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The Federal Reserve Is Riddled with Corruption and Conflict of Interest, Much More Than Even Other Central Banks
The non-partisan Government Accountability Office released a report today showing widespread corruption and conflicts of interest in the Federal Reserve.
Senator Sanders – who was instrumental in forcing the Fed to release some details of its lending operations – summarizes:
A new audit of the Federal Reserve released today detailed widespread conflicts of interest involving directors of its regional banks.
"The most powerful entity in the United States is riddled with conflicts of interest," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said after reviewing the Government Accountability Office report. The study required by a Sanders Amendment to last year's Wall Street reform law examined Fed practices never before subjected to such independent, expert scrutiny.
The GAO detailed instance after instance of top executives of corporations and financial institutions using their influence as Federal Reserve directors to financially benefit their firms, and, in at least one instance, themselves. "Clearly it is unacceptable for so few people to wield so much unchecked power," Sanders said. "Not only do they run the banks, they run the institutions that regulate the banks."
Sanders said he will work with leading economists to develop legislation to restructure the Fed and bar the banking industry from picking Fed directors. "This is exactly the kind of outrageous behavior by the big banks and Wall Street that is infuriating so many Americans," Sanders said.
The corporate affiliations of Fed directors from such banking and industry giants as General Electric, JP Morgan Chase, and Lehman Brothers pose "reputational risks" to the Federal Reserve System, the report said. Giving the banking industry the power to both elect and serve as Fed directors creates "an appearance of a conflict of interest," the report added.
The 108-page report found that at least 18 specific current and former Fed board members were affiliated with banks and companies that received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis.
[T]here are no restrictions in Fed rules on directors communicating concerns about their respective banks to the staff of the Federal Reserve. It also said many directors own stock or work directly for banks that are supervised and regulated by the Federal Reserve. The rules, which the Fed has kept secret, let directors tied to banks participate in decisions involving how much interest to charge financial institutions and how much credit to provide healthy banks and institutions in "hazardous" condition. Even when situations arise that run afoul of Fed's conflict rules and waivers are granted, the GAO said the waivers are kept hidden from the public.
The report by the non-partisan research arm of Congress did not name but unambiguously described several individual cases involving Fed directors that created the appearance of a conflict of interest, including:
- Stephen Friedman In 2008, the New York Fed approved an application from Goldman Sachs to become a bank holding company giving it access to cheap Fed loans. During the same period, Friedman, chairman of the New York Fed, sat on the Goldman Sachs board of directors and owned Goldman stock, something the Fed's rules prohibited. He received a waiver in late 2008 that was not made public. After Friedman received the waiver, he continued to purchase stock in Goldman from November 2008 through January of 2009 unbeknownst to the Fed, according to the GAO.
- Jeffrey Immelt The Federal Reserve Bank of New York consulted with General Electric on the creation of the Commercial Paper Funding Facility. The Fed later provided $16 billion in financing for GE under the emergency lending program while Immelt, GE's CEO, served as a director on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Jamie Dimon The CEO of JP Morgan Chase served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York at the same time that his bank received emergency loans from the Fed and was used by the Fed as a clearing bank for the Fed's emergency lending programs. In 2008, the Fed provided JP Morgan Chase with $29 billion in financing to acquire Bear Stearns.At the time, Dimon persuaded the Fed to provide JP Morgan Chase with an 18-month exemption from risk-based leverage and capital requirements. He also convinced the Fed to take risky mortgage-related assets off of Bear Stearns balance sheet before JP Morgan Chase acquired this troubled investment bank.
Huffington Post reports:
The report highlights a close relationship between the Fed's regional banks and many of the institutions they were lending to, adding credence to concerns that the financial sector enjoyed a largely consequence-free rescue in the wake of the crisis, thanks to its connections with the federal government.
Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and a HuffPost blogger, said that the report's findings reflected "an institutionalized conflict of interest" within the Federal Reserve.
"We don't let Comcast appoint people to the FCC. We don't let Pfizer appoint people to the Food and Drug Administration," Baker told HuffPost. The degree to which bankers can assume regulatory responsibility for their own industry, he said, is "without precedent."
The report notes that compared with other major central banks — including those of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union — the Federal Reserve does relatively little to police conflicts of interest among its personnel.
Australia's central bank, for example, "prohibits directors from working for or having a material financial interest in private financial companies in Australia" — a restriction that the Federal Reserve lacks and that would have prevented several of the directors mentioned in the GAO report from serving holding regional board positions with the Fed.
Fed "Independence": A Bad Joke
Also today, the senior S&L prosecutor (and professor of economics and law) Bill Black writes – in connection with the Federal Reserve and Bank of America's initiation of a plan to dump billions of dollars of losses on the American people:
The sad fact is that very few Americans will be surprised that the Fed represented the interests of the SDIs even though they were directly contrary to the interests of the nation. The Fed's constant demands for (and celebration of) "independence" from democratic government, combined with slavish dependence on and service to the CEOs of the SDIs has gone beyond scandal to the point of farce. I suggest organized "laugh ins" whenever Fed spokespersons prate about their "independence."
A Laundry List of Bad Behavior
Robert D. Auerbach – an economist with the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee for eleven years, assisting with oversight of the Federal Reserve, and subsequently Professor of Public Affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin – provided additional examples of the Fed's dishonest behavior yesterday:
Blocking large parts of the Federal Reserve from GAO audits
House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Chairman Henry Reuss (D, Wisconsin) proposed a GAO audit of the Fed in 1976. The Fed orchestrated a massive campaign using the officials of the private banks it regulates to lobby to kill the audit bill. The Fed won. The bill could not garner enough support to pass out of the Committee. It passed the Government Operations Committee two years later, only after glaring no-audit barriers for Fed monetary policy and international operations were added.
Billions of dollars can be made from inside information leaks from the Fed's monetary policy operations. One necessary step to stop leaks is to severely limit inside information on future Fed policy to a few Fed employees.
This has not happened. Congress received information in 1997 that non-Federal Reserve employees attended Federal Reserve meetings where inside information was discussed. Banking Committee Chairman/Ranking Member Henry B. Gonzalez (D, Texas) and Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D, New York) asked Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan about the apparent leak of discount rate information. Greenspan admitted that non-Fed people including "central bankers from Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Russia" had attended Federal Reserve meetings where the Fed's future interest rate policy was discussed. Greenspan's letter (4/25/1997) contained a 23-page enclosure listing hundreds of employees at the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. and in the Federal Reserve Banks around the country who have access to at least some inside Fed policy information.
Destroying Fed records
In 1995 Greenspan held a non-recorded vote – no finger prints – to destroy the source transcripts of the Fed's policy-making committee, the Federal Open market Committee (FOMC). I was informed November 1, 2001 by Donald Kohn, the future Fed Vice Chairman, that this destruction would continue and that the Fed considered the destruction to be legal.
The Fed's shredding machines destroyed the 1995 source FOMC transcripts of Fed officials who bypassed the Congress and voted for a $5 billion loan to Mexico collateralized by revenue from Mexico's oil industry. When the potential loan become public the peso stopped falling, and the loan was not made.
No audits can be made of source FOMC transcripts that were formerly sent to the National Archives and Records Administration because the transcripts are destroyed. That is not an urban legend.
Corrupted bookkeeping at Fed vaults
A 1997 Gonzalez investigation, assisted by the GAO, found extensive corrupt accounting at the cash section of the Los Angeles branch of the San Francisco Fed Bank with dire possibilities at other Fed vault facilities. Greenspan informed Gonzalez that nearly $500 thousand had been stolen from Fed vaults by Fed employees from 1987 to 1996. The Gonzalez/GAO investigation indicated this was an understatement.
The Fed Banks' vaults contain uncirculated currency and coin transferred from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and cash from banks throughout the country. The Fed district banks and branches need to be audited with GAO personnel who are trained and experienced in central bank operations and auditing. When will these audits be done and reported to the Congress or will Bernanke dismiss this national security problem as an urban legend?
Bernanke replied in a similar manner at a previous Congressional hearing (2/23/2010) to Congressman Paul's questions based on material in my book, Deception and Abuse at the Fed (2008).
Professor Auerbach has made many other nefarious dealings by the Fed. See this and this.
The Federal Reserve: As Corrupt As a Banana Republic Bank
I noted last week:
Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz strongly dislikes the Fed:
Joseph Stiglitz – former head economist at the World Bank and a nobel-prize winner – said yesterday that the very structure of the Federal Reserve system is so fraught with conflicts that it is "corrupt" and undermines democracy.
Stiglitz said:
If we [i.e. the World Bank] had seen a governance structure that corresponds to our Federal Reserve system, we would have been yelling and screaming and saying that country does not deserve any assistance, this is a corrupt governing structure.
Stiglitz pointed out that – if another country had presented a plan to reform its financial system, and included a regulatory regime that copied the makeup of the Federal Reserve system – "it would have been a big signal that something is wrong."
Stiglitz stressed that the Fed banks have clear conflicts of interest, since the banks are largely governed by a board of directors that includes officers of the very banks they're supposed to be overseeing:
So, these are the guys who appointed the guy who bailed them out … Is that a conflict of interest?
They would say, 'no conflict of interest, we were just doing our job. But you have to look at the conflicts of interest"…
The reason you talk about governance is because in a democracy you want people to have confidence … This is a structure that will undermine confidence in a democracy.
Indeed, as I noted Sunday:
Given that the 12 Federal Reserve banks are private – see this, this, this and this– the giant banks have a huge amount of influence on what the Fed does. Indeed, the money-center banks in New York control the New York Fed, the most powerful Fed bank. Indeed, Jamie Dimon – the head of JP Morgan Chase – is a Director of the New York Fed.
Former Fed officials agree. For example, the former Vice President of Dallas Federal Reserve said that the failure of the government to provide more information about the bailout signals corruption. As ABC writes:
Gerald O'Driscoll, a former vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said he worried that the failure of the government to provide more information about its rescue spending could signal corruption.
"Nontransparency in government programs is always associated with corruption in other countries, so I don't see why it wouldn't be here," he said.
No wonder so many high-level economists want to end the Fed, or at least drastically reduce it's power.


