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For some, the end of summer is a sad moment that occurs when beach paraphernalia is packed away and shorts and flip-flops are once again relegated to the rear of the wardrobe.
For others, it marks the start of the fall movie season!
Each year the back-to-school period delivers a slew of Oscar contenders, blockbuster franchise sequels and movies that pack a more dramatic punch than the explosive, razzle-dazzle-laden fare of warm weather months.
Hollywood ups the ante in September ("Rush," "The Family," "Prisoners, "Don Jon"), keeps the stakes high through October ("Gravity," "Captain Phillips," "12 Years a Slave," "All is Lost," "Diana"), and reveals a winning hand in early November ("Thor: The Dark World," "Last Vegas," "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Her," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire").
For your viewing pleasure:
"Riddick" (Sept. 6) Vin Diesel returns as the titular antihero with the awesome night vision. In this, the third big screen installment of the "Pitch Black" franchise, our antisocial leader finds himself marooned on a desolate planet and must battle bounty hunters and creatures that, of course, lurk in the dark. Rated R.
"The Family" (Sept. 13) Robert De Niro plays a the head of a mafia family who find themselves relocated to Normandy, France thanks to the witness protection program. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the mob wife out of water and Tommy Lee Jones is the federal agent trying to keep them on the straight and narrow. The comedy is directed and written by Luc Besson ("The Professional"). Rated R.
"Insidious: Chapter 2" (Sept. 13) Director James Wan returns to continue the ghost story that had audiences screaming in their seats and grossed almost $100 million at the worldwide box office. Actors Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are back as the heads of the haunted Lambert family. Rated PG-13.
"Rush" (Sept. 20) Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") stars as British Formula One race driver James Hunt in this biopic which chronicles the 1970s rivalry between Hunt and Austrian speed legend Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). Directed by Ron Howard, the trailer alone will have you reaching for your seat belt. Rated R.
"Enough Said" (Sept. 20) In one of the final film roles completed before his untimely death over the summer, James Gandolfini plays the romantic interest to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' divorced single mom in this romantic comedy of errors. Rated PG-13.
"Metallica Through the Never" (Sept. 20) Part concert film, part fictional roadie movie, "Through the Never" follows Dan DeHaan through a series of nighttime misadventures as the band rocks out in Imax 3-D on stage. Rated R.
"Prisoners" (Sept. 20) Jake Gyllenhaal is a detective searching for two missing young girls in this psychological whodunit. The victims' father (Hugh Jackman) decides to take the law into his own hands in order to bring them home. Also starring Paul Dano, Terrance Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello and Melissa Leo. Not yet rated.
"Don Jon" (Sept. 27) Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his feature debut as writer and director with this in the now comedy. Gordon-Levitt plays Don, a regular joe with an addiction to porn that's affecting his ability to date real women. Scarlett Johansson costars as a girl who believes she can mold him into her perfect mate. Tony Danza and Julianne Moore round out the cast. Rated R.
"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" (Sept. 27) Inventor Flint Lockwood's food-storm producing device is still active in this animated free-for-all. But instead of flying meatballs and spaghetti, this time it's producing animal-food hybrids including tacodiles and shrimpanzees. Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris and Terry Crews provide voices. Not yet rated.
"Gravity" (Oct. 4) Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts in this thriller set high above the Earth's atmosphere. The pair must survive after a run-in with space debris leaves them adrift and helpless in zero gravity. Rated PG-13.
"Runner Runner" (Oct. 4) Justin Timberlake is Richie, a Princeton graduate who travels to Costa Rica after he believes he was cheated while taking part in an online poker game. There he meets an offshore gambling tycoon (Ben Affleck) who tempts the young player with enormous wealth in this cat-and-mouse thriller. Rated R.
"Machete Kills" (Oct. 11) Actor Danny Trejo returns in this sequel to the 2010 cult hit "Machete." This time Machete must help protect Washington D.C. from a missile attack, foil the plans of a scheming villain (Mel Gibson) and face down a trigger-happy Madame Desdemona (Sofia Vergara). Lady Gaga makes a cameo appearance as hitwoman La Chameleon. Not Yet Rated.
"Captain Phillips" (Oct. 11) Tom Hanks plays Capt. Richard Phillips, the skipper of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller from "Bourne Supremacy" director Paul Greengrass. Based on a 2009 event, the movie tells the story of the first time pirates had taken control of an American vessel since the 1800s. Not yet rated.
"Kill Your Darlings" Oct. 16) Actor Daniel Radcliffe replaces Harry Potter's bookish eyeglasses for those of poet Allan Ginsberg in this 1940s set flick that revisits the beat icon's first meetings with William Burroughs (Ben Foster) and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston). Not yet rated.
"12 Years A Slave" (Oct. 18) In 1841 Soloman Northup, a free black man from the state of New York, was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. British actor Chiwetel Ejiofer ("American Gangster") plays Northup in this gritty drama and Michael Fassbender ("Prometheus") plays one of his ruthless oppressors. Rated R.
"All Is Lost" (Oct. 18) Robert Redford carries this entire movie which follows a lone sailor aboard his sinking sailboat in the Indian Ocean. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie is already generating Oscar buzz for Redford, who to date has never won the Best Actor statuette. Not yet rated.
"Carrie" (Oct. 18) Chloe Grace Moretz ("Kick-Ass") takes on the bloody role of a 17-year-old who discovers she has telekinesis and uses it to devastating effect when a prom night prank leaves her humiliated. Sissy Spacek first made the role famous in the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's horror classic. Not yet rated.
"Escape Plan" (Oct. 18) Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger jostle for screen and shoulder space as two inmates plotting to escape from a high-tech lock-up facility. Not yet rated.
"The Fifth Estate" (Oct. 18) In this thriller that tells the story of the creation of WikiLeaks, actor Benedict Cumberbatch ("Star Trek Into Darkness") portrays Julian Assange. Daniel Bruhl stars as Assange's one-time partner and friend Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Not yet rated.
"The Counselor" (Oct. 25) Michael Fassbender ("12 Years a Slave") is a lawyer who must fight to stay alive after he is drawn into a drug-running operation. Directed by Ridley Scott ("Prometheus") the drama also stars Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Not yet rated.
"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" (Oct. 25) Johnny Knoxville dons makeup and geezer attire to play 86-year-old Irving Zisman in this latest installment of the "Jackass" franchise. Aided by his grandson (9-year-old Jackson Nichol), Zisman treks across the country pranking unsuspecting citizens. Not yet rated.
"Diana" (Nov. 1) Naomi Watts tackles the role of Diana in this highly-anticipated biopic about the late Princess of Wales. The film centers on Diana's two-year relationship with surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews) and her struggle to maintain her independence amid royal protocol and increasingly aggressive media scrutiny. Not yet rated.
"Enders Game" (Nov. 1) Based on author Orson Scott Card's popular novel of the same name, "Ender's Game" chronicles the adventures of teen Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) who's recruited by the military to fight a race of insect-like aliens that want humankind destroyed. Rated PG-13.
"Last Vegas" (Nov. 1) Oscar winners Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline play boyhood chums who hit Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Surprisingly, none of these box-office heavyweights had ever worked together onscreen before. Rate PG-13.
"Thor: The Dark World" (Nov. 8) Chris Hemsworth returns in all his hirsute, muscle-bound glory as storm god Thor in this followup to 2011's "Thor." Transporting the action from Earth to the distant world of Asgard, Thor faces a new threat from Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston) and his galactic tyranny that threatens our hero's love interest (Natalie Portman). Not yet rated. 98
"The Best Man Holiday" (Nov. 15) Director Malcolm D. Lee enlisted his original cast for this Christmas-time reunion sequel to "The Best Man" (1999). Taye Diggs, Terrance Howard, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long feature in this update on the beloved original. Not yet rated.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" (Nov. 15) Director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio dive into the high-gloss world of real-life stockbroker Jordan Belfort who amassed millions of dollars through security fraud before spending 22 months in jail for his crimes. Not yet rated.
"Her" (Nov. 20) In this futuristic tale of man and machine commingling, Joaquin Phoenix plays single writer Theodore who buys a new computer operating system named Samantha (voice of Scarlett Johansson). Samantha sounds so empathetic that Theodore slowly begins to fall for her, um, it. Amy Adams and Rooney Mara also star. Not yet rated.
"Delivery Man" (Nov. 22) Vince Vaughn plays a good-natured delivery driver who discovers he fathered 533 children via long ago anonymous sperm donation. 142 of those kids have now filed a lawsuit to discover his identity in this comedy that also features Chris Pratt and Colbie Smulders. Rated PG-13.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (Nov. 22") Katniss Everdeen returns in the second installment of author Suzanne Collins bestselling "Hunger Games" trilogy. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence is back as Everdeen, who along with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is forced to return to the Capital and fight to the death once again in an all-star version of the game dreamed up by the increasingly paranoid President Snow (Donald Sutherland).


