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Opinion: Fiscal cliff was 10 years in the making
If it's true that a successful mediation results in both sides being unhappy, this week's fiscal cliff deal should take the prize of the century. In the wake of passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives, liberals and conservatives were effusive in condemning the new law, albeit for entirely different reasons. Newt Gingrich tweeted "The GOP has been engaged in a two month dance of defeat and surrender!" Congressman Jim Moran, D-Va., called the compromise "wholly inadequate."
Nevertheless, the cliff deal washed away President Barack Obama's firmly-stated campaign commitment to raise tax rates on incomes over $250,000, kicking the threshold up to $450,000 for joint filers. Here's the deal's travesty: while rates are not raised for families with incomes substantial enough to fall between $250,000 and $450,000, if you're an ordinary employee earning less than $113,700, you lose. That's because whether you're a Democrat or Republican, a liberal or a Tea Party enthusiast, your Social Security taxes are going back up. This means that people earning constant salaries will have lower take-home pay in 2013. Can't afford it? Too bad, you'll be subsidizing retained cuts for higher earners and wealthy people's estate taxes.
You'd hardly know that Obama, who campaigned on a slight tax rate increase on family incomes over $250,000, won re-election two months ago. Mitt Romney, who campaigned on cutting government spending even more than it had already been cut and pledged to not raise taxes at all, lost. The issue was clear-cut. A majority of the voters wanted Obama's clearly-stated plan. The widespread support for Obama and his campaign promises assured his becoming the only Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to twice win the presidency by vote majorities. The public's support for his fiscal campaign promises have been consistently confirmed in post-election opinion polling.
November's Democratic sweep included gaining seats in both congressional chambers. More significant, votes cast for Democrats in congressional races across the country exceeded those cast for Republicans. Yet the American people's electoral will is shortchanged because of irregular drawing of intrastate Congressional districts by Republican legislatures and governors. The gerrymandering has produced more Republican- than Democratic-leaning districts, enabling Republicans in the new House to retain their partisan institutional majority. Many of these gerrymandered winners are fringe Tea Party people whose influence far exceeds their percentage of American society. The politically designed districting subverts what most Americans want.
Our fiscal crisis was ordained 10 years ago when George Bush, Dick Cheney and their neocon cronies conned and manipulated the country into an extravagant military venture under false pretenses against an enemy that did not threaten us. The Iraq War, which cost tens of thousands of American casualties, removed a check on Iran and left the Middle East considerably less stable. The ultimate cost to the U. S. economy will reach $4 trillion, according to a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch report. That war, and the Bush tax cuts, which squandered the fiscal surplus of the Clinton years, were a direct cause of the 2008-09 recession and today's budget crisis. This salient point receives too little attention in the ongoing debate. Many who supported that ill-founded war are the same guys who don't want to pay for it by slightly raising high-income people's taxes, preferring instead to raise yours and to cut your government services.
On Thursday, the first day of the new Congress, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other Republican obstructionists clearly indicated their intention to force another fiscal crisis in early March when the national debt ceiling must be raised. They threaten to hold the increase hostage to getting spending cuts in entitlement programs. They are spreading the lies that a debt ceiling increase opens new spending avenues for the president. It doesn't. The debt ceiling must be raised in order to cover the country's existing obligations. Without the increase, the faith and credit of the United States is damaged and global financial stability will be threatened.
This rich country has resources to cover the extravagance of the Bush years, but they're accumulated in estates of the very rich and powerful corporate interests who neither create jobs nor stimulate a national economy. Instead of threating to break entitlement contracts with the working middle class and defaulting on existing obligations, we should be adding higher rate brackets to the federal income tax code as we did in the mid-20th century when the nation experienced one of its most dynamic economic expansions ever. By the way, the top bracket then was over 90 percent.
– Michael Zucker is a resident of South Lake Tahoe and a stockbroker with Regal Securities. The views expressed in this column are his alone and do not represent those of Regal.
