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Smith College began collecting original works of art in 1879, only four years after it enrolled its first class. Initially, President L. Clark Seelye bought works of contemporary American art, often directly from the artists themselves, believing that students should be familiar with the art of their own time. American art has remained one of the collection's core strengths. By the early twentieth century, Alfred Vance Churchill, the Museum's first director, had expanded the collecting sphere to include European art.
At the request of the College's trustees, Churchill formalized the Museum's collecting guidelines in 1920. These involved a "concentration plan" that focused on the modern era, which he defined as beginning with the French Revolution. His plan emphasized the importance of acquiring works of high quality, while recognizing the instructional value of preparatory studies and unfinished works that show an artist's working method. Guided by this plan, the Museum assembled important holdings of French art of the nineteenth century, including superb works by Edgar Degas, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, and others.
The plan was revisited in the early 1990s, and acquiring works by women artists and artists of color became a collecting priority. In the last decade, the collecting plan has significantly expanded to include African, Islamic, and, particularly, Asian art to support the College's global curriculum.
Photo Courtesy of Smith College Archives


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Through the Missouri Plant Science Center in Mexico, Mo., Reliv will have access to top biotech researchers throughout the University of Missouri System.
Reliv International, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELV), Soy Labs LLC and the Missouri Plant Science Center have announced a new joint research and development partnership that will give Reliv greater access to the latest soy and plant biotechnology research.
Reliv is a maker of nutritional supplements that promote optimal health. Soy Labs focuses on delivering high-quality soy ingredients to the leading health supplement formulators and manufacturers. The Missouri Plant Science Center is a joint venture of the Missouri Technology Corp., the University of Missouri System and the city of Mexico, Mo., where Soy Labs is also based.
"The partnership offers Reliv the opportunity to collaborate with some of the nation's leading biotech researchers to develop innovative plant-based ingredients," said Dr. Carl W. Hastings, Reliv's chief scientific officer.
Reviewed 2013-07-31

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sprache: English (English)
How to manage your account(s) wisely
#1 What do I do if my expenses exceed my income?
#2 #1, in your case look at other tips and try to lower your expenses: www.moneytrackin.com/tips/?lang=en
Moneytrackin' staff - moneytrackin.com
Moneytrackin' staff - moneytrackin.com
#3 You could also try to split up payments. I have a $400 a month car payment I have split into two $200 payments, losing $400 out of one check would really put me in the hole.
Procrastination Takes Time.
Procrastination Takes Time.
Einloggen um Kommentare zu schreiben Oder registrieren hier


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Casio XW-G1 Synthesizer
Groove features with a synth/sampling engine
Fig. 1. The XW-G1 may look a lot like Casio's XW-P1, but offers features aimed more toward the groove/DJ/sampling crowd.Remember the "synth vs. sampler" debate, when people eventually figured out they were different animals so they ended up using both? Apparently Casio came to the same conclusion, so they introduced the XW-P1 with multiple synth engines for hardcore synthesizer fans, and the XW-G1 for the more groove/DJ/sampling crowd. The surface similarities (see Figure 1) belie the significant internal differences.
I've become a major XW-P1 fan because it goes places other synths don't. It's quirky, brilliant, fun, surprisingly deep, and nothing else is quite like it . . . or comes in at that price. You may find the architecture or UI off-putting at first because it's unique (a word I don't use lightly), but once you wrap your head around "the Casio way of life," it's a blast. The G1 manual (downloadable at casiomusicgear.com) explains the synth in great detail; this review will concentrate more on summarizing the G1, and describing its particular gestalt.
Overview The G1 dispenses with the P1's Hex Layer and Drawbar Organ engines, replacing them with a Sample Looper and a flash memory-based Sample Player with ten presets. Sampling/looping RAM allows 19 seconds of a mono signal at a 21kHz sampling rate; halve that for stereo or when using the 42kHz sampling rate. Files can then be transferred over to Flash ROM as user waves to free up the RAM buffer.
The P1's assortment of PCM Melody and PCM Drum Tones, which you can think of as a sort of super General MIDI module with sounds ranging from adequate to outstanding, remains intact but more importantly, so does the Solo Synth and its "Minimoog thinking on steroids"—it's a monster.
The highest level of operation, the Performance, stacks up to four sound engines (one Solo Synth, and the rest PCM Tones or user Waves).
However the G1 isn't just about sounds and samples, but control. The Multikey feature, which allows using an octave of keys as trigger controllers for various functions, is quite cool. The 16-step step sequencer is similar to the P1's, with a few key differences: nine tracks instead of 16, four controller tracks, and a couple additional ways to trigger it. The G1 also offers a 16-step arpeggiator and phrase sequencer. Don't overlook these, particularly the Phrase Sequencer, which can serve as a scratchpad recorder of notes and/or controllers for catching inspirations and riffs, or on a more formal basis, provide "drop-in" sequences—for example, I made a cool little sample-and-hold controller phrase to drive the filter.
I also play guitar, and with the external input, I can use both hands while the phrase sequencer alters notes and other parameters. Notes? Yes, this external input (for mic, line, or instrument) has an oscillator block that provides realtime pitch transposition while you play keys. It's lo-fi for sure, but that's its charm, as you can transpose your way to some really wacky sounds.
Each zone can have its own arpeggiator and phrase; the step sequencer can be enabled/disabled for each zone. The sequencer is great for building up patterns, and with a little manual-reading time, easy to use. I can even do an approximation of my Ableton Live "fader-slamming" act by using the nine sliders to control mixer levels for the sequencer tracks, and of course, it's ace for drum patterns.
Other control options include four assignable realtime control knobs, and the usual pitch bend and mod wheels. These controls take a little getting used to, as they're fairly small and close together; but you can manipulate both simultaneously with ease.
Looping and Sampling The looper does what you'd expect, but more—like being able to re-sample sounds from within the G1, although you can also plug an instrument into the back and treat the looper like a standalone effect. It can also work with sampling. (I'll describe that later.)
Fig. 2. The crossplatform editor is an invaluable addition to the keyboard, not just for programming but also for understanding its architecture. This shows a Performance's parameters.Sampling does some things well, some things superbly, and some things . . . not so well. Transposing a sample across the keyboard works great—transposition quality is good, and the G1 recognizes a sample's loop. If you try to transpose way out of range, it will just repeat the top octave of the range so there's no dead space on the keyboard.
Multisampling is non-standard; a G1 user wave tone has only one sample, so there are no conventional multisampling split points. Instead, you assemble up to five samples consecutively, one after another. Each "split" then specifies the start and end of each section within the sample; in other words, each split plays back a different portion of the sample. Each split can loop from an arbitrary point in the middle to the end, but for instrument sounds, you can't specify the loop points with sufficient accuracy to do short (e.g., only a few cycles) loops. No sample editor that I've used can generate multiple loop points within a single sample that the G1 will recognize. If you want a multi-sampled cello, this is not the droid you're looking for.
However if you have a sampled phrase like a piece of music, it's a very different story. Defining different sections, mapping them to keys, and being able to loop them makes for some great breaks, DJ-style loop mashing, sound effects, stutters, and more. What's more, the looper fits resampling like a glove—for example, it's easy to record five consecutive step sequencer sequences, shuttle the wave into a tone, and the G1 automatically sets the split points and you can start playing immediately. The integration among all the G1 elements—looper, step sequencer, sampler, arpeggiator, etc.—is a major strength.
Computer Connection Casio's G1 Editor/ Librarian (see Figure 2) is a stellar addition to the package. It's well-crafted, and doesn't have that tentative feel some custom editors do. It needs better documentation for sampling and user waves, but overall, does the job. It's also the quickest way to understand the G1's architecture and capabilities. The manual will fill you in on the details, but spend 30 minutes with the editor and you'll have the big picture.
The G1 communicates MIDI (but not audio) over USB, but also has 5-pin DIN MIDI jacks so you can drive it with, for example, a controller with aftertouch (which the Casio synths lack, but recognize) or use the G1 as a four-zone master controller.
DSP Yes, you have effects—46 total for any of the tones, including the basics as well as combinations (compressor + wah, distortion + flanger, etc.). The Solo Synth only offers six effects, although Casio gets extra credit for making one of them a ring modulator. They're reasonably good, but I suspect in the studio, most people will run the synth dry and use their favorite plug-ins.
Extras As mentioned earlier, this product is deep, and it has lots of extras. The Solo Synth can blend two oscillators, two PCM waveforms, the external input, and a noise generator; it also has 8x8 matrix modulation, and an overall filter to complement the ones for individual voices. The G1 can run off batteries, and the sliders provide a control surface for three banks of Solo Synth parameters. And the Step Sequencer is wonderful—there isn't space to tell its full story, but it's an important part of the synth.
Oh, and the G1 is really light and easy to carry around. No, the case isn't all-metal, but Casio has some kind of mojo that makes these keyboards more rugged than they would seem at first.
Conclusions The G1 is just as much fun as the P1, and for groove fans, perhaps even more so. Stepping back, the thing that distinguishes Casio's new synths is the fact that they are new synths. I know some keyboardists who have Rigs of the Gods but got themselves one of these puppies because, to quote one, "this is the most fun I've had with a synth in a long time." Just remember to approach these synths the way they want to be approached; appreciate them for their unique characteristics, and you'll have a blast. I sure am.
STRENGTHS: Brings something new to the party. Costeffective. Solo Synth engine is extremely flexible. User sampling and looping. Excellent companion software, although front-panel editing is pretty transparent. Cool step sequencer. Solid realtime control.
LIMITATIONS: Sampling process is convoluted. Sample memory not expandable. Lacks the XW-P1's Hex Layer and Drawbar Organ engines.
$799.99 MSRP, $599.99 street