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Boobe (Feat Juicy J) White B*tches [Prestige Film Works Submitted]
@onewayboobe delivers yet another radio smash hit WHITE BITCHES, Featuring Juicy J (@therealjuicyj. Boobe has had the streets of Washington DC on LOCK for sometime now, and shows no sign of him slowing down. Be sure to buy the record on ITUNES, and follow and support him on Twitter/Instagram: @ONEWAYBOOBE
Video Directed by: Alex Acosta (@alezzyworld)
www.prestigefilmworks.com 917-609-9708
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subset: commoncrawl


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LITTLE ROCK — State Treasurer Martha Shoffner was being held in the Pulaski County jail late Saturday following her arrested on federal charges, the FBI said.
Shoffner, who was known for months to be the subject of a state audit and federal investigation related to her handling of bonds sales by her office, was booked under the federal Hobbs Act, said Kim Brunell with the FBI field office in Little Rock. The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.
Shoffner will appear in federal court Monday for a hearing, Brunell told Little Rock television station KATV.
A state auditor confirmed in January that Shoffner, serving her second term as state treasurer, had been under federal investigation for more than a year for her handling of bond sales in her office.
At the time, Debbie Rogers, Shoffner's chief deputy, said Shoffner would not comment on the probe "until this matter is resolved."
In December, the Legislative Joint Audit Committee requested a criminal investigation into the way Shoffner's office sold bonds, including her decision to sell bonds before they matured.
A state audit report of Shoffner's dealings was turned over to the Pulaski County prosecutor.
The audit found that eight of the 30 bond transactions between Jan. 1, 2007, and May 17, 2012, were made to St. Bernard Financial Services. Each of those transactions was made before the bonds matured, resulting in a loss of $686,835.
Several of the transactions were made by one broker, Steele Stephens. Shoffner told the legislative panel in December that she and Stephens' father, Steve Stephens of Newport, also her hometown, have been friends for years. She previously told the committee that she did not know Steele Stephens was his son until after she and Steele Stephens met at the state Capitol to discuss state investment opportunities.
Shoffner said she never received any personal financial benefits from Russellville-based St. Bernard or any of the other firms. She did say Steve Stephens had donated to her campaign and helped organize a campaign fundraising event on her behalf.
Robert Keenan, CEO of St. Bernard, said in January that his firm and Steele Stephens "haven't done anything wrong and we're not the least bit concerned with anything any law enforcement office wants to look at."
Arkansas Business reported in January that federal investigators, including the FBI, are also investigating allegations that Shoffner converted political campaign funds to personal income. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Little Rock declined comment at the time.
During this year's legislative session, lawmakers approved a measure intended to tighten procedures and accountability in the treasurer's office.
Act 1088 of 2013 increases the size of the state Board of Finance and expands the panel's oversight of state investments by the treasurer's office. It also authorizes the board to decide who works at several important positions in the treasurer's office, and details a series of required procedures for various investments handled by the state treasurer.
Shoffner did not oppose the changes.


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Description: Evening coat of brocade and fur. The full-length coat is of a pale yellow silk brocade, with a pattern of flowers and scrolls in reds, purples, blues, white, silver, and gold. It has long sleeves and opens along the center front, with no closures. The cuffs and collar are wide bands of dyed purple fox fur. The coat is lined in a pale tan/yellow silk. Sewn in below collar at inside center back is designer's label: "Designed / by Mouratidis / Washington DC" Attached inside right side near hip is original paper label printed on one side "Balenciaga / Paris", and written on the back "Brocade evening mystery / coat w/fox / R". Donated to the Texas Fashion Collection by Helen Noumas, in memory of her partner Michael Mouratidis, designer of the piece.
Date: 1989
Creator: Mouratidis, Michael, 1920-2002
Partner: UNT College of Visual Arts + Design


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Writers Against Racism: Where have all the blogrolls gone? Long time…
April 16, 2012 by
…u p d a t e d. Are your blogrolls updated? Well, since it's spring and beautiful outside, let get some fresh and bold issues of diversity from the 'sphere', with particular attention on: YA Lit., publishing, issues in the news, controversial news, librarians on the move, book reviews and more! Here's what I have this […]
Writers Against Racism: TWICE AS GOOD by Richard Michelson and Illustrated by Eric Velasquez
April 15, 2012 by
It was a pleasure to interview author and poet, Richard Michelson, whose latest and beautifully illustrated book, TWICE AS GOOD [Sleeping Bear Press, 2012], tells the amazing story of yet another courageous African American man. Please watch the following footage of the story and stay tuned for my interview with Richard.
Writers Against Racism: SHIP OF SOULS by Zetta Elliott
April 14, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Chris Lehmann Discusses the N-Word
April 13, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Zetta Elliott Discusses Images of Blacks in America
April 5, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Author Zetta Elliott Discusses Trayvon Martin (part1)
April 5, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Matt de la Pena (Final Segment)
April 3, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Matt de la Pena and Tucson Schools (Part 2)
April 3, 2012 by
Writers Against Racism: Tucson Students Stage Walkouts
April 3, 2012 by


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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Seriously Rethinking Leadership in a Networked World
I continue to see established and emerging leaders who are passionate about learning to be better leaders and entrenched leaders who view learning as a threat to their power.
In these interesting times, we are witnessing an abundance of leaders who are devastating the integrity of markets and the faith of their constituents. Many countries have what Will Rogers referred to as "the best government money can buy." It is easy to find leaders who define leadership as the exercise of control over money and people.
At the same time, the planet is abundant with leaders who are helping to make their communities stronger and more resilient. They have intelligence, wisdom, and transparency. They see themselves more as stewards of resources rather than controllers of money and people. They think that leadership is more about helping people find their power than having power over people.
But are these the qualities of good leaders? Perhaps the only thing we can accurately say about leadership is that every assessment is based on personal bias.
For some people, good leaders serve their interests at the cost of serving competing interests. They like weak leaders they can control with money, votes or threats to their power and influence. Others like strong leaders who exercise control over others. They like leaders whose rule guarantees certainty in their favor.
Whether we want leaders who are children capable of being controlled or parents capable of protecting us, what both perspectives have in common is that they are essentially self-serving. They position leaders as tools to our agendas.
And because we are still transitioning through a predominantly adolescent consciousness on this planet, there are almost always competing agendas. In this ethos, we impose on leaders the unfulfillable expectations to guarantee the dominance of our agendas over opposing and hopefully loser agendas.
The opposite of viewing leaders as tools to use is viewing them as assets to engage in our networks. The two most valuable assets in networks are knowledge and skills.
In this worldview, leaders have unique value to the extent that they have unique knowledge and skills in their networks. Their networks include everyone they directly interact with and influence. Leaders who lack unique value have redundant value in their network.
The more connected networks become, the more likely it is that leaders have redundant value. This is one dimension of the leadership crisis today, exacerbated by the fact that the more asset redundant leaders become, the more irrelevant they feel and the more control they exert to restore ego equilibrium.
Reality is, in networks leaders can gain unique value in at least two ways. They create unique value when they create a niche of unique value for themselves. And they gain unique value when those in their network intentionally leave them a space of value uniqueness that no one else takes on.
This is a huge culture shift to see the value of leaders as equivalent to the uniqueness of their real time knowledge and skills relative to their networks. It is a shift that requires us to question the value of positional power that leaders assume in their leadership roles.
Positional power is the assumed power to control money and people. We have abundant and growing evidence that it takes no unique network value to exercise control over money and people.
Scope of control has nothing to do with unique value in a network. If scope of control had any causal relationship to scope of unique value in networks, monarchs, autocrats, and dictators would be guaranteed the most unique knowledge and skills in any networks at any levels around the world.
Understanding leadership through the lens of unique network value profoundly changes the conversations we have when we interact with leaders in our networks at the relative levels each of us has access to these kinds of interactions.
It becomes imperative that everyone understands the unique assets of their leaders. Before they enter any leadership position, we need to gain a collectively clear and accurate picture of their unique and redundant assets relative to our and their networks. When they enter these positions, we need to make it collectively clear what unique assets they have that the thrivancy of our networks require. We also then need to negotiate the areas of asset uniqueness they would provide the network.
But because of the intrinsically dynamic nature of networks, their relative asset uniqueness and possibilities of uniqueness constantly shifts and changes as other people in the network expand their unique value, making the leader's assets redundant, but still possibly quite valuable. Asset redundancy at optimal levels is key to network resiliency.
Networks are also constantly shifting landscapes of opportunities and expectations and so leaders always have opportunities to grow their unique assets to meet these. And this emphasis on asset and network based leadership makes it immediately more possible for leaders across boundaries to collaborate more successfully and intelligently to do together what they cannot possibly do alone, apart or in opposition.
This is an incredibly important shift if we seek a world where leaders help build thriving communities at micro to macro levels.
In this construct, perhaps the most salient characteristic of network relevant and valued leaders is that they have a passion for knowing their networks and continuously reinvent the unique value in knowledge and skills they bring to their networks.
This calls for a profound shift in how we develop, select, and assess our leaders. And the time to begin is now.
Twitter @jackzen / Jack's profile: JackRicchiuto.com
9 comments:
- Ed Brenegar said...
Good post. I generally agree.
My question is how your perspective on leadership redundancy in networks is not just another form of positional leadership.
My perspective is that we need to shift away from that positional view to leadership as an attitude and behavior that everyone can perform. It then means we can stop calling managers leaders, and start actually measuring the leadership character of their management.
Thanks for good, thought provoking ideas.
- Jack said...
Yes Ed, great thoughts. One of my intentions here is to spark and provoke thoughtful exploration into the validity and contributions of leaders as we go forward, particularly in an era where self-organization becomes more possible, dominant, and productive as a model of engagement and organization.
Some believe we need less leaders and more, at least better, leadership. The piece suggests the question of just what does an organization or community need uniquely from their leaders.
- Valdis Krebs said...
Great convo!
My colleague Vancho talks about followership... is anyone following the prescribed leaders? Maybe we need to look at emergent leaders? Discover who they are [in the network] by looking at patterns of followership?
Vancho and I have done with several corporate clients. He applies this approach to sports teams with great success!
- Sergio said...
Very interesting article, thanks for sharing. First to Ed Brenegar's comment, I agree we need to not only stop calling managers leaders, but also need to reinforce the key distinction between the two.
I like Peter Drucker's distinction. Managers, he says, have the inward focus and discipline of rendering efficient an organization's people, processes, and technologies. They are focused on 'doing things right'. Leaders on the other hand, have the outward focus of effectively guiding, activating and directing people towards a shared purpose. They are focused on 'doing right things'.
If you agree with this its easy to see why a "leader" who exists for the sole purpose of exercising control over money and people aren't leaders at all. If anything they are poor managers, skilled at command-control and demotivation.
Jack - one perspective of redundant talent is that occurring in the open source software space. Leaders in open source software are determined by their real-time reputation, and this reputation is fed by their active commitment and contribution to the open source software projects. The reputation is increasingly quantifiable, just take a look at Stack Exchange Careers 2.0, Honestly.com, Github.com. Equally interesting is the fact that once the redundant value in the network crosses some imaginary threshold, leaders move on to new concepts or technologies. This is happening right now in Agile Software Development, Software Craftsmanship and Scrum movements, and what becomes evident here is that the real essence of a Leader is the one who can quickly let go of their investment in skill and knowledge towards newer pastures.
This comes back to what you say: " that everyone understands the unique assets of their leaders". I would add that this should happen both in themselves as leaders and in others. Because it is this understanding (something like efficacy) that will enabling the trail leaders continue to blaze.
- June Holley said...
I, too,have been thinking a lot about leadership from a network lens. One thing that could help support more network leadership is if we all had "anti-bullying" training -- that is, if we all knew how to recognize and deal with leaders who are bullies. A lot of current leadership models are based on subtle (or not so subtle) bullying - and it really keeps people from expressing their own leadership qualities. I love that many schools are now training kids to work together in a bullying situation to stop the bully quickly.
And I definitely agree that helping us all see our unique qualities and how precious those are will help us initiate and be part of highly-effective self-organized collaboratives.
Thanks, Jack for all your good thinking in this area!
- Jack said...
June, love the bullying metaphor because it suggests the behavior of children and adolescence who are used to assuming power over others. There is no strengths and asset based organization in a culture of bullying and leaders must epitomize the opposites.
Opposites of bullying: hospitality, generosity, engagement. More common in healthy networks than traditionally bully-driven corporate cultures.
- Tom Graves said...
June, very strongly agree re 'anti-bullying training'. In my understanding, the effective power of a network is directly related to how well its people understand that power is the ability to do work, not the ability to avoid it - and that that work explicitly includes relational and aspirational work as well as the more obvious physical and mental work.
- Juan Vender en internet said...
I love this article, thanks Jack for this post. I agree with you. The content of the article is all positive and it is a great start of people would get a chance to read this.
Great work!
- SmithMillCreek said...
Your comment about a planetary adolescence reminded me of Andrew Revkin's riff on that theme:
Which he expands uponat
I am increasingly noticing that everyone wants to form coalitions, alliances, etc; yet fewer, it feels, want to join others. So I'd echo the call to develop "followership" skills (or move towards a more anarchist culture of followers who question authority, and leaders who listen better).