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Academic Policies
Academic Common Market Programs
Virginia Tech will no longer participate in the Academic Common Market consortium. For students entering Fall 2012, a limited number of identified majors are eligible. After Fall 2012, no majors will be identified as eligible for participation. Currently enrolled students, approved for Academic Common Market status, may continue to receive their benefits contingent on: continued full-time enrollment and progress toward their approved ACM program (not to exceed six years); maintain a 2.0 grade point average, and do not double major. Students who do not maintain full-time enrollment and are not making progress toward their approved ACM program will not receive the in-state tuition rate and may be subject to retroactive out of state tuition charges. For additional information students may contact the Office of the University Registrar, or visit www.registrar.vt.edu.
Academic Eligibility Policy
Continued enrollment at Virginia Tech is a privilege that is granted as long as the student is making satisfactory progress toward a degree, maintenance of the required minimum Grade Point Average (GPA), and compliance with all regulations stipulated in the University Policies on Student Life.
Academic Warning: Students earning less than a 2.0 term GPA, but with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher, will be placed on academic warning without notation on the academic transcript. Students on academic warning will be required to consult with the appropriate undergraduate assistant or associate dean of their college and to sign an academic contract. Failure to complete an action plan (academic contract) may result in prohibition from future enrollment(s).
Academic probation is imposed when the cumulative GPA is less than 2.00; academic probation is lifted when cumulative GPA is at least 2.00. Academic performance will be reviewed at the end of each regular semester (fall and spring).
A student on probation:
First suspension will be imposed whenever one of the following occurs:
First Suspension (Fall): A student who is placed on first academic suspension at the end of fall semester will be suspended from continued enrollment through the end of the following spring semester. Note: Students placed on first academic suspension at the end of fall semester are eligible to return the subsequent first summer, second summer, or fall semester.
First Suspension (Spring): A student who is placed on first academic suspension at the end of spring semester will be suspended from continued enrollment through the end of the following fall semester. Note: students placed on first academic suspension at the end of spring semester may NOT enroll in the immediately following summer session.
A student must earn a minimum 2.00 semester GPA the first semester back and raise the cumulative GPA to at least 2.00 by the end of the second semester back or earn a 2.50 GPA for every semester following the suspension until cumulative GPA is 2.00 or greater. A student will be placed on second academic suspension for failure to meet returning performance requirements.
Second Suspension (Fall): A student who is placed on second academic suspension at the end of fall semester will be suspended from continued enrollment through the end of the following fall semester. Note: students placed on second academic suspension at the end of fall semester may NOT enroll in the immediately following summer session.
Second Suspension (Spring): A student who is placed on second academic suspension at the end of spring semester will be suspended from continued enrollment through the end of the following spring semester. Note: students placed on second academic suspension at the end of spring semester may NOT enroll in the immediately following summer session. The same returning performance requirements apply for second suspension as for first suspension.
Final Suspension: A student will be permanently dismissed for failure to meet returning performance requirements after a second academic suspension.
Virginia Tech is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctorate, masters, baccalaureate and associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Virginia Tech.
Applying for Your Degree
All students must apply for a degree during the first semester of their junior year. The application for degree can be found on Hokie SPA under the Degree Menu. Once students have completed the application, they should generate a Degree Audit Report (DARS). The DARS report will help students to be fully aware of all degree requirements which remain to be completed. This report can also be generated through the Hokie Spa.
Second Undergraduate Degree: Students may earn a second bachelor's degree (and diploma) by earning a minimum of 30 additional credit hours in residence with a minimum 2.0 GPA on all work attempted. All specific requirements must be met for each degree program, including attainment of the 2.0 GPA for all courses in the major. Note: threshold for total number of pass/fail hours allowed may not exceed the maximum for first degree.
Traditionally, degrees are conferred upon candidates who are present to receive them at the Commencement ceremony in May. Candidates may have their degrees conferred in absentia if they cannot be present at Commencement. To arrange for this, a candidate must indicate to the University Registrar either via Hokie SPA or in writing to be excused from the Commencement ceremony.
In addition to the traditional Commencement, other "Degree Conferral Dates" have been established for each May to May year. The degree conferral dates for fall, first summer, and second summer appear on the diplomas of qualified graduates. The degree conferral dates fall on the last day of final examinations (last day of term) for first summer session, second summer session and fall semester. Names of Graduates of Summer and Fall terms will appear in the Fall Commencement Ceremony Program only.
No commencement ceremonies are conducted at the end of the summer sessions, but graduates may attend the fall ceremony after completion of degree requirements. They may also request permission from the department to "walk through" the spring Commencement ceremony based on established departmental or college guidelines. Diplomas are not distributed.
Completion of degree requirements is determined after the final grade reports are available. Degrees are regarded as having been conferred on the appropriate conferral date upon determination by the University Registrar that degree requirements have been met. All course enrollments and attendance obligations must have been completed on or before the degree conferral date. University actions, such as Honor System or Conduct System penalties, will delay the awarding of the degree, the effective term of the degree and release of the diploma. Students with university actions will have their final degree conferral date moved in accordance with the completion of sanctions and/or penalties. Students who are unable to complete based on original application for degree term are responsible for moving their date of completion.
Students may resolve degree completion programs up to thirty (30) days after the degree term to retain the conferral date on the diploma. Any resolutions of degree completion following the thirty day resolution window will be conferred on the next subsequent term following resolution of the problem(s). Resolutions of degree problems include failure to submit appropriate paperwork to the university.
With the exception of spring, diplomas for all other "Degree Conferral Dates" are ordered after course work completions are established. Diplomas are distributed either by mail or in person to graduates who appear in the Office of the University Registrar, or at the next Commencement ceremony, if available.
Combination Degrees
The bachelor's degree will be awarded to a student who has satisfactorily completed three years of undergraduate work in an appropriate curriculum and the first year of work in an accredited medical, dental, veterinary, or law school, or medical technology program (biology majors only), or physical therapy program (biology majors only), provided the student fulfills the requirements for the three-year program as follows:
Degree Programs
Virginia Tech offers four-year degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Also offered are five-year Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programs. Virginia Tech also offers graduate work in 63 fields of study leading to master's degrees and in 51 fields leading to the doctorate. The professional doctor of veterinary medicine is offered through the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, located at Virginia Tech.
Directed and Independent Enrollment
Students develop a plan of work to reach particular objectives, obtain approval of both the department and a faculty member who will supervise the work, and work with them to arrange hours and credits.
Field Study (X964) courses are work experiences approved by some departments and are selected to augment traditional classroom activities. The student is evaluated on the knowledge and skills acquired as a result of the experience. Emphasis is placed on the academic and practical value of the work.
Independent Study (X974) courses generally involve extensive reading and tutorial sessions with the faculty supervisor and also may involve written papers. The subject of Independent Study usually is a continuation in greater depth of a topic covered in a regular course, allowing students to study topics of particular individual interest.
Special Study (X984) courses are designed for a group of students, rather than for a single individual. This type of course may be used to study a timely topic, one in which there is current, but not necessarily lasting, interest. It also may be used to launch an experimental course before the course is incorporated into the regular curriculum.
Undergraduate Research (X994) courses are individual research projects carried out by students under faculty supervision. The student defines the research topic, proposes a methodology, carries out the research, and writes a report.
Education Abroad
Virginia Tech sponsors education abroad programs in many countries around the world. These programs provide opportunities for students in almost every discipline.
Graduation Requirements and Degree Conferrals
The approved requirements in effect for the term/year of application of degree apply. A student must complete all courses with at least a minimum 2.0 GPA for all hours attempted. In addition, a student must present an equally satisfactory record in courses attempted in the major and/or any minor. The number of credit hours required varies by major curriculum. Virginia Tech reserves the right to modify requirements in the student's program if necessary. Requirements for programs degree must be approved two years prior to their effective graduation date. The approved graduation requirements (referenced as graduation "Checksheets") appear at the University Registrar website: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/registration/degree_checksheet.php.
All students earning degrees from Virginia Tech must have earned a minimum of twenty-five (25) percent of the credit for their respective degrees from this institution. No more than fifty (50) percent of credit hours may be transferred from a two year institution. Students who must enroll in foreign language courses to complete admission requirements may not use the credits toward completion of the degree.
The senior year, with a minimum of 27 hours, must be completed in residence, or 27 of the last 45 hours must be completed in residence, provided that only approved courses taken in absentia are transferred to complete requirements. Participation in Study Abroad programs nor pre-approval for transfer credits obviate this requirement.
Graduation with Distinction (Academic Policies Governing Enrollment Section)
Language Study Requirement
Students must meet a language study requirement either through high school enrollment or prior to receipt of the undergraduate degree. The minimum requirement may be met in high school by completing 2 units of a single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language. Some majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences may require 3 units of a single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language. Students completing the requirement at Virginia Tech may not count the hours toward degree completion. The requirement also may be met after admission by one of the following:
Honor Code and Honor System
The Virginia Tech Honor Code is the university policy that defines the expected standards of conduct in academic affairs. The Honor System is the university student body charged with disseminating information about the Honor Code to the university community and enforcing the Honor Code.
Violations of the Honor Code in academic affairs include, but are not limited to, the following:
A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any graded assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Any student accused of an alleged violation of the Honor Code is guaranteed certain basic rights, including being considered innocent until proven guilty. The complete "Constitution of the Honor System" is available from the Honor System Office (207 West Roanoke St.) and is posted on the Virginia Tech home page at www.honorsystem.vt.edu.
Pre-Professional Preparation
Pre-Health Advising
Office of Health Professions Advising (OHPA)
The university maintains an office for pre-professional health advising which is located in the Smith Career Center. The services provided by OHPA are available to all undergraduate students and alumni considering a career in the health care profession.
The Office of Health Professions Advising coordinates all pre-professional health advising for students with an interest in but not limited to dentistry, genetic counseling, health administration, medicine (allopathic, osteopathic, and naturopathic), nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, public health, veterinary medicine, and any others. Although the vast majority of pre-health students major in a science program, any major is acceptable to health professional schools so long as certain specific admission requirements are satisfied. Thus OHPA provides advice and assists students in preparing for admission to a professional school; it is not a degree program. Students interested in a health career are encouraged to pursue a broad undergraduate study in the humanities, social sciences as well as biology and the natural sciences. Admissions requirements to identify qualified students include a competitive grade point average of 3.5/4.0 or higher, national standardized tests for each health profession (Dental Admission Test [DAT], Graduate Record Examinations [GRE], Medical College Admission Test [MCAT], Optometry Admission Test [OAT], and the Pharmacy College Admission Test [PCAT]), significant participation in volunteer and clinical health care activities, letters of recommendation/evaluation, and an interview at the professional school. Successful candidates exhibit high levels of scholastic achievement and intellectual potential as well as motivation and concern for ones fellow human being.
The office provides individual advising about careers in the health profession, preparation for application to professional schools, and the admission process. This office works collaboratively with students to assist them to gain practical experience in the health care arena through volunteering and/or working at local or regional hospitals and clinics. A limited number of students may be placed with local physicians for a one-semester two-credit preceptorship. The Health Professions Evaluation Committee which is made up of faculty advisors and health professionals from the community, provides on-campus interviews and upon request, furnishes committee letters of evaluation.
Core course requirements vary among the accredited health professional schools but most require two semesters each of Mathematics, English, Biology (with labs), General Chemistry (with lab), Organic Chemistry (with lab), and General Physics (with lab). Other courses which may be required or recommended by schools include Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Communication, Ethics, Economics, Microbiology, and Human Anatomy and Physiology. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue learning far beyond their major and prerequisite requirements. Resources are available in Smith Career Center for investigating the specific entrance requirements for each school, and students are strongly encouraged to make use of these services.
Pre-Law Advising
Law students and lawyers come from many undergraduate backgrounds, and the skills necessary to succeed in law school and as an attorney can be developed in a variety of courses across a range of disciplines. Law schools do not treat any specific course or major as a prerequisite for admission, nor do they look with special favor on applicants who have graduated from a formal "pre-law" program. Accordingly, Virginia Tech does not offer a formal pre-law major. The university does offer a top-quality education in a large number of fields, as well as counseling about law as a career, preparing for and applying to law schools, and the law school admission process. Students are encouraged to maintain contact with the University pre-law advisors, the Office of Career Services, and others on campus with information about legal careers.
For further information on pre-law studies at Virginia Tech, including how to contact the University pre-law advisors, see the following website: http://www.psci.vt.edu/prelaw/index.html.
Restricted Majors and Programs
Students should be aware that there are some academic majors and programs within the university that have strict entrance requirements or are in such high demand that they cannot accommodate all who wish to enter them. Administrators of these restricted programs must be selective in allowing students to transfer in from other majors within the university and in permitting second majors or minors. Students seeking entrance into such restricted programs should consult the appropriate department.
Restricted programs for internal transfers are as follows:
Selecting or Changing a Major, Double Major, or Minor
Undergraduate students must be enrolled in their major(s) [and minor(s)] of choice prior to the beginning of their senior year, or by the time they have 30 semester hours to complete before their graduation. Students seeking double majors must be accepted into the second major by the academic department before the university can award the second major.
Changes from one degree program to another (i.e., changes in major) or the addition of a second major or a minor usually can be accomplished prior to the senior year, simply by working with one's academic advisor and informing the head(s) of the department(s) and the dean(s) of the college(s) in question. A major (or second major) cannot be selected after the beginning of the senior year. (See section above on Selecting a Major.) Some departments establish specific deadlines for requesting change of major. Check the departments website for specific deadlines and required application materials.
Minors are offered by many academic departments. Refer to the section on Graduation Requirements and Degrees and to the appropriate academic department in the college chapters of this catalog to review the requirements for a minor.
Students should be aware that changes, such as changing or adding majors or minors, sometimes imply extra course work, which can delay graduation.
Twenty-five percent of the student's total hours required for degree must be taken at Virginia Tech
Procedures to Follow When Changing or Adding a Major or Minor
Students should submit their applications for changing majors or adding minors two weeks prior to the start of each semester's registration period. This will allow students adequate time to assess their situations before deciding to transfer and registering for the following term.
The procedure for changing majors or adding a minor is as follows:
Selection of Studies
The regular academic year at Virginia Tech is divided into two semesters, fall and spring. Virginia Tech also offers two summer sessions. Most courses of study require eight (8) terms (i.e., semesters and/or summer sessions) for completion of the bachelor's degree requirements. Completion of the degree requirements for those students who enroll in the Cooperative Education Program, Bachelor of Architecture Program, or Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Program requires five years.
Elective courses are chosen through consultation with the student's advisor. The dean of the college in which a student is registered has authority in such matters as substitution of courses, dropping and adding courses after deadlines, or permission to take an overload.
Students have the assistance of faculty guidance, introductory courses, and special counseling to help them choose wisely which course of study they should take. Every effort is made to assure that all courses listed under the various department of instruction will be offered. Virginia Tech reserves the right, however, to withdraw any course for which an adequate number of students do not enroll.
Student Responsibilities Regarding Satisfactory Progress Towards Degree
It is the student's responsibility to satisfy all course requirements as established by the faculty teaching the courses in which s/he is enrolled. It is also the student's responsibility to be aware of all major, degree, college, and graduation requirements necessary to complete his or her degree. Students are also responsible for satisfying all university, college, and departmental requirements for progress towards degree. (See this chapter for university requirements; consult the departmental listings in this catalog for major requirements.)
Student Responsibilities Regarding Official Student Records
Students are responsible for keeping and being familiar with their own records and for the accuracy of these records.
A student's failure to keep his/her address updated does not absolve the student of responsibility for matters which require notification by the university. Changes to your local address, permanent address, or parent/guardian address should be promptly updated by accessing Hokie SPA. Correct dorm addresses are established through the Student Housing Office in Eggleston Hall. If you are not sure what addresses are on file, you may check Hokie SPA for verification. Virginia Tech requires updating of local address, designation of emergency contact, opt in/out of VT Alerts, and understanding of the Student Conduct policy prior to registration.
It is the student's responsibility to check his/her current schedule of classes by accessing Hokie SPA. Errors must be corrected by the established deadline stated in the Timetable of Classes. Request for course(s) will result in a responsibility for payment of tuition and fees. If a student requests courses via course request or during dropadd, the student is responsible for the tuition and fees assessed unless formally resigning during the established university deadlines. It is the students responsibility to complete and return the Withdrawal/Resignation form by established term deadlines if choosing to disenroll for a given term.
Students are responsible for seeing their advisors during course request week so as to assure appropriate curricula planning.
Student Success Center, The
The Student Success Center supports Virginia Techs mission to expand students personal growth and opportunities, advance social and community development, provide outreach and support services to under-served populations, and improve the quality of life by providing holistic support to our undergraduate students through a network of programs and services that includes:
The Student Success Center strives to empower students to become life-long learners and contributing members of society, and to facilitate Virginia Techs successful achievement of an institutional climate that is supportive of student success.
Teacher Education at Virginia Tech
Website: http://www.soe.vt.edu
Virginia Techs School of Education offers programs leading to licensure in 23 fields of study. All educator preparation programs are at the graduate level. Students seeking a teaching or other educational license should consult the School of Education Office of Academic Programs website (http://www.soe.vt.edu/oap/index.html) for details on specific programs of interest.
The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and all programs are approved by the Virginia Board of Education. Graduates qualify for an educational license or endorsement in other states.
Undergraduate students who anticipate applying for a masters degree in teacher education should consult an advisor in the Office of Academic Programs (firstname.lastname@example.com) or the academic advisor in their undergraduate major. Decisions about entering graduate programs in education should be made early in the undergraduate years so that an appropriate major can be selected and required courses can be taken prior to applying for the graduate program. Seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better may apply to be admitted to the Dual Student Status for their last semester to take graduate-level education courses. Juniors with a GPA of 3.3 or better may apply for admission in the Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program to take graduate courses during the senior year. Information about these programs is available on the Graduate School website (http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu)
Applicants for teacher education programs must submit passing scores on Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments or acceptable scores on the SAT or ACT prior to acceptance into the School of Education. Passing scores on relevant Praxis II: Specialty Area Tests, the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment, and the Reading for Virginia Educators exam (for elementary education teachers) are required prior to receiving a teaching license and prior to admission for some programs. A criminal record check is required by school divisions in Virginia prior to employment.
Notable features of the teacher education program at Virginia Tech are:
Undergraduate Courses of Study
Undergraduate courses of study leading to bachelor's degrees at Virginia Tech are listed below. In addition, many options and specialties pertaining to each academic college are described in the individual college chapters in this catalog.
University Enrollment and Academic Progress
Registration Procedures