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Seasonal campfire restrictions commence in national parks and reserves
Fly Neighbourly Advice for the Tasman National Park
Hybrid diesel-electric shuttle buses at Cradle Mountain - a first for National p
Tasmania is fortunate in possessing a very large number of unique plant species that occur nowhere else in the world. Our rainforest and alpine communities are unique assemblages of plants of great botanical significance. One such group of plants, the native conifers, is particularly important, not only for its botanical values, but also for the role that conifers have played in the history of Tasmania.
The Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii) derives its common name from the stands which once occurred along the Huon River, itself named after Captain Huon Kermandec, commander of the French ship, L'Esperance. The species is restricted to western and southern Tasmania, where it is largely confined to riverine habitats.
Estimates of the area of living Huon pine vary, but are in the order of 10 500 ha. In addition there are about 800 ha of standing, fire-killed pine. The current area of remaining pine is the remnant of a much wider original range that has been reduced by fire, inundation, logging and mining. Today, the remaining stands are well protected within reserves, the majority being within the World Heritage Area.
Although extremely slow growing, the tree may attain heights of over 40 m. Growth rates average a mere 1mm per year, but can vary from 0.3 mm to 2 mm, depending on conditions. Huon pine can reproduce both vegetatively (from fallen individuals) and by seed. Seed dispersal is largely limited to the area downstream from riverine stands.
The Huon pine can reach prodigious ages, often in excess of 2000 years, with the oldest dated trees exceeding 3000 years of age, making it among the longest-lived organisms on Earth. The bristle-cone pine of North America and the Chilean rainforest species, Fitzroya cupressoides exceed it in age. International headlines were made with the discovery of a stand of Huon pines on Mt Read that was widely quoted as being in excess of 10 000 years of age. All the individuals in this population are genetically identical, and are all males. The stand arose from one or a small number of individuals, and has maintained itself by vegetative reproduction. It is important to remember that no individual tree in the Mt Read stand is 10 000 years old -- rather, the stand itself has been in existence for that long.
The leaf-like cladodes of celery-top pine.
Compare the needles of pencil pine
(left) and King Billy (right).
Laxifolia, a hybrid between
the two, is shown in the centre.
The celery-top pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius) is so named due to the resemblance of its 'leaves' to those of celery. In fact, these are not true leaves, but rather cladodes (flattened stems); although very young seedlings have needle-like leaves. the development of cladodes is thought to be an adaptation to the low light levels often present in the habitat in which this species occurs. The tree grows to 30 m in height and may attain a maximum age of 800 years.
Today this slow-growing tree is exploited as a by-product of clearfelling in old-growth forests and is commonly used for external cladding and poles in the building industry.
The King Billy pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides) is thought to derive its common name from the Tasmanian Aborigine William Lanney, who was referred to as 'King Billy'. It reaches a height of 40 m and may reach ages in excess of 1200 years. The species is restricted to regions above 600 m where it grows in highland rainforest.
Dead pencil pine stags at Mt Field
A close relative of the King Billy pine, the pencil pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides), is generally restricted to sub-alpine areas above 800 m. Like its relative, it can reach ages greater than 1200 years.
Pencil pines are often seen around the shores of highland lakes and tarns, creating the unique ambience of these beautiful areas of Tasmania.
Tasmania's native conifers are highly susceptible to fire. In certain areas of the state, extensive stands of dead 'stags' give testimony to the ravages of previous fires. Some of the largest pure stands of pencil pine have been lost due to campfires which have escaped. Some species will never recover due to their very slow growth and poor seed dispersal abilities. Indeed, one-third of the State's King Billy pines have been eliminated by fire.
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area has been declared a "fuel stove only area" in an attempt to prevent the loss of further stands of pine, as well as rainforest and alpine communities, which are also highly susceptible to fire.
This page produced by the Parks & Wildlife Service,
a unit of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment This page was last modified on Thursday, 17 July 2008


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The Exo Terra Reptile UVB100 has a moderate to high UVB output, similar to
that of shady environments such as rain forests and other tropical locations.
Reptiles living in these habitats receive less UV radiation because of the many
climatological conditions (fairly high humidity, changes in weather, etc) that
prevent direct sunlight from reaching them or their basking sites.
Reptile UVB100 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp
13 watt, formerly known as Repti-Glo 5.0 UVB. For use with 110v current only.


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New Year's Eve 2011
New Year's Eve celebrations began popping up around the United States around 1900. Our country observes the Gregorian calendar, which means December 31 is the end of the calendar year. Whether you go out and have a good time or stay home and watch the happenings on television, below is a list of "what to do" on New Year's Eve, but don't forget on Jan. 1, 2012 to watch the Rose Bowl Parade, grub down on some cabbage, black-eyed peas, cornbread and some ham then allow yourself time to make your New Year's resolutions.
Crockett Street
As always, Crockett Street is throwing a big party that features an outdoor stage with a DJ spinning party music along with outdoor bar and party favors. Each venue will also get into the act as The Gig will host the Jive Train reunion ($15); Dixie Dance Hall ($10) will be playing the best of country; Red Room ($10); and Vain ($12, 21 and up only). All venues, except Vain, is for ages 18 years and older. Call (409) 833-7999 for reservations.
Whiskey River
The country/dance club will be open for older folks only and provide party favors and free champagne toast at midnight for $10. Tickets can be purchased in advance at all Florida Tans' locations or online at whiskeyrivertexas.com. For more information, call (409) 832-2999.
Soul Vacation will perform at Madison's on NYE with a $10 cover charge for those 21 years an older. There will also be party favors and a champagne toast. Call (409) 924-9777 for more information.
Goodfella'sFor $99.95 per couple, two can enjoy an appetizer, two entrees, dessert, champagne toast and two tickets to see Soul Vacation perform at Madison's. For more information, call (409) 861-2500.
Starvin Marvin's
Still Cruisin' will be rocking the stage. For more information, call (409) 347-0058.
The Logon Café
Honey Island will reunite and perform lots of boogie with soul. Expect to hear songs by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Delbert McClinton and more. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and cover charge is $5. Call (409) 832-1529 for more information.
MacKenzie's Pub
Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and will provide shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin with accommodations, champagne toast and even breakfast. Cost is $80 per couple and requires reservations by calling (409) 866-2288.
Suga's Deep South Cuisine
Get your grove on with Hamilton Loomis plus enjoy a spectacular spread of food. Doors will open at 8 p.m. and cover charge will be $75 per person. Enjoy the exquisite menu, appetizers, desserts and a breakfast bar all for one price. Call (409) 813-1808 for reservations. Suga's will also offer an early seating beginning at 5 p.m. with an ala carte menu.
Mid County
Dylan's (Port Arthur)
For a $10 cover charge, enjoy the sounds of Mike Zito live on stage as well as champagne and party favors along with food and drink specials. Call (409) 722-1600 for more information.
Larry's French Market (Groves)
Ken Marvel and Jivin' Gene will take the stage at 7 p.m. and with a cover charge of $15 advance ($20 at the door), you can also enjoy champagne and other party favors. For more information call (409) 962-3381.
Southeast Texas
Nutty Jerry's (Winnie)
NJEC will host three bands including Champagne Room, The 11th Hour and Rapture. Doors will open at 8 p.m. and seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. There will also be free champagne at midnight. Guests cam upgrade their evening with an all-inclusive dinner package at Nutty Jerry's Steakhouse for $30 per person. NJEC is joining forces with the Holiday Inn of Beaumont Plaza and you can purchase a hotel package, which starts at $75 per person, that includes free hourly shuttle service to an from Nutty Jerry's. For ticket information, view nuttyjerrys.com or call (877) 643-7508.
Honky Tonk Texas (Silsbee)
Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the Robert Newland Band will take the stage. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the venue. For more information, call (409) 386-1995.
Cotton's Cay (Orange)
The Rock Alley Band will perform and doors will open at 8 p.m. Call (409) 886-9042 for more information.
Delta Downs
Live thoroughbred racing begins at 5:45 p.m. then come dance the night again with the self-proclaimed "world's greatest party band" — The Chee-Weez at 9 p.m. Admission is free for those 21 years and older with a B-Connected Card, which is also free to sign up for.
The Texas Longhorn Club
Home of the biggest dance floor this side of the Mississippi River, the Longhorn Club will host a New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball contest with $1,500 in cash and prizes. Categories include best gentleman, lady, couple and best mask. There will also be a balloon drop, champagne and party favors. Admission is $10 for 21 and up and $15 for ages 18-20. For more information call (337) 589-5647.
L'auberge du Lac
Annagrey will perform live inside Jack After Dark at 10 p.m. along with the sounds of DJ Cage. Also included will be a balloon drop and complimentary party favors. Cover charge for 21 years and older is $15 (free for Owner's Club and Elite members). Additional party favors will be available on property. Call (337) 395-7777 for more information.
Isle of Capri
Cover band Bag of Donuts will perform on the Caribbean Cove stage from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. with no cover charge.
Zydeco music fans will love Louisiana Fiya with doors opening at 7 p.m. Show is for 18 years and older. Call (337) 474-7333 for ticket prices and other info.
The 40th anniversary of Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve from New York City will begin at 9 p.m. and once again be hosted by Clark and Ryan Seacrest. Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas will host the Los Angeles portion of the program. Scheduled to appear or perform are Lady Gaga, The Bandy Perry, Jenny McCarthy, blink-182, Christian Perri, Gym Class Heroes, Florence+The Machine, Hot Chelle Rae, Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, OneRepublic, Taio Cruz and will.I.am.
NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly will host a two-hour special from 9-10 p.m. and 10:30-11:30 p.m. Performing are Drake, Jessie J and Tony Bennett.
Demi Lovato will host the show from New York City, which begins at 10 p.m., with performances by Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, J. Cole and Mac Miller.
Ring in 2012 with American Idol finalist Lauren Alaina and fellow country musician Rodney Atkins performs beginning at 10 p.m.