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Japanese brand Shiseido is proving to be ahead of the beauty curve yet again, targeting Millennials with their latest skincare line out in September of 2013.
The Ibuki collection, which consists of seven products — a Gentle Cleanser, $30; Purifying Cleanser, $30; Softening Concentrate, $24; Refining Moisturizer, $45; Refining Moisturizer Enriched, $45; Protective Moisturizer SPF 18, $45; Eye Correcting Cream, $40; and one starter kit that's perfect for traveling, $25 — will all be available on shiseido.com this fall.
So what makes these products Millennial-worthy?
With their busy school schedules, long work hours, late nights of going out and waking up early, unbalanced diets, and all-around unpredictable lifestyles, this line promises to keep their complexions in optimal condition by helping their skin resist internal (stress) and external (late nights, overexposure to the sun, etc.) aggressors.
The formulas work thanks to a secret recipe (Shiseido wasn't giving it up) that includes a combination of botanical extracts that promote a healthy cell cycle, so that your cells maintain their healthiest state at all times. Translation: If you're hungover and have to make it to an a.m. meeting, these products will help you look like you didn't roll in at 2 after downing a slice and countless cocktails.
Um, this stuff sounds awesome — we're in.
So, Millennials, who's with us ... well, come September?!
Photo: Courtesy Image


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During a mission awareness trip to El Salvador in 2008, Mary Kampsen, a sponsor from Minnesota, brought her two daughters with her to meet her sponsored friend, Erick. He read to her a beautiful letter that he had written where he said that ìshe lives in my heart.î
ìIt was just a wonderful, happy feeling!" Mary said of meeting Erick. "I have sponsored him for three years now. It feels kind of like having a second son. I feel it will be easier to write letters to him now that I've met him and know more about him and his family.î
After talking for some time, Mary learned that Erickís mother, Valentina, washes clothes for a living, which brings in about $7 on a good day. But, what she really wanted to do is to cook pupusas.
If she could have the small stove required to make pupusas, she could not only bring in a more steady income, but she could also stay at home to raise her children. This was important to Mary, who stayed home to raise her children when they were small.
Mary worked with the local CFCA staff and was able to purchase the stove. Now Erickís mother will be able to stay at home with her children and raise money to support the family.
Two years later …
Valentina says that having the stove has helped greatly with her children's nutrition. She also cooks tortillas and pupusas, which she sells by going from house to house. She is very happy.
Since Valentina no longer has to work outside the house, she can now dedicate more time in the fields to cultivating corn and beans. She uses the harvest as ingredients for the pupusas. All of this helps cover some of the expenses of the family.
Thanks to the stove, Valentina has seen many good changes in the past two years, including spending more time with her five children, working together with her family, being more mindful of them with regards to their studies and other activities in which they participate.
She is managing to support her family without the help of her husband who had the opportunity to migrate to the United States for work. But, at this point, the family has not received any support from him. So Valentina and her children are very thankful to Erick's sponsor for buying the stove for them. They will forever be grateful to her and will always keep her in their prayers.
Erick, who is now 13, says the family works better together, and he is happy because he can spend more time together with his mother helping her with work. He no longer has to to stay home alone, since his mother is never too far from home and is always there to help him and his brothers. He feels very secure having her near him.
View more photos of Erick and his family on our Facebook page.


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Captivating Wellness Retreat in Bali: COMO Shambhala Estate
We know you guys love resorts and we also noticed your growing attraction for the natural beauty of Bali. This is why, for today, we will present another holistic wellness retreat, that will get your heart racing. COMO Shambhala Estate is located near Ubud, Bali, and consists of picturesque villa-style accommodation units with terrace rooms, garden rooms and various types of suites. Even though visitors are sure to be overwhelmed by the comfort and papering of their accommodation unit and the services provided here, few of them will remain inside for a long period of time, during their stay in this tropical paradise. The Spa offers the opportunity for Asian-inspired treatments including massage, facials for restorative skincare. Active outdoor activities include biking, hiking, pilates and yoga classes. The offer is definitely tempting, but be sure to check out the rates for 2012, before taking a final decision.


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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
|When the humble garage workshop just isn't enough, or basement tinkerers tire of trying to go it alone, some turn to 'hackerspaces,' organizations that provide space, tools, and like-minded colleagues for unusual do it yourself projects. With Maker Faire in town this weekend, Kelly Maguire of NYC Resistor and Sean Auriti of Alpha One Labs discuss the 'hackerspace' movement.