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Emerald City Comicon is proud to present an official Carol Corps Celebration event with Kelly Sue DeConnick, G. Willow Wilson, and Christopher Sebela at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Thursday, March 27th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
Ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet awesome featured guests, mingle with them and each other, socialize, and enjoy the main exhibits in the Museum of Flight. Light hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and beverages will be provided. Tickets also guarantee all-day access to the Museum of Flight (during regular business hours of 10am to 5pm).
This event is designed to celebrate Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel and connect fans of those comics with their creators. Cosplay, demonstrations of creativity, and enthusiasm are highly encouraged.
Kelly Sue DeConnick is the writer behind the current Captain Marvel comic, as well as Pretty Deadly, Avengers Assemble, and Ghost. G. Willow Wilson is the writer for the new Ms. Marvel comic, in addition to work on All New Marvel Now! Point One, The Unexpected, and Mystic. Christopher Sebela has also written for Captain Marvel, as well as High Crimes, Ghost, and Fantastic Four.
Special guests also include Captain Marvel cover artist Dexter Vines, and Captain Marvel co-writer Jen Van Meter! Ms. Marvel guests include colorist Ian Herring and legendary comic artist Arthur Adams!
ECCC has partnered with We Love Fine to produce an exclusive "Captain Marvel at the Museum of Flight" t-shirt, available for purchase at the event or during ticket purchase. ECCC has also partnered with TopatoCo to provide an exclusive Carol Corps patch with art by Kate Leth (Kate or Die!, Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake) only available to the Carol Corps Celebration event attendees.
We are proud to partner with Optimystical Studios on an exclusive Captain Marvel pendant, available only at this event. We will also have Espionage Cosmetics and their ECCC Exclusive make up pack, with a table set up to provide manicures for those who buy nail wraps!
We have also invited local charity Comic Book Characters for Causes to attend, and they will be accepting donations. They will be bringing Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, Black Widow, and Captain America. You're welcome to get photos taken with them, or just talk cosplay and comics!
All proceeds for this event will be donated to the Girls Leadership Institute.
This event is open to people aged 16 and over. Tickets to Emerald City Comicon are NOT REQUIRED in order to attend this event. Tickets to the Carol Corps Celebration do not allow access in to Emerald City Comicon. This is separately ticketed event from the convention itself. Alcoholic beverages will be available at a cash bar for attendees 21+.

subset: commoncrawl


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A whistle-stop tour in the north of Brandenburg! The German Ceramics Route is a circular route of approximately 215 km through the natural and historic treasures of the Ruppin Lake District. Running from Velten through Rheinsberg, Mildenberg, Fürstenberg before returning to Velten, the route takes visitors through impressive countryside and idyllic lakes formed out of clay pits, which are today home to many animals and plants.
The amazing Ruppin Lake District is characterised by the high skies over green forests, lush fields, crystal-clear lakes, winding streams and cobbled streets which are synonymous with the Mark region. Today the German Ceramics Route runs along a line of rich striped clay deposits which were formed at the end of the Ice Age. These deposits are of weathered feldspathic rocks, sedimentary rocks, composed largely of clay materials.
Tone on tone?
The rocks are fine-grained loose rocks that are mostly yellow to grey in colour. Other colour variations include red, purple, green or black. When combined with water, clay forms a malleable mass, which is the raw material used to manufacture ceramic products such as bricks, tiles, pottery, building materials or for making bulking agents for making stationary.
An exciting discovery
The Ruppin Lake District is where the German Ceramics Route can be found, and it doesn't matter whether you decide to cycle, sail or drive along your journey of discovery: a wealth of interesting museums and attractions are here to give you a better understanding of clay, while ceramic workshops and galleries will offer you an insight into the creative skills and craftsmanship of previous generations.
Getting creative with clay
All clays leave traces of their existence behind and these are well-worth exploring; traces such as the clay deposits and intensive brick making industry of the 18th and 19th centuries which left their marks on the countryside, as well as on the region's towns and cities. Incidentally, the manufacture of clay goods is one of man's oldest production techniques: the material itself also allows the manufacturer to display their own creative skill using a wealth of techniques such as painting.