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Seahawks Dominate Super Bowl XLVIII
(EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.) -- The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions for the first time in franchise history.
The Seahawks dominated from start to finish, and it all culminated in a 43-8 thrashing of the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium.
Seattle took a quick 2-0 lead, scoring on a safety on the first play from scrimmage. A high snap from Broncos center Manny Ramirez sailed over Manning's head and rolled into the end zone. On the ensuing possession, Steven Hauschka drilled a 31-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 5-0 advantage.
The Broncos were held without a first down in the first quarter. Kam Chancellor picked off Manning with less than a minute remaining. The Seahawks converted the interception into points when Marshawn Lynch barreled into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run to begin the second quarter.
Things got even worse for Denver when Malcolm Smith returned a Manning interception 69 yards for a score to make it 22-0. The Seahawks headed into the break with a comfortable three-score lead.
Percy Harvin wasted no time in increasing Seattle's lead when he returned the second-half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open.
The Seahawks were the first team with no players with Super Bowl experience since the 1990 Bills, who lost Super Bowl XXV. They became the 19th NFL franchise to win the big game.
In the loss, Peyton Manning threw for 280 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Demaryius Thomas set a Super Bowl record with 13 receptions.
Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith was named Super Bowl MVP.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio


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People quickly took to Twitter and Facebook to announce their disappointment or support for the President's decision. There were all types of Bible quotes as well as very heated rhetoric from both sides of the argument.
Of course the President's opponent, Mitt Romney, detecting an opening, declared his support of marriage being defined as that between a man and a woman. Fox News even went so far as to say that the President had 'Declared War on Marriage'.
The President knew that when he made such announcement that it was definitely going to be a defining moment in his presidency. His campaigned quickly sent out letters from the President explaining his decision.
Here is what he wrote:
The Savvy Sista --
Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer:
I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
I hope you'll take a moment to watch the conversation, consider it, and weigh in yourself on behalf of marriage equality:
I've always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution.
But over the course of several years I've talked to friends and family about this. I've thought about members of my staff in long-term, committed, same-sex relationships who are raising kids together. Through our efforts to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, I've gotten to know some of the gay and lesbian troops who are serving our country with honor and distinction.
What I've come to realize is that for loving, same-sex couples, the denial of marriage equality means that, in their eyes and the eyes of their children, they are still considered less than full citizens.
Even at my own dinner table, when I look at Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, I know it wouldn't dawn on them that their friends' parents should be treated differently.
So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
I respect the beliefs of others, and the right of religious institutions to act in accordance with their own doctrines. But I believe that in the eyes of the law, all Americans should be treated equally. And where states enact same-sex marriage, no federal act should invalidate them.
If you agree, you can stand up with me here.
Thank you,


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sam at operanewmedia necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 109 diseños de 22 diseñadores freelance.
We're a Los Angeles-based interactive business strategy agency, working primarily with entertainment clients. We help celebrities and production companies leverage their brands to develop new businesses and revenue streams. We do business strategy, design, branding, development, marketing, and management -- seeing projects from idea to implementation. We also incubate and create our own products, launching 3-4 every year. We're young, smart, fun, energetic, and growing quickly! Hello!
Our audience is potential clients and potential partners. We want visitors to understand that we're a smart, serious, creative, plugged-in interactive agency with razor-sharp business savvy, a keen aesthetic vision, and a deep understanding of the new media/tech space. We have a strong track record of building and growing successful businesses, both other people's and our own.
We want a logo that is crisp, simple, intelligent, elegant, and clean but not too boring; classy and classic but not stuffy; whimsical but accessible; fun but not frivolous; serious but not didactic or overbearing. Our URL will (soon) be http://www.meetcharlie.com. Our old logo is at http://www.operanewmedia.com. We don't like that!
We like white, red, blue, green, black, orange - simple colors that feel classic. We probably want no more than 2 colors in a logo, but obviously follow your heart if you have a cool vision. We don't really like yellow, pink, purple, turquoise, fuchsia, fluorescent colors etc.
As far as iconography, we'd like some sort of icon. We imagine this will be a distinctive "C" that can be used as a favicon, stamp, etc. However, the most important thing is the rending of the word "Charlie." We don't think we want it in all caps, although we think the header at http://notational.net/ is very cool. We don't have a preference at this point between "Charlie" and "charlie" so pick what you like.
Ideally, your submissions will have a idea for the word "Charlie" as well as a corresponding "C". Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions! Really looking forward to seeing your ideas. Thanks for submitting!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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- The Library Shop
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© The New York Public Library, 2019
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The Vandamm archive documents almost comprehensively three decades of theatrical history in New York. Florence and Tommy Vandamm, married in 1918, moved to New York from London in the 1920s when their portrait studio business declined after the war. They began to establish dominance in the field in 1928 when they undertook a contract with the Theatre Guild to photograph all of their productions. Tommy concentrated on documenting the stage work while Florence took responsibility for the portraits. Hallmarks of the Vandamms' collective work are the beautiful compositions they achieved and the flattering images they created. Their accomplishment came with enormous labor and attention to detail. A painter's eye is apparent and spontaneity is absent in their stage shots and portraits alike, which they carefully planned, composed, and lit. The Billy Rose Theatre Collection purchased the archive of negatives and prints in 1961 when Florence closed the studio.
Henderson, Mary C. Broadway Ballyhoo (1989)
Thomas, Robert S. Vandamm, N.Y., a pictorial record of the modern American Theater (1945?)


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Meteorite fragments spark 'gold rush' in Russia
Tiny fragments of the meteorite that blew apart over Russia may be worth more than their weight in gold.
Amateur enthusiasts and scientists alike are scrambling to find bits of the meteorite that streaked across the morning sky over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk Friday at a hypersonic speed of at least 33,000 mph and shattered into pieces about 18-32 miles above the ground.
Hundreds were injured following a sonic blast that shattered windows, but scattered amid the broken glass are bits of space rock -- and enthusiasts will pay dearly for them, said Dmitry Kachkalin, a member of the Russian Society of Amateur Meteorite Lovers.
"The price is hard to say yet ... The fewer meteorites that are recovered, the higher their price,'' Kachkalin told Reuters. He estimates that chunks could be worth up to $2,200 per gram -- more than 40 times the current cost of gold, the news agency said.
Russian scientists on Monday said they had recovered as many as 53 tiny fragments of rock on the ice covering Russia's Lake Chebarkul -- 0.2-inch-long bits of the 2-foot-wide meteorite that blasted through heavens and left a circular hole on Friday.
"The fragments we have found are traces of the outer layer of the meteorite – there is a melted crust and so forth – which means that the basic mass lies there, in the lake," Viktor Grokhovsky, a member of the Russian Academy of Science's committee on meteorites, told the Interfax news service.
Did they check eBay first? Within hours of the explosion, residents of Chelyabinsk had listed bits of the space rock on classified ads sites.
According to the International Business Times, a user named Andrew advertised 18 pieces of the "meteor from the news," for 500 rubles each (the equivalent of $16.61) on Avito.Ru, a Russian-language classified ads site.
"There are 18 pieces of size as a wristwatch," Andrew wrote in Russian on the site. "You can choose as souvenirs or for stories. BOOK ME IN ADVANCE, to snap up FAST!"
Another user felt his rocks were more worthy, asking 300,000 rubles (roughly $10,000) for a piece of the rock. "A piece of the meteor for sale, it's new," Sergey wrote, with a photo of himself holding a piece of stone.
The first fragments from Friday's meteor are mainly stone, made up of about 10 percent iron, Grokhovsky said. More esoteric minerals such as platinum and gold are said to be part of other asteroids, however.
But to meteor hunters, the tiny bits of rock are priceless, whatever they may contain.
The fireball that streaked into the sky over this tough industrial city at about sunrise Friday was undeniably traumatic. Nearly 1,200 people were reported injured by the shock wave from the explosion, estimated to be as strong as 20 Hiroshima atomic bombs.
But it also brought a sense of cooperation in a troubled region. Large numbers of volunteers came forward to help fix the damage caused by the explosion and many residents came together on the Internet -- first to find out what happened and soon to make jokes.
Chelyabinsk, nicknamed Tankograd because it produced the famed Soviet T-34 tanks, can be as grim as its backbone-heavy industries. Long winters where temperatures routinely hit minus-22 Fahrenheit add to a general dour mien, as do worries about dangerous facilities in the surrounding region.
In 1957, a waste tank at the Mayak nuclear weapons plant in the Chelyabinsk region exploded, contaminating 9,200 square miles and prompting authorities to evacuate 10,000 nearby residents. It is now Russia's main nuclear waste disposal facility. A vast plant for disposing of chemical weapons lies 50 miles east of the city.
"The city is a place where people always seem bitter with each other," said music teacher Ilya Shibanov. But the meteor "was one of the rare times when people started to live together through one event."
"For most people, it's a good excuse for a joke," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Goldman Profits by Going on Offense
Wave of Corporate Refinancing Fed the Best Debt Underwriting Performance Since '07
The value of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s investment portfolio doubled last year. Bond underwriting hit a five-year high. The firm's workforce shrank and remaining employees were paid a smaller chunk of overall revenue.
Those were just some of the ingredients in a bigger-than-expected profit jump by the New York company, which said net income almost tripled to $2.83 billion in the fourth quarter from $1.01 billion a year earlier.