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Anime Boston is proud to announce that we will be once again hosting an art contest!
In accordance with our 2014 theme of Magic & Mischief, we're looking for artists to submit their own magical creations! We want to see your original artwork, be it wizards, warlocks, witches, sorcerers, monsters, magical girls or other creatures!
In addition, you must also submit a brief back story of your creation. Tell us about your character and who they are.
Judging of entries will be based upon several criteria:
-Adherence to the 2014 theme of Magic & Mischief
-Creativity and Originality
-How well the artwork depicts the back story.
Judging will be performed by the Anime Boston Social Media Staff. Results will be announced within two weeks of the contest's conclusion.
Of course, no contest is complete without prizes! For this year, our prizes will be:
-Grand Prize: One (1) 8-foot table space in the Anime Boston 2014 Artists' Alley and one (1) weekend badge for Anime Boston 2014.
-Runner Up: One (1) weekend badge to Anime Boston 2014.
-Honorable Mentions: Placement in the Art Gallery at Anime Boston 2014.
Aside from convention programming, the Art Gallery will also serve as advertising for the artists. Artists' contact information and Artists' Alley booth numbers will be listed. This prime location will increase your visibility beyond the walls of the Artists' Alley.
All entries will be posted on our website and forums, along with information about the piece and artist.
There are some simple rules to this contest:
-All artwork must be your own original creations.
-Artwork must not be fan-art. They cannot reference existing properties (Sailor Moon, Nanoha, Madoka, etc), including original characters in existing properties.
-Artwork can be either 2D or 3D.
-2D artwork should be either digital, or scanned from the physical artwork.
-3D artwork should be submitted via photographs. We suggest multiple photographs of each piece to capture different angles.
-Back story text should be 100 words or less. This will be displayed along with your entry.
-Back story text will not be proof-read or edited prior to being judged or displayed. Make sure it represents you as well as your art does.
-Artwork can depict a single character, a scene, or even a comic format (such as 4-koma).
-Artwork should depict at least 1 character. Multiple characters in an entry are allowed, but will only count as one entry.
-Multiple entries may be submitted by an artist.
-Artists must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission.
-All entries must be emailed to firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line "2014 Art Contest". You may include multiple entries in an email.
-Include in each email the following information:
Your legal name
Your email address
Title of your entry
Back story text (100 words or less)
Medium of the artwork
Studio name (if any)
Website (if any)
How to credit you (legal name, pseudonym, studio, etc)
Contact Information for public (email, website, etc)
-All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, October 6, 2013.
Other Rules
-Anime Boston and the New England Anime Society have the right to post and use all contest entries for promotional and programming content.
-Anime Boston and the New England Anime Society will not have the right to sell the likeness of the artwork without the expressed written consent of the artist.
-Artists will retain the right to sell their artwork.
-Artists may withdraw their submission from the contest at any time before the contest concludes.
-Prizes are not transferable, refundable, or exchangeable.
-Winners must abide by all rules and regulations of the Artists' Alley and Anime Boston.
-Staff of Anime Boston and the New England Anime Society are not eligible to win Grand Prize or Runner Up prizes.
-Anime Boston staff reserve the right to alter the rules of this contest at any time.
We can't wait to see your entries! Good luck to everyone!