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Airbnb has been all over the news again lately, in part because the successful facilitator of peer-to-peer lodging rentals has inked a 10-year lease on 170,000 square feet of San Francisco office space—much to the delight of the city's pro-business mayor, Ed Lee. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the new digs will have room for at least 800 workers, which is more than six times the head count at Airbnb's current home a few blocks away. Founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk are clearly banking on some serious growth in the near future.
But even as Airbnb has committed to keeping its headquarters in San Francisco, the firm is engaged in a substantive difference of opinion with the city's treasurer and tax collector, José Cisneros. In March, Cisneros rolled out a regulation stating in essence that transactions involving "transient occupancy" of private residences are no different from hotel services as defined by the city's tax code. By that reasoning, Airbnb and other similar services that accept payment for peer-to-peer lodging deals would be on the hook for the city's 14 percent hotel tax.
Media reports indicate that Mayor Lee, a strong advocate for nurturing innovative tech and mesh companies in San Francisco, doesn't exactly see eye to eye with his treasurer on this issue. According to the Chronicle, the mayor's office "urged Cisneros to hold off on the decision as a committee of lawmakers and business representatives map out plans for a broader tax overhaul aimed at fostering economic growth."
The internal debate now going on within San Francisco City Hall is symptomatic of a fundamental disconnect between old and new ways of doing business. In these times of pervasive municipal belt-tightening, it's no surprise to see city governments tapping every possible source of tax revenue to make ends meet. But Airbnb and other proponents of the Share Economy contend that 20th-century methods for valuing and taxing business transactions don't make sense in an ecosystem based on resource-sharing and peer-to-peer interactions. According to an earlier report in the Chronicle:
Laws like San Francisco's hotel tax, adopted in 1961, "were written long before the Internet or any of these activities were conceived," said Kim Rubey, an Airbnb spokeswoman. "Innovative new models that allow San Franciscans to generate additional income should be addressed by innovative laws and policies – not stifled by 40-year-old regulations.
Others argue that it's only fair for peer-to-peer lodging platforms to shoulder their fair share of the tax burden to pay for public services, especially when the activity grows beyond people who occasionally rent out their homes when they're away. A recent Wall Street Journal article about vacation rentals in New York described one enterprising New Yorker who's figured out a way to turn Airbnb listings into a full-time job:
I visited a 2,200-square-foot loft in Little Italy offered for $400 a night by a former IT CEO who's taken out long-term leases on five other commercial lofts around SoHo and Chinatown—solely to rent to tourists on Airbnb. The entrepreneur, who asked not be identified because his plans don't quite square with the city's zoning laws, says that lofts command higher rates than apartments, which are a commodity on Airbnb. He keeps the look rough-hewn (industrial heaters, exposed brick) to give visitors that sought-after "authentic experience." … He shuttles between his six properties with a go bag, camping in whichever is vacant. He spends a lot of time toting dirty sheets to the laundromat. But no complaints: As long as the lofts are booked at least 15 days a month, he breaks even, and lately the occupancy rate hovers near 85%. He expects to clear a $400,000 profit this year.
This kind of enterprise raises all kinds of thorny questions for 21st-century policymakers. While managing short-term rentals in six Manhattan lofts is clearly not the same business model that drives the Ritz-Carlton or the Grand Hyatt, should this guy be allowed to clear $400,000 a year on lodging rentals without paying any hotel tax?
Rigid application of longstanding methods for taxing, regulating, insuring, and financing commercial ventures poses a serious risk of inhibiting economic growth at a time when our cities are in desperate need of increased revenue, job growth, and more efficient use of resources. But at this early stage in the evolution of the Share Economy, policymakers are still struggling to accommodate these nascent business practices that are popping up all around us. San Francisco isn't the only city government that's working out how to embrace these two-sided marketplaces. And if these ventures live outside policies completely, are they then officially part of a valid and growing economy?
Although Airbnb insists that the service it offers is not equivalent to or in direct competition with the mainstream lodging industry, company leaders have adopted a more-or-less conciliatory stance toward the issue. CEO Brian Chesky told the Chronicle: "We don't want to shy away from any tax obligation, but we want to show that renting a spare bedroom is totally different from running a hotel. What we're really seeking is a conversation."
Make yourself comfortable. This conversation—and many others like it—promises to be a long one as the world adjusts to our new economic reality. If we are truly working to nurture innovation, we must create the space to define, experiment, and grow together.
Lisa Gansky co-founded the online photography service Ofoto in 1999 and served as the company's CEO and chairman. In addition to her roles at Ofoto and later Eastman Kodak, she was a co-founder and CEO of GNN, the first commercial website, and directed Internet Services for AOL through 1997. Lisa has been an investor and board member of more than 20 internet and mobile services companies. She is the author of the 2010 book The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing. To learn more, visit meshing.it or @instigating on Twitter.


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Norton Internet Security 2013 is the next generation of Symantec's security suite.
There are no major changes this time around - at least, not yet, and not that we've spotted. The most significant and obvious tweaks have been made to the interface. The style is similar to the previous edition, but it's been optimised for touch (and if you install the package on Windows 8, can now be controlled via a Metro app). Support for hardware acceleration should improve its responsiveness, too.
The program does also provide improvements in protection, although they're mostly out of sight. The Insight file reputation database is now updated more rapidly, for instance; Insight technology has been incorporated into the firewall to "improve the ability to detect and block malicious network activity"; SONAR now works in Safe Mode to detect more threats via their behaviour; and Internet Security 2013 can work with new Windows 8 technology which allows it to launch earlier in the boot process, so better protecting you from rootkits, malicious drivers and similar low-level threats.
And in a relatively minor (though still useful) tweak, Norton Internet Security 2013 actually downloads and installs Norton Power Eraser for you. And as a result, if a scan completes, and you follow the "If you think there are still risks, click here" link, you're not left to sort things out yourself: you're able to launch Norton Power Eraser with a click to (hopefully) find and remove any particularly stubborn threats.
The other addition this time is what Symantec call "Bandwidth Monitoring", which they say "will help consumers avoid costly data overage fees by limiting non-critical updates on bandwidth sensitive networks". This seems to be represented by a new setting (Settings > Network > Network Security Settings > Network Cost Awareness) which allows you to set a policy to govern how the program uses a particular network connection. Options are "No Limit" (do what you want), "No Traffic" (don't use this connection at all), or "Economy": if this is some expensive 3G connection, say, Norton Internet Security 2013 will use it only to download the most critical program and virus definition updates.
Put it all together and the new release represents a very significant improvement for Windows 8 users, more of a gently incremental change for everybody else.
Build 20.4 adds these fixes/changes:
- Fixed compatibility issue with Malwarebytes.(link)
- Fixed an issue where Safe web annotations were not appearing for google.com (US Google only) (threads 1 , 2, 3, 4).
- Corrected issue where Intrusion Prevention was showing as off (stays on) if you opened Norton Antispam from Outlook.
- Norton Zone widget has been added to the main product page (English Only).
- Norton Safe Web widget has been removed from the main product page (Safe Web will remain as part of the Browser).
- Fixed visiblity of buttons in high contrast mode.
- Fixed an issue where the Scan Items tab scroll bar was not appearing
Norton Internet Security 2013 reserves its most significant updates for Windows 8 users, but there are smaller improvements for everyone else and if you're interested in the program then it's still worth a look.


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The FIFA Futsal Committee met at the Home of FIFA on Tuesday 14 February to discuss the latest developments ahead of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.
The Committee approved an amendment to the match schedule which will now see the 24-team competition kicking off one day earlier, on Thursday 1 November 2012.
The matches are set to take place across three venues in Bangkok - Nonjok Stadium, Huamark Indoor Stadium and Nimibutr Stadium - and at Korat Stadium in the north eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, with the final taking place on Sunday 18 November.
A full match schedule for the tournament will be published soon, with FIFA set to evaluate the construction progress of the Nonjok Stadium at the end of April.
Thailand, as hosts, and the Solomon Islands, champions from the Oceania Football Confederation's preliminary competition, are the first two countries to qualify. A full list of the different qualifying competitions around the world can be found by clicking the link on the right.
This year's FIFA Futsal World Cup will be the seventh edition of the tournament, with Brazil and Spain the teams to beat. Not only have they contested three of the last four finals, they are the only two teams to have earned a world title, with Brazil winning in 1989, 1992, 1996 and 2008, sandwiching Spain's two victories in 2000 and 2004.


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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
|When Stanley Miller conducted his famous experiments on the origins of life in the 1950s, he left many of the results unanalyzed. One such experiment mimicked the conditions of a volcanic eruption--and modern analysis of those samples by chemist Jeffrey Bada has revealed a rich array of amino acids, the building blocks of life.


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Malware industry becomes more professional and their
creators are focused on obtaining financial benefits.
|A radical change in malware
Over the last two years, we have witnessed a change in the malware dynamic, which stems from a change in the motivation of malware authors. Previously, they sought fame. Now, their motivation is purely financial: hackers are becoming more professional.
Up until 2004, widespread epidemics were getting faster and their effects were always clearly visible. They sought media coverage. Everyone can remember "I love you" or "Netsky".
There is a false idea that these type of epidemics no longer exist. However, the statistics are alarming and clearly demonstrates that not only is there a lot more malware around than before, but also that the motivation of malware authors has changed. Now, their motivation is purely financial and there is an entire industry behind them, financing and encouraging them, and this means that they are becoming more professional.
To do this, they are using increasingly advanced technologies and more sophisticated malware, designed specifically to go undetected. This new malware is far more difficult to combat.
The number of examples of new threats
received by antivirus laboratories has increased
Panda Labs receives up to 1,500
unique samples of new malware every day,
whereas it used to receive 400 a month.
Obviously, when making money illegally, it is better to lay low and be discreet. Therefore, malware authors are not interested in creating large-scale and visible epidemics. New malware is hidden, silent.
Hackers use increasingly sophisticated stealth techniques, such as rootkits.
For this reason, widespread epidemics have changed and now, the phrase on everyone's lips is silent epidemics. This is not because they are any smaller in scale, but because they are less obvious, and stay hidden.
Users infected by this type of silent epidemic are not aware that while they are using their PC (at home or at work), they could be controlled by a third-party to carry out any type of malicious action (botnets).
The new malware dynamic focused on cyber-crime and financial benefits, has brought about new malware categories:


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Maybe it's the summer heat. Or maybe, like a lot of people, I've given up all hope of any bold leadership in California when it comes to the budget.
Whatever the reason, I'm getting more comfortable with the idea of a beer company sponsoring a state beach, if that's what it will take to keep it open.
State parks spokesman Roy Stearns told The Times how it might work: "For example, if Budweiser came forward with enough money for Malibu Beach State Park," he said, "we wouldn't change the name to Budweiser Beach. But why not put up a banner saying, 'This park is kept open by Budweiser' for as long as they continue helping us?' "
It might be the only way to go, after Gov. Schwarzenegger went after the state parks budget with a wood chipper last week, nearly doubling the cut to $14.2 million. That means as many as 100 state parks could be shut down.
If you've seen the way middle-aged men dress in Orange County, you have to ask yourself why Tommy Bahama doesn't catch a PR wave by sponsoring state beaches at Crystal Cove and San Clemente. I imagine the San Diego peninsula would support a Viagra boost for Torrey Pines State Beach, and if anyone's got a contact for the Taliban, let's see if they'd like to adopt the California Poppy Reserve.
I'm even more willing to go this route after meeting last week with state Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who had just returned home to Los Angeles from the bloody budget battles, in which roughly $25 billion was slashed from the budget.
"Meetings with the governor were like going to Gitmo," said Bass, and "budget negotiations were like water-boarding."
Reluctantly, the Democrat had a hand in bulldozing much of what she has spent a career building, with cuts that will most severely affect low-income Californians in the areas of healthcare, elder care, education and beyond.
"It's tough to sit in a room with people making decisions about people's lives, and you know they don't have a clue what those people's lives are like," Bass said.
Yeah, but what do we do about it?
Bass and I went over all the usual fixes, but as for the likelihood of them ever being enacted, there's a better chance of my dancing the "Nutcracker" with the Los Angeles Ballet. And I'm not holding my breath that Philip Morris is going to sign on to sponsor Patton State Hospital.
So what's left? Lower the two-thirds requirement on budget votes, so a minority of legislators don't hold more power than the majority and stall every budget? Yeah, and the Clippers win the NBA.
Combine smart cuts with new revenue streams that make us less reliant on the ebb and flow of income taxes? Howard Jarvis has more of a pulse than that idea.
Expand term limits so legislators are in office long enough to figure out what they're doing? No, we prefer to have novices handling our money.
"I'm not embarrassed to admit that I'm an amateur," Bass said.
What voters didn't realize when they enacted severe term limits, she said, was that they turned the operation of the state over to lobbyists and staff members. They're the only ones who remain in Sacramento long enough to know where the bathrooms are, and they end up dominating the legislative process.
That means state healthcare reform doesn't stand a chance, because the insurance industry bankrolls the GOP.
And we're not likely to put aside rainy-day savings because public employee unions own the Democrats.
So there I was in Bass' office, feeling depressed all over again.
Did she have any other fixes?
Well, she said, maybe the governor's tax commission, also known as the Commission on the 21st Century Economy, will come up with something.
With all due respect, I'm willing to bet my mortgage and all three of my children that anything called the Commission on the 21st Century Economy is doomed out of the box. They're going to take at least two years to produce an unreadable 260-page report that concludes with a recommendation to revisit the issue early in the 22nd century.
Will they adjust Prop. 13 to have businesses pay more of their fair share of property taxes? Negative. When Warren Buffett recommended some tinkering with that sacred cow, Gov. Schwarzenegger sent him back to Omaha on the next corporate jet.
Will they tax oil drilling in California? Not unless all proceeds are dedicated to the roundup and deportation of illegal immigrants, and even then, the ghost of Howard Jarvis would rise up and say, "No way, Jose."
Bass would settle for a tax on candy and snack food, saying that would raise $400 million to $500 million a year. But that would require a constitutional amendment, she said, because "the candy and snack lobby wrote into the Constitution that you can't do it."
Do you see why I'm warming to the idea of Budweiser State Beach?
It's the most plausible course, if you don't count splitting the state in two, dividing it into a tax-and-spend blue coastal state and a dusty red interior where Obama is a Kenyan and everyone's on their own. In the red California, I'd include part of the Orange County coast and of course San Diego, where you could have 50 people die in a fire next door to a shut-down firehouse, and still have voters turn down a half-cent sales tax to reopen it.
Heading back downtown from Bass' office, I saw so many nitwit drivers either texting or gabbing on phones, I'd like to ban all cellphone and BlackBerry use while driving and fine the offenders $10,000. Every half-dozen tickets could save a teacher's job.
By the way, I checked with the state parks department to see if they've gotten any sponsorship offers, and the answer was yes.
"We've had a lot of people calling," information officer Sheryl Watson said. "Nonprofits, individuals, groups and businesses."
She said no deals have been finalized and it's too soon to disclose more information.
But it's not too soon to come up with your own suggestions. And don't feel as though you have to limit yourself to parks.
The Golden State Freeway could be sponsored by Mapquest.
The CHP by Chips Ahoy.
The Legislature by Phillips' Milk of Magnesia.
Healthy Families by Lucky Charms.
Our history, our soul, it's all for sale. Send me your best suggestions and you might win a picnic lunch with me at Will Rogers State Beach, if it's still open.


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George Waner
George Edward Waner, age 86, died Monday, Feb. 3, 2014, at his home in Shawnee, Okla. George was born Jan. 2, 1928, to Joseph Edward Waner and Geneva (Scherer) Waner in Newton, Kan., the oldest of five children.
He attended Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio and graduated high school in Florence, Kan., in 1947.
George served in the Navy during the Korean War from 1948 to 1952. He attended college at Wichita State University. He met the love of his life Patricia "Patsy" Ann Meysing, and they married in 1954. They raised three children, Leo Edward, Mary Kay, and Ann Marie.
In 1954, George began a long career in the automotive repair industry. He owned his own business, Waner's Repair Shop. He managed the shop for more than 22 years. During that time he taught automotive repair at Hillsboro High School and Flint Hills VoTech in Emporia, Kan.
In 1976, he apprenticed under the leadership of Tom Snavely, Peabody, Kan., as a pattern-maker of foundry casting. He quickly learned this trade and worked in it until his retirement in 1993.
George loved to spend time with his family, grandchildren, and friends. He enjoyed many hobbies — building model airplanes, watching car races, building miniature engines, many woodworking projects, car maintenance, home projects, gardening, and traveling. There was virtually nothing mechanical he couldn't rebuild or repair no matter how puzzling or perplexing it was.
As a lifelong Catholic and member of the Knights of Columbus, George's faith was very important to him. He was a parishioner at Holy Family Catholic Church in Marion, Kan., and later St. Benedict Catholic Church in Shawnee. He was also a member of the VFW, American Legion, and NRA.
In 2007, he and Patsy left the Marion community and the home where they had raised their family and moved to Shawnee. He continued to stay active at St. Benedict parish while enjoying retirement. He especially enjoyed walking his beloved dog, Buffy, while visiting with neighbors and making new friends.
George is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Patsy; and children, Leo (Juliette) Waner, Mary Kay (David) Holland, and Ann (Steve) Buckendahl. Grandchildren include Rachel, Alexander, and Nicole Waner, Matthew (Abi) and Katie Holland, and Claire Buckendahl; and great-granddaughter, Arianna Salinas. Siblings include James (Vee) Waner, Bernie (Janice) Waner, and Joan (Jerry) Onsrud.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Pauline Meysing.
Services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, at St. Benedict Catholic Church. A rosary and wake service will begin at 10 a.m. followed by funeral mass at 11 a.m. with Father Joseph Schwartz officiating. An inurnment will be at Marion Cemetery in Marion.
Memorials may be made to the Father Kapaun Guild, 424 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202 or Knights of Columbus No. 1018, St. Benedict Catholic Church, 632 N. Kickapoo, Shawnee, OK 74801.


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Midnight in Paris - Movie Synopsis & Plot
"Midnight in Paris" is a romantic comedy that follows a family travelling to the city for business. The party includes a young engaged couple that has their lives transformed throughout the journey. The film celebrates a young man's great love for Paris, and simultaneously explores the illusion people have that a life different from their own is better.


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Recall: Happy Mouth Wire Mouth Bits for Horses
On 2012-05-31, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a recall regarding Happy Mouth Wire Mouth Bits for Horses due to a potential fall hazard. This product sold new beginning in July 2003 for about $30 to $51.
About 3,000 units are involved in this English Riding Supply mouth bit recall. Instance(s) of severe injuries have been reported. Learn more and find out what to do if you own this product below.
This was the 1st recall of products in the Horseback Riding category in 2012.
Check My Mouth Bit | See Other Recalled Horseback Riding
Company Contact Information:
Website: www.englishridingsupply.com
Phone: (866) 569-1600
Do you work for a company involved with this recall? Contact us to learn how you can control data, information and ads shown on this page.
What is the problem?
The steel braided wire in the mouthpiece that connects the bit on either side of the horse's cheeks can become frayed, rusted or worn, which can cause the bit to break. If this happens, the rider can lose control and fall from the horse.
Instance(s) of severe injuries have been reported.
How can I tell if I own this product?
This recall involves eight models of Happy Mouth wire mouth bits used with a bridle in horseback riding. The bits involved in this recall have steel braided wire running through the plastic mouthpiece and most with a metal ring on each end. Model numbers included in the recall are listed below. Model numbers can be found on a label attached to the product. "Happy Mouth" is engraved on the plastic mouthpiece.
Model numbers included in this recall:
- 462172SS: Roller Mouth Full Cheek
- 462177SS: Roller Mouth Loose Ring
- 462181SS: Pessoa 3-Ring Roller Mouth Gag
- 462184SS: Pessoa 2-Ring Roller Mouth Gag
- 464123SS: Boucher Roller Mouth
- 466898SS: Western Center Peanut Mouth w/ Ring
- 466904SS: Western Center Peanut Bar Mouth w/ Shank
- 467248SS: Pro King D Center Peanut Mouth
These items were sold new+ at Equestrian riding stores, tack shops, saddlery dealers nationwide, through mail order and by online equestrian retailers from July 2003 through April 2012 for between $30 and $51.
What should I do if I own this recalled product?
First, stop using the item.
Then, add the item to a free, private Items I Own account. This will enable you to easily access the CPSC and recalling company's remedy instructions as well as track your progress toward getting the item returned or fixed. Click "I Own THIS Item" to continue.
The CPSC provides the following remedy information:
Consumers should immediately stop using these bits and return them to the retailer where purchased or return the bits directly to English Riding Supply for a refund.
For additional information, please contact English Riding Supply toll-free at (866)569-1600 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.englishridingsupply.com. Consumers can also email the firm at firstname.lastname@example.com
Incidents & Injuries Reported as of Recall Date
The firm has received four reports of wire bits that have broken and resulted in reports of injuries including broken and fractured bones, bruises and back pain from falls.
+WeMakeItSafer cautions consumers that recalled items may have been acquired at different locations, prices and times than specified in the CPSC recall announcement. This is especially true for items purchased in online marketplaces, resale shops or yard sales. More information may be available at CPSC.gov.
Own a Different Mouth Bit?
Add it to Items I Own,™ and our system will check it for past recalls, then keep checking daily, so you don't have to. Click "I Own a Similar Item" to continue.
Items I Own™ is a free WeMakeItSafer service.
Latest Safety Recalls
Select image for details, including additional styles.
Do you have comments or questions about this recall? Share them here.
Note: The recalling companies may not be monitoring these comments; they should be directed toward the public. Community Guidelines apply.
Sources may include: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada and companies involved with this or a related recall.


