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I don't get the sense there are enemies. But it's not a close team. It's not unusual in this era, but most players have not what you'd call posses in the Allen Iverson mode but friends whom they, in effect, hire to drive them around or do errands. The players make so much money it's nothing to have a guy around you pay $100,000 to keep your car running while you are at practice. You rarely see Bulls players out together on the road. Occasionally I've seen Hinrich and Duhon together and Deng and Nocioni are neighbors, but you don't hear of much socializing away from the arena. If I had to guess, I couldn't point to any two who appear to be close friends, though they all seem to get along reasonably well.
This year is incredibly frustrating, but what will be more disappointing is if we keep playing sub .500 ball while not developing young talent like Tyrus, Thabo, Gray and Noah, and missing an opportunity to get back into the lottery. A first-round stomping by the Celtics is not a better option than seeing if we have anything worthwhile in Thomas and taking a chance at getting a high draft pick like Derrick Rose. I believe fans will appreciate this realistic approach to the 2008 season much more than an unrealistic stumbling towards the last and final playoff spot. I know this frustrated season ticket holder surely would. --Smash, Chicago
I still find it difficult to wrap myself around still another draft. Yes, Rose looks like he'd be good to have and the power forward from Kansas State, Michael Beasley, seems like he could be a good one. But with young players and rookies, unless they are exceptional, and there are doubts about this class, you take a step back and have to get going again. You also have to get lucky in the lottery, which the Bulls haven't in the past, or pick the right draft class to be bad. Perhaps that's the only option for the Bulls now. Though I don't think you have to blow up the team. I still think there's a core of talent there.
Where would the Bulls be if Jay Williams never crashed his bike and if Elton Brand never got traded to Los Angeles Clippers? --Paul Finan, Hillsborough, N.J.
But they did and they were. There are too many what if's. I don't think Jay was ready for the NBA then and I think would eventually have been traded. Elton's been terrific, though with injuries and bad luck he hasn't advanced very far in the playoffs, either. Neither was really the huge star the Bulls-or any team-would most need.
I would like to know your thoughts on why the Bulls have not groomed Kirk Hinrich in to a true point guard role? I think the frequent moving around from the 1 to the 2 spot and the requirement for him to guard the other team's best player (regardless of size) has reduced his development. Start Sefolosha at the 2 and have him guard the likes of (Bryant, Pierce, Joe Johnson) --Mike S., St. Charles, Ill.
I believe that is one change you are starting to see. Some believe Kirk never can be a true point guard since he really wasn't one in college and doesn't have the ultimate point guard instincts. It's one of those positions you really do not teach. Don Nelson was the latest trying it with Monta Ellis and gave up. You either see the floor and the plays ahead of time or you don't. Kirk is more the old fashioned combo guard like a Danny Ainge and has shown of late that without having to defend those bigger players he can be more effective.
Why not Vince Carter? Sure he is not what he used to be, but neither is Hinrich. Carter has been great before and he could have quite a bit left in him. What are we gonna lose? --Josh, Knoxville, Tenn.
The Nets have been trying to trade Carter almost since they gave him an extension and now look like they'll have to deal Kidd and begin changing their team. You may have heard Magic Johnson on TNT last week saying Carter's knees are shot. Carter denied it, but doesn't jump like he did. I've never been a big fan because he's always preferred to avoid contact and stay on the perimeter. Now I think he has to. He's got three years after this at about $16 mil per. He's aging fast and breaking down. Other than that, hey let's deal.
How do you think Earl Boykins would fit with the Bulls? Yes, I know he is 5-5 but we are short already. He has a consistent shot and last year averaged around 14 ppg. I think he would be a good edition off the bench instead of Duhon. --Kevin K., Illinois
I might ignore him just because he was dumb enough to walk away from $3 million and can't find a team. He's not a point guard. He's a little guy who likes to shoot. The Bulls have that job filled.
Do you think there's any way the Bulls might be able to swipe Jose Calderon from the Raptors this summer? He's a free agent and they've already invested so much in T.J. Ford. --Adam, Berkeley, Calif.
No way. It would be quite the crowd. Calderon has quietly become a terrific point guard and even if T.J. Ford returns, I see Calderon getting the majority of the time. He's no secret anymore and could even get some coach support this week as an All-Star reserve.
There is talk weekly about how bad it was to give up Tyson Chandler. How would you compare Noah's game to Chandler currently? Do you think Noah has a higher ceiling? --K.C., Dallas
I like Noah, even if it's not mutual. He's told friends he needs to stay away from the media and seems to be blaming media members for some of his team issues of late. But he's been a spoiled kid in some respects and is growing up fast. He had no idea what the NBA was about. He thought it was just a richer version of college. He knows better now. He's different than Chandler in that he probably will never be quite the rebounder, but he can be a better defender. Like Chandler, he'll need time to put on weight and gain strength, but he'll get there. He has what the Bulls have missed with Thomas and Wallace: Size.
Did you get a chance to hear Jim Boylan's post-game interview regarding Noah's emergence and Wallace's bench sitting? He said it was because of game dynamics and Ben was still playing great, noting his five boards for the game. FIVE BOARDS!?!? I mean c'mon. We all know Boylan is trying to remain on Ben's good side, but don't just read off a stat sheet (which he was doing) to read insignificant numbers and claim the guy is playing "terrific." I would rather have listened to Dana Jacobson "roasting." --Jorge, Tinley Park, Ill.
Boylan has committed to this and he has to ride it out. It's sad when you bring in a guy and pay him $60 million (when his own team wouldn't pay him nearly as much) and you have to cater to him like that just to get him to play. Boylan apparently witnessed first hand how Wallace undermined Skiles and figured his only chance was to as you say remain on his good side. So he's thrown in with Wallace, but it's not getting him anywhere. It's probably time he sat down Wallace, though that may be coming out of necessity if the team doesn't make a big turnaround on the upcoming Western Conference road trip.
What is with the obsession with Pau Gasol? OK, he's a big who can score. However, he's definitely not a superstar, and he's not tough. The last time the Bulls traded for a mid-level superstar who fit those qualifications (Jalen Rose), it cost them Ron Artest, Brad Miller, and other parts of the core, and the team still floundered. I'd almost rather see the Bulls pick up someone like Jason Kidd, who at least is willing to drive to the basket once in a while and make his teammates better, even though he isn't a big. Am I nuts for thinking that taking the best player off a team with a worse record than the Bulls isn't the answer? --Chris Feldman, Dubuque, Iowa
Not completely. I don't believe there's an obsession since they haven't gotten him. He's a nice piece, but it tells you something when the Bulls won't give up one of their starters. They know Gasol's flaws. Everyone does. After all, it's not easy to be 0-12 in playoff games in your career. That's why no team can give up much for him. He's injury prone and not a big rebounder. Defense isn't a priority. He's hardly well regarded in Memphis. I believe they end up keeping him because they don't get a big offer and maybe do something with him around draft time. As for losing Artest and Miller, it hardly made a difference and perhaps saved plenty of embarrassment. Jalen just didn't care to defend. He was hardly a big problem.
With it looking more and more clear that Boylan isn't really doing that much to warrant keeping the head coaching job next season, a few of us were floating around some possible names for coaching candidates. One name that came up was Stacey King. He did a more than efficient job while in the CBA and during telecasts, his analysis of the team/game is usually on point and correct. He is pretty precise and knowledgeable of the Bulls as a team and organization. The sentiment has been that the Bulls need a fresh person with fresh ideas. Any chance John Paxson talks to Stacey about the head coaching job? Any chance that King would actually WANT it? --Anthony, South Bend, Ind.
It is an intriguing name and I believe it will come up if Boylan is not retained. I'm sure Stacey would love a shot. This Bulls team will be way better next season. It has to be. It's why Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle had people calling the Bulls the day Skiles was fired. You could look like a genius fast here. I know Stacey is well liked by management, though I wonder about how Paxson would feel about entrusting him with the team. Stacey was hardly the hard worker when he was a player and mostly a cutup. I'm sure he's grown since then. Back when I traveled with the Bulls, the media was on the team bus and we traveled commercial aircraft. Stacey was always bragging about something and one day was telling B.J. Armstrong he was a better three-point shooter, that he held some Oklahoma records, that he'd made dozens in a row. B.J. was dubious, but you never know. So he asked if I could check. It turned out Stacey had attempted two threes in four years at Oklahoma and missed them both. The other players rode him for days afterward, though Stacey always took it pretty well. I'd doubt he'd be a serious candidate, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got some consideration.
Are there any names being thrown around for the Bulls' head coaching position next year? Is it possible my man B.J. Armstrong could get a shot? What about Paxson coming down from the luxury box? --Jon Wormsley, Boulder, Colo.
Maybe B.J. works for Stacey with Jeff Sanders as the free throw shooting coach. Another Stacey story. Jeff was the classic quiet, small town kid, shy and overwhelmed with the city when the three were drafted together. Stacey was Eddie Haskell. He'd have Jeff order stuff from these expensive catalogues so he could try out everything without buying it first. Jeff was always accommodating, just trying to be one of the guys. B.J. has a great gig working with Arn Tellem's firm and the NBA and recently did some clinics in Israel and had a great experience. Paxson isn't about to coach. Coaches get fired. General managers do the firing. Coaches make more money, but Paxson is smart enough to know coaching isn't good for your health or longevity. Plus, I think he can put this back together more quickly than it appears. And doing both jobs never works. Pat Riley the general manager would love to fire Pat Riley the coach, who wonders why he can't get a better general manager.
With rumors of a Nocioni, Sefolosha swap for second tier Nets players, why don't the Bulls seriously consider approaching the Nets about Richard Jefferson? We could send Thomas, Duhon, Gordon, Griffin and Khryapa to the Nets in exchange for Jefferson, Marcus Williams, and Bostjan Nachbar. --Jeremy, Aurora, Ill.
Because the first part isn't true that anyone was considering such a deal. Why not also throw in the rights to Michael Sweetney, P.J. Brown, McCoy McLemore and Shaler Halimon? Though I'd say Erwin Mueller is untouchable.
How would you feel about sending Deng, Tyrus, Joe Smith and Duhon to Utah for Paul Millsap and Andre Kirlinko? It works out financially. --Andrew K., Los Angeles
Kirilenko is the intriguing name. He's sort of an overlap with the Jazz, who aren't doing as well as they'd expected. I think they'd like to dump his huge contract and he did ask to be traded. I think the Jazz would jump at that package, but I don't see giving up a high quality starter. I'd try to work out something with Ben Wallace and maybe a young player and some money thrown in since they've talked about rebounding help. I'd watch Utah and Kirilenko coming up to the trade deadline.
I know it's a conspiracy theory. But there's no better explanation for why the exact same team was so good last year and so bad this year. I'm starting to believe that Gordon and Deng decided to sabotage the team once they didn't get their contracts. --Chris, Los Angeles
Did they also sabotage the Bears and White Sox? Sometimes these things happen in sports, especially when you don't have a great leader or talent to hold it together. The Super Bowl Bears missed the playoffs. A Sox team with similar parts almost finished last. The Bulls have long talked about the lack of leadership and that Skiles was effectively serving that role. When he couldn't, it began to fall apart. Perhaps Deng and Gordon drifted a bit in their focus with the ancillary issues, but both are pros and I believe they've been trying, if not effectively or quite knowing how to fix things.
Your answer to one of the questions about Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant intrigued me. I have often thought there are a number of talented guys rotting on NBA benches, not the aforementioned O'Bryant, but just in general. A few examples that come to mind are John Salmons and Francisco Garcia in Sacramento. Now that Bibby, Artest and Martin are back, guys like that get lost in the shuffle. I know they want to move Bibby, but how willing are GMs in moving young guys that may just need a new environment? --Joe Spencer, Grand Junction, Colo.
They're not quite rotting, but you have a point. I can't believe what appears to be going on with the Kings. They're on the brink of developing a nice young core, but seem to be seduced by the return of Bibby and Artest and may have some belief they are a playoff team, something of a con to perhaps keep the crowds up. They need to dump both Artest and Bibby and I believe they'll come to their senses. In any case, they should come up as one of the principal potential trading partners next month. When it's over, I expect players like Salmons and Garcia to have bigger roles.
Do you think Gasol is coming to Chicago in 2008? --Heber, Madrid, Spain
Perhaps in June or July, not February.
I grew up in Chicago so I am a lifelong Bulls fan but I live in Minnesota now. While this season is tough to watch, we need to be thanking God we are not Timberwolves fans. I have a season ticket package with a few buddies (they were basically giving them away), so I have been to quite a few games. Talk about a team with absolutely no clue, no heart, and no desire to win or even get better (with the exception of Al Jefferson). Skiles would be perfect for this team by the way. I think Paxson has done a fantastic job of building a team and bringing the franchise back to respectability. He has made mistakes, yes, but overall the organization is headed in the right direction. So at least we aren't cheering for the T'Wolves. --Mike, Minneapolis
Yes, you always feel a little better seeing someone else's misery. It's an American tradition. I think it's going to be a long, painful way back for the Timberwolves, something akin to the Bulls under Tim Floyd with experimentation and disappointment. But they appear to have a stud in Jefferson, and that makes a big difference. Of course, the Bulls appeared to have one in Elton Brand.
Other than Detroit, the Bulls don't seem to play with the same intensity night in and night out like the last two years. I saw the game against the Grizzles and couldn't believe it was the same team that beat the Pistons two days before. Did all the trade rumors really affect the play of some of the Bulls players or is it just a convenient excuse? It isn't like these guys are strangers playing with each other? But as a Piston fan I hope the Bulls don't steal the seventh seed? --John, Detroit, Mich.
No, we don't fully comprehend what's occurred to the same team that won 49 games and didn't change except for adding a better scorer in Joe Smith. It's hard to believe guys we saw like Gordon taking last shots or Deng doing all those tough inside cuts are so mentally weak to be affected by contract talk and trade rumors. And how does everyone just start missing shots? But there is that delightful possibility out there. Of course, the Pistons are a better team, but they always look ripe for an upset against the Bulls. What if they can get to seven and get under Rasheed Wallace's skin, as they seem to have done this season. Rasheed is always a play or two from a meltdown. And the international guys like Noah, Sefolosha and Nocioni with their hands-on play seem to bother him. And I still see Flip Saunders' offense as predictable; they simply run to each matchup where they think they have an edge, force shots too often and rarely get easy points. I think they're still vulnerable to a team that pressures them. So it's too soon for the Bulls to pack it in. Just having that first-round matchup might be worth the season and a good place to start over.
Are you one of the three dozen miserable people at The Tribune you mentioned? Who would you trade for yourself? -- Eric Macatangay, Merced, Calif.
I assume there's way more than that. Clearly, if the deal can be made it would have to be for Borat. I actually have no idea how many people are miserable at The Tribune, but if it's just three dozen it's way down from the way it used to be. I have to admit I have the best job there. Not the best paying, but I don't work out of the office. My office is the NBA, my colleagues the media, coaches, staff and players at the games. Having been around as long as any media members in the NBA now, and probably the longest consecutively because I haven't missed a Finals game in the last 20 years, I know most of the coaches and general managers well and the old players. It's tougher for me to know as many young players in this era since I don't travel with the team as I once did, and when I did we all traveled together. Plus, there's that age difference. John Paxson was almost a contemporary when I covered him and traveled with the team. Now, I could be Tyrus Thomas' grandfather. Maybe that's why he looks at me that way. Perhaps my biggest problem is I don't get to work enough. With the shrinking size of the newspapers, there's so much less asked of me than before. I know workers are not supposed to complain about that, but it does get frustrating. But I'm hardly alone. I know this long to be a big complaint of my colleagues, so I can imagine now with still another reduction in size of the newspaper with the latest redesign of the Tribune. But I'll talk to Phil Jackson or Mike D'Antoni more than I will my own superiors. I look at the Sun Times and feel worse for them given how small they've become. I love tabloid newspapers and newspapers in general, and I'm sad to see how they're disappearing. I feel fortunate to have worked in the last great era of the printed word on paper. I weep for the future of the business.
What is the consensus feel among media and league officials about the KG trade? Most fantasy leagues would throw out the two owners that tried to pull off this trade. None of the video games would allow this lopsided trade either. --Al, Chicago
To paraphrase the old baseball line, it never would have happened if David Stern were alive today. Let's say Kevin McHale is not a favorite of Eastern Conference general managers. Or West for that matter. Phil Jackson said McHale should be executive of the year for rebuilding the Celtics.
The Heat has almost $20 million in expiring contracts and what looks like a top 10 (maybe top 3) pick coming in the draft. With Wade in his prime, I think it makes sense to go after someone to pair with Wade instead of a potential top pick next year. How about Ricky Davis, Jason Williams, Daequan Cook and their 2008 pick unprotected for Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Brian Cardinal? Memphis gets major cap room plus Cook and a top pick to pair with their own top pick in the 2008 draft. Miami gets Gasol and Navarro to play with Wade. Miami won't be under the cap by much after their players' contracts expire because of Wade, Shaq, Haslem, and Blount taking up almost $50 million in cap space next year so they should use their expiring contracts now why they still have value. --Rod, Chicago
Not bad. I tend to agree. I think with the clock ticking on Wade's free agency and health, they have to return to competitiveness quickly. You're not doing that with rookies. I'm not sure what the Heat will do, but I expect that lottery pick, even if it's No. 1, to be in play, which is rare. But it may be the right move for them now. Especially if Riley wants to continue coaching. He's not doing it with rookies from a class that's not shaping up as the greatest with the best players again very young.
Do you think the Bulls should pull a Celtics from last year and "rest" their guys like Deng and Gordon and anybody else that may be injured so they can get a top 5-10 pick? Then they could trade either Deng or Gordon or both and get a decent big man that can score in the block. Easier said then done but I think it's there only way out of this mediocrity. Is there really any incentive not to tank the season? Don't tell me about karma either because the Celtics did just fine for themselves with their strategy last year. --Todd, Chicago
I'd say yes if Kevin Garnett were available. You don't do it for Pau Gasol, Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko or Jermaine O'Neal, the "stars" who could opt out or be available. Elton Brand? Nah, the Clippers insist they are done with the lottery, except of course for their lottery pick this June.