Length: approximately 215 km
Theme: ceramics in the Ruppin Lake District
Kremmen: the Barn Quarter (Scheunenviertel)
Liebenwalde: town hall
Lindow: the "Beautiful Nun" statue (Schöne Nonne)
Marwitz: ceramic workshops
Mildenberg: Brickyard Park (Ziegeleipark)
Rheinsberg: palace, Ceramics Museum
Staffelfelde: manor
Vehelefanz: trestle windmill
Velten: Ceramic Oven Museum
Zehdenick: clay landscape, Ziegelhof restaurant
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The annual "Christmas in the Village" will kick off the holiday season in Limerick this Saturday, Dec. 1.
The daylong celebration will start with the Limerick-Newfield Lions Club's craft fair at the Brick Town Hall at 19 Main Street. There also will be a craft fair at the Limerick Congregational Church at 51 Main Street. Both craft fairs will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Breakfast with Frosty will be served on Saturday morning from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Brick Town Hall, and lunch will he available at the Limerick Congregational Church from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Also on the agenda is "Cookies with Santa" at the Limerick Fire Station at 24 School Street from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Hayrides will be offered at the Brick Town Hall from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Christmas parade will start at 2 p.m. and will proceed down Main Street. Later, there will be a Christmas pageant, kids' activities, dinner and caroling.
The tree lighting will be held at 6 p.m. at the gazebo on Main Street, followed by cookies and hot chocolate, sponsored by the Research Club of Limerick.
There is still time to purchase tickets for the Newfield Village Library's holiday raffle, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8, at noon at the town office building at 637 Water Street.
According to Librarian Cheryl Cause, tickets for the raffle are $1 each, or 6 for $5 or 12 for $10, and may be purchased from her at the library during regular hours. Tickets also may be purchased from Thelma Connell by calling her at 793-2128.
The library's regular hours are 9 to 11:45 a.m. and 1 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 6 to 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday evenings; and 12 to 4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays. The library also will be open this Saturday, Dec. 1, from 9 to 11:45 a.m.
The laundry-basket of prizes include a $25 gift certificate for Hannaford, a lint roller, a 2013 calendar, flashlights, popcorn, a candle, a puzzle, bird seed bells, a plate of cookies, mugs and cocoa mix, an ice scraper, Blistex lip balm, turtle chocolates, a hand warmer, a fleece blanket throw, skin moisturizer, and a Stonewall Kitchen blueberry cheese fall mix. The winner of the drawing will receive the entire basket of prizes.
The Newfield Planning Board will hold a Public Input Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. at the West Newfield Town Hall at 23 South Effingham Road. The meeting is being held to discuss the Community Character Section of the Comprehensive Plan for the town. All Newfield residents are welcome to attend to give their input on the overall Comprehensive Plan for the town and to join a subcommittee.
The board's regularly scheduled meeting will be held afterward at 8 p.m.
The Comprehensive Planning Board and the Newfield Planning Board meet on the first Wednesday of every month.
I would like to thank everyone who donated clothes and other items for the New Jersey and New York relief project in response to Hurricane Sandy in late October. It was a very successful event and at this time, donations are no longer being taken. Aubuchon Hardware Stores will also no longer be sending trucks down to the area.
According to a spokesperson from Spark Relief.org, monetary donations may be sent to them. All donations, big or small, will be greatly appreciated and will help to support the families that have been displaced by the disaster. To find out more about sending money, send an email to email@example.com or call 724-436-1010. The organization does accept major credit cards. Donations of money will go toward food, goods, medical needs, shelter, services, animal needs, transportation and more.
Donations that another volunteer and I were not able to send down were delivered to York County Shelter Projects and Goodwill Industries.
Thank you again for your generosity.
Members of the Newfield Lunch Bunch will be going to Bonanza at 1285 Main Street in Sanford on Wednesday, Dec. 5. They will meet there between 11 and 11:15 a.m.
For more information or a ride, please call Thelma at 793-2128.
■ Seniors will have a luncheon today, Thursday, Nov. 29, in Limerick at Mary Ann Manor at 109 Washington Street at 11 a.m. Bring your own lunch.
■ Newfield firefighters will have a work session on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Public Safety Building at 85 Water Street at 7 p.m.
■ Newfield selectmen will have their weekly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Town Office at 637 Water Street at 7 p.m.