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Tigers' weakness exposed by speedy Royals
DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland raved about the Royals' athleticism all weekend, noting the pressure they can put on teams with their speed.
"Some of them, like [Emilio] Bonifacio, they can just fly," Leyland said.View Full Game Coverage
DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland raved about the Royals' athleticism all weekend, noting the pressure they can put on teams with their speed.
"Some of them, like [Emilio] Bonifacio, they can just fly," Leyland said.View Full Game Coverage
At the same time, however, Leyland acknowledged that they're exploiting a weakness the Tigers have displayed long before the Royals came to town. Detroit's pitching staff -- a group that has been shutting down hitters for much of the year -- has not done the same with baserunners.
Several reasons are behind that, not the least of which being Alex Avila's absence behind the plate over the past week. What concerns Leyland in particular, though, is the pitchers' predictability on the mound with runners on base. They're making it easy on would-be basestealers to time their moves and make their jumps.
"They're timing our guys' delivery," Leyland said Saturday, "so we have to make sure that we hold the ball, don't hold the ball, hold it a little longer. We have to vary that, because they're going on it."
It's a balancing act for teams, weighing how much focus they want their pitchers to put towards runners on base vs. hitters at the plate. Retire the hitters, the popular thought goes, and the baserunner is going to have a hard time getting all the way around the bases.
The Royals are putting a serious test to that thought. They went 8-for-8 on stolen bases over the first four games of the series, including 2-for-2 in Saturday's eighth inning to set up the game-tying run. Bonifacio went from first base on a leadoff single to third with a stolen base and a throwing error from catcher Bryan Holaday, allowing him to score easily on an ensuing single from Chris Getz.
On the flip side, Jeremy Bonderman's errant pickoff throw Friday night allowed Getz to get from first to third base in the seventh inning and score an insurance run.
The Tigers entered Sunday having surrendered 101 stolen bases this season, third-highest in the American League behind the Red Sox (104) and Angels (102). Only Toronto has a higher stolen-base percentage allowed than Detroit.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. Bobby Nightengale is an associate reporter for MLB.com.