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daftbeaker wrote:Rev. Brian wrote:Sounds yummy - but stiff. I have had 195 proof (pretty much azeotrope) and that stuff will dry your mouth out so bad it feels like a burn
Really? I quite like it. Amazing what you can do with a distillation setup
It works well if you're going camping as you can condense two bottles of vodka down into one and, should you happen to give it to someone without telling them what it is, they get amusingly drunk very quickly
Yeah - 160 proof is around double the usual proof for regular whiskey, so you can cut it 1:1 ratio with water and then end up with "normal" hooch. I looked into all the licensing and whatnot at one point -- researched all the state of the art reflux distilling column designs, etc. My plan was to build all my own gear. Ultimately I decided not to pursue it -- too much legal red tape. Despite having tons of different wines, liqueurs, liquors, etc. in the house, I hardly ever drink and was mostly interested in the technological aspects of the apparatus.
Hope your friend gets up and running, selling product, and does well with it. I love entrepreneurship. When it hits the market, please let me know - I'd like to see if I could have a local store order it. Then I can dip some bacon in it and test Kevin's Law. :-)


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The Gather! project is gearing up for it's first production release. The project is pretty solid at this point, but it is lacking in documentation. I will be spending the better part of the next couple weeks on documenting the project so that we can attract new users.
I urge all who are interested in last chance beta testing for Gather! reunion organizational software to go ahead and download RC1 as soon as possible.
Thanks to all who have given feedback...it is appreciated!


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Student Affairs
From the entire staff in Student Affairs, we want to welcome you to Saint Xavier University. The supportive atmosphere of Saint Xavier provides numerous opportunities for students to get involved in the life of the campus with clubs and organizations, campus jobs, internships, cultural outings, world renowned speakers and much more. Students are encouraged, as stated in the University's mission, to search for truth, to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to serve wisely and compassionately in support of human dignity and the common good.
We believe that the University and a student's family are in a partnership to support the academic and personal goals of our students. We welcome the opportunity to work with parents and guardians in assisting with students' growth academically, socially and spiritually throughout their career at Saint Xavier.
Please contact us anytime should you have questions or concerns. You may reach us at 773-298-3121, firstname.lastname@example.com or in room L-103 of the Warde Academic Center.
Student Affairs at a Glance
The Office for Student Affairs complements the University's mission by sponsoring programs, services and activities that assist students in developing intellectually, spiritually, socially, physically, emotionally and vocationally. In partnership with students, faculty and staff, Student Affairs helps to create an educational climate consistent with principles rooted in its Catholic, Mercy tradition.
Contact us to learn more about peer leadership, activities on campus, available resources or with any questions or concerns.


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- Home
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HILLSVILLE — Three Carroll County farms have planted the seeds for community-supported agriculture, and now they hope to see the idea bear fruit — and vegetables — for all involved.
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a kind of a pact between farmers and customers to share the risk and the rewards.
The customers pay for their produce at the beginning of the growing season and receive packages made up of the yields throughout the season.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Gazette, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
|ZIP Code:


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|Founded in 1987, New York Police Supply, Inc. is a full line
supplier for law enforcement and security. A wide range of traditional equipment, clothing, and accessories are carried
as well as many specialty items not associated with the law enforcement supply industry.
Our well stocked retail store is located at 1460 East Ridge Road in Rochester, New York. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 4:45 P.M. and Saturdays from 10am-2pm
(Sept. to May).
Best regards,
Join us now on
|Please note this website is under construction and will be changing on a daily basis. If you have any questions click on the "contact us" page and ask away:)


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U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Boston, stepped into the race to serve out Sen. John Kerry's term today, casting himself as the candidate who best understands working people at a stop at a Shrewsbury Street diner.
Mr. Lynch said he is the candidate who will be willing to buck the Washington establishment, which he said is supporting his primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Malden, and that his years as an ironworker and labor leader separate him from other candidates in the race. He said his life experiences will allow him to fill, "this gap between the United States Senate and what is going on here on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester."
"He does have the support of the establishment. He's got a lot of money. But I don't intend to purchase this election," Mr. Lynch said, referring to Mr. Markey, who announced his candidacy earlier this month and has support of Sen. Kerry, Victoria Kennedy and key Democratic organizations as well as more than $3 million in campaign funds. Mr. Lynch ended 2012 with $740,000 on hand in his campaign fund.
Mr. Lynch said he strapped on work boots for 18 years as an ironworker, grew up in a public housing project and has stood in unemployment lines, asserting that he understands the challenges of working families in Central Massachusetts. "I have that body of experience that I can relate to what they are going through," Mr. Lynch said.
He said Mr. Markey, "has been in Congress since I was in 9th grade" and has developed a D.C. view of the world. "There is a certain insulation that you have from reality when you spend too much time in Washington," Mr. Lynch said. He acknowledged he has been in Congress now for 12 years himself. Mr. Markey has been in Congress since 1976.
Mr. Lynch was flanked by two key local supporters, state Rep. John J. Binienda, D-Worcester, and state Rep. John P. Fresolo, D-Worcester, as he fielded questions outside the Parkway Diner from reporters who were following him on his first full day of campaigning. Mr. Lynch announced his candidacy for the April 30 primary at campaign stops in Springfield and Worcester before heading to an afternoon rally at the Iron Workers hall in his home district in South Boston.
Mr. Lynch, who describes himself as pro-life and voted against President Obama's Affordable Care Act, acknowledged he is not well-known around the state, but said he plans to work "24/7" over the next 90 days to change that.
He also said commented on his ability to take on Republican Scott P. Brown if Mr. Brown gets into the race.He said he has credibility with working people Mr. Brown may lack.
"I know Sen. Brown's success was with the pickup truck and coat and all that," Mr. Lynch said. "I had a pickup truck too. Mine was a work truck. I didn't drive from my law office to my house — I actually had tools in the back and a welding machine in the back, and I drove from my house to the work site," Mr. Lynch said.
"If we are fighting for the regular people — the working people — I think my credentials stack up against his very, very well," Mr. Lynch said.
Mr. Binienda said he has supported Mr. Lynch in all his previous elections and believes Central Massachusetts voters will come out to vote for him, given his working class credentials. Mr. Markey is less known in the Worcester area, he said.
"Ed Markey's been there for 36 years, and I have never met him," Mr. Binienda said, adding that Mr. Markey "has never reached out" to him as the senior member of the Legislature from Central Massachusetts.
Mr. Fresolo said that while Mr. Lynch doesn't fit in with many of the progressive Democrats who have dominated recent elections, he has a lot in common with voters in his urban district.
"He's not a carbon copy of the progressive Democrats who have been successful recently, but to me he fits the mold of the working class, blue collar person that I represent," Mr. Fresolo said. "They are the working class and the working poor. In my opinion I couldn't have a better advocate for the people I represent and the people of Worcester than Stephen Lynch in the U.S. Senate," he said.
Kevin McKinnon, business agent for the Local 7 Iron Workers union stopped by the diner with some other ironworkers to greet Mr. Lynch. They chatted in a booth in the diner about construction projects under way in the city. Mr. McKinnon said the building tradespeople will largely back Lynch, giving him a strong base in the primary.
"Lynch stands for the common man, the middle of the road guy, and he has always been like that," said Mr. McKinnon, who worked with Mr. Lynch when they were both ironworker apprentices and for many years afterward on buildings including the Federal Reserve Building and International Place in Boston.