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And when you talk to undergrads that much for that long, you 1) gain a terrific understanding of popular television (I swear, half my students are writing their final papers on The Girls Next Door), and 2) do NOT gain an understanding of contemporary fashion. Um, why do I want sweatpants with words written on the butt?
And leggings came back? Seriously?
And apparently (because we had an entire conversation about this), you're still supposed to tan in the winter, but not as much because you don't want to get too dark, and you have to REALLY tan, like in the booth, because everyone can tell when you've spray-tanned because it DEF looks orange.
All this is to say that I don't dress like a freshman, but I bet you could have figured that out on your own. If there was a Torrid in town I'd probably throw my second-hand shopping ethic out the window--hell, I'd probably have my own Torrid card the way my mama used to have a Dillard's card because she bought so much there--but until then, I rely on the Goodwill 50%-Off Storewide Sale days and going through every piece of clothing in the store to find a few pieces that I like. So I bought low-rise cargo pants and a couple of tops designed to show off the tons of money that I have invested in a really great bra (my friend Molly calls these "boob tops").
I bought Matt a few more pairs of sweatpants, because he likes to go to the gym every night while I'm putting the girls to bed (chapter from whatever book we're reading, episode of Meerkat Manor, sitting in the dark goofing off on the computer while playing Pandora and waiting for snores).
And I bought the girls skirts:
And skirts:

subset: commoncrawl


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Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Forbidden Valley...
When I was a young man living in the valley below the San Gabriel Mountains, I studied maps of Angeles National Forest obsessively, and I climbed nearly every named mountain peak in the vicinity (with the prominent exception of Iron Peak, aka Sheep Mountain). But there was a blank spot on the map south of Glendora Ridge Road. It was labeled "San Dimas Experimental Forest - No Entry". And that was it. No explanation. In those pre-internet days, there wasn't much I could do to find out what secret and nefarious experiments were being carried out in that valley. To me, it was sort of a national forest "Area 51". And of course, it seemed so unfair that we couldn't explore the area, with the meadows, waterfalls and creeks that must be hidden in the folds of the valley.
When I returned to the region a few weeks ago after a long absence, I found it was not nearly so hard to find out what the experimental forest was all about (the internet is kind of nice that way). It was originally established in the 1930s to study ways of increasing water yields in the lower canyons. The role of the experimental forest evolved over time to become an important baseline region to study the vegetation, soils, slopes, water, air, and fauna of the chaparral plant communities of Southern California. Most of Angeles National Forest has been developed for a variety of uses (the "multiple-use" conundrum), and there are few areas that have not been severely influenced by human activities. The canyon is truly an open-air laboratory, and although it is not open for recreational use, it isn't that difficult to arrange educational tours, or conduct original research using the lab facilities in the lower canyons (with a database of more than 70 years of measurements and observations) .
The San Dimas Experimental Forest is now part of the Pacific Southwest Research Station, which consists of more than a dozen such areas in California and Hawaii. It is also recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program. For the mysterious forbidden valley of my youthful days, that's pretty cool! But darnit, where is the UFO landing pad?
Overview of research (from 1988, 8 mb download): http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_misc078/psw_misc078.pdf
A vision statement from the National Forest Service concerning the experimental service: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr104/psw_gtr104.pdf
Pacific Southwest Research Station: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/
3 comments:
- Gaelyn said...
Sort of like Brigadoon. Maybe the time has come to enter.
- January 15, 2011 at 6:51 PM
Brought back memories of my "mysterious place" as a kid which was a bamboo stand, not necessarily huge - but to a kid it was a "jungle" and wild animals lurching everywhere. Sometimes breaking a mystery can be such a downer.
- January 16, 2011 at 11:25 AM
- BrownsBay said...
Back in the Stone Age I was taking some forestry classes at MSAC with the intention of moving on to Humboldt State or Oregon State. I took a three-day wildland firefighting class at Tanbark Flats and did some work experience that included planting some trees along the entrance road to the Experimental Forest. I got sidetracked with a field trip to the Grand Canyon, transferred to Cal Poly and switched my major to geology. But that void in the front range had also intrigued me and it was great to finally get a chance to visit its mysterious interior.
- January 16, 2011 at 6:06 PM


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Bonus Source: Reference Books
Special type of book
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Types of reference books include:
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- to get leads to other sources (bibliographies)
Best Tools for Finding Reference Books
- Use your library's book catalog to find reference books in your library.
- Check your library's databases for online reference books.


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At the weekend the youngest of our three cats, Meredith, was hit by a car and died. She would have been three at the end of the year. She was a happy, mischievous, fearless little cat who poked her little pink nose into every project I've worked on since the day we brought her home.
I couldn't prove it, but I'm certain it was her who ran of with crochet motif I left on the sofa, leaving a trail of yarn that wrapped round the legs of the coffee table three times before dumping it next to her food bowl. I bet it was the most exciting thing in the universe right up to when she saw there was food still left in the dish.
Meredith loved her food, and on her last day with us she enjoyed one of her favourite treats, bacon rind. She got to do a lot of her favourite things right before she died.She leaped on to the bed, waking us up and accepting a lot of fuss and attention before insisting that it was imperative to feed her immediately; she chased the elusive red dot as nephling no 1 tormented her with the laser pointer; she made a nest in our new net curtains as I attempted to neaten the edges on my sewing machine; she pounced repeatedly on our older cats; and she sat under the neighbour's tree making excited chirruping noises at the birds as if she could sweet talk them into swooping down straight into her mouth.
I feel quite lonely sitting here typing this without her asleep beside me on or under my latest crochet WIP.
I miss the sound of the bell we made her wear in a futile attempt to warn our other two cats that she was about to pounce on them.
Meredith had such a strong personality and was so full of life that her sudden absence is very hard to accept. We live on a very quiet road and it is very unusual for any animal to be hit by a car, so I suppose Meredith was just unlucky.
Someone knocked on our door Sunday morning to let us know that she'd been killed, and we took her to the vet to be cremated. I made sure she had with her the two seagull feathers she proudly dragged home, and the knitted dinosaur that she loved to bunny kick the stuffing out of.
I try and keep my posts craft related, but it would've felt wrong not to mention Meredith this week. I miss her, and it's sad that I'll never be shooing her away from my yarn again.
I know Mr BAM misses her terribly too, but we will always remember her as a happy little cat who crammed all nine lives into her three short years.


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Persian Caviar, Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers are just some of the items you can purchase at some of Vienna's markets.Vienna's markets are active all year round and they're more than just shopping. You should visit Naschmarkt, which is Vienna's largest and best-known market. Naschmarkt is the undeniable jewel in the crown of Vienna's 26 permanent markets. After a day exploring the Old City, you will find a large number of restaurants, which offer international dishes as well as Viennese cuisine with traditional delicacies from Schnitzels to Goulash. Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz are world famous and amongst the most popular dishes of Viennese cuisine.
Vienna has a bustling nightlife with so much to offer tourists and locals alike. Your dancing shoes will be needed as Vienna has so many nightclubs to choose from. Vienna's electronic music scene is world renowned. So, whether you prefer museums, galleries, cathedrals or palaces, cheap short breaks and weekend breaks to Vienna from Dublin have it all. If you'd like to visit other parts of Austria, we can offer cheap Salzburg flights and holidays, or you could plan a Helsinki holiday during your stay in Vienna. For cheap Last Minute City Breaks to Vienna, or all-inclusive holiday packages to Vienna from Dublin, Cork and Shannon, call us today.