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Hombre? Baby, I'll give you hombre: Jerry Sloan the Player
One. There is possibly something illegal going on in this photo, but don't let that detract from this moment.
Two. During Jerry's fourth year in Chicago, the Bulls were fighting to keep their season alive and had to win four out of five games in five nights to make the Playoffs. They won their first three games, but Jerry broke two ribs and separated his sternum when Lew Alcindor [i.e. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] knocked him down with just seconds to go in the third game.
"[The doctor that met the team at the airport that night] told us that Sloan shouldn't go, that he should stay home. But Jerry insisted on going just to be with the team. We just needed one more win. The next day I went to the arena, and Sloan was there. He said, 'I couldn't sleep. I've been walking around. I've found this little corset thing. Let me warm up.'
"I said, 'No, I'm not gonna let you,'" Motta recalled. "He said, 'Coach, you gotta let me warm up.' So he warmed up … Later…he came up to me and said, 'You know I've never asked you to do one thing. I've never told you to do one thing. I'm gonna ask one favor now.'
"I said, 'What's that, Jerry?'
"He said, 'If I were you, I'd start me.'
"I started him," Motta said, "and he couldn't raise his arm. Chet Walker and I had to stretch the uniform to get him in it. His ribs were broken, but he just wouldn't quit. We were down three early in the second half, and Cincinnati called a quick timeout. In the huddle, Jerry said, 'C'mon guys, let's go. We've come from 33 down before.'
"I looked up at the clock and said, 'Jerry, what's wrong?'
"He said, 'Oh, I thought we were down 33.'
"The pain was so excruciating that he was incoherent," Motta said. "He was going on an empty tank. We won the game in overtime, and made the playoffs. I was able to rest Jerry the last game, and he played in the playoffs."
("Stockton to Malone: The Rise of the Utah Jazz" by Roland Lazenby)
Three. Those are some threads. [That's a checkered jacket on the left.]
Four. Chicago Bulls player introductions back in the day:
Before the start of each game, four of the Bull's starters–forwards Walker and Love, center Cliff Ray and guard Norm Van Lier–lope nonchalantly one by one onto the court and gently tap each other's hands as they line up.
And then Sloan sprints out like an enraged bull, skids to a halt in front of his teammates with his scarecrow arms raised in the air like a pair of triphammers, then smashes his teammates' waiting palms with blows that echo in the balconies. …
One day last season, Van Lier came to Motta with an unusual request. "Coach," he said, "we all agree that Jerry should come out for the introductions first, not last. That slap he gives […] he's so charged up, some day he's gonna break somebody's wrist." (cleveland.com)
Five. Jerry crossover, spin, jumper, nothing but net:
Six. One of the words most often used to describe Jerry is "loyal." How many of you would be willing to pack on 30 pounds for your boss? As Hot Rod tells it:
With the Jazz [Jerry] was a very loyal assistant coach to Frank Layden–so loyal he gained 30 pounds one year running around with Frank. Those were the days when Frank weighed about 280. If Frank wanted to go somewhere to eat after a game, Jerry went with him because Frank was the boss. Jerry gained weight like crazy…That's the worst time to eat, late at night when you don't digest the food before you go to bed. But that was a point of loyalty. A lot of coaches go their own way but Jerry knew Frank wanted him with him. Jerry was always there for him. ("You Gotta Love it Baby," Rod Hundley)
Not a "playing days" story, but I had to include this.
Seven. The first Chicago Bull. The first number to be retired by the Chicago Bulls. After the Bulls retired Jerry's jersey in 1978, it hung all by its lonesome at Chicago Stadium for 16 years. And he's still the toughest of them all.
I know that I'll have occasion to say these words again one day, but I wholeheartedly hope that that day is not in the near future and still way, way down the line: Only coach I've ever known, only coach I ever want to know.
(Over the years, we've heard many an analyst say that Jazz teams take on the character or mentality of Jerry Sloan. Can you imagine how far we could go if this actually happened?
/pulse racing just thinking about it…
…and on that note, onto the 2010-2011 season!)
hamaca permalinkOctober 27, 2010 9:32 pm
Wow–this is great!
Just as an aside, I can imagine the expression on his face sitting there with the crutches being the same expression when Fes tries to do/say something funny.
October 28, 2010 6:49 pm
i see that spin move was on the pistol
jbuxxy permalinkOctober 29, 2010 2:31 am
This is bad-assery at its finest!
Micbob29 permalinkNovember 3, 2010 11:37 am
Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier were the toughest guard combo to ever play the game. They were the guys that you hated unless they were on your team. Then you loved them. They never quit and you had to give everything you had to beat the Bulls in those days. It's a shame Jerry never won that elusive NBA championship.


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Bulldogs and Crimson (3-5) Sit One Game Behind 4-4 Dartmouth For Division Lead
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Yale University baseball team currently sits in a tie for second place in the Rolfe Division of the Ivy League with Harvard, just one game behind Dartmouth, which makes this weekend's four-game series against the Crimson in Cambridge, Mass., a crucial series in the race for the division title and a berth in the Ivy League Championship.
Yale will visit Harvard for a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., and Sunday, beginning at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs, 6-19 overall and 3-5 in Ivy League play, can surge into first place in the division with a strong showing in Cambridge against the Crimson (6-22 overall, 3-5 Ivy League).
Yale had won four of five games to build some momentum, but the Bulldogs have since lost four of their last five games. Harvard has lost eight of its last 11 games.
Yale's Live Stats game-tracker for all four games can be found on GoCrimson.com.
Probable StartersSam Dodge (0-6, 5.40 ERA) vs. Rob Cerfolio (1-3, 2.45 ERA) Sean Poppen (1-1, 4.40 ERA) vs. Michael Coleman (1-4, 4.15 ERA) Tanner Anderson (0-4, 10.35 ERA) vs. Chris Moates (0-3, 2.49 ERA) TBA vs. David Hickey (2-2, 4.12 ERA)
Mirror Images
Both Harvard and Yale enter the weekend with similar records and nearly identical showings against teams from the Ivy League's Lou Gehrig Division.
In cross-divisional play over the past two weekends, Yale and Harvard split with Cornell, Princeton and Penn and both were swept by Columbia.
The Crimson is 3-17 in non-league play and 2-3 at home. Yale is 3-14 in non-league play and 3-14 in games away from Yale Field.
Overall, Harvard is fifth in the Ivy League in hitting with a .249 team batting average, while Yale is sixth with a .241 average. Yale is sixth in the league in RBIs with 82, while Harvard is seventh with 79. Harvard is sixth in the league in runs scored with 93 and Yale is seventh with 88.
Where the teams differ is on the mound. Yale's pitchers own a team earned run average of 4.64, which is fifth in the Ivy League, while Harvard is last in the league with a 6.78 team ERA. Yale's pitchers have allowed 220 hits, which is fourth in the league, while Harvard has allowed a league-worst 289 hits.
About Yale
Yale has struggled at the plate in the last five games since pounding out 18 hits and 15 runs, both season-highs, against UConn in a 15-5 win on April 3. Since that victory, Yale has averaged 5.4 hits per game in the last five games with a high of eight hits in the only win in that stretch, a 1-0 win over Penn on Sunday.
Senior captain Chris Piwinski leads a Yale squad that includes 16 returning players from the group that finished 13-31-1 last season, with a fourth-place finish (5-15) in the Ivy League's Rolfe Division. The Bulldogs' roster includes seven new players, including five freshmen and two players that joined the team after spending time on Yale's football team in junior Jake Semones and sophomore Charles Cook.
Twenty-five games into the season, junior first baseman Jacob Hunter is leading the Bulldogs in slugging (.393), total hits (26), total bases (33), and he is tied with sophomore David Toups and senior Josh Scharff with the team lead in home runs. Sophomore Green Campbell is hitting a team-best .391 in his 16 appearances, and he holds a team-best .435 on-base percentage.
Junior left-hander David Hickey (2-2) holds the team lead in pitching victories, while four other pitchers all have one victory. Starters Chris Lanham, Michael Coleman and Rob Cerfolio all have one win, while reliever Ben Joseph has also picked up a win this season.
Cerfolio (1-3) leads the Bulldogs' starters with a 2.45 earned run average, while reliever Robert Baldwin is leading the bullpen with a 2.49 ERA and 2.16 ERA, respectively.
Joseph leads the team in strikeouts, with 24, while Campbell has held opposing batters to a team-low .167 average in four relief appearances.
About Harvard
Harvard enters the weekend with a 6-22 overall record and a 3-5 mark in Ivy League play. Coming into the series, the Crimson is hitting .249 as a team, fifth among the eight Ivy League teams.
Mike Martin leads the Crimson with a .302 average and a .436 on-base percentage. Brandon Kregel is second in hitting with a .301 average, and he his leading the Crimson in slugging (.451), runs scored (18), total hits (34), RBIs (14), triples (2), home runs (2), and total bases (51). The two are also tied for the team lead in doubles with seven.
Saturday's Game 1 starter, Sam Dodge, leads the pitching staff with 24 strikeouts.
All-Time Series/Last Meeting
The two teams have met 365 times since 1868. Overall, Harvard owns a 191-173-1 lead in the all-time series. Since 1900, Harvard holds a 151-127-1 record over the Bulldogs.
The two teams split the series at Yale Field last season, with the four games decided by a total of five runs, including three one-run games. The two teams have split the season series in each of the last five seasons dating back to 2008.
Pitcher of the Week
David Hickey tossed 11 scoreless innings last week and picked up a pair of victories, earning the Ivy League's Pitcher of the Week award.
Hickey's top performance came in a 1-0 victory over Penn. He pitched all nine innings, struck out a career-high 11 and limited the Quakers to just four hits. Earlier in the week, Hickey was the starting pitcher against UConn, tossed two scoreless innings and struck out three on a "staff day." The Bulldogs went on to a 15-5 victory over the Huskies.
Last Time Out
Joe Lubanski belted an RBI double in the fourth inning to give Yale a short-lived 2-1 lead, but in-state rival Fairfield responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-run home run by Rob LoPinto and held on for a 3-2 win over the visiting Bulldogs on Wednesday.
Yale outhit Fairfield 5-4 and also had the benefit of two errors by the Stags. Josh Scharff also doubled for the Bulldogs, while Nate Adams and David Toups scored the two Yale runs.
Next Up
Yale is scheduled travel to the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport to take on in-state rival Sacred Heart on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Yale holds a 24-8 all-time advantage over Sacred Heart in the history of the in-state rivalry, which dates back to the 1990 season. The Bulldogs have won 21 out of the last 25 meetings.
Report filed by Jon Erickson Jr., Yale Sports Publicity