■ Tea Time will be held at the Newfield Village Library on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 637 Water Street at 3 p.m.
Making a perfect eggnog for the holidays is easy enough, but there is an exact procedure that should be followed, according to Williams-Sonoma's Christmas Entertaining Cookbook.
Eggnog with Nutmeg and Cinnamon
1 or 2 whole nutmegs
1 cinnamon stick
12 large egg yolks
4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brandy, cognac, rum or bourbon (optional) Leave out the liquor if the eggnog will be consumed by children. Using a nutmeg grater or the smallest rasps on a hand-held grater-shredder, grate the nutmeg until you have about 1 teaspoon. In a spice grinder, or coffee grinder, reserved for spices, grind the cinnamon stick and set aside. In a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, 2 cups of the milk and 1 cup of the sugar. Place over low heat and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining 2 cups milk and let cool.
In a bowl, using a hand-held mixer or whisk, whip the heavy cream with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla until soft peaks form. Set aside.
Strain the cooled mixture through a fine mesh sieve and pour into a serving pitcher or small punch bowl. Stir in the brandy (optional). Serve the eggnog in cups or glasses, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of each nutmeg and cinnamon. Serves 8-10.
'Christmas in the Village' set for Saturday
The annual "Christmas in the Village" will kick off the holiday season in Limerick this Saturday, Dec. 1.


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Augmentation of cardiac contractility mediated by the human beta(3)-adrenergic receptor overexpressed in the hearts of transgenic mice.
(Circulation, 2001-11-13)
BACKGROUND: Stimulation of beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenergic receptors (ARs) in the heart results in positive inotropy. In contrast, it has been reported that the beta(3)AR is also expressed in the human heart and that its ...
Beta-arrestin-mediated beta1-adrenergic receptor transactivation of the EGFR confers cardioprotection.
(J Clin Invest, 2007-09)
Deleterious effects on the heart from chronic stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors (betaARs), members of the 7 transmembrane receptor family, have classically been shown to result from Gs-dependent adenylyl ...
Cardiac beta ARK1 inhibition prolongs survival and augments beta blocker therapy in a mouse model of severe heart failure.
(Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2001-05-08)
Chronic human heart failure is characterized by abnormalities in beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) signaling, including increased levels of betaAR kinase 1 (betaARK1), which seems critical to the pathogenesis of the disease. ...
Catecholamines, cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors, and heart failure.
(Circulation, 2000-04-11)
Level of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 inhibition determines degree of cardiac dysfunction after chronic pressure overload-induced heart failure.
(Circulation, 2005-02-08)
BACKGROUND: Heart failure is characterized by abnormalities in beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) signaling, including increased level of myocardial betaAR kinase 1 (betaARK1). Our previous studies have shown that inhibition ...


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Pope Benedict: Resigning for 'good of the church'
- Benedict to step down Feb. 28
- Pope thanks public%2C says he simply doesn%27t have the strength to continue
- Pope gives address at the Vatican
VATICAN CITY — Catholics in St. Peter's Square were emotionally overcome on this Ash Wednesday after Pope Benedict XVI told thousands of faithful that he was resigning for "the good of the church."
"Today was the first time and probably the last time I saw Pope Benedict in real life, said Annalaura Orsini, 29, a student from Umbria, who was among those in the attendance. "I don't think the story was true when I first heard it.
"Now I feel sad for his suffering."
Thousands of people arrived at St. Peter's Basilica to hear the pope's traditional Wednesday lesson on church doctrine and gave the 85-year-old Benedict a standing ovation. Many in the audience had tears in their eyes.
A huge banner reading "Grazie Santita" (Thank you Your Holiness) was strung up at the back of the room.
Speaking softly in Italian, Benedict thanked people for their prayers, saying he had "physically felt (them) in these days that haven't been easy for me." He asked that the faithful "continue to pray for me, the church, and the future pope."
On his decision Monday to resign on Feb. 28 after eight years as pope, he said: "I did this in full liberty for the good of the church."
Benedict sent out a tweet that did not discuss his resignation but talked of the Catholic season of Lent, a time of repentance that begins with Ash Wednesday leading up to Easter Sunday.