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Difference between revisions of "Capitalism"
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{{DES | des = Capitalism (and [[entrepreneur|entrepreneurship]]) are based upon the [[coercion]] that creates [[rights]]. Capitalism, like fire, is most valuable when it is used only for desired purposes ([[Deregulation|regulated]]), not burning indiscriminately. For example, as part of [[Mixed Economy]] or [[Social Democracy]]. Bartering and other exchanges, even in markets, do not make capitalism: private ownership of the means of production does. Indeed, markets are not distinctive to capitalism; they exist in all economic systems more sophisticated than a hunter-gatherer economy. A major problem of capitalism is that generally the upper classes rob the lower classes. | show=}}
{{DES | des = Capitalism (and [[entrepreneur|entrepreneurship]]) are based upon the [[coercion]] that creates [[rights]]. Capitalism, like fire, is most valuable when it is used only for desired purposes ([[Deregulation|regulated]]), not burning indiscriminately. For example, as part of [[Mixed Economy]] or [[Social Democracy]]. Bartering and other exchanges, even in markets, do not make capitalism: private ownership of the means of production does. Indeed, marketsare not distinctive to capitalism; they exist in all economic systems more sophisticated than a hunter-gatherer economy. A major problem of capitalism is that generally the upper classes rob the lower classes. | show=}}
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Revision as of 06:49, 12 December 2018
Capitalism (and entrepreneurship) are based upon the coercion that creates rights. Capitalism, like fire, is most valuable when it is used only for desired purposes (regulated), not burning indiscriminately. For example, as part of Mixed Economy or Social Democracy. Bartering and other exchanges, even in markets, do not make capitalism: private ownership of the means of production does. Indeed, markets are not distinctive to capitalism; they exist in all economic systems more sophisticated than a hunter-gatherer economy. A major problem of capitalism is that generally the upper classes rob the lower classes.
- Defining Capitalism [More...]
- A section of "Understanding Capitalism" by Geoff Price. Capitalism is a form of collectivist production, differing primarily in how the products of collective labor are distributed: between owners and workers. Well written and easy to follow.
- The Choice Isn't Between Capitalism or Socialism [More...]
- "All countries practice a mix of both, and the U.S. isn't the free-market leader some might think. "
- What is Capitalism? [More...]
- "The term "capitalism" gets thrown around an awful lot, both by those who take it to represent one of humanity's great innovations, and those who take it to represent a system of oppression. But what is capitalism, such that it might be a scourge or savior? "
- Capitalism Is Coercive (9 links)
- Libertarians pretend that there is no coercion in capitalism, but its foundation in private property is coercive and allows further coercion through economic power and Private Government.
- 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism (book, online) (1 link)
- A strong proponent of mixed economies details many problems of unregulated capitalism.
- The Economy (1 link)
- Capitalism and Markets are only parts of the economy: the economy is a very heterogeneous system that includes government production, domestic economy, and gift transactions. Libertarian focus only on vanilla capitalism and markets makes easy ideology, but ignores vast and important swathes of the real economy.
- A Brief Anti-Economist History [More...]
- "The conclusion is clear, and something I have said before: western capitalism is neither harmonious nor natural. It is a product of specific historical circumstances, some of which were incredibly brutal. "
- Alternatives To Current Capitalism (28 links)
- Pitting "free market capitalism" against "socialism" is a false dichotomy. There are numerous variants and alternatives to study and choose from.
- Anthropology and Scientific Psychology (17 links)
- Libertarian philosophy and ideology (and indeed almost all economics) omit basic facts of anthropology, such as the fact that humans naturally engage in gift networks and sometimes barter, but that markets are unnatural to our psychology. They also usually ignore scientific psychology findings in favor of pop psychology, if not ludicrous claims of "human nature". Capitalist exploitation relies on this fact.
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century (book) (15 links)
- This book shows how policies concentrate wealth in the hands of the .01%, increasing inequality. Libertarianism has always been sponsored by the extremely rich, and their positions have favored these policies or worse.
- Capitalism as a heterogeneous set of practices [More...]
- "From this perspective it becomes possible to see our economy as a complex ecosystem of competing and interacting economic forms, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and to develop a progressive politics that seems to reshape that ecosystem rather than pursuing the imaginary perfection of one single universal economic form."
- Capitalism is the best economic system ever devised. (Not!)
- A remarkable propaganda statement that relies on the vagueness of "best", doesn't say which variant of capitalism, and requires you to overlook the fact that capitalism must necessarily be only a part of real economic systems (which include family and government production and exchange.)
- Capitalism Whack-A-Mole [More...] (1 link)
- "There is no general framework of morality or justice that supports laissez-faire capitalism. This is a problem of course for those who wish to argue on behalf of it. When you talk to such people, a familiar argumentative pattern emerges that I have come to call Capitalism Whack-A-Mole."
- Real Life Capitalism Whack-A-Mole [More...]
- "I taped a TV segment today with the Ayn Rand Institute's Don Watkins about his book "Equal Is Unfair." My sole goal going into the segment was to see if I could produce a Capitalism Whack-A-Mole in the wild."
- Capitalism, Markets and Laissez-Faire (17 links)
- Libertarian ideology worships these gods with feet of clay, and wishes no limits to them. History and common sense tell us that limits must be imposed on them, they must be regulated.
- Capitalist Crime (3 links)
- Criminality by capitalists is obviously the easiest way for them to increase their capital when they can get away with it. Mortgage fraud alone has stolen billions of dollars. Capitalist criminal behavior steals at all levels, from individual thefts to defrauding the government of billions. Corporations and too-big-to-fail make evasion of responsibility easy.
- Capitalist Harms (80 links)
- Capitalism doesn't shy from harming people if it is profitable. Capitalism creates slavery, pollution, disease, fraud, inequality, exploitation, black markets, organized crime and other harms. Even worse, it subverts efforts to regulate these harms by government. The overall theme is privatization of profits and socialization of costs. Capitalism largely operates through corporations, which need to be reined in.
- Capitalist success is meritocratic and thus deserved. (2 links)
- The same way the scum floats to the top? Because libertarians usually define merit as success in capitalism, this begs the question. Meritocracy still has the problem of rule by a small clique. Positive feedback in markets makes success very much dependent on random initial conditions.
- Capitalists are not your friends. (22 links)
- Libertarians are cheerleaders for capitalists and capitalism. But as a worker, a consumer, or even as another capitalist, capitalists are not your friends. Not theoretically, and not in real life.
- Corporations (28 links)
- Corporations are creatures of the state, our first-class citizens, government created systems of privilege used to concentrate wealth. They are a fundamental part of our current capitalist system. Libertarian individualism seems to ignore this basic problem. A few libertarians (and some others) oppose corporations for that reason. Giant corporations exercise private tyranny because they are unaccountable to the public.
- Crony Capitalism (12 links)
- Capitalist corruption of government for private gain. Sometimes mislabelled Corporatism. Libertarians use this term to describe any government/capitalist relationship they do not like and to excuse bad behavior by capitalists. But all capitalism is fundamentally crony capitalism because government favors owners with systems of property. Corporations, with their special privileges, are an especially clear example. Crony Capitalism is one type of Privatization of Power, and is practiced by the major funders of libertarianism.
- Desert-Sacrifice-Utility Whack-a-Mole [More...]
- Another common shifting of arguments to support capitalism is from desert justifications to sacrifice justifications to utility justifications. Each one can be shown to fail as a valid justification.
- Ethical Assumptions in Economic Theory: Some Lessons from the History of Credit and Bankruptcy [More...]
- Capitalism does not "distinguish between free contracts and contracts into bondage, or between agreements reached by self-debasement or a dignified offer." Thus it will "often require constraints on the scope of freedom of contract and property rights, against the laissez faire ideal."
- For Whom the Wall Fell? A balance-sheet of transition to capitalism [More...]
- Switching to capitalism has a very low success rate over 25 years: "Only three or at most five or six countries could be said to be on the road to becoming a part of the rich and (relatively) stable capitalist world. Many are falling behind, and some are so far behind that they cannot aspire to go back to the point where they were when the Wall fell for several decades."
- History of Economic Thought, 3rd Edition: A Critical Perspective (book, online)
- A readable textbook that will clarify your understanding of the pitfalls of different economic ideas, starting with the "invisible foot of the market".
- How Natural is Capitalism, Exactly? [More...]
- "The fact is that capitalism is a highly planned system with a questionable history -- there is nothing 'natural' about it."
- In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation. [More...]
- American capitalism was founded on slavery. This pre-industrial capitalism was almost as sophisticated as modern capitalism, and built on the torture of the enslaved.
- Invisible Foot (2 links)
- A term used by E. K. Hunt to describe the second half of the capitalist incentives to privatize gain and socialize costs. It increases private gain to create negative externalities (such as pollution) rather than bear their costs: thus negative externalities will be maximized "as if by an invisible foot". See also the propaganda term Invisible Hand.
- Laissez Faire (19 links)
- Laissez faire is a hypocritical propaganda term: it is government that creates a capitalist environment, advantaging capitalists over others. Unregulated Market is a more honest term. History shows pretty clearly that unregulated, unfettered capitalism is a brutal environment where wealth accumulates in the hands of an elite leaving most people in poverty, deeply vulnerable to the inevitable economic shocks that follow.
- Libertarians are very confused about capitalism [More...]
- Elites didn't get rich off of some "free market." Here's why libertarians should back radical wealth redistribution. Socks Rand Paul and Murray Rothbard for ignoring the coercive origins of capitalist wealth.
- Literature Critical of Capitalism (2 links)
- Capitalism is criticized in a great deal of literature. This isn't necessarily opposition to ANY capitalism, but rather a call to limiting its harms.
- Market Efficiency (1 link)
- Market efficiency is the great benefit of capitalism, but capitalists hate it because it means low profits. Capitalists battle market efficiency through monopoly, marketing and other assaults on the assumptions of Free Market Theory. Except, of course, when they are arguing for free trade.
- Markets Are Created By Government (10 links)
- Modern markets rely on stable property, transportation, currency, educated workers and customers, and other factors with enormous market failures. Remove the government infrastructure of these, and markets will shrivel.
- Monopoly, Oligopoly, Market Power and AntiTrust (39 links)
- Capitalists unendingly seek monopoly, oligopoly, monopsony and oligopsony as routes to the highest possible profits. All are inefficient according to ordinary microeconomics. This is a huge, measurable cost. Capitalists cannot self-regulate this problem away: government must.
- National Health Insurance Might Be Good for Capitalism [More...]
- "Our current health insurance system is holding back capitalism... Instead, national health insurance -- of the kind that has been successful in many other developed countries -- would remove health risk from the decision to start a business or switch jobs. It would free Americans to pursue their capitalistic dreams."
- Propaganda, Marketing and Public Relations (16 links)
- Major industries whose entire purpose is to create impressions without regard for truth. This enables manipulation of the masses for greater power and profit. All work with the same principles. Libertarianism is the result of a corporate propaganda campaign that has been going on since roughly The New Deal. It has been greatly intensified by the creation of the Mont Pellerin Society and the Kochtopus, to the tune of billions of dollars.
- Rent Seeking (3 links)
- Libertarians often blame government for rent seeking behavior. That is the fault of capitalist entrepreneurs themselves, who lobby government to put in place obstacles for competitors.
- Shareholder Capitalism (2 links)
- Milton Friedman's harmful idea that the sole purpose of a firm is to make money for its shareholders.
- That's Just Capitalism [More...]
- "To put it in the simplest terms: the libertarian populist says that rigged capitalism creates huge inequality, but the truth is that unrigged capitalism does the same thing."
- The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives (book) (1 link)
- "Usually, private ownership creates wealth, but too much ownership has the opposite effect -- it creates gridlock. When too many people own pieces of one thing, whether a physical or intellectual resource, cooperation breaks down, wealth disappears, and everybody loses."
- The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation (book)
- An academic examination of how governments created the preconditions for capitalism by separating peasants from their land, following the advice of classical economists such as Adam Smith.
- The Iron Fist Behind The Invisible Hand [More...]
- Corporate Capitalism As a State-Guaranteed System of Privilege. An excellent history of the government and capitalist driven appropriation which resulted in capitalism. Makes the point that capitalism is theft, if not slavery. Libertarians ignore this history.
- Three sentences no one should forget about unions [More...]
- "[...] unions are inherently conservative institutions, which historically developed parallel with the development of capitalism itself. They are as much a part of capitalism as Henry Ford or Apple. Unions use contracts -- and there's nothing more intrinsic to capitalism than the right of contract -- to link their members to the fortunes of the companies they contract with."
- Tragedy Of The Commons (6 links)
- The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory of a situation within a shared-resource system where individual users acting independently and rationally according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting that resource. In other words, due to capitalist greed. But there is only a tragedy of an UNREGULATED commons, as history has shown. Regulation is an obvious workable solution.
- Wealth Taxes (1 link)
- Wealth taxes are one measure that could help reduce the dominance of the wealthy over society, along with corporate reform.
- What are the myths of capitalist economics? [More...]
- An anarchist overview of problems of economics, exploitation, distribution, big business, and false claims of capitalist benefits.
- What's Wrong With Libertarianism [More...]
- Jeffrey Friedman, editor of Critical Review. thoroughly skewers four books on libertarianism. "Libertarian arguments about the empirical benefits of capitalism are, as yet, Inadequate to convince anyone who lacks libertarian philosophical convictions. Yet 'philosophical' libertarianism founders on internal contradictions that render it unfit to make libertarians out of anyone who does not have strong consequentialist reasons for libertarian belief. The joint failure of these two approaches to libertarianism explains why they are both present in orthodox libertarianism -- they hide each other's weaknesses, thereby perpetuating them." Reviewed: Libertarianism, A Primer, by David Boaz; Classical Liberalism: The Unvanquished Ideal, by David Conway; What It Means to Be a Libertarian, by Charles Murray; Bringing the Market Back In, by John Kelley.
Though free market theorists are reluctant to admit it, capitalists are not fond of free markets, since open and fair competition forces them to invest in product development while they cut their prices. Monopoly and the destruction of competition is the ideal condition for the entrepreneur, and he will strive to achieve it unless restrained not by conscience but by an outside agency enforcing "anti-trust" laws.
Ernest Partridge, "A Dim View of Libertarianism, Part VII -- Some Concluding Questions"
Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim: The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate.
Bertrand Russell, Sceptical Essays (1928), Chapter 13
The bloodstained story of economic individualism and unrestrained capitalist competition does not, I should have thought, today need stressing. Nevertheless, in view of the astonishing opinions which some of my critics have imputed to me, I should […] have made even clearer […] the evils of unrestricted laissez-faire.
Isaiah Berlin, "Four Essays on Liberty"
Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep.
Isaiah Berlin, "Four Essays on Liberty" p.xlv.
Libertarian capitalism... is a curious ideology in many ways... On the one hand, the sanctity of private property and private contracts is held to be a matter of inalienable natural right, guaranteed by the fundamental facts of morality, if not a basic part of Objective Reality; capitalism is the Right Thing to Do. On the other hand, much effort is devoted to arguing that unfettered laissez-faire capitalism is also the economic system which will produce the greatest benefit for the greatest number, indeed for all, if only people would just see it. Natural right therefore coincides exactly with personal interest. A clearer example of wishful thinking could hardly be asked for.
Cosima Shalizi, "Liberty! What Fallacies Are Committed in Thy Name!"
Those who "abjure" violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.
George Orwell, "Notes on Nationalism" May, 1945
A capitalist society can never be a free society — it takes the constant presence of violent force to sustain private rights of ownership over society's productive forces and resources for billionaires and business interests. Property or liberty — we only get to pick one.
John Laurits, "Private Property Is a Police State: Real Libertarianism Is Anti-Capitalist"
The state is the necessary but not sufficient pre-condition for capitalism's development. There is no creative destruction, competition, innovation, and accumulation without the "shadow socialism" of the public sector and state planning.
Christian Parenti, "Reading Hamilton From the Left"
[...] a huge part of the problem is the Jeffersonian notion that "the government that governs best is the one that governs least." While that is true as regards individual liberty, it is absolutely dangerous to think that way as regards the economy.
Christian Parenti, "Reading Hamilton From the Left"
The basic competitive-markets model dating back to Adam Smith has been modified over time by the inclusion, in rough historical order, of monopoly, externalities, scale economies, incomplete and asymmetric information, irrational behavior, and many other real world features.
Dani Rodrik, "Rescuing Economics from Neoliberalism"
Neoliberalism and its customary remedies -- always more markets, always less government -- are in fact a perversion of mainstream economics. Good economists know that the correct answer to any question in economics is: it depends.
Dani Rodrik, "Rescuing Economics from Neoliberalism"
There is nothing wrong with markets, private entrepreneurship, or incentives -- when deployed appropriately. Their creative use lies behind the most significant economic achievements of our time. As we heap scorn on neoliberalism, we risk throwing out some of neoliberalism's useful ideas. The real trouble is that mainstream economics shades too easily into ideology, constraining the choices that we appear to have and providing cookie-cutter solutions.
Dani Rodrik, "Rescuing Economics from Neoliberalism"
To demonize state authoritarianism while ignoring identical albeit contract-consecrated subservient arrangements in the large-scale corporations which control the world economy is fetishism at its worst.
Bob Black, "The Libertarian As Conservative"
The interest of the dealers, however, in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public. To widen the market and to narrow the competition, is always the interest of the dealers. To widen the market may frequently be agreeable enough to the interest of the public; but to narrow the competition must always be against it, and can serve only to enable the dealers, by raising their profits above what they naturally would be, to levy, for their own benefit, an absurd tax upon the rest of their fellow-citizens. The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order ought always to be listened to with great precaution, and ought never to be adopted till after having been long and carefully examined, not only with the most scrupulous, but with the most suspicious attention. It comes from an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it.
Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations", last sentences in conclusion of Book 1.
The pride of man makes him love to domineer, and nothing mortifies him so much as to be obliged to condescend to persuade his inferiors. Wherever the law allows it, and the nature of the work can afford it, therefore, he will generally prefer the service of slaves to that of freemen.
Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations" III.2.10
For my part I think that capitalism, wisely managed, can probably be made more efficient for attaining economic ends than any alternative system yet in sight, but that in itself it is in many ways extremely objectionable. Our problem is to work out a social organisation which shall be as efficient as possible without offending our notions of a satisfactory way of life.
John Maynard Keynes, "The end of laissez-faire"
We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings.
Ursula K. Le Guin at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014.
But under capitalism some are more equal than others...
Iain McKay, "What it means to be libertarian (Anarchist)"