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A note out Friday from J.P. Morgan analysts points out how, beneath all this winter's snow, railroads are emerging as a rare investment opportunity. Here's why.
Severe cold has sent natural gas prices soaring 45% since the start of the year, which in turn drove up the cost of generating electricity using gas-fired turbines. That prompted some utilities to fire up their old coal-burning units while those with newer, dual-fired power plants simply switched from pricy gas to cheaper coal to keep down generating costs.
This surge in demand has shaken coal prices from their long slumber. Since last summer, Powder River Basin coal prices are up about 19% and Central Appalachian prices are up nearly 25% as utilities replenish their stockpiles. The steepest price spike was seen in December, when the first blast of arctic air hit the East.
So what's this got to do with transportation? Simple. According to the Association of American Railroads, 70% of the coal mined in the United States gets to the power plant by rail. It's by far the biggest cargo carried on U.S. rails, accounting for 41% of all rail tonnage and 21.6% of rail gross revenue in 2012. And that was a slow year.
As for the lurking opportunity, J.P. Morgan analysts matter-of-factly write the "improving domestic coal outlook is not yet reflected in the rail stocks."
They sees the best railroad plays opening in the East, with CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. sitting pretty since their networks serve the nation's highest concentration of coal-burning utilities. It's also the part of the country hit hardest by the cold weather, with power generation in their service territories up 9.4% so far this year compared with 7.2% nationwide.
Omaha-based Union Pacific Corp. is also hauling a lot more coal as utilities rebuild their supplies. In December, coal stockpiles in its service territory had dwindled on average to about a 50-day supply from a 77-day supply a year earlier while power generation in the region is up 5.4% just since New Year.
So far, however, railroad share prices are not keeping pace with gains in the coal market. Since the start of the year, CSX stock is down 4.6%, Norfolk Southern shares are down 2.2% and Union Pacific shares are up a mere 2%.
J.P Morgan argues that at some point, coal should provide a positive catalyst for these railroad stocks since it accounts for so much of their revenue. And right now might be the best time to get on board.
– Jim Jelter
Follow him on Twitter @jjelter.
Other must-read stories from MarketWatch:
Commodities Corner: The gold-miner stock rally has just begun
Obama plan: Cut tax breaks for richest retirement savers
Plan to divide California into 6 states gets closer to a vote


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I don't know how much blogging I'll be doing throughout NaNoWriMo. Maybe less, since I have other writing to do, maybe more since I'll already be writing. I still have write ups of my Cleveland trip to do, I'd like to maybe interview Micah Ranum about winning the Nicholl, so I need to come up with questions, and I am about to finish book 60, so I need to do book reviews as well.
In any event, an hour into NaNoWriMo and I have 2075 words. Which is pretty good. I have this crazy idea that it would be possible for me to get to 10k by the end of the first. If I can continue at this pace and write for four hours this evening, it's possible. I just suspect these first couple of days are going to be easier to direct energy towards it because it'll still be exciting and young, so as far ahead as I can get early on is a good thing.
This program I'm using, Scrivener, is really cool, I highly recommend it to anyone out there who is writing. They allow you to do a free trial, so very little risk involved there.


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Debt = Slavery (CNN's Black in America)
"Debt is slavery." Those words hooked me into watching CNN's latest installment of its Black in America series, "Almighty Debt." This two-hour special focused on how finances and religion intertwine in the African-American community. Here's a link to CNN's "Black in America" website.
I commend CNN and Soledad O'Brien for tackling this subject. It would be easy to shoot down this show idea since countless Americans are dealing with financial issues. But, the special continues to point out that all the economic indicators show African-Americans suffer proportionately worse than the majority of the country in all the major financial categories. So, it was interesting to see the current and historical factors that have made such a perfect storm of financial instability in a large number of black households. You can find a one-on-one interview Soledad O'Brien gave to Essence magazine about the "Almighty Debt" special here.
"Almighty Debt" introduces you to a New Jersey pastor, Rev. Buster Soaries of the First Church of Lincoln Gardens. Rev. Soaries makes the comparison between debt and slavery. The reverend didn't stop there. He also says, "Debt is a bigger problem than racism." So his ministry instituted educational and debt relief programs to help his congregation unshackle themselves from their financial burdens.
The pastor and his mission to rid his congregation of debt is the focal point of the special. CNN illustrates this point through the financial stories of several of the church members. The 3 stories can be easily translated to many homes in America. If you click on the links below you'll see a short synopsis of each story from CNN.
Story 1: A married couple fights to keep their dream home from going into foreclosure.
Story 2: A high school student takes on mounds of debt to pay for his college education.
Story 3: A long-time company executive gets laid off, and now he's applying to hundreds of jobs without getting any callbacks.
Noted economist and Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux, Ph.D., made a profound statement about having a middle class job and actually being middle class. "You can be middle class by income, but not by wealth. So, if you're laid off and you've got a little wealth then maybe you can make it a year or two." says Dr. Malveaux. But, she goes on to say, if you're middle class by income, "lose your job and you've got a mortgage to pay, you've got about a month's worth of saving, you're in trouble and that's the difference." It should be noted I teach at Bennett College, where Dr. Malveaux serves as the President.
The outcome for each subject wasn't a fairytale ending. The pastor admits his frustrations that his congregation isn't completely buying into living a debt-free life. But Rev. Soaries wants to take the program he's started to other churches around the country.
You never know what portions of a story have been aided along because a highly recognizable camera crew is following people around, but in this case most of the stories seemed to be very plausible. There was extra effort given to get the young man into college, but that's something that happens for a lot of students during the admissions process.
The packaging of the story was well told. I felt like the panel discussion at the end of the story was rushed and not well put together. One of the panelists, Pastor T.D. Jakes, didn't really need to be there unless he was going to offer a counterpoint to the way Rev. Soaries helps his congregation. The panel segment tried to analyze situations within the packaged story, but also bring out other topics. There wasn't adequate time given to cover the final issues.
This is a topic local news outlets around the country should also include in their morning meetings. Even if it's not billed as Black in (your city), addressing the fact that the minorities in your market are possibly suffering at larger a rate than the majority is newsworthy. It would be worth looking into the many ways people are learning to cope with even less during these rough economic times.
If you didn't watch "Almighty Debt" on CNN you can find it broken down in segments on the website You Tube. The quality isn't great, but it is viewable.
Does the media have an obligation to do more stories on a particular community when that community is adversely affected more than the general population by an issue?


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Worship keyboard lessons from Musicademy's Intermediate Worship Keyboard DVD series.
Learn advanced keys parts in a series of downloadable lessons featuring:
This download is one part of a series of lessons which make up the full Advanced Keyboard series. Each lesson teaches multiple parts to a different song and is up to 30 minutes long plus additional advice, quick tips, interviews with worship leaders and backing tracks.
Buy all 9 Intermediate Keyboard lessons at the same time and a 25% discount will be applied at the checkout.
These lessons are either for people who learnt to play classical piano as a child but now want to learn to play contemporary worship music with ease. Also ideal for people who already play worship keyboards but want to extend their techniques and move out of their comfort zone.
The Intermediate Course will enable students to:
As well as the teaching there are interviews and advice from worship leaders Stuart Townend, Brenton Brown, Vicky Beeching, Tim Neufeld (Starfield), Tommy Walker, Noel Richards, Leeland Mooring and Andy Piercy (producer for Delirious? and Graham Kendrick).
The full Intermediate Worship Keyboards Course is about 6 hours of content - the equivalent of a year of private lessons.
Plus - backing tracks for daily practice and play throughs with the Musicademy band.
The sampler video above covers both the Beginner and Intermediate Worship Keyboard DVDs and downloads.
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Morning Five: 09.03.10 EditionPosted by rtmsf on September 3rd, 2010
- The wait continues. UConn was expected to release its response to eight NCAA allegations by the end of this week, but today the school released a statement that a second extension (the first was from August 20 until today) had been granted until September 7 (Tuesday next week). Of course, everyone is interested to hear how the school plans to respond to the allegations, but it'll have to wait until after the Labor Day weekend. A second extension means somebody is going to be locked away in a windowless office all weekend, though — sucks to be them.
- UNC head coach Roy Williams is hopeful that none of his players will be affected by some of the allegations swirling about academic fraud and player/agent relationships in the Tar Heel football program, but he was careful to hedge by saying you can never be 100% sure. It is a valid concern, though, as often times the football and basketball players commiserate together (notable exception: Kansas).
- Speaking of Roy, the ACC released all of its schedules for the 2010-11 season yesterday, and this pleases us… well.
- No worries at Northwestern, who despite Kevin Coble's surprising exit from college basketball still thinks it can make the NCAA Tournament. And perhaps with three extra bids next year, they have a chance. Rivals takes a look at how the Wildcats are planning to handle this in what is probably the toughest major conference in America next season.
- We don't really care about what Time Warner is doing with respect to Disney and, by proxy, ESPN. But what we do care about is this thing they're calling "Buzzer Beater." This… could be very interesting. Very interesting indeed.