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Change a delegate's access level
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text:
Death of Lisa McPherson
Lisa McPherson
|December 5, 1995 (aged 36)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
|Cause of death
|Pulmonary embolism/negligent homicide
Lisa McPherson (February 10, 1959 – December 5, 1995) was an American member of the Church of Scientology who died of a pulmonary embolism while under the care of the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc. Following the report of the state of Florida's medical examiner that indicated that McPherson was a victim of negligent homicide,[1] the Church of Scientology was indicted on two felony charges, "abuse and/or neglect of a disabled adult" and "practicing medicine without a license." The charges against the Church of Scientology were dropped after the state's medical examiner changed the cause of death from "undetermined" to an "accident" on June 13, 2000. A civil suit brought by her family against the Church was settled on May 28, 2004.[2]
- 1 Background
- 2 Coroner's report and review
- 3 Criminal case review
- 4 Timeline
- 5 Legacy
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
In 1994, McPherson, who became a Scientology adherent at age 18,[3] moved from Dallas, Texas, to Clearwater, Florida, with her employer, AMC Publishing, which was at that time owned by Bennetta Slaughter and operated and staffed primarily by Scientologists. During June 1995, the church placed McPherson in an "introspection rundown" due to perceived mental instability. Lisa completed the rundown, and she attested to the state of Clear in September.[4]
On November 18, 1995, McPherson was involved in a minor car accident. Paramedics initially left her alone because she was ambulatory, but after she began to remove her clothes, the paramedics decided to take her to the hospital. She remarked to the paramedics that she had taken off her clothes in hopes of obtaining counseling.[5] Hospital staff agreed that she was unharmed, but recommended keeping her overnight for observation. Following intervention by fellow Scientologists, McPherson refused psychiatric observation or admission at the hospital and checked herself out after a short evaluation.[6]
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Frank Quesada concluded:[7]
Lisa McPherson refused psychiatric observation or admission at the hospital; she expressly stated her desire to receive the religious care and assistance from her fellow congregants that she and they wanted her to have.
McPherson was then taken to the Flag Land Base for "rest and relaxation" according to the Church of Scientology,[8] but sworn statements demonstrate that McPherson was brought there for another introspection rundown.[8][9]
Mark McGarry, an attorney with the Florida Office of the State Attorney, characterized McPherson's stay at the FSO as an "isolation watch":[9]
My understanding now is, from talking to many, many witnesses, the purpose of her being there in the Church, correct me if I'm wrong, she was experiencing some mental problems, and you guys were going to stabilize her through an isolation watch. And after that watch occurred, there was going to be a procedure run on her, and the procedure was an introspection rundown.
The church accommodated McPherson in a cabana and kept a "24 hours' watch" over her. Detailed logs were kept on McPherson's day-to-day care. These logs were handwritten on plain white paper.[10] Most of these logs were kept but the logs for the last three days were summarized from the originals and the originals shredded. Brian J. Anderson, the then Commanding Officer of the Church's Office of Special Affairs (OSA) in Clearwater, said in his sworn statement:[11]
I saw the handwritten notes, gave a cursory look to see if the summary—see if they matched and matched, and I threw the handwritten reports in my shred basket, and I had the report, kept the report.
McPherson's "care logs" narrate the last seventeen days of her life: she was incoherent and sometimes violent, her nails were cut so she would not scratch herself or the staff, she bruised her fists and feet while hitting the wall. She had trouble sleeping and was being given natural supplements and the drug chloral hydrate to help her sleep. A Church staffer noted that McPherson "looked ill like measles or chicken pox on her face." On repeated occasions she refused food and protein shakes that the staff offered. On November 26 and 30 and December 3 to 4, the staff attempted to force feed her, noting that she spat the food out. She was noted to be very weak, not standing up nor on some days moving at all.[12] Scientologists who questioned this handling were told to "butt out".[13]
On December 5, 1995, the Church staffers contacted David Minkoff, a Scientologist medical doctor who twice prescribed McPherson Valium and chloral hydrate without examining her.[14] They requested for him to prescribe an antibiotic to McPherson because she seemed to have an infection. Minkoff refused and stated that McPherson should be taken to a hospital and he needed to see her before prescribing anything.[10] They objected, expressing fear that McPherson would be put under psychiatric care.[14] Dr. Janice Johnson, a senior medical officer at Flag Land Base who was assigned to care for McPherson, stated that McPherson had been gasping and had labored breathing while en route. However they passed a total of four hospitals along the way to their ultimate destination. When they arrived at Minkoff's hospital 45 minutes north of Clearwater, McPherson exhibited no vital signs. Hospital staff attempted to resuscitate her for 20 minutes before declaring her dead.[6][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
Scientologists called McPherson's family to say that she had died of meningitis or a blood clot[22] on December 5, 1995 while at Fort Murray for "rest and relaxation".[23] A suspicious death investigation began the next day and an autopsy was performed. A year later, in response to a Clearwater Police Department website request for information on her death, Clearwater media began speculating[24] about the causes of McPherson's death.[25]
There were regular pickets outside Scientology offices on or around the anniversary of her death.[26]
Coroner's report and review
First coroner's report
On December 5, 1995, McPherson's autopsy was conducted by assistant medical examiner Robert Davis. Davis never completed McPherson's autopsy report because he was asked to resign from his position.[27] The report identified the cause of death of Lisa McPherson as a thromboembolism of the left pulmonary artery caused by "bed rest and severe dehydration" and the manner of death as "undetermined".[28] The report also identified multiple bruises, an abrasion on the nose, lesions and insect bites that appeared consistent with that of a cockroach.[29] The autopsy report was completed by his supervisor medical examiner Joan Wood.
On January 21, 1997, Wood appeared on the television show Inside Edition and stated that the autopsy showed McPherson's condition had deteriorated slowly, going without fluids for five to ten days, was underweight, had cockroach bites and was comatose from 24 to 48 hours before she died.[30]
The Church of Scientology's legal team proceeded to sue Joan Wood to gain access to Wood's files; including tissue, organ and blood samples from McPherson's body. The lawsuit argued that Wood waived any right to keep her records on the case closed when she spoke openly about the case with news reporters. The Church alleged that the records were needed to start their legal defense. These records were previously denied to the Church because they were part of an ongoing criminal investigation.[31]
Independent opinion
The St. Petersburg Times contacted five medical experts for their opinions about the report, and they confirmed Wood's opinion. The Church of Scientology responded that the five doctors should have been given the entire autopsy report, not just the vitreous fluid tests, which pathologists use to determine the composition of blood at the time before death.[32][33]
Scientology hires forensic pathologists
Scientology hired its own team to oppose Wood's findings, including two nationally known forensic pathologists: Dr. Michael Baden, a former Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York, and Dr. Cyril Wecht, a county coroner from Pittsburgh. Doctors Baden and Wecht concluded that McPherson died suddenly and unpredictably of a blood clot in her left lung that originated from a knee bruise she suffered in a minor automobile accident seventeen days earlier.[34]
This scientific evidence was then sent to Joan Wood for review.[35] The scientific evidence sent to Wood included:
- Research on compounds known as ketones, which people produce when they are dehydrated, starving or even fasting. Tests of McPherson's bodily fluids showed no ketones according to the pathologists.[1]
- Findings from a body measurement expert hired by the church. The Church-hired expert compared autopsy photos of McPherson with those taken shortly before the accident. The expert concluded from the photographs there was "no appreciable weight loss," countering the prosecution's view that McPherson lost 20 pounds (9.1 kg) to 40 pounds (18 kg) while in Scientology's care.[1]
- A report by a Morton Plant Hospital doctor and church officials who saw McPherson just before she entered Scientology's Fort Harrison Hotel, stating McPherson was already thin with protruding cheek bones.[36]
- A report by Robert D. Davis, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy for Wood's office, concluded McPherson's body was of average nutritional status.[36]
- Medical literature and sworn testimony gathered by the church that it says proves the eye fluid samples were improperly handled by Wood's office, incompetently tested at an independent lab and ultimately contaminated.[36]
The plaintiff's response was that the chain of custody of evidence was not broken (also corroborated by assistant State Attorney Douglas Crow's memo to State Attorney Bernie McCabe).[37]
Due to the vitreous fluid tests, they maintained that McPherson was dehydrated. Chemical pathologists Calvin Bandt and Werner Spitz concurred with the initial coroner's report in their affidavits.[38] Plaintiff witness Dr. Alan Wu also testified that ketones need not be present for dehydration in a special case like McPherson where she was fed proteins and therefore didn't create measurable ketones.[39] The plaintiffs maintained that Lisa did lose water weight to result in 108 pounds (49 kg) with respect to the vitreous fluid.[40]
Final coroner's report
In light of the new scientific evidence provided by the church, a review was mandated by the policy manual which says the medical examiner will "readdress key issues" in a case if "credible new evidence is presented, regardless of its source."[1]
After the review Wood changed the cause of death from "undetermined" to an "accident". Wood traced McPherson's pulmonary embolism to her psychosis and a minor auto accident as major factors.[1]
Criminal case review
Wood's review caused the review and dismissal of the Lisa McPherson's death criminal case.[41] The review was done by assistant State Attorney Douglas Crow and is outlined in the 31 page memo that he sent to State Attorney Bernie McCabe recommending to drop the criminal case against the Church of Scientology.[27]
The initial autopsy
Crow stated that there were credibility issues with the original autopsy, including that Wood had signed the autopsy herself five months after Davis' departure, failed to examine tissue samples and did not consult clinical experts before reaching her conclusion. He also pointed out two other mistakes done by Wood like releasing the autopsy report on an active criminal case and going public on national media.[27]
Robert Davis' testimony
Medical examiner Robert Davis changed his testimony from 1997 deposition given in the civil case to strongly disagree that Lisa was severely dehydrated. He also made a series of accusations against the Medical Examiner's Office's handling of the case and questioned their motive. Davis stated that Wood was not present during the autopsy and did not consult him when she signed the autopsy.[27]
Destruction of evidence
Crow noted that Wood's credibility would be attacked due to the Medical Examiner's Office's failure to follow its own policies to preserve evidence, the release of the body for cremation before a cause of death had been determined, and the destruction of Davis' autopsy notes.[27]
Wood's explanation of the autopsy changes
The primary reason Wood gave for changing her findings was her realization that the microscopic slides of the popliteal vein and the photographs of muscle tissue in the surrounding area provided evidence of trauma which could explain the thrombus formation. She could not explain why she had not seen this before.[27]
Crow was highly critical of Wood in his memo stating:
Her explanations concerning the reasoning behind the changes have been illogical and inconsistent. She vacillated in her conclusions even as she prepared the amended certificate. After talking to Joe Davis she executed a notarized change in the death certificate to accident and removed dehydration and bed rest as causative factors. She then reconsidered that decision and resolved to change the manner of death to homicide with dehydration listed as one of multiple factors and then again changed her mind the next morning, deciding to follow Joe Davis' initial advice.— Douglas E. Crow
Crow also mentioned a unique set of circumstances that put Wood under tremendous pressure and might have affected the quality of her judgment. These being:
- Wood's appearance on national television left her more vulnerable to litigation and committed her to a forensic position that would make any modification professionally embarrassing.
- The fact that Robert Davis, the forensic examiner that actually did the autopsy, was critical of her conclusions.
- The defense suggestion that if forced to litigate it would reveal information extremely damaging to Wood's office and her career.
Crow concluded that even though there was probable cause, the actions and testimony of Wood had so muddied the facts that there wasn't enough credible evidence to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, and recommended the dismissal of all charges.[27]
While nothing in the review has caused me to believe that the central premises behind the prosecution are erroneous, our ability to establish these necessary facts beyond a reasonable doubt has clearly been compromised. While Dr. Wood is an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable expert who is a formidable witness when defending a valid position, her inability to coherently explain her decision even under benign questioning by me is completely perplexing. Because of Wood's admission of a serious forensic error, her illogical and unfortunately inconsistent justifications of her decision to change the death certificate and autopsy report, the inconsistency between the changes made in the death certificate and the forensic basis for our charges, her continuing equivocation on issues central to the criminal case, and the very real possibility that the cause of death listed by the Medical Examiner's Office is incorrect, I have come to the conclusion that presentation of the Medical Examiner's current testimony to a jury will create a reasonable doubt on crucial forensic issues. When combined with existing problems in the case, it is my recommendation that we should not continue to pursue the prosecution. Douglas E. Crow
- 1995
- December 5 - Lisa McPherson died while under the care of Flag Service Organization (FSO), a branch of the Church of Scientology.
- 1997
- February 19 - The family of Lisa McPherson sued the Church of Scientology and the individuals involved for wrongful death, while the Church claimed it did nothing wrong toward McPherson.[42]
- 1998
- September 15 - Dr. David Minkoff settled his portion of the wrongful death suit by having his malpractice insurance pay $100,000 to the estate.[43]
- November 13 - The Church was indicted on two felony charges in McPherson's death; abuse or neglect of a disabled adult, a second-degree felony, and unauthorized practice of medicine, a third-degree felony; the first criminal charges ever filed in the United States against the Church of Scientology.[30] These charges were brought against the Church as a corporation, not against any individuals, and the maximum penalty, had the charges been pursued and the Church found guilty, would have been a $15,000 fine plus costs.[13]
- 1999
- December 6 - Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe presented a response to Scientology's attempt to get the case dismissed.[44][45]
- 2000
- February 23 - Medical examiner Joan Wood changed the cause of death of Lisa McPherson to an "accident." "Gone from the new report is the original reference to the bed rest and dehydration. Wood still traces the death to a blood clot behind McPherson's knee. But she lists McPherson's psychosis and a minor auto accident as major factors."[1]
- March 8 - A group of more than 200 Scientologists moved to have the criminal case dismissed on the claim that it had "chilled the religious rights of every Scientologist" and that other Scientologists were now being treated with concern, suspicion or ridicule by non-Scientologists. A central point of the motion was that McPherson had undergone the Introspection Rundown, which the brief putting forth the motion called an "entirely religious" practice.[46]
- April 4 - Scientology moved to have the entire criminal case dismissed. "The entire basis for the state's prosecution of this case has now collapsed," begins one of the many Scientology legal briefs arguing the case should be dismissed.[47]
- June 12 - On the advice of Assistant State Attorney Douglas Crow, State Attorney Bernie McCabe dropped the criminal charges against the Church. According to a memo by Crow, medical examiner Joan Wood could not be counted on to confidently testify.
- 2001
- August 3 - Scientologist "OT 8" Dr. David I. Minkoff had his license suspended for one year and was fined $10,000 for prescribing medicine to McPherson at the request of her FSO caretakers without having ever seen her.[14]
- 2002
- April 29 - The church accused McPherson attorney Ken Dandar of professional misconduct and perjury and tried to get him removed from the case.[48]
- June 22 - Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Frank Quesada dismissed the count alleging that McPherson was falsely imprisoned on the McPherson's civil suit.
- 2003
- August - The church of Scientology sued attorney Ken Dandar for breach of contract, for having added David Miscavige to the wrongful death lawsuit despite a mutual agreement not to add additional defendants. In a 2003 jury trial, Scientology asked for over two million dollars in damages, but received only $4,500 in attorney fees and no punitive damages.[49][50]
- 2004
- 2009
- June 22 - Mark Rathbun, a former member of Scientology, admitted that he had instructed the Church to destroy files related to the case.[52]
- 2012
- October 31 - Ken Dandar filed a federal lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its attorneys, asking for injunctive relief from the church's litigation, which he claimed was a violation of his civil rights.
- November 17 - In support of Dandar's lawsuit, Marty Rathbun claimed in sworn testimony that Scientology spent $30 million to influence Florida judges and defame Dandar during the criminal and civil lawsuits concerning McPherson's death. Rathbun also claimed that Scientology influenced Joan Wood's ruling of McPherson's death as "accident" by bribing her lawyer, Jeffrey Goodis, with Super Bowl tickets and other gifts. Goodis denied the charges.[53]
- November 24 - Dandar added David Miscavige as a defendant in his federal lawsuit against Scientology.
- November 28 - Mat Pesch, the former treasury secretary of the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, claimed that he witnessed the Office of Special Affairs dumping $20 million in FSO reserves into Scientology's legal defense over McPherson's death.[54]
Lisa McPherson Clause
As a result of the controversy surrounding the death of Lisa McPherson, the Church of Scientology now requires members to sign a general release form each time they register for a new service, whereby they make certain agreements, such as acknowledging that Scientology is a religion and not intended to treat medical issues, promising not to sue the Church for any reason unless criminal negligence is assured, or disavowing psychiatric treatment. In the event a Scientologist is involuntarily placed into a psychiatric ward or institution, the form also grants permission to allow the church to intervene on their behalf and have them released into the care of other Scientologists in order to undergo the Introspection Rundown or any other Scientology services deemed necessary.[55][56]
Injunction against the film The Profit
During the civil suit against the Church of Scientology brought by McPherson's family members, an injunction was sought and obtained to keep the Scientology-critical film The Profit from being shown to avoid prejudicing the jury pool against Scientology.[57]
See also
- Project Chanology – worldwide protests held against Scientology on February 10, 2008, Lisa McPherson's birthday
- Death of Kaja Ballo
- Lisa McPherson trust – a now-defunct protest organization named after McPherson
- Murder of Elli Perkins – a senior auditor at the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, New York murdered by her schizophrenic son, Jeremy, on March 13, 2003
- Scientology and psychiatry
- ^ a b c d e f Tobin, Thomas C. (February 23, 2000). "Church member's death now called accident". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ a b Farley, Robert (May 29, 2004). "Scientologists settle death suit". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ Police interview with Fannie McPherson, Lisa's mother
- ^ Tobin, Thomas C. (June 13, 2000). "State drops charges against Scientology". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ Jeannette-Meyers, Kristin (January 7, 1998). "Transcript of CBS's Public Eye show on Lisa McPherson". lermanet.com. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Frantz, Douglas (December 1, 1997). "Death of a Scientologist Heightens Suspicions in a Florida Town". New York Times. p. A16. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ Farley, Robert (June 22, 2001). "Church scores round in death suit". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ a b Tobin, Thomas C. (November 14, 1998) Scientology charged in member's deathSt. Petersburg Times
- ^ a b Lisa McPherson Files - Sworn Statement of Brian J.Anderson, pg 19
- ^ a b Affidavits & Documents | Lisa McPherson
- ^ Lisa McPherson Files - Sworn Statement of Brian J. Anderson pg 85
- ^ "Lisa McPherson case: events leading to the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson". tampabay.com. June 21, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Scientology's new tack, St. Petersburg Times, November 20, 1998
- ^ a b c Tobin, Thomas C.; Ulferts, Alisa (August 4, 2001). "Doctor in Lisa McPherson case suspended". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ Lisa McPherson Memorial Page: Killed by the Church of Scientology
- ^ LISA McPHERSON.com (documentation of civil suit)
- ^ "McPherson Case: "Scientologist's death now ruled accidental"". Press revue from the CESNUR. Associated Press and St. Petersburg Times. February 23, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2006.
- ^ Fort Harrison Hotel — Room 174: Death of scientologist Lisa McPherson (Why Are They Dead)
- ^ LisaFiles.com The Clearwater Police Department Investigation into Lisa McPherson's Death
- ^ State takes middle road against Scientology, Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times, November 23, 1998
- ^ When can a church be accused of a crime?, HOWARD TROXLER, St. Petersburg Times, December 8, 1999
- ^ Plunkett, John (December 22, 1996). "Scientologist's death: A family hunts for answers". The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
- ^ Tampabay: Scientology charged in member's death
- ^ Mystery surrounds Scientologist's death
- ^ Police: Clearwater police needs your help!
- ^ Church loads up for one last fight, DEBORAH O'NEIL, St. Petersburg Times, December 1, 2001
- ^ a b c d e f g Crow Memo xenutv.com
- ^ Web Site: LisaMcPherson.org, Coroner's Report
- ^ Reitman, Janet. Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 233–244. ISBN 0-547-54923-7.
- ^ a b Tobin, Thomas C. (June 13, 2000). "State drops charges against Scientology". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ Church sues medical examiner, Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times, January 29, 1997
- ^ Di Maio, Vincent J. M.; Di Maio, Dominick J. (2001). "Collection of Tests". Forensic Pathology. CRC Press. p. 511. ISBN 0-8493-0072-X.
- ^ Tobin, Thomas C. (March 9, 1997). "Five doctors agree with examiner in Scientology death". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
- ^ Doctors paid by church give defense, Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times, January 29, 1997
- ^ Scientology prompts review of death case, Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times, November 24, 1999
- ^ a b c Records outline Scientology case, THOMAS C. TOBIN, St. Petersburg Times, March 26, 2000
- ^ Douglas Crow recommends dropping the Lisa McPherson criminal case
- ^ Bandt and Spitz affidavits in Lisa wrongful death suit
- ^ Opposition to Summary Judgment
- ^ Lisa McPherson case - Response to Frye Hearing
- ^ Scientology to argue for dismissal of case Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times, April 4, 2000
- ^ Suit accuses Scientologists of negligence in death, Tampa Tribune, February 20, 1997 (convenience link) Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Doctor settles his part of lawsuit in death of Scientologist LUCY MORGAN, St. Petersburg Times, September 15, 1998
- ^ criminal accusations and response to defense attempt to dismiss December 1999
- ^ Lawyer Solicits Distant Relative In Money-Grab Plot at the Wayback Machine (archived April 6, 2001) (Church of Scientology Freedom Magazine, February 1998)
- ^ Tobin, Thomas C. (March 9, 2000). "Scientologists decry toll of criminal case". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
- ^ Tobin, Thomas C. (April 4, 2000). "Scientology to argue for dismissal of case". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ Church targets lawsuit attorney DEBORAH O'NEIL, St. Petersburg Times, April 29, 2002
- ^ Scientology seeks millions as punishment ROBERT FARLEY, St. Petersburg Times, August 20, 2003
- ^ Scientology wanted millions, gets $4,500 ROBERT FARLEY, St. Petersburg Times, August 21, 2003
- ^ Farley, Robert (June 6, 2004). "Church settlement brings relief". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- ^ "Report: Ex-Scientologist had evidence destroyed". Associated Press. June 22, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
- ^ "Federal suit: Scientologists spent $30 million to cover up death of Lisa McPherson". WSTP-TV. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ "More McPherson Cover-Up Corroboration: "I Watched Them Drain $20 Million In Reserves"". Tony Ortega. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ The Lisa McPherson Clause: Scientology Moving to Secure Its 'Right' to Kill Again
- ^ Release Form
- ^ FAQ, theprofit.org
External links
Media related to Lisa McPherson at Wikimedia Commons
- Lisa McPherson Memorial website Created by critic of Scientology, Jeff Jacobsen