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Adv Legal ResearchSLN #: 14533
Course Prefix: LAW-736
Course Section: 001
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Trotta
Course Description:
This course will focus on a rigorous review of the basic print and electronic resources and strategies for conducting legal research, federal and state. Case law, statutes and legislative history, administrative rules and procedures and finding tools will all be covered. This course is labor intensive. The best way to learn to conduct effective legal research is to use the full range of tools available and then practice, practice, practice! Students will be in class two hours per week. The third class hour is given to account for the time you will spend on the various homework assignments. Students will have frequent practice exercises, a midterm exam, and a research guide as a final project. This guide will allow students to apply their knowledge of legal research by discovering and evaluating information resources on a preapproved specialized topic of their choice.
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible Writing Requirement: Yes
Skills Requirement: Yes
Experiential Learning: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Limited Enrollment Number: 15
Final Exam Given: No
Mid Term Or Other Exam: Yes
Participation Points: Yes
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
* The law school has a policy that Is used To calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.


text:
Maps of cases
Closed petition
Help Release Tibetan Blogger Druklo from Prison!
A young Tibetan writer and blogger, Druklo, was sentenced to three years imprisonment. He has been of interest to the Chinese authorities since 2010 when he began working for the political rights of minorities.
China/Thailand: Establish The Whereabouts of Chinese Journalist Kidnapped from Thailand
Chinese journalist Li Xin went missing in Thailand on 11 January and is believed to be detained in China. In October 2015, Li Xin first fled to India, after being threatened by Chinese officials who pressured him to inform against his colleagues and friends. Li Xin initially cooperated, but after he realized he was placing himself and his family in danger, he fled to India in order to evade imprisonment. After being denied asylum in India, he travelled to Thailand where he planned to secure refugee status. Li Xin last made contact with his partner on 3 February, although his whereabouts remain unknown.
Guatemala: Human Rights Defender repeatedly threatened
Rafael Maldonado, Legal Director for the Guatemalan Centre for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (Centro de Acción Legal, Ambiental y Social de Guatemala, CALAS), recently received a series of intimidating messages via Twitter. These threats were directed against his human rights activities, and were meant to intimidate and suspend his work. His organization has recently been involved in the litigation cases of mining operations and palm oil producers in Guatemala.
Blogger and his assistant in detention without trial
Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh and his assistant Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy have been held in custody without trial since May 2014. The duration of the detention has exceeded the legally permitted period of time. They were accused of "abusing democratic freedoms" on political blogs. Nguyen Huu Vinh's family and lawyer are concerned with his health because of the bad condition in which he is being held.
Closed petition
Russia: Shop Assistant facing trial for criticizing government
Yekaterina Vologzheninova stood trial on October 27th before court for the first time due to alleged "hatred and inciting hatred against Russia and against the Russians fighting in the east of Ukraine". The allegations are based on her posts criticizing the Russian government on social media. She criticized the Russian annexation of the Crimea and Russia's involvement in the conflict in Donbass, eastern Ukraine.
Closed petition
Students facing imprisonment for homosexual acts
A 22-year-old Tunisian student known by the nickname "Marwan" was sentenced to prison for his engagement in same-sex sexual relations. Local police forced Marwan to undergo anal examinations for proof of homosexual practices. Marwan appealed and is awaiting a court verdict. He was released on a bail of 500 Dinar (247 USD) on November 5th.
Closed petition
Prisoner in Russia denied medical treatment
Amur Khakulov is currently awaiting an appeal hearing against a 20 year prison sentence. He is in the pre-trial detention centre SIZO-1 in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, south of Russia. He is suffering from a chronic kidney disease and is being denied appropriate medical treatment. His life is at risk.
United Arab Emirates:
UAE: Activists tortured in prison for criticizing the government
Nine men from the United Arab Emirates were convicted on July 2nd, 2013 for criticizing the government and promoting democratic reforms. Among them were human rights defenders, teachers, students and judges. The conviction was a part of a series of mass processes in Abu Dhabi against critics of the government. All of them were found guilty of allegedly "establishing an organization with the aim to unseat the government."
Closed petition
Brazil: At least two civilians died after police operations in the slums of Rio
Civil and military police continue their joint operations in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Police officers refuse to conduct proper investigations for cases in which civilians were shot dead or gravely injured. The number of deaths and injuries caused by police operations in Rio has been rising towards hundreds of thousands in recent years.
Closed petition
Over 12 years in prison for art and activism!
Iranian prisoner of conscience and painter Atena Farghadani was sentenced and imprisoned for over twelve years for her artistic work and peaceful activities. She is now critically ill as a result of her hunger strike as protest against her detention.
Closed petition
Azerbaijani human rights defenders were given heavy sentences for criticizing the government
Leyla Yunus, an Azerbaijani human rights activist, and her husband, Arif Yunus, president of the Institute for Peace and Democracy and her husband, were sentenced to 7 to 8.5 years in prison. Both were tried for alleged fraud and other offenses. Before her arrest, Leyla documented the way in which the Azerbaijani authorities treated political prisoners. Arif is a historian and political activist. Both had openly criticized the Azerbaijani government and pointed to the restrictions on freedom of speech in the country. Amnesty International considers Leyla and Arif prisoners of conscience, imprisoned only because of their human rights activities. We demand their immediate and unconditional release.
Closed petition
Ukrainian filmmaker and ecologist unjustly accused of terrorism and face life imprisonment
Film director Oleg Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years for allegedly setting up a terrorist group and organizing terrorist acts. Aleksandr Kolchenko, an ecologist and anti-fascist activist was sentenced to 10 years in prison after an unfair trial by a military court in Russia. Both are Ukrainian citizens, and are accused of "terrorism", which stems from their criticism of the Russian occupation of Crimea.
Vietnam:16 years behind bars for political blog
Vietnamese citizen Tran Huynh Duy Thuc has been sitting for six years in prison for his blog calling for political reform and respect for human rights. He was imprisoned after an unfair trial in which he had been sentenced to 16 years. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience imprisoned just for exercising his right to freedom of expression. International organizations call for his immediate release along with other 35 Vietnamese political prisoners.
Tibet (occupied territory):
Tibetan monk detained in China without charge!
Tibetan monk Choephel Dawa was detained on March 28 and there has been no known information about him since then. The location where Dawa is detained and the charges against him are unknown. He faces a risk of torture and maltreatment.
Closed petition
Support Syrian refugees
The conflict in Syria has sparked one of the greatest humanitarian crisis today. At the same time, it has launched the largest refugee wave since the Rwandan genocide. 2.5 million people - one in ten Syrians - has fled the country. Half of them are children, and they need our help. They need to find a safe haven in Europe.
Closed petition
Sudan: Death penalty for being married to a Christian
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a Christian Sudanese woman, was convicted on charges of 'adultery' and 'apostasy' and is at risk of being sentenced to flogging and death. She is currently in the eighth month of pregnancy and is held in detention with her 20-month-old son. She was sentenced to death on May 11, 2014 after she refused to abandon her religion. Amnesty International considers Meriam as a prisoner of conscience. Her sentence is unjust as she was punished for mere practising of her right to freedom of religion.
Dilorom Abdukadirova sentenced to 18 years for participating in peaceful protest
Dilorom Abdukadirova, a prisoner of conscience, is serving an 18-year sentence in Tashkent Women's Prison, Uzbekistan. She was imprisoned after she returned to Uzbekistan in January 2010 to be reunited with her husband and children. She had fled the country after the events in Andizhan in 2005 when hundreds of individuals, including women and children, were killed when security forces opened fire on mostly unarmed demonstrators. In April 2010 Dilorom Abdukadirova was sentenced in a trial that violated international fair trial standards and she was allegedly subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in pre-trial detention. Her brothers and sisters fear that she is again ill-treated in prison. Amnesty International considers that Dilorom Abdukadirova is a prisoner of conscience and that the charges against her have been brought to punish her for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
United States:
Amnesty calls on the USA: Close Guantánamo
The facility at Guantánamo, Cuba has become a symbol of the gross human rights violations being committed by the United States of America in the name of fighting terrorism. There are currently at least 150 men being detained in Guantánamo, many who have not been held without being charged or given a trial. Amnesty International believes the men must be given fair trials or released. In addition, Amnesty International is calling on the US government to close Guantánamo once and for all.
Central African Republic:
Help stop unnecessary violence in the Central African Republic
A Muslim exodus of historic proportions is taking place before our eyes, leaving civilians in desperate need for protection and humanitarian assistance. In the Central African Republic, a new surge of violence in their civil war has resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the country. The conflict stems from both religious tensions between the minority Muslim and majority Christian communities, but also has political aspects. In March 2013, the nation underwent a coup, after which the first Muslim president, Michel Djotodia, came to power in the predominantly Christian country. By 2014, under significant international pressure, the President resigned. However, the conflict continues. Our research and various reports including the latest report of the UN Secretary General to the UN Security Council indicate that the anti-balaka militias are increasingly becoming organized and the Séléka forces are regrouping in the northeast of the Central African Republic (CAR). This is further compounded with increased proliferation of arms and weapons into the country in breach of the UNSC arms embargo.
Unnecessary Violence in Venezuelan Protests
Since the beginning of February, 2014, ongoing clashes in Venezuela between anti-government opposition and government security forces has resulted in several dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries. Amnesty International believes that the government and the opposition must immediately commit to respect fundamental human rights.
Journalists at risk in Crimea
At least five people - journalists and activists - were arrested by a group of armed men in military control crossing near Crimea. After a few days in captivity, all detainees have been released, but a similar situation may happen again. Journalists are necessary to provide objective information about the current situation in the region. Amnesty International is therefore calling to ensure the security and freedom of movement for journalists and other people in Crimea, including people from mainland Ukraine.
In Belarus, civil society activists who try to organize to make their concerns public must operate within the framework of restrictive laws, which are applied in ways which violate their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression. Civil society organizations face closure and individuals face prosecution if they criticize the authorities. Any form of public action, even a one-person picket, is subject to permission which is rarely granted, and peaceful demonstrators face fines or short prison sentences.
Closed petition
Chinese artist remains in house arrest, even after heart attack