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Watch & Listen
Man Ray, New York, 1917
Man Ray, New York, 1917
Narrator: Man Ray called this sculpture New York, 1917, because he made the first version of the work in that year. It was a time of rapid change in the city. And like many early twentieth-century artists, Man Ray was in love with the energy of modern urban life—and the upward thrust of New York's skyline.
Francis Naumann: So there was an absolute fascination with the whole subject of skyscrapers. And to render them or to address them on any level was to render the modern. Render what was new.
Narrator: Francis Naumann is an independent scholar, curator, and art dealer, and author of Conversion to Modernism: The Early Work of Man Ray.
Francis Naumann: Man Ray lived. . .right next to what is today's Grand Central Station, in a building he said was constantly under construction. And he could hear them building Grand Central Station across the street from him and he loved the sound and the noise of the streets of New York City, because for him, that symbolized modernity, that symbolized what was new.
Narrator: Some of the city's chaotic spirit is captured in this work's origins. The work you see here is stainless steel. But the first version, from 1917, was made from some wood slats that Man Ray picked up off his studio floor and held together with a C-clamp. He noticed that it resembled a skyscraper, and so he named it New York.


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Ø Product Mix spread across 3 Floors - High Street Retail, One dedicated floor to Food Court.
Ø Two level basement & surface parking.
Ø Contemporary Architecture with wide corridors.
Ø 24*7 Power Back-up.
Ø Fire Fighting safety System.
Ø Perimeter security system.
Ø Maintained by Colliers International.
Chaahat Homes
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Huda Commercial complex ,
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Fostering Dogs 101
By Cris Carl, Networx
If you want to have some canine energy in your life, but can't or don't want to permanently adopt a dog, you might consider fostering a dog. The energy and unconditional love a dog can provide tends to help many people feel greater sense of happiness and calm. Plus, for many of us, dogs are just plain fun. When you foster a dog, you don't have to commit to keeping the dog forever, and you're doing an act of kindness.
Robin Watkins-Farrington, of Rock Hill, South Carolina has been fostering dogs for over a year. "The dog gets to get out of the shelter and the best part is then they don't get euthanized," said Watkins-Farrington. She explained that if you are looking to foster dogs, to look up your local animal shelters and see if they have a program. Watkins-Farrington has been working with the York County Animal Shelter in York, SC. "I love fostering dogs. I know I'm saving animals. I can't save them all, but I can save one or two at a time," she said.
If you're looking for a community project for your company, helping a local shelter to place dogs could be just the morale booster that your workplace needs. An inspiring story: The Chicago plumbing service Bishop Plumbing has taken on finding foster homes for dogs as a "company mission." Bishop Plumbing informs its clients about opportunities to foster dogs, and some of the company's employees have provided foster homes for the dogs.
How to get started fostering a dog
Watkins-Farrington said that in most cases, you will be required to volunteer at the shelter for a period of time and you will fill out an application. Volunteering allows the staff to get to know you and see what your skill level is in caring for dogs. You will also be required to take one or more trainings to prepare you to foster a dog. Watkins-Farrington said she needed to volunteer at least four hours a month at the shelter for a few months to be put on the foster list. You can expect to be checked out for any animal abuse charges as well. Don't be insulted; it's for the protection of the animals.
If you want to foster puppies, as opposed to older dogs, you will need more in-depth training. "It can be more challenging to work with puppies. For example, you can't let their feet touch the (uncovered) floor, for fear of the Parvovirus. You have to be fastidious," she said. Parvovirus can be deadly to puppies by creating a severe disruption in their digestive tract and lymphatic system.
How the dog fostering system works
Once you are on the fostering list, you may be offered to take in one or two dogs and care for them in your home. Watkins-Farrington said you will be able to care for the dog for a couple of days to a few weeks, depending on the next step, which is transportation to a home, rescue group, or a no-kill non-profit shelter.
The foster program makes the transportation arrangements. You can also volunteer to transport the dog yourself. Generally, it costs $77 for the transport (which the receiving party pays), but the fee is waived for non-profit organizations. Dogs are transported all over the country; however, more dogs are transported from the South to the North most often, as there are fewer dogs available in the North. "The dogs are transferred from and to everywhere. However, there is a greater demand up North because they seem to have gotten the message better to spay and neuter their dogs," said Watkins-Farrington.
How to prepare your home for a foster dog
First, Watkins-Farrington suggests having "an open dialogue with your family and making sure everyone is on-board."
To prepare the physical space, Watkins-Farrington recommends creating a space in your home that is quiet and separated in some way. There's no need to hire a carpenter to build a custom dog house; you can probably use what you have at home. "The dogs need a quiet place they can be to acclimatize to your home," she said. "You can have a crate, a nice blanket, dog food, and water ready for them," said Watkins-Farrington. She also suggests introducing the dog slowly to family members and/or other dogs and animals you may have.
Food that is formulated for sensitive stomachs is recommended because foster dogs often have intestinal problems.
"We also use lots of baby gates until we're really sure of how house-broken they are," said Watkins-Farrington.
If the dog is noted to have any behavioral problems, Watkins-Farrington said she has consulted with a trainer for additional help.
Failure to foster
Whatever your reasons for wanting to foster a dog, it is crucial to remember that it is going to leave. "Don't get too attached. Some people end up keeping all the dogs. That's called 'failure to foster,'" said Watkins-Farrington. Failure to foster especially needs to be addressed if you have children. "Most people who foster dogs have older children because they are better able to understand the dog is going to leave," she said.
The Joy of Fostering Kittens
5 Tips for Adopting Shelter Animals
Loving Deaf Dogs
Cris Carl writes for Networx. Get home & garden ideas like this on Networx.com.


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Vail Interfaith ChapelSurrounded by luxurious hotels, elegant homes and spectacular mountain scenery, the Vail Interfaith Chapel is one of the true wonders of Vail. Since 1968 it has been the spiritual heart of this community and a sacred place where individuals, couples and families have celebrated life's most meaningful moments.
Whether you're Jewish, Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist or nondenominational Christian, there's a place for you to go pray before you hit the slopes in Vail.


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Gothik hangs out on a balcony overlooking the room. He is targettable up there and the fight starts when someone attacks him. In the middle of the room there is a gate which will close when the fight starts so you have to split your raid in half and try to balance equal amounts of DPS on each side of the gate. The side of the room where you enter is generally referred to as the 'live' side and the other side as the 'dead' side. On the wall on the left side of the live side there are three platform type things (I don't know how to describe them but you will know what I am talking about when you see them) that mobs spawn on. The little humans are mostly harmless and have relatively little HP and will be killed pretty quickly – far too quickly for them to kill even the squishiest member of your raid so you really don't need to worry about tanking them. The mobs that you need to worry about are the Death knights and the Horses and Riders. These have more HP and do enough damage to kill a squishy if they aren't picked up quickly (although it's entirely possibly to face tank them with a ret pally, dps warrior or a non-tank DK as long as DPS nukes it down quickly). But even those mobs don't have a ton of HP and will be dead in less than 15 seconds. At the beginning of the fight only the humans will spawn and they do it rather slowly and as the fight progresses, the bigger meaner mobs start to spawn as well and the pace at which the spawn picks up quite a bit.
Whenever a mob is killed on the live side, its spirit travels over to the dead side and respawns as an undead mob (back in the day the undead mobs were immune to magic damage but I am not sure if that is the case anymore). If you are tanking on the dead side you can watch the spirit traveling over to your side and then moving towards one of the 5 piles of bones on the ground at random. When it gets to the bone pile the new add will spawn on that spot. When one of the little humans on the live side gets killed, an equally ignorable mob spawns on the dead side, when a Death knights or Horses and Riders die on the live side, a Deathknight or Spectral Horse and Spectral Rider spawn on the dead side and just like the live side, these need to be tanked.
After 3:45 the mobs stop spawning and once you finish off the adds or at 4:30, whichever is first, Gothik himself joins the fight by teleporting down from his balcony to the live side of the room. He will chain cast non-interruptible, non-reflectable shadow bolts at the tank and casts a nasty debuff called Harvest Soul. Harvest Soul last 60 seconds and it reduces your stats by 10% and stacks up to 10 times and it hits everyone in the raid. Harvest Soul is basically a soft enrage timer. After a little while on the live side he will teleport over to the dead side and that group gets their turn. Back in the day, he would teleport back and forth a couple time with the gate in the middle closed until you got him down to 25% (I think? Maybe it was 40%) and then the middle gate would open up and everyone could dps him at the same time. The last few times I have been in there on both the 10 and 25 man version, our dps was high enough and his HP is low enough that I can't really tell if he still goes back and forth a few times or if the gate opens automatically after the first teleport.
This used to be one of the hardest fights in the instance. For as many guilds as got stuck on the Four Horsemen, almost as many were stuck on Gothik. Today you just zerg your way through all the adds and nuke the boss and it really very simple. But at 60 you couldn't do that at all, the mobs had a lot more HP relative to the raid's dps so they were harder to kill in the first place, but you also had to strike a balance between killing and CCing mobs. If you killed too many on the live side, then the dead side would be overwhelmed and you would wipe. But if you tried to sheep/shackle/fear too many mobs on the live side, eventually some CC would break and you would start losing people and then live side would get overwhelmed and you would wipe. It was quite a balancing act to have the right CC/DPS combinations and then it had to be executed flawlessly. On the beta, this fight was the hardest one in Naxx and was reportedly very tightly tuned, especially compared to the rest of the instance. It got nerfed a couple times and the version that made it live is pretty mundane.