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Benjamin Kiefer told state police he shot and killed his older brother in self-defense.
Benjamin Kiefer told state police he shot and killed his older brother in self-defense.
His younger brother said it was the victim who was helpless as the shooter fired again and again.
At 10:56 p.m. Saturday, troopers responded to a reported shooting at 170 Bucks Cove Road in the White Mills section of Texas Township. They found Kenneth Kiefer, 34, dead in the ranch-style home's front room with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Benjamin Kiefer, 30, was seated on the couch, a handgun beside him, state police said.
He was arrested and charged with one count of criminal homicide. He confessed to shooting his brother, but insisted it was self-defense. Earlier that night, he was in his bedroom preparing to clean his gun when Kenneth entered the room and began an argument, Benjamin told state police. The argument escalated, and Kenneth punched Benjamin in the face.
Kenneth was much larger and trained in mixed martial arts, Benjamin said. He also has martial arts training, but injuries from a car crash 2� years ago left him in no shape to fight back. He told state police his only recourse was to grab his gun and fire a warning shot to scare Kenneth off. Firing blindly into the dark hallway, he hit his brother.
Younger brother Kevin Kiefer, 20, remembers it differently. He told state police that he and Kenneth had been hanging out at a friend's house earlier that day and had called Benjamin for a ride back to his house. He picked them up, and they made a few stops. Benjamin needed to pick up a pack of cigarettes for his girlfriend, Ralissa Gibson.
He also wanted some beer, but bought vodka instead. Then they went over to a friend's house to drink before going to Cordaro's Restaurant and Lounge in Honesdale. They only stayed at the bar for five minutes, because Benjamin was "rowdy" and looking for a fight, Kevin told state police.
Benjamin and Kenneth argued in the car, and traded blows in the parking lot of Pizza Hut before Benjamin drove home at speeds between 80 mph to 100 mph, nearly going off the road at times. When they reached the White Mills home, he drove into a ditch, Kevin told state police.
The arguing continued as they walked up to the front door. Kenneth went into the living room and Benjamin went to his bedroom.
Benjamin walked out of his bedroom with his right hand behind his back, holding a handgun. He entered the living room and pointed the gun at Kenneth, firing once into his brother's chest, Kevin told state police. Kenneth fell onto the couch, screaming. Benjamin fired four more shots.
Gibson, 27, told state police she had gone to bed, but heard sounds "like bodies knocking things over." Three to five minutes later, she heard "like a million" gunshots, she told state police.
After the gunshots, Gibson said she ran out into the living room and saw Kenneth on the floor. Benjamin was standing near him. She dialed 911 and handed the phone to Kevin.
In a subsequent interview, Benjamin told state police he remembered buying the cigarettes, going to the bar and to the liquor store. He denied fighting in the Pizza Hut parking lot and driving the car. He admitted firing the shots, but insisted he only meant to scare his brother, Trooper Sharon Palmer said.
Benjamin is in Wayne County Prison, where he is being held without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3.
Distributed by
MCT Information Services


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EWG News and Analysis
The latest from EWG's staff of experts >>
American Dental Association concedes: Excessive fluoride a risk to children
After years of downplaying the risks of excessive fluoride intake, the American Dental Association (ADA) has just released new guidelines that dramatically reduce the recommended fluoride exposure for infants and children. Though not ready to condemn fluoride entirely for its role in enamel fluorosis, the ADA has issued an "interim" advisory on fluoride intake until more research can be done. This is a promising step for the ADA, which has resolutely promoted the fluoridation of water in the past. While it's commendable that the Association is alerting parents to the risks of fluorosis, a primarily cosmetic condition, it would be even better to issue a similar moratorium on account of the recent research tying fluoridated water to bone cancer in boys.
Until further notice, ADA recommends the following measures to reduce the risk of fluorosis:
- Feed infants breast milk whenever possible.
- For infants who get most of their nutrition from formula, choose ready-to-feed formula over formula mixed with fluoridated water.
- If liquid or powdered concentrate infant formula is the primary source of nutrition, mix with water that is fluoride free, including water that is labeled purified, demineralized, deionized, distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water.
- Stay away from fluoride toothpaste before two years.
- No fluoride mouth rinse or supplements unless prescribed by a dentist.
- Check with your water supplier to make sure the fluoride level in your drinking water does not exceed the recommended 1.2 parts per million.
USA Today, Report raises flag on fluoride, 5/22/06
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Excess fluoride can hurt teeth, bones, IQ, 5/23/06
Recent Enviroblog posts about fluoride.


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Southern Living Travel & Features editor Jennifer V. Cole offered her "100 Places to Eat Now" this week.
It was no surprise that Houston owned five spots on the list. Cole's selections ranged from an old school diner and a classic seafood spot to three of the most talked-about restaurants to open in recent years.
Among her observations:
Without a doubt, Houston is the most interesting, far-ranging, delightful food city in the South—strike that, in America—right now. There's a confluence of a post-Katrina Creole population, traditional Southern staples (biscuits, barbecue, pimiento cheese), diverse multinationals (Vietnamese, Korean, Pakistani, Mexican), fertile farmland, easy access to the Gulf, and a general yearning to make a culinary mark.
Here's what she had to say about her favorite Houston restaurants:
Barbecue Inn: 116 W. Crosstimbers, 713-695-8112
"They turn out some mean yardbird, but it's the superb chicken-fried steak that gets my vote: cooked-to-order, crispy, meaty, and shrouded in a cloak of country gravy."
Oxheart: 1302 Nance St., 832-830-8592
"Justin Yu's Houston hot spot is a champion of casual dining. Guests retrieve their own silverware and cooks double as waitstaff."
Provisions: 807 Taft, 713-628-9020
"What to Order: Cresta di Gallo pasta with Hen of the Woods mushrooms, roasted yeast, and Parmesan."
Reef: 2600 Travis, 713-526-8282
"What to Order: Roasted grouper with braised collards, pecan-shallot cracklins, and potlikker jus."
Underbelly: 1100 Westheimer, 713-528-9800
"Chef Chris Shepherd of Underbelly might as well be the town's pied piper, leading diners deeper into the flavors of the city."
Other Texas spots to earn mention on Cole's list included Uchi in Austin and Rancho Loma in Valera.
And Dallas? Nada.
Cole's "evolving" list is just another bullet point for those Houstonians obsessed with besting perennial rival Dallas.
Are we all ready to give Ms. Cole the final word and declare Houston No. 1?
I thought not. But enjoy waving the big foam fingers around for a few days.


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India is a big, big country, but what I can do is the seed work."
Mukundray Shah M'64 (chemical engineering) saw firsthand what cancer can do to families. When his wife, Nalini, was diagnosed with breast cancer, they discovered that the disease had touched the lives of so many other members of the Jain Center of Southern California.
After nearly a decade of fighting, Nalini passed away in 2008, and Shah created the Nalini Shah Cancer Fund in her memory. Its mission is the education, prevention and early detection of cancers in their native land of India.
"This came out of our suffering," Shah says. "When cancer is in the family, everybody suffers — emotionally, financially, in every way. It breaks the family. Nalini took it in good spirits, and people in our temple admired her. So she put a seed in my mind. 'Look, I am suffering this, but if you can do something, let others not suffer.'"
Through the fund — with additional financial support from family and community members — Shah has arranged for guest speakers and volunteer training at the temple, but the bulk of the fund's attention is focused on India, where routine cancer screening is almost non-existent. It sponsored a University of Tennessee medical student for a rotation at Tata Memorial Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in Mumbai, where she could study Indian cancer treatment protocols. Shah also works closely with the Indian Cancer Society to support fully staffed mobile detection units that venture out into the community.
"They're not aware of cancer tests like we are in this country," Shah says. "Even if people are well-to-do, they take it for granted that they will never suffer cancer."
The mobile detection unit has already proved successful. In the first batch of camps sponsored by the fund in February and March of this year, 122 women were tested, and six suspicious cases were reported and referred for treatment. But in areas where there is a built-in resistance to testing and preventative care, the mere participation of dozens of individuals can have a snowball effect.
"The best way to educate people is to provide them with cancer tests like we have and then they talk amongst themselves. The news only spreads by people who have gone through the testing," Shah says. "India is a big, big country, but what I can do is the seed work. I've invested whatever money I have, but I am satisfied that it is paying dividends."
Posted March 2013


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This article originally published on BikeRadar
Special Sidis for Peter Sagan
Burgeoning superstar Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) is but 22 years old but the Slovakian talent has already bagged three stage victories in his first Tour de France – plus a pair of special Ergo 3 shoes from Sidi to boot.
Sidi America brand manager Sara Ecclesine wouldn't reveal any specific details on Sagan's new footwear – "The guys are always working on something," she said – but they're clearly an evolution of Sidi's long standing Tecno 2 reel-and-cable system. While current Sidi shoes use the system only for the middle closure of select top-end models, Sagan's shoes features it throughout. One reel secures the main strap while a second unit crisscrosses the midsection and forefoot.
It's difficult to say if the switch yields any reduction in weight (something Sidi doesn't usually target) but we expect the slimmer cables to provide a slightly more compliant fit and improved breathability, not to mention a sleeker appearance without any excess strap hanging below the buckle.
There's no word yet on whether Sagan's shoes will be put into production.
Built-in saddle grip for Tony Martin
The UCI recently outlawed the use of add-on friction material to saddles but Specialized has been quick to react with a novel S-Works Romin saddle model with a remarkable grippy surface built right into the midsection and nose. The material feels moderately rubberized but the real secret to its tackiness is the texture, which mimics gecko feet with its multitude of tiny 'hairs'.
We weren't able to pedal on the new saddle ourselves but it's clear that a rider's rear end would be firmly planted atop one with virtually no chance of slippage – just the thing for time trials. It's unclear at this point how the surface and the associated stitching would affect wear on a rider's shorts but we'll find out soon enough. Also as per UCI rules, Specialized is required to release the saddle – spotted on Tony Martin's (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4 – within nine months of its first use in competition.
SwissStop's new Black Prince pads for carbon fiber
Several riders at the Tour de France including Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Nissan) and select members of the Vacansoleil-DCM are using new carbon-specific brake pads from SwissStop. According to SwissStop's Christian Heule, the new 'Black Prince' model improves on the current Yellow King's wet braking performance by 30 percent while also lending better lever feel and overall power.
"Modulation is as easy as on alloy rims," he told BikeRadar.
SwissStop will officially debut the new pads later this summer at the Eurobike trade show.
Wilier Triestina releases official information on the new Cento 1 SR
We speculated several days ago that Wilier Triestina was introducing a new 'Super Rigida' model to supplement the current Cento 1 SL and Zero.7 models but as it turns out, the Cento 1 SR will replace the Cento 1 range entirely for 2013 according to new information sent to BikeRadar from the company's Italian and US press agencies.
Wilier Triestina intends the Cento 1 SR to be a more balanced blend of stiffness, comfort, and weight while the Zero.7 will remain the lightest chassis in the range. Wilier Triestina confirmed the BB386 Evo bottom bracket shell and tapered front end, both of which afford enormous increases in tubing cross-section diameters relative to the current Cento 1's slimmer and more rounded forms.
Kamm tail shaping is used for the fork blades and integrated seat mast in an effort to reduce aerodynamic drag – Wilier Triestina offers no specific numerical claims, however – and the new bike will be available in six sizes and up to six colors with limited availability starting later this month.