"During the season of Lent which begins today, we renew our commitment to the path of conversion, making more room for God in our lives," the pope tweeted to the more than 1.5 million followers of his @Pontifex handle.
It was cold but sunny at St. Peter's Square as people milled about and looked up to take photos of Benedict's apartment on the northern side of the piazza where the lights were on inside. There was a line of tourists waiting to get into the church.
Enza Priori, 55, a high school history teacher, was surrounded by students she had brought to St. Peter's.
"This is history and I told the students it was something they should see. We arrived at the very end of the blessing and went in to tour the basilica after. It was emotional to come today."
One of the pupils, Gianmarco, 16, said: "One day I'll tell my children I was here."
Spending 10 days in Rome with a group of friends, Milly Anderson-Zellars from Grand Rapids, Mich., said she understood the pope's decision.
"The poor man. I'm almost his age," said the 79-year-old retired store owner and widow. "I know every day can be hard. I hope he doesn't suffer too much. It broke my heart to see the previous one, John Paul, suffer every day.
"What a holy and dignified man. God bless him."
At his catechism lesson earlier in the day, a chorus of Italian schoolchildren sang Benedict a hymn in German and nuns waved papal flags. Benedict, a native of Bavaria, thanked them for singing a hymn "particularly dear to me."
The Rev. Reinaldo Braga Jr., a Brazilian priest studying theology in Rome, said he was saddened when he first heard the news.
"The atmosphere was funereal but nobody had died," he said. "But then I realized it was a wise act for the entire church. He taught the church and the world that the papacy is not about power but about service."
Benedict was the oldest pope to be appointed since Clement XII in 1730 when he was elected in April 2005. He is the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years, effective Feb. 28. A conclave of the church's 117 cardinals under age 80 will be held to appoint a new pope. The Vatican said a decision should be reached before Easter.
The Vatican press office said that the conclave -- the process by which the next pope is chosen -- will begin in the week after March 15.
The Vatican said no serious medical ailment was behind Benedict's decision to retire. He has had a pacemaker for years and has appeared frail and unsteady at recent Masses.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Benedict's final official acts as pope will include audiences with the Romanian and Guatemalan presidents this week and the Italian president on Feb. 23.
He intends to live a life of prayer in a converted monastery on the far northern edge of the Vatican gardens, the Vatican said. Benedict's final general audience appearance will be Feb. 27 and may draw great crowds.
FULL COVERAGE:Ash Wednesday mark's pope's last major event
Contributing: USA TODAY's Kim Hjelmgaard; The Associated Press


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David Spade seemed genuinely surprised at the outrage sparked last fall when footage from "Tommy Boy" and some fancy camera work were used to reunite him with his late buddy-movie pal Chris Farley for a DirecTV commercial.
An apologetic Spade insisted he intended the ghoulish spot as an homage to his fallen friend – and not a bid to restart his own career. "I wouldn't want anyone to get a whiff that I'm trying to get something off Chris," he told People.
It wasn't the first celebrity-driven commercial to use images of famous folks no longer with us. Fred Astaire's posthumous, 1997 dance with a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner struck many as odd. Apple invoked Gandhi, Einstein, Martin Luther King and other notables in its late 1990s "Think Different" campaign. DirecTV tastelessly used footage from "Poltergeist" with Heather O'Rourke – the "They're baaack" girl who died in 1988 at age 12 – to hawk satellite television a couple years ago.
But the new Tiger Woods Nike spot with a voiceover from the golfer's late father, Earl Woods, might be the creepiest celebrity commercial of all.
You've probably seen the ad by now: a solemn looking Woods, filmed in black and white, staring straight into the camera as his father's disembodied voice intones: "I want to find out what your thinking was."
The context and timing of the words from the elder Woods, who died in 2006, are unclear. So we'll ask a question in the context of the commercial: What were Tiger – and Nike – thinking?
You've got to hand it to Woods – the ad marks a new strategy in the tiresome celebrity-comeback-from-disgrace ritual, which goes something like this: a scandal breaks, the star clams up amid a wave of sordid revelations