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To pull credit is the process of checking someone's credit to see if they are eligible for a particular loan.
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The Mustard Seed
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From the son of the author of The Cross and the Switchblade---based on a true story!
When Victor Torres and his parents move from Puerto Rico to 1960s Brooklyn, they're looking for a new life---but their hopes are crushed by poverty. Victor embarks on a lucrative new drug-trafficking business in an attempt to help his struggling family. However, he is quickly enslaved by drug use, and his parents, Manuel and Lila, desperately search to find a way to help their son. A faith-based rehabilitation program is their last chance to rescue him. Will his mother's prayers lead to redemption?
Rated PG-13. Closed-captioned. Approx. 105 minutes.
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- Publisher: Capitol Christian Distribution
- Release Date: June 13, 2017
- Language: English
- Height: 0.60 inches
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- Length: 7.50 inches
- Weight: 0.15 pounds


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Do you watch the Science Channel show, "How It's Made?" Training camp is fast approaching, and I thought I'd give you a sense of how your Texans training camp news is collected. I like seeing behind the scenes stuff, and it's not like much is going on.
The NFL has natural pull between fans wanting to know as much information as possible, no detail too small and coaches not wanting to give up any secrets that can put them at a competitive disadvantage.
Media Rules.
For the people receiving media credentials, there are rules as to what is allowed to be reported and what is not to try to balance those competing interests. Some of those rules are standardized throughout the league, and some of those rules differ from team to team.
Video. Not sure if it is still the rule, but the NFL had rules restricting how much video of training camp you could show on non-NFL sites, and how long you could host it on your website. Due to this rule, I have very little incentive to shoot any video at all because by the time I edit it and put it on the site, I have to take it down pretty quickly. I'm talking about all video, including just interviews with players. If I do an audio interview, I can host it as long as I want.
Plays. Though you can report about generalized things you are seeing, you aren't supposed to write about details of formations or repetitions counts of particular players. It's a judgment call where you draw the line, but generally they don't want you reporting things that could give opponents a benefit.
Twitter. In closed practices, they don't want you to use Twitter. Some teams are not like that. In particular, they don't want media reporting to large audiences things like injuries before having coach talk about them. A quick 140 characters can be very misleading, alarming, especially as something is happening that other people can't see.
Most days a collection of local print, radio and TV media come to practice. The still/video cameras are only allowed to record the warm up/drill portions of practices but are turned off during the team portion of practice.
Near the end of practice, the Texans PR asks you if you want to talk to a particular player/coach. If so, they will pull that guy if he is available. Otherwise, it is a media scrum after practice. Media grab different guys to talk to before they walk off the field. Eventually, head coach Gary Kubiak is available and usually answers the standard questions first: 1. How was that practice?; 2. Injuries of note.
Sometimes you can tell when coach is unhappy/happy with a practice by just watching practice, sometimes not.
Then media starts asking questions that may be relevant to something they saw, relevant to something they were wondering about, relevant to a story they've been assigned to write. So sometimes the players that Kubiak mentions aren't ones that he particularly was paying attention to but rather ones that the media brought up in questioning. Other times, in response to an open ended question, Kubiak will bring up a player that he wants to highlight as doing exceptional things. Sometimes you see things on the field that make you question the answers you are getting. Sometimes what Kubiak says completely confirms what you are thinking.
If you've been to an open practice, you know there's a lot of stuff going on that makes it hard for any one person to see everything. They have cameras up on lifts to capture the entire practice. So sometimes, a media member here or there might see something that flashes positive/negative enough to write a note on, but sometimes that over emphasizes something that may not been a big deal in the scope of the entire practice or that a player got the right result for doing the wrong thing, or vice versa.
After practice, those reporters on deadlines typically go to the media center to write their stories.
Texans staffers who do work on their website also ask questions at practice. In addition, they've also been doing live feeds from practices that fans can watch from home. They don't show the non-video parts of practice, and the video sometimes has a Blair Witch Project feel to them, but it's great for fans who can't go to the open practices.
I've followed the Texans closely since their beginning, and have written about the team since 2006, and it is amazing the transformation of how NFL teams are now covered. Hard to picture what that will look like in the future.
The Texans in recent years have various staff members recording media interviews happening around the field. They don't record all the questioning but they get a remarkable amount given all the media at practice. Then they transcribe that material and post it on their website.
Sometimes, you can request an interview that you want as a private one without the media scrum around you.
Transcripts are a good news/bad news thing.
The good news with transcripts is that on the web there is infinite space. So you can read an entire quote of what is interesting to you, and not just an excerpt that fit into a story with space limitations or the thing that was interesting to the author. There's immediacy of getting the quotes soon after practice because no news can be enough or fast enough for good fans.
The bad news with transcripts is that it makes it more difficult to finance the news. If people can write stories based on transcripts, then why pay someone to be there? Who finances the experienced people who can be there and ask good questions? I know sometimes people can be grumbly about Texans coverage, but if you don't pay for newspapers and support local TV and radio stations, at some point down the road, maybe the only news you may get is the version the teams choose to give you. (Which in the Texans case is very very good, but it is still the Texans' view).
In addition, the transcript version of camp isn't the complete one. And often, I read national reports of training camp taken from transcripts that misses key meaning because they weren't there to actually see what happened. Perhaps they make a bigger deal of something than the way it was meant.
An example. During minicamp, the players had a bad day. It was the hottest day in camp. Kubiak said unhappy things. Read some national reports that made this into some Big Deal, but just about every camp has some up and down days. If you weren't there to see/feel hot hot, still it was, and you didn't follow the Texans regularly, you wouldn't know the context. Just an inconsequential example, more things happen like that every day.
In total, transcripts are a positive thing for fans and national media, but recognize there's stuff missing from them.
Over-Reaction Parsing.
The best news is that unlike this meta-blog post, real training camp news will be coming up shortly. And with open camps, and more eyeballs, it means more information than before.
I give you the advice that players live by–try not to get too high, or too low after reports from one particular day.
Sometimes people parse the few words that come out of camp and read too much out of them. If a player has a bad day, he's a bust, and if a player has a good day, he's a sleeper who's going to have a break out season.
This is understandable. For fantasy football players, this becomes an art because fantasy teams are picked early and those players who get the right info out of camp can win their whole league based on good information. (Such as knowing that the Texans weren't kidding when they said Arian Foster was the man coming out of camp his 2nd year).
Have any questions I missed? I like knowing stuff like this because it makes things seem more real, tangible. Sort of like touring Reliant Stadium makes it easier to picture what it is like when the players are on the field.
And For Something Completely Different…A Book Review.
If you haven't read it already, I suggest checking out Dale Robertson's article about Wade Phillips.
An even better read in getting to understand Wade and his coaching philosophy is to read Bum Phillips' autobiography. You can completely see where he gets things from. Finished it last week–a quick read, and the best book I've read in a while. Wrote a review on my personal blog with links on where to buy it. All the proceeds go to Bum's charities.
Once in a while, I'll get questions about Wade's style of 3-4. Think a very good article to read about variations of 3-4s is by Football Guy's Jene Bramel (@JeneBramel) in the NYT's interesting Fifth Down Blog, "Guide to N.F.L. Defenses, Part 4: The 3-4 Front." He explains the how Bum Phillip's 3-4 differed from other 3-4s that were being used at around the same time. In his autobiography, Phillips explains how he finally got to use the 3-4. The book is good beyond just football things, but is worth the price just for his memories of the beginnings of modern football coaching.
If you read the book, let me know what you think. Bum Phillips has lived a crazy, implausible life–if you watched a fiction movie with all the things that happened to him, it wouldn't seem realistic at all. Truth stranger than fiction, I suppose.


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I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to.
Viognier: any restaurant serving reasonably good food without charging corkage (or below $100 (approx US$15) corkage)?
Ada Kok: Me and my husband (Dick) have found the perfect solution in regard to those ridiculously high wine prices in HK restaurants: we buy a nice bottle. Before we go out for dinner we both drink a glass of wine. We pour another 1-2 glasses in a samll (sic) bottle: halfway through our dinner I go the ladies and take a few good swigs. Upon my return, Dick goes to the gents and drinks the rest. We get home we have another glass to finish off the bottle. This was we have a nice wine and save a lot of money.