text:
Consumers wonder how insurance exchanges will work in 2014 (Q&A)
As landmark dates approach in the health-care overhaul, readers are trying to figure out how the new insurance exchanges will work. Some recent questions:
Q: After the exchanges go live in 2014, will consumers still be able to buy individual health insurance directly from carriers, without going through those state-based marketplaces? I fear the rules of the plans operating within the exchange will make the premiums unnecessarily high for younger, healthy people.
A: Consumers will be able to buy individual health insurance next year either through the state insurance exchanges or on the private market. Regardless of where they buy a plan, however, all new individual policies will have to meet certain standards related to coverage and cost.
Under the law, premiums for older people cannot be more than three times higher than those for younger ones. Currently, the gap between how much younger, typically healthier people pay for coverage and how much older people pay is larger than that, leading some experts to predict that younger people's rates will skyrocket next year.
An analysis published last month by the Urban Institute suggests that will not happen. Although premiums will be higher for many young people under the new rules, this increase will have very little impact on their out-of-pocket costs, the study found. The reason: The vast majority of young people will be eligible for subsidized coverage -- through the exchanges, Medicaid or their parents' health plans. On the health insurance exchanges, premium subsidies will be available to people with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level -- $45,960 for an individual in 2013.
"If you're young, you do want to go on the exchanges because you'll qualify for subsidies," says Jen Mishory of Young Invincibles, an advocacy group.
In addition to enrolling in regular plans, people up to age 30 will have the option of using the exchanges to buy less expensive, high-deductible policies that protect primarily against catastrophic events. Although these policies might require large out-of-pocket payments by members -- the deductible probably will be more than $6,000, for starters -- they will be required to cover preventive care without any co-pay or cost sharing, and three primary-care visits will be covered even if the deductible has not been met.
Q: If employers stop providing coverage and employees have to purchase individual policies on or off the exchanges, do the employees lose the option to make pre-tax contributions to their health savings accounts?
A: You'll be able to make pre-tax contributions as long as you buy a policy that meets federal standards for plans that can be linked to health savings accounts.
This means a high-deductible policy. In 2013, HSA-qualified plans must have a deductible of at least $1,250 for individual coverage and $2,500 for a family plan, among other requirements.
The amount that individuals and their employers can contribute to the accounts is limited to $3,250 and $6,450 for individual and family coverage, respectively. (The Internal Revenue Service makes cost-of-living adjustments to these and other limits annually.) Even if your employer no longer offers health insurance in 2014, any money in the HSA is yours to use for medical expenses.
Some of the policies offered on the exchanges may qualify as HSA plans, says Carrie McLean of eHealthInsurance.com, an online vendor. But it's too soon to know whether carriers will offer such plans or the exchanges will choose to carry them, she says.
Q: In 2014, can someone who works for a company drop his coverage and buy it through a state exchange instead?
A: Next year, most people will be able to choose to buy a health plan on the exchange. Individuals whose income is less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level may be eligible for a subsidy. This can make buying a policy on the exchange an attractive option.
But even if you meet the income requirements, you won't be eligible for a subsidized exchange plan unless your job-based coverage is considered unaffordable (because premiums for individual coverage cost more than 9.5 percent of the individual's income) or inadequate (because the plan covers less than 60 percent of allowed medical expenses).
Q: What's to stop people from just paying the individual mandate penalty and buying coverage when they need it, since insurers won't be able to turn them down because of a pre-existing condition?
A: If you drop coverage altogether, the penalty in 2014 will be either $95 or 1 percent of your taxable income, whichever is greater. To discourage people from waiting to buy insurance until they're sick, there will be an open enrollment period for buying coverage on the exchanges from October 2013 through March 2014. If you don't sign up during that time and you subsequently get sick, you won't be able to sign up until the next year in most cases.
This column is produced through a collaboration between The Post and Kaiser Health News. KHN, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health-care-policy organization that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. E-mail: email@example.com.