Liu Xia, wife of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, has been held under house arrest since 8 October 2010. She suffered a heart attack in January 2014 and, though brought to a hospital for examination, was denied the two week stay in the hospital doctors recommended. She remains under house arrest, and there are serious concerns about her physical and mental health. Amnesty International considers Liu Xia a prisoner of conscience, unjustly confined to her home primarily because of the political actions of her husband. Amnesty International also notes that she has never been formally tried or convicted, thus violating her right to a fair trial and freedom of expression.
Tibet (occupied territory):
Highly-regarded Tibetan monk arrested and detained at an undisclosed location. Support him.
Highly respected Tibetan monk, Karma Tsewang, was arrested in December 2013 while traveling on a business trip. The Chinese authorities arrested him for "endangering state security," a term often used to imprison peaceful critics of the government. Tsewang has not been given access to a lawyer or to see his family since his imprisonment. Amnesty International considers Karma Tsewang a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned merely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and for his activities in support of Tibetan culture and language.
Closed petition
Environmental activist detained for swearing
Yevgeniy Vitishko was detained on 3 February and charged with "petty hooliganism" for "swearing at a bus stop". He has been sentenced to 15 days in detention. During this period Amnesty International regards him as a prisoner of conscience.
Closed petition
Refugees and Migrants in Bulgaria Face Lamentable Conditions
Bulgarian refugee camps, housing thousands of refugees and migrants, many of whom are fleeing conflicts in Syria, are sorely inadequate. Many refugees do not have access to basic needs, such as food, health care, or hygiene. Some do not have beds to sleep in, or roofs over their heads, as winter sets in. Amnesty International is calling upon the Bulgarian government to remedy the situation.
Closed petition
Myanmar [Burma]:
Burmese doctor jailed for 17 years for allegedly inciting violence
Dr. Tun Aung was arrested on June 11, in Rakhine state, western Myanmar and has been held in detention without any communication to his family or lawyer since being arrested. He is a practicing medical doctor and the chairman of the Islamic Religious Affairs Council in Maungdaw. Dr. Tun Aung is accused of inciting communal violence after riots broke out in Maungdaw, Rakhine state, which he had been asked to try to defuse by local authorities due to his position of respect in the community. We believe the criminal charges waged against Dr. Aung are unfounded, and regard him as a prisoner of conscience.
Over 250 homes demolished in Badia East, Hundreds of people left homeless
Badia East is a slum in the city of Lagos, Nigeria's capital city. On 23 February, 2013, the Lagos state authorities demolished 266 homes without contacting the inhabitants. People were not allowed to take anything from their houses before they were destroyed, and people who protested were beaten or arrested. Amnesty International considers these forced evictions a gross violation of the human rights of the residents of Badia East.
Closed petition
Three Russian Activists Detained After Peaceful Demonstration
Following a peaceful protest demonstration on Moscow Bolotnaya Square, which took place in May 2012, on the eve of the inauguration of President Putin, 3 men were arrested. Amnesty International considers all three activists to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to peaceful assembly and association.
Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared Harassed in Honduras
Members of COFADEH, the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras, are being harassed in Honduras. Members of the group have been monitored and unjustifiably attacked. COFADEH, originally founded in the 1980's, has always been threatened, but the instances of violence and discrimination against its members has increased in the last few years. Amnesty International believes these actions are occurring because of their actions on behalf of the detained and missing.
13 Bahraini Opposition Activists are Imprisoned for Peaceful Protests
13 peaceful anti-government protestors in Bahrain have been unjustly imprisoned for the last 2.5 years. They were arrested in the middle of the night, not allowed to see their families or contact their lawyers, and many were tortured before their trials. Amnesty International considers them prisoners of conscience, detained only for the peaceful expression of their views and activism.
Closed petition
Cambodian unjustly sentenced to three years in prison!
Yorm Bopha was sentenced in December 2012 to three years in prison after being accused of planning an assault on two men suspected of theft. Bopha is a activist living at Boeung Kak lake in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, where she defends the people's right to housing and freedom of expression. Amnesty International sees Bopha as a prisoner of conscience, detained by the authorities in connection with her peaceful activist activities.
LGBT Activists are Discriminated Against in Belarus
Ihar Tsikhanyuk was questioned, beaten, and subjected to threats of abuse for being gay by the Belarusian police after his unsuccessful attempt to register the LGBTI NGO Human Rights Center Lambda in January 2013. The police attack has gone unpunished. Amnesty International believes the refusal to register the NGO and the attack on Tsikhanyuk were the result of discrimination based on his sexual orientation.
Putin's New Laws Limit Human Rights in Russia
Since 2012, when Vladimir Putin was elected Russian President for the third time, a number of controversial laws restricting human rights have been passed by the Duma (Russia's lower house). These laws fundamentally effect the lives of thousands of Russian citizens, including the detainment of activists, persecution of artists, discrimination against members of the LGBTI community, and significant restrictions against non-profit and NGO groups. Amnesty International believes these laws have been passed primarily to restrict the activities of political opposition and social society initiatives. We therefore call for their annulment, because they contradict the Russian Constitution and international laws Russia has agreed to comply with.
Palestinian Territories:
Palestinian village oppressed by Israeli security forces
Residents of the village of Nabi Saleh, with solidarity from other Palestinian, Israeli and international activists, hold weekly non-violent demonstrations to demand an end to Israeli occupation and its associated policy of illegal settlement expansion. The Israeli security forces frequently meet these demonstrations with excessive and unnecessary force: since 2009 they have killed two protesters and injured hundreds of others. The army's excessive use of force against the demonstrations affects the whole village and may constitute collective punishment, outlawed by the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Angolan teenager faces up to three years in prison for disagreement with president
Manuel Chivonde Nito Alves (better known as Nito Alves) is a seventeen year old boy from Angola who has been detained for expressing his disagreement with the the president's policy. Amnesty International considers Nito Alves to be a prisoner of conscience, arrested solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Tibet (occupied territory):
60 Tibetans injured during peaceful protests
On 6 October 2013 Chinese armed forces used excessive measures to crack down on a peaceful protest in the Tibetan village Dirie. At least 60 people were injured, some seriously. In addition, the wounded did not receive any medical care. Amnesty International believes that the Tibetans were grossly attacked only because of their peaceful exercise of the right to assembly and association.
Closed petition
Three Years in Prison for Stating His Opinion
Cuban activist Iván Fernández Depestre was arrested in July 2013 during a peaceful protest to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Cuban national hero Frank País. In August 2013, he was sentenced to three years in prison for politically motivated crimes. Amnesty International considers Mr Depestre to be a prisoner of conscience, detained only for his membership in dissident groups and for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Closed petition
Greenpeace activists threatened to 7 years in prison for hooliganism. Support them!
A group of thirty Greenpeace activists, who had been peacefully protesting against Arctic oil drilling, were detained by Russian security forces on 19 September 2013. All the activists were later accused of "piracy", which has a penalty up to 15 years in prison under the Russian law. Amnesty International believes that the charges leveled against the activists are inappropriate and should be dropped.
Closed petition
Tunisian activist on Facebook sentenced to prison and fined
Jabeur Mejri was sentenced on 28 March 2012 to seven-and-a-half years in prison and a fine of 1200 Tunisian Dinars (US$757) after a court in the eastern city of Mahdia ruled that posts he made online were insulting to Islam and Muslims. Amnesty International considers Jabeur Mejri a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned merely for expressing his right to free speech.
Closed petition
Ethiopian journalist sentenced to 18 years for article criticizing the government
Journalist Eskinder Nega was arrested in September 2011 after making speeches and writing articles critical of the Ethiopian government. He was charged with "participation in a terrorist organization" and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Amnesty International considers Eskinder Nega a prisoner of conscience, sentenced for exercising his freedom of speech.
Turkish bus driver beaten while walking home
Hakan Yaman, from Istanbul, was seriously wounded in June 2013 while he was returning home from work. He was beaten by police because they believed he was participating in the nearby anti-governmental demonstration, which took place near his residence. He ended up with a fractured skull, nose, collarbone and jaw, as well as complete loss of vision in one eye. The policemen responsible have not been punished. Amnesty International considers the gross use of force and violence by the Turkish police in the repression of peaceful protests to be a gross violation of the rights of free assembly and free speech.
Romani children in Slovakia face segregation at schools
Right now in Slovakia Romani children are being placed in segregated schools and classes. They're being put there solely because they are Roma. These schools and classes often offer inferior education, which means these children are being denied a real chance in life.
Closed petition
Teacher and Activist Tortured for Criticizing the Government
The teacher and activist Soni Sori was arrested in 2011 for allegedly aiding and supporting the Maoist rebels, in spite of the fact that she has always condemned human rights violations by both the rebels and the government. Amnesty International believes that the charges against her are false and politically motivated, and that Soni Sori is a prisoner of conscience who has been arrested solely for criticizing human rights violations by both Maoists and state forces committed during the armed insurgency.
Closed petition
North Korea:
Boy unjustly imprisoned for family's actions
Kim Jeong-Nam, an 11 year-old boy, suddenly disappeared along with his mother in 2011. Amnesty International believes he is being imprisoned in Yodok, a political prisoners camp the North Korean government claims does not exist.
Mexcian mother held and tortured in military barracks for a week.
In 2011, Miriam Lopez was held in military barracks for a week, where she was tortured and sexually abused by soldiers. Army personnel tortured Miriam López in order to coerce her into signing a self-incriminating confession which falsely implicated her in drug trafficking offences. A state appointed public defender was present during parts of interrogation but failed to take any action to protect her rights or stop her ill-treatment, and no-one has been punished for these crimes. Amnesty International considers torture and any other form of ill-treatment as a way of coercing a confession a gross violation of human rights.
Closed petition
Human Rights Activist Jailed for Oppositionist Activities
Ales Bialiatski is a well-known activist and leader of the Human Rights Center Viasna. His organization was derecognized by the Belarusian authorities in 2003, forcing the organization to maintain their finances outside of the country. Bialiatski was arrested in 2011 and imprisoned after unfair trials regarding "concealment of income on a large scale." Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience whose detention is politically motivated and intended to obstruct his legitimate work as a human rights defender.
Closed petition
Tibet (occupied territory):
Sentenced to 6 years for a documentary
Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen has been imprisoned for "inciting separatism". He was detained in March 2008 for his involvement in making a documentary film about Tibetan attitudes towards the Beijing Olympics and the Dalai Lama. After a year of detention, he was secretly sentenced to 6 years in prison.


