remained there until he retired in 1990 as a chief warrant officer 4. He was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in 1982 and the Legion of Merit in 1990, his wife said.
Larry Grim, who served with Mr. Grunwell at Fort Meade, recalled that many of the soldiers entered the Army in the 1980s with only a high school diploma. Mr. Grunwell was unusual at the time because he motivated those serving under him to get a college degree and made sure they had the time to pursue their studies, Mr. Grim said.
"He recognized that people who got an education were recognized by faster promotions," Mr. Grim said.
After his military retirement, Mr. Grunwell became a computer network engineer. He worked for California Microwave Systems in Belcamp and Sparks-based McCormick & Co. Inc., helping the spice maker through Y2K without a glitch, his family said.
"He was very smart. He knew stuff about everything," said his daughter, Jeanne Marie Ford of New Market.
Mr. Grunwell, who didn't talk about himself much or of his work in military intelligence, would sometimes surprise his daughter with the scope of his expertise. For example, she said, she discovered her father had been a code-breaker when he helped her out with a school assignment on code-breaking.
"He never let me think I couldn't do anything," added Mrs. Ford, noting that her father thought she could run track in high school as well as the boys if she put her mind to it.
Mrs. Ford, a writer for the soap opera "Days of our Lives," said her father was an avid reader who frequently gave her ideas for books, usually with an espionage theme. "They were really good ideas," she said.
A memorial service is planned for spring 2013 at Arlington National Cemetery.
Mr. Grunwell was preceded in death by a brother, William Grunwell. In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Grunwell is survived by a brother, Edward Grunwell of Boothwyn, Pa.; and two grandchildren.


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BATON ROUGE — As officials continue to deal with a massive sinkhole near Bayou Corne in Assumption Parish and displaced residents continue to push for solutions, two local lawmakers are considering legislation to head off future disasters.
BATON ROUGE — As officials continue to deal with a massive sinkhole near Bayou Corne in Assumption Parish and displaced residents continue to push for solutions, two local lawmakers are considering legislation to head off future disasters.
Sen. Troy Brown, D-Napoleonville, and Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, who both represent portions of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, said their possible bills — still in the conceptual stages — would serve the entire region.
Brown, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, said he is interested in exploring the idea of a moratorium or ban on any kind of permitting the state might be involved with, or can insert itself into, regarding underground caverns.
The sinkhole near Bayou Corne was caused by a collapsed cavern that was mined inside of a salt dome.
"That would give (the Department of Natural Resources) and (the Department of Environmental Quality) the time to come up with ways to create new corporate obligations," he said. "Companies need to be able to step up and compensate for any losses they create."
In the case of the Assumption sinkhole, residents and the state place responsibility with the Texas Brine Co.
Some of the 350 residents evacuated roughly seven months ago want buyouts from the company, which has not yielded to those requests.
"Texas Brine continues to provide financial support for residents within the mandatory evacuation zone," company spokesman Sonny Cranch said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Texas Brine recognizes and understands the issue of buyouts, which has been expressed by several property owners. At this time, no decision has been made regarding this matter."
Brown said he is also exploring performance bonds companies would have to pay before performing work in or around caverns.
As for how long his proposed moratorium would be, Brown said, "The state needs to take as much time as it needs to update whatever process is in place today."
Harrison said he is working on potential legislation to require real estate agents and other parties selling property to disclose their proximity to caverns and what is being stored in them.
Like Brown, Harrison said his policy proposal is a work in progress and details will be forthcoming.
"This has been a real learning experience for me," he said. "I thought they had some checks and balances in place for something like this already, but it has been very difficult to get answers. We're all in a very awkward position."
While the controversy in Assumption Parish has many moving pieces, from corporate responsibility to the state's response, he added that it speaks to a larger theme that should be taken seriously when the Legislature convenes its regular session April 8.
"This all comes down to property rights," Harrison said. "And these people are finding themselves in the middle of an experiment."
The top of the sinkhole in Bayou Corne is 3,400 feet below ground, while the floor sits about 5,600 feet below the surface.
The cavern was mined inside the Napoleonville Salt Dome by injecting water, which was then pulled out with high salinity levels for nearby industrial use.
Scientists contend external pressure was the culprit, with the cavern being placed too close to the salt dome.
The pressure caused a violent collapse, filling it with millions of cubic yards of earth, trees and all, and expunging oil and gas.
Jeremy Alford can be reached at email@example.com.