text:
Regional hospitals out-perform metros on wait times
HOSPITALS in regional areas around the country are mostly performing better than the major metropolitan hospitals when it comes to waiting times in emergency departments.
The first report from the National Health Performance Authority, which monitors how Australia's hospitals are performing against national emergency access targets, was released on Friday.
Based on data from 134 Australia hospitals, from July 2011 to June 2012, the report revealed 63% of patients who turned up at emergence hospitals in major regional hospitals were treated within four hours.
But major metropolitan hospitals were the worst performing hospitals, with just over half of all patients treated within four hours of turning up in the ED.
For large hospitals in regional areas (defined as smaller than major regional hospitals), 78% of patients were treated within four hours, while 67% of patients in similar-sized metropolitan hospitals were treated in the same time.
Among all major hospitals, the percentage of patients leaving within four hours ranged from just 33% to 79%, while large hospitals ranged from 48% to 92% and medium hospitals ranged between 41% and 93%.
Large regional hospitals also out-performed large metropolitan hospitals, with between 61% and 92% leaving within four hours, while the metropolitan hospitals had a range of 48% to 83%.
However, the length of time within which 90% of patients left ED was shortest in medium hospitals and longest for large regional hospitals.
That waiting time ranged from five hours and 28 minutes to 27 hours and 59 minutes - but there is not national target set for this measure.
- Major metropolitan: more than 20,000 ED presentations and more than 20,000 acute cases.
- Major regional: more than 20,000 ED presentations and more than 16,000 acute cases.
- Large metropolitan: more than 20,000 ED presentations and more than 10,000 acute cases.
- Large regional: more than 20,000 ED presentations and more 8,000 acute cases.
- Medium (both regions): more than 20,000 ED presentations and between 5,000 and 10,000 acute cases.
SOURCE: National Health Performance Authority, 2011-12.