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"I keep one mobile phone for the family and one for the clients," said Renuka Kale, a sex worker in her late twenties living in Sangli district in south Maharashtra and an activist with VAMP* (Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad, also known as the Sex Workers' Collective Against Injustice). The two phones are a curious metaphor to the dual life she lives. To hide her identity as a street-based sex worker, she has told her family she does odd jobs or works as domestic help.
Renuka was among the 20-odd sex workers who had trickled in at the VAMP drop-in centre located in Miraj's shanty-lined red light district, 11 kilometres from Sangli city. Most of them were unlettered, and spoke Marathi or Kannada or both. They sat clutching their mobiles phones — rugged models of Nokia, inexpensive feature phones and touchscreen Android phones of Indian brands. Mobile phones, they said, have changed the nature of business.
Street-based sex workers such as Renuka manage all business over the phone. Clients arrange their visits after confirming the sex workers' availability via mobile phones. Sex workers communicate easily with outstation clients and their maalaks (literally meaning "masters", often regular customers who have graduated into lovers), without the fear of prying eyes. Being constantly connected also helps build client relations, so to speak. "When I go out of town, my clients call and ask, 'How long will you stay there? Come back'," beamed Bharati Kamble. They share their joys and sorrows with their lovers over the phone; the conversation isn't always about sex.
Read the full article in GenderIT.org .