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
I am a 42 YO man in So. King County, Washington. I am seeking a woman who enjoys science, Scrabble, books, old cars,trucks and motorcycles, travel, movies, sailing and garage sales. Must be clean, stable, honest and loyal. I do not want a mother, a daughter or a boss. I want to at least feel like the head of the relationship. I am not seeking a slave either. My sex drive is about average, and I am not interested in a platonic relationship. I am actively Libertarian and a quiet atheist. If you are vociferously statist or religious please do not respond. Apolitical or unconcerned in religion is fine. I have tested variously from 140 to 160 in IQ tests and therefor do not abide by the accuracy of same. I am smarter than almost any non-mathematician I have ever met so I desire an intelligent woman. I am physically a very large man, about the size of John Goodman, and closely resemble John Candy facially. I do not smoke, drink or do drugs, but I am not averse to those who do if they are not profligate. I am currently recovering my fiscal health, so that must be discussed by any interested women. I own half(with the bank) of a house in Des Moines, WA., about 1/2 mile from Puget Sound, but the IRS is anxious to hear from me!! I write humor and political commentary and just sold my first copy for a commercial pamphlet. I am a journeyman pipefitter, and may return to this field soon. My AA birthday was 2/8/83 and in 1977, after years of alcohol abuse I tested 99%ile in Science, 95%ile in English and 78%ile in math in my SAT's. I am shy only around women,not in any other realm. I like well-behaved kids but would appreciate not having any around. Undisciplined children are unacceptable. I like all animals except spoiled dogs and cats. I like a spectrum of women, and only actively dislike the arrogant, cruel, stupid, crooked, and unhinged. I do not like skinny(boney) women and if you are larger than Oprah or Roseanne I am shallow enough to be uninterested. I have been enamored of tall, short, beautiful, and plain. Even some extremely physically repulsive women have attracted me through force of personality. The most appealing woman I can think of is (I believe), living in Montana and hunting and skinning her own deer. What it boils down to is: be a gem!


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Portrait Drawing
Course #2000011
Judy Simonian
Model fee: $35
Please bring cash or check payable to the instructor to your FIRST CLASS SESSION.
*This fee does not cover the cost of materials listed below.
Materials for the FIRST class session:
pad of all-purpose drawing paper 16" x 20" or larger (not newsprint)
compressed charcoal (Many different kinds. Bring whatever you have or what you think you would like to use)
vine stick charcoal (thick or thin)
kneaded eraser
plastic or hard rubber eraser
sharpeners: single edge razor blade or mat knife, sandpaper
1 roll masking or drafting tape
rigid board with 4 bull clips to provide extra support for your drawing pad (1/2" foam core is very lightweight and highly recommended)
Materials for subsequent classes:
black waterproof drawing ink
brushes: $3.00 bamboo calligraphy brush at least ½" in diameter is highly recommended or any others you have on hand.
chalk pastel, white and two complimentary colors, such as blue and orange or red and green, yellow and purple
charcoal paper—one sheet of black and one of a middle value such as gray or beige (or purchase a pad of neutral colored charcoal paper)
pencils (4B and any other pencils that you have)
optional: graphite sticks (various sizes and shapes)
ballpoint and felt-tip pens
sharpeners: small pencil sharpener, single edge razor blade or mat knife, sandpaper
See our list of art supply vendors


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Nurse Practitioner - Oncology
CareMount Medical
Nurse Practitioner - Oncology
Caremount Medical - Clinical Mount Kisco, NY
CareMount Medical, P.C. is currently looking to hire a Nurse Practitioner for our Oncology Department in Mount Kisco, NY.
Position Overview: The Nurse Practitioner assumes responsibility and accountability for the nursing assessment and/or primary care for a selected population of patients within scope of experience and training in the inpatient, clinic, physician office, outpatient and/or other facility settings as allowable under state law and practice acts. The Nurse Practitioner performs acts, which require substantial specialized knowledge, judgment, and nursing skills based upon principles of psychological, biological, physical, and social sciences. The professional nurse is responsible and accountable for making decisions that are based on the individual's educational preparation and experience in nursing. The NP functions under the collaborative practice agreement for delegated medical aspects of care with collaborating physician(s).
Essential Job Requirments:
Education & Qualifications:
Physical Demands
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. CareMount is an EO employer – M/F/Veteran/Disability
Caremount Medical - Clinical
Why Work Here?
New York's largest, physician-owned, multi specialty group.
CareMount Medical, P.C. is the largest independent multispecialty medical group in New York State, providing comprehensive medical care of the highest quality to over 640,000 patients in more than 45 locations throughout Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, and Ulster counties and New York City. Founded in 1946 as Mount Kisco Medical Group, CareMount has grown to over 600 physicians and advanced practice professionals representing more than 40 different medical specialties. CareMount is affiliated with world-class organizations including Massachusetts General Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. CareMount offers on-site laboratory and radiology services, endoscopy and infusion suites, and operates eight urgent-care centers. Our physicians are frequently recognized as best doctors in respected publications and have been featured in lists including New York Magazine's "Best Doctors," Westchester and Hudson Valley Magazine's "Top Doctors" as well as in Castle Connolly Medical's "Top Doctors." For additional information about CareMount Medical and its specialties, please visit: www.caremountmedical.com. CareMount Medical is a registered service mark of CareMount Medical P.C.
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
View all jobs at Caremount Medical - Clinical


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ROME (Reuters) - Italian lawmakers on Tuesday pulled back from a showdown over the political future of Silvio Berlusconi after allies of the billionaire media tycoon threatened to bring down Prime Minister Enrico Letta's unstable ruling coalition.
A meeting of a cross-party Senate committee charged with deciding whether Berlusconi should be barred from the Senate following a conviction for tax fraud ended without holding a vote, easing political tensions at least for the time being.
The center-left Democratic Party (PD), which has the largest presence on the 23-member committee, accepted center-right demands to slow down hearings on the case, but it maintains its position that Berlusconi must lose his seat.
The meeting ended at around midnight (6 p.m. ET). Hearings will resume on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, Senator Benedetto Della Vedova of Mario Monti's Civic Choice said.
"The discussion will start again in the next few days and it will take a long time," the Senate group of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which is most hostile to Berlusconi, said in a tweet as the meeting neared its end.
After a tense day in which center-right leaders threatened to pull out of Letta's coalition, potentially triggering snap elections, a sign of reduced hostilities came when Berlusconi called off a meeting with his lawmakers scheduled for Wednesday.
Many observers had expected that meeting to sanction the end of the Letta government if the center-left had maintained the uncompromising stance it had shown at an initial committee meeting on Monday.
Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party has sought to halt the hearings pending an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights but has been rebuffed by the center-left which says the appeal is no more than a delaying tactic.
Whether the PDL's repeated threats to bring down the government go beyond simple brinkmanship remains unclear but the wrangling around the hearings has underlined how entwined Italy's political stability remains with the personal fate of Berlusconi, 20 years after he first entered politics.
At Tuesday's meeting the center-right agreed to drop a series of technical objections to try to halt the hearings on the agreement that each of the committee members could speak at greater length in a broad discussion on the merits of the case.
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing arguments had raged between the main partners in the cross-party coalition led by Letta, who comes from the PD, with each side accusing the other of creating a crisis.
With Italy straining to contain its 2 trillion euro public debt, the Berlusconi imbroglio has also hobbled efforts to reform the euro zone's third-largest economy, causing worries that extend well beyond its own borders.
Berlusconi, convicted by Italy's top court last month of being at the center of a vast tax fraud conspiracy at his Mediaset television empire, could not be expelled without a full vote on the floor of the upper house.
But he in any case faces banishment from front-line politics for at least a year after the court sentenced him to a four-year jail term that was then commuted to one year under house arrest or in community service.
Whether a government crisis would necessarily lead to new elections is unclear, given President Giorgio Napolitano's reluctance to send Italy back to the polls.
If the PDL eventually makes good on its threats, Napolitano could try to oversee the creation of a new government formed around the PD with the support of dissidents from the center-right or 5-Star party.
Berlusconi's own party remains divided between hawks pressing for a showdown with the PD and more moderate elements and executives from his business empire who fear that the party risks isolating itself with no guaranteed payoff.
With the European Central Bank pledging to step in to prevent bond market turmoil of the kind which threatened Italy at the height of the euro zone debt crisis in 2011, financial markets have shown no signs of panic.
But Italy's borrowing costs have crept up over the past few weeks and an auction of mid-term bonds on Thursday will be closely watched for any signs of investor nerves.
On Tuesday, Spanish government bond yields fell below Italy's for the first time in 18 months as worries over the political standoff hit sentiment.
Although there have been faint signs of improvement after some two years of recession, data on Tuesday showed the economy still far from recovery.
Additional reporting by Paolo Biondi, James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; Writing by James Mackenzie and Gavn Jones Editing by Ralph Boulton and Eric Walsh