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We told you to check back regularly for this news to drop, and now it's dropping!
Variety is reporting that actor Ryan Reynolds has been cast as The Green Lantern in Warner Bros.' upcoming live-action adaption of the DC comics superhero. This announcement comes on the heels of earlier news that DC/Warner Bros. had narrowed the long search for their Green Lantern down to three finalists.
Reynolds has been a fast-rising star: his performance as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in this Summer's Wolverine led Fox to create a spinoff film for the character. His most recent flick, the rom-com The Proposal with Sandra Bullock just passed $100 million and the actor has another film on the way, a psychological thriller called Buried, which is already generating mild buzz.
For all these reasons - and the fact that Reynolds has proven (keyword) he's a pretty good leading man with a variety of range - he obviously deserves the role, and, in my early uninformed opinion, will handle it well. Congrats to him.
The Green Lantern casting has been a long, semi-entertaining drama but I'm glad I can now say that the film will be directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), with a script by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim and will star Ryan Reynolds in the titular role of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan!
Phew. Over and done with. Now all I gotta do is let you know every time they add another cast member, shoot a scene, shoot a photo of a scene, cut a trailer, premiere a trailer...yadda, yadda, yadda. At least this part got figured out.
The Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011. Filming is set to start this Fall.
Here's an early "look" at Reynolds in a GL costume, courtesy of Screen Rant writer Mike Wilkerson:
Source: Variety


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Is the Environmental Protection Agency deliberately trying to "stack the deck" against ethanol and other biofuels?
That's the question being raised after the agency released the peer review it had said it would conduct on the computer models used to calculate the impact of indirect land use change in its Renewable Fuel Standard-2 proposed rule.
"We are pleased that this independent peer review has affirmed EPA's approach (to greenhouse gas emission rulemaking) to be fair, credible and grounded in science," an EPA spokesman said in response to a query from reporters following the peer review's release.
But the Renewable Fuels Association, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., and groups such as the National Corn Growers Association blasted the 135-page document, charging EPA "stacked the deck" by naming a group of anti-ethanol advocates to the scientific panel that was asked to review the indirect land use change models.
"By adding lawyers and advocates to a scientific review panel, EPA bureaucrats have made a mockery of the administration's commitment to sound science," said RFA President Bob Dinneen.
"These reviews absolutely cannot be viewed as objective or unbiased. Many of these reviewers have repeatedly and openly demonstrated unabashed and politically-motivated biases against biofuels in the past, which immediately casts a long shadow of doubt over the legitimacy of EPA's peer review process."
Peterson issued a statement saying the release of the peer review "reaffirmed many of the concerns I have about the EPA's proposed rule and rulemaking process for the Renewable Fuels Standard. The panel expressed concern about using these incomplete and unreliable models to measure indirect land use changes."
The congressman and the NCGA also questioned why USDA, which may have more experts on agricultural land use than any other institution in the world, was not asked to participate on the scientific review panel.
"We are dismayed by EPA's complete disregard for an approach that is fair and balanced," said National Corn Grower President Bob Dickey. "We are also puzzled as to why USDA, which has extensive knowledge related to this issue, was in no way included in the peer review process."
Dinneen said renewable fuel advocates also questioned the validity of the computer models used to generate EPA's indirect land use change conclusions.
"How can a peer reviewer fairly validate a method that simply cannot be reproduced by anyone?" Dinneen asked. "Did any of these reviewers attempt to run these models to corroborate EPA's results? I doubt it. If they had, they would have quickly discovered that no one outside of the small group of modelers who performed the analysis for EPA can actually run the model in the same way that EPA did.
"The release of these reviews doesn't change the fact that EPA's indirect land use change analysis is ultimately not reproducible by stakeholders and therefore inappropriate for this use."
Dinneen said the inclusion of activists like Tim Searchinger, an environmental attorney, and Joseph Fargione, co-author of an anti-ethanol article in the February 2008 edition of Science, was also troubling. The latter has been largely discredited in the scientific community, he said.
"Much of the list of 'peer' reviewers reads like a Who's Who of ethanol and agriculture detractors," says Dinneen. "Beyond Searchinger and Fargione, several other vocal ethanol opponents with clear conflicts of interest were asked to 'peer review' the EPA work."
Among those are two researchers who were co-authors on Searchinger's 2008 Science paper on ILUC; staffers from two environmental activist groups; and several academics who have served as paid consultants to environmental groups with anti-ethanol and anti-agriculture agendas.
"NCGA was optimistic earlier this year when the administration vowed to base future policy on sound science and we were hopeful that would be the case during this analysis," said Dickey. Unfortunately, the information published today is to the contrary. We call upon the EPA to modify its approach to reflect the commitment of President Obama to adhere to policies based on sound science and a transparent process."
e-mail: email@example.com


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Chitwan Valley Family Study: Changing Social Contexts and Family Formation, Nepal, 1996-2008 (ICPSR 4538)
Version Date: Jun 25, 2018 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
William G. Axinn, University of Michigan. Population Studies Center; Arland Thornton, University of Michigan. Survey Research Center; Jennifer S. Barber, University of Michigan. Survey Research Center; S. A. (Susan Allbritton) Murphy, University of Michigan. Survey Research Center; Dirgha J. Ghimire, University of Michigan. Population Studies Center; Thomas E. (Thomas Earl) Fricke, University of Michigan. Survey Research Center; Stephen Matthews, Population Research Institute (Pennsylvania State University); Dharma Dangol, Tribhuvana Visvavidyalaya. Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences; Lisa Pearce, University of Michigan. Population Studies Center; Ann Biddlecom, University of Michigan. Population Studies Center; Sundar Shrehtha, Population Research Institute (Pennsylvania State University); Douglas S. Massey, University of Michigan. Population Studies Center
Version V11 (see more versions)
Summary View help for Summary
The study was designed to investigate the influence of changing social contexts on family formation behaviors, marriage, childbearing, and contraceptive use. The research investigates the extent to which changes in the community produce changes in family formation behavior, and whether the family organization of individual life courses produces these changes in behavior. The study used a combination of ethnographic and survey research methods to gather 171 neighborhood histories, 142 school histories, 118 health service histories, 20 bus route histories, household farming practices, family planning histories, and household composition in Western Chitwan, Nepal. Personal histories were gathered from the 5,271 individuals ages 15-59 years living in these neighborhoods using a semi-structured Life History Calendar and a highly structured survey questionnaire. The sample neighborhoods for this study were chosen to represent the five major ethnic groups inhabiting the area: high caste Hindus, hill Tibeto-Burmese (such as Gurung, Tamang, and Magar), indigenous terai Tibeto-Burmese (such as Tharu, Darai, and Kumal), Newar, and other caste Hindus. Neighborhood history calendars measured the neighborhood's distance, in terms of minutes walking, to a variety of organizations and services. Schools were defined as places of instruction for children of any age or grade. Health clinics were defined as any places of care and healing, such as doctors' offices, hospitals, and health posts. Employers were any places that employed 10 or more people for pay. Cinemas were movie theaters or halls where movies were shown. Bus stops were any places where people could obtain a ride for pay on a vehicle.
This particular study spanned 1997-2002. These data were combined with data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study 1996-1997, and the Household Agriculture and Consumption Survey 1996.
The Stata files for datasets 7, 15, 16, 18, and 32 were produced in Stata 13. Users of earlier versions of Stata will not be able to read them.
There are a few options for users of Stata 12 or earlier to work around the compatibility issue:
- Upgrade to Stata 13
- Find a computer with Stata 13 and use the 'saveold' command to create a Version 12 file
- Use the latest version of a file conversion utility, such as Stat/Transfer (older versions cannot read Stata 13 files)
Citation View help for Citation
Export Citation:
Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. To protect respondent privacy, all data files in this collection are restricted from general dissemination. To obtain these restricted files, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
This data collection combines new data with two previously released datasets: CHITWAN VALLEY [NEPAL] FAMILY STUDY, 1996-1997 (ICPSR 3059) and HOUSEHOLD AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMPTION SURVEY, 1996 [CHITWAN VALLEY, NEPAL] (ICPSR 3392). These two datasets are no longer available individually.
Dataset 29, 1996 and 2008 Panel Data Combination, Restricted-Use is a combination of variables from datasets 27 and 12.
Datasets 30 and 31 share additional GIS shapefiles. See the Guide to the Western Chitwan ArcGIS Map Document for more information on these shapefiles and how to use them with the datasets.
Sample View help for Sample
Neighborhoods were chosen as the sampling units. The sample is stratified into three distance strata. Stratum 1 includes only areas near the urban center, city of Narayanghat. Stratum 3 includes only areas far from Narayanghat and Stratum 2 includes the areas at the middle, between Stratum 1 and Stratum 3. The sample is two stage. Stage 1 is a sample of settlements selected using 1991 census data as a sampling frame. The settlement ranged from 15 to 1,000 households. Measure of size was the number of female residents in the settlement. Stage 1 sampling yielded a systematic sample of 10 settlements in each stratum, for a total of 30 settlements. Stage 2 was the actual sample of Toles, or neighborhoods. Stage 2 sampling units are neighborhoods which are defined as clusters of approximately 5 to 15 households in close proximity to one another.
Universe View help for Universe
Residents of the western Chitwan Valley in south central Nepal and their spouses, 15-59 years of age.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Source View help for Data Source
personal interviews
Method of Data Collection View help for Method of Data Collection
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date
Version History View help for Version History
2018-06-25 Part 28 was updated to revise document covers.
2018-06-13 Part 28 was updated to correct the title to indicate that this file is restricted-use. Documentation was also updated to reflect the correct title.
2018-05-10 Collection was updated to add online analysis capabilities.2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
- Axinn, William G., Arland Thornton, Jennifer S. Barber, S. A. (Susan Allbritton) Murphy, Dirgha J. Ghimire, Thomas E. (Thomas Earl) Fricke, Stephen Matthews, Dharma Dangol, Lisa Pearce, Ann Biddlecom, Sundar Shrehtha, and Douglas S. Massey. Chitwan Valley Family Study: Changing Social Contexts and Family Formation, Nepal, 1996-2008. ICPSR04538-v11. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2018-06-25. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04538.v11
2014-10-01 Turning over PI-provided codebooks publicly for parts 7, 18, 32 as requested by PI.
2014-08-25 Adding additional documentation (codebooks) to be released publicly.
2014-08-25 Part 7 has additional months of data. For Part 18, variables T2A19a-T2A19o have been added. For Part 15, one of the respondent's codes for Spouse 2 should be "4". The same change was made for Part 16. Part 32 contains forest calendar data.
2012-11-14 Minor edits made to the metadata.
2012-11-14 Documentation files were added for public release.
2011-09-06 Files missing from the previous update are now available.
2011-09-01 The principal investigators submitted 3 new datasets, parts 29, 30, and 31. Part 29 is a combined dataset of 1996 and 2008 Panel Data.
2010-10-22 The principal investigators submitted updates of the Household Registry at 126 months restricted and public-use data. Also, parts 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, and 24 are being updated. Additionally, it has been discovered that previously parts 21 and 25 are the same. Therefore, a duplicate part has been removed, making 26 parts instead of 27.
2010-07-23 The principal investigators submitted additional datasets, Parts 24-27, as well as updated Parts 15-17 and 18-23.
2009-05-20 Principal investigators re-submitted an updated Part 14 dataset
2009-05-13 New data for Part 13 were submitted by the principal investigators to correct the sample size.
2007-08-02 The User Agreement has been updated by adding the complete list of restricted data files available under the agreement.
2007-01-18 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Performed consistency checks.
- Standardized missing values.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
This study was originally processed, archived, and disseminated by Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR), a project funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).