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Judge rejects Nassau wage freeze
A federal judge on Thursday threw out a wage freeze imposed on Nassau County workers by a financial control board in 2011, in a decision that could force the county to repay tens of millions of dollars in back wages to union employees.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonard D. Wexler in Central Islip found that the Nassau Interim Finance Authority's power to suspend pay hikes and annual step increases expired four years ago.
Wexler delayed execution of his decision pending appeal. NIFA chairman Ronald Stack said the control board will take the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals, "confident that the continuing validity of its wage freeze power will be upheld." County Attorney John Ciampoli said he was reviewing the ruling.
NIFA is still expected to extend the wage freeze, which will expire March 23. Nassau Comptroller George Maragos' office calculates the freeze has saved the county $80 million through 2012 -- money that would have to be repaid if the board loses its appeal. Nassau continues to struggle to balance its books.
Nassau Police Benevolent Association president James Carver noted that he had proposed a renegotiated PBA contract that would have dropped the lawsuit while saving future police costs, but neither county officials nor NIFA acted on it. Some Nassau officials who had heard the terms said they had been unsure of the deal's savings.
"The way I'm looking at this, they had no right to freeze wages and we should be owed everything back," Carver said of Wexler's decision.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the PBA, the Nassau Detectives' Association and Superior Officers Association after NIFA froze wages when it took control of the county's finances in 2011. Similar lawsuits by the Civil Service Employees Association and correction officers union are waiting to be decided by Wexler.
"We have made the same argument on the timing issues; we expect the same result," CSEA president Jerry Laricchiuta said.
The unions argued that freezing contractual salary increases was unconstitutional and violated state labor law. They also contended that NIFA's authority to suspend wage increases ended in 2008 when the "interim finance period" described in the state statute expired.
The state legislature created NIFA in 2000 to monitor Nassau's finances following the county's near-bankruptcy in 1999. Under the law, NIFA was to continue monitoring the county's finances after the interim period expired, but with fewer active powers such as borrowing on Nassau's behalf.
Wexler did not rule on any of the arguments against the freeze except its timing. He agreed with the unions that NIFA's authority to freeze wages ended when the interim finance period ended.
Wexler noted that the law states that the wage freeze must end by the conclusion of the interim finance period. To interpret the law, Wexler said, "the court begins with the plain language of the statute." That language, he said, "unambiguously limits NIFA's power to impose a . . . wage freeze to the end of the interim finance period -- which period ended in 2008."
The decision immediately sparked partisan wrangling in a county election year. "The pay freeze was the only savings in Mangano's budgets. With that gone, boy, what a deficit," said Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick), ranking member of the county legislature's Finance Committee.
"County Executive Mangano has saved tens of millions of dollars by cutting wasteful spending, including the elimination of patronage jobs added to government by [former Democratic county executive] Tom Suozzi and the Democrats," responded aide Brian Nevin.


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What we read while maintaining NPI's AAA credit rating…
- Larry David made the cover of Rolling Stone. The issue has several features on David, including Cheryl Hines's take on their fictional divorce, an interview with Susie Essman, and a discussion with current Curb and former Seinfeld writers.
- Another prominent TV misanthrope, Louis C.K., was profiled in GQ.
- The most common specialty for blind mathematicians? Geometry.
- Geoff Dyer pens the book review of the week.
- How did you celebrate the tenth anniversary of one of the best comedies of last decade?
- Anthony Bourdain was on Real Time with Bill Maher, thankfully supplementing some incredibly annoying panelists. He was apparently making the rounds this week, also appearing on The Colbert Report. Political theorist Michael Sandel also recently made a Colbert Report appearance.
- Spencer and Heidi are now willing to admit some mistakes.


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Shoemaker also possesses a high level of toughness. He jammed his ankle earlier this season when sliding into a base, but only missed a few games.
He inherited that toughness from his dad Brian, a former wrestler at Indiana State, and his days on the gridiron at Northview High School in Brazil, Ind.
"Football was always fun," Shoemaker said. "I always liked the contact."
UPDATE: FS has more.


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STARKE, Fla. – Three Bradford County women are accused of battery on a law enforcement officer after a confrontation with deputies on Sunday morning.
Two sisters and their mother were arrested after one of the women reportedly jumped on a deputy's back during the incident between 8 and 9 a.m. on State Road 100 between Lake Butler and Starke. Deputies said they had to use a Taser gun to subdue one of the women.
The Sheriff's Office identified the women as Glenda Richerson, 39, Geraldine Richerson, 43, and Bessie Richerson, 76.
Channel 4's Vic Micolucci spoke with Glenda Richerson Sunday afternoon at the sheriff's station in Starke. She said was just walking to the grocery store with her mother and sister when a deputy pulled up and offered them a ride. She said she declined, but deputies said they discovered she had two warrants out for her arrest and had to arrest her.
That's when things got violent. The deputy said Glenda resisted arrest, wouldn't let him handcuff her, and was trying to fight him. The deputy said he responded with his Taser gun. Once Glenda was stunned with the Taser, her mother and sister jumped on the deputy's back and started attacking him, the deputy said.
Glenda disputes key parts of the deputy's story.
"He got mad and that's when he started pushing his weight around, pushing me on the ground," said Glenda. "And I turned and fell on my stomach. That's when I fell on my arm, nearly broke my arm, and that's when he put a Taser to my back. I was on the ground already, and that's when he Tasered me. I felt like I'd been electrocuted. He (Tased) my mother, (too). She got a bad place in her arm and she's 76. And my sister. My sister and I, we did not touch him."
The deputy said he was just protecting himself. Capt. Brad Smith with the Bradford County Sheriff's Office said the agency has investigated what happened and believes the deputy handled the situation correctly.
"In this particular case, we don't see anything that the deputy did inappropriately. As a matter of fact, three against one, even with the fact that they're women and one of them elderly, they can still seriously hurt the officers, seriously hurt themselves or innocent people driving by. And the officer was able to handle the situation well enough to get everyone contained and nobody hurt seriously enough to where they had to go to the hospital," said Smith.
Glenda said she plans to file a lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office for what happened.
All three women were booked into the Bradford County jail. Officials said they're conducting mental health evaluations on them. At a first appearance hearing Monday morning, Glenda Richerson was ordered held on the two previous warrants, but her mother and sister were released on the battery charge.


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In commemoration of the new LiveNation.com, Live Nation and Chevy Sonic (a launch partner) will host a concert featuring rock bands OneRepublic, The Cab, and Delta Rae on Thursday, December 13th at the Hollywood Palladium and Splash Magazines Worldwide is going to give two lucky readers each a pair of tickets to attend.
During the concert, Live Nation, Chevy Sonic and OneRepublic fans will attempt to break a world record by crowd surfing a life-like Chevy Sonic balloon during the concert. The show and crowd-surfing experience will be streamed live on LiveNation.com/chevysonic and Chevy Sonic's Facebook page.
To be eligible to win a pair of tickets to the OneRepublic concert, you must follow @SplashMagWW on twitter and retweet the following:
Retweet to enter: #Win a pair of tickets to see @OneRepublic from @SplashMagWW @GMNewsWest and #chevy Sonic Dec. 13 @thepalladium http://tinyurl.com/cjs6b6b
The two winners will be chosen from all valid entries on December 12th, 2012.
For more information on Live Nation, visit: www.LiveNation.com