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"Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Always stretch yourself." Hear the rest of Melzetta's advice on making the most of your MBA experience.
Simon gave Shahbaaz Mubeen '18 (MBA) the tools to communicate clearly and effectively with various organization stakeholders during his summer internship at Amazon. The mastery he demonstrated in finance, technology, and operations landed him a full-time position with Amazon as a senior program manager.
Jasmine Mitchell '19 (MBA) describes her summer internship with Starbucks, the essence of the Simon community captured in a phrase—#SimonStrong—and the importance she places on helping others succeed.
Mike Alcazaren '19 (MBA) knew Simon would teach him how to use his existing quantitative skillset—the ability to parse and analyze data—to make impactful business decisions. In addition, this participation in international immersions to South Africa and Israel developed his global perspective on business problems.
Terrance Lovelady '18 (MBA) describes how the problem solving skills he learned at Simon helped him convert his summer internship at Barclays Investment Bank into an offer to join the company full time as an associate. An added bonus: the "hidden gem" of a food scene he enjoyed with friends during his two years in Rochester.
Veselina Angelova '18 (MBA) discusses her decision to pursue an MBA without any prior business experience and how her Simon education led her to the next step in her career: Citigroup's HR Rotational Program.
Sarah is a lifelong car enthusiast. A fellow Simon student helped her connect to a Fiat Chrysler internship, which opened the doors to a job offer at General Motors. Learn more about Sarah's journey.
Kathryn discovers familiar fields and new opportunities at Simon. UR's former field hockey player returns to coach and advance her consulting career.
How does it feel to land an offer for your dream job or internship? Our MBA students share their experiences of being accepted for professional opportunities at Google, Ford, the NBA and more.
Class of 2018
Pathways Operations Intern, Amazon
What's it like to be a Simon student? Follow Chris DiGiacomandrea through his day-to-day routine and get a glimpse of his MBA experience.
Class of 2018
Consumer Operations Intern, Google
Consortium Fellow Treadwell Singfield landed an internship at Google. Find out how Simon prepared him for one of the world's most competitive opportunities.
Class of 2017
Financial Management Associate, Citi
Sagar's story centers around making connections and leveraging his professional network to secure an internship at Citi.
Class of 2017
Investment Banking Summer Associate, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
An avid soccer player and president of the Graduate Business Council, Sebastian puts great emphasis on people and connections.
Class of 2017
Player Development Graduate Intern, NBA
Katie Freiert's gamble on a career change led her to the NBA Internship Program, a lifelong dream. Find out how Simon helped Katie shift her career trajectory from the non-profit field to the National Basketball Association.
Class of 2015
Associate Brand Manager, Johnson & Johnson
How do you prepare for your entire career, not just your first year on the job? Louis Mistretta shares valuable advice based on his experience at Johnson & Johnson.
Class of 2014
Diversity Recruiting Strategist, NBCUniversal Media
"Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Always stretch yourself." Hear Melzetta's advice on how to make the most of your MBA experience.
Class of 2009
Director of Marketing, NFL Network
Alia shares an insider's perspective on marketing at NFL Network and discusses how her Simon MBA experience continues to influence her career.
Class of 2007
Senior Brand Manager, Combe, Inc.
Salim talks about how he applies the concepts and strategies he learned at Simon to his career as senior brand manager at Combe, Inc.
Class of 2017
Technology Investment Banking Summer Associate, Citi
A Portfolio Analyst accelerates his finance career and explores the world; and lands an investment banking internship at Citi in NYC.
Class of 2016
Global Marketing Development Program, Colgate-Palmolive
A self-professed tech geek and early adopter talks about her pioneering spirit and how that led her straight to Simon Business School.
Class of 2017
Global Information System Program MBA Intern, Digital Execution & Marketing, Whirlpool Corporation
Analytics hold a special appeal for Zakia Barnes. Listen as she explains the ins and outs of Simon Business School, like a true analyst.
Class of 2017
Investment Banking Summer Associate - Technology, Media & Telecommunications, UBS Investment Bank
Jorge is training for Ironman, the world's most difficult triathlon, while at the same time, preparing for a career on Wall Street at Simon.
Class of 2017
Summer Executive Associate - Commercial Banking Strategy & Analytics, M&T Bank
Peter, a competitive rower, shares his perspective not only on his sport, but also what he has learned in pricing, business strategy, and how he has connected with the community in Rochester, NY.
Class of 2016
Associate Brand Manager, Wells Enterprises
An actor takes on a new role and defines a new path in brand management and marketing.
Class of 2016
Simon MBAs sought to address food poverty in Pakistan. The journey took them around the world to the Hult Prize Challenge in London.
Class of 2016
Senior Strategy Consultant, Accenture Strategy
From managing a million-dollar venture capital fund to promoting positive social impact through business, Mikayla shares how a wide range of hands-on opportunities is shaping her career path.
Class of 2016
Consultant, Bain & Company
Tim left his career as an attorney working in labor litigation to join Simon's Full-Time MBA program. Coming from South Africa, he shares his perspective of the School as an international student.
Class of 2016
Solution Design, Manager, Athenahealth
Margot parlayed her MBA internship into a full-time career at athenahealth. Find out how she leveraged Simon's close-knit and accessible community to achieve her professional goals.


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Through June of 2012, renewable energy was right behind natural gas in terms of the most new energy generating capacity being installed in the United States, with wind making up most of the renewables push. And now Business Insider has flagged the numbers for the remainder of the year.
Last week, they reported that wind ultimately pulled ahead of natural gas to become the leading installer of new capacity in 2012, at 10,689 total megawatts.
Those numbers came from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's report on the trends and highlights in U.S. energy for the past year. According to FERC's update, natural gas installed 8,746 megawatts of new capacity, coal installed 4,510 new megawatts, and solar came in fourth with 1,476 new megawatts. Here's the relevant table from the report, conveniently highlighted by Business Insider:
One thing to note here is the issue of capacity factor: That's how much power an installation actually produces as a percentage of its theoretical capacity. (Which is what's listed in the table.) Natural gas plants do quite well in this regard: Their median performance tends to come out to at least 80 percent, and they max out at 93 percent, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's cost database.
Unfortunately, wind power doesn't perform as well, due to the intermittency of, well, wind. Its median tends to be around 40 percent offshore. Onshore it's been at 30 percent, though arguably onshore performance is pulling alongside offshore. And both max out at 50 to 54 percent. So even though wind beat out natural gas for new capacity in 2012, the new natural gas installation will almost certainly wind up generating more total electricity.
The good news for wind is that it's still a relatively young technology, with lots of room to improve. The energy it does deliver is produced much more efficiently in comparison to natural gas — the former loses less than one percent of its energy as waste heat, while the latter can lose as much as 54 percent. Natural gas production in the U.S. may be on track to plateau, leading to predictions of rising prices, which will give wind power a further economic opening.
And, of course, there's the fact that, while cleaner than coal, natural gas remains a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions both through leaks and combustion.
As it turns out, this post's math was unjustly critical of wind energy. The numbers for capacity are theoretical, but as as an email commenter pointed out, the numbers for capacity utilization are theoretical as well.
So how have wind and natural gas actually performed? Well, in 2010, nameplate capacity for natural gas was 467.2 gigawatts, and 39.5 gigawatts for wind. That same year, natural gas generated 987,700 gigawatthours and wind generated 94,700 gigawatthours. Multiply the capacities by the 8760 hours in a year, and what you get is natural gas produced 24.1 percent of its nameplate capacity in 2010, and wind produced 27.4 percent.
Now, a lot of "peaker" power plants — ones intended to only operate during hours of peak electricity demand — are gas-fired. Around half the natural gas plants in the country probably fall into this camp, which will dramatically skew natural gas' capacity utilization to the low end. So factor in peakers and natural gas still probably beats out wind, but by less than our piece implied.


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PlayStation 3 owners may still feel the sting of the original BioShock being an Xbox 360 "exclusive," then eventually getting a port of the game from another developer a year later. Don't expect similar treatment for BioShock Infinite.
Irrational Games' technical director Chris Kline took to the developer's forums this week to address concerns that PS3 owners might get less than first-class treatment for Infinite, explaining the team's approach.
"We're serious about making sure the PS3 version is great," Kline writes, noting that Irrational is "doing simultaneous in-house development on the PS3, 360, and PC versions of the game," which is expected in 2012.
"So instead of declaring a 'lead platform' and porting the game to the others, we've instead changed the game engine so that all platforms look (to a programmer) more like a PS3," Kline explains, touching on the unique architecture of Sony's home console. "Writing code this way is more difficult for us, but has a key advantage: it's both optimal for the PS3 *and* gives speed improvements on other platforms."
So, yeah, win-win.
Please tell me your new game will be on PS3 [Irrational]


text:
No. 923 St Ferdenand Street
New Orleans, La.)
Nov. 21st 1896.)
My Dear Sis. Liza.)
Sis. Adas' Telegram
to Virgie of this date conveying
the sad intelligence of Judge Evans
demise is just to hand and I hasten
to extend to you my heart felt sym-
pathy and condolence.)
I know that
no words can make amends for the
great loss you have sustained."
I deeply realize, from having passed
through a similar bereavement, that
expressions of condolence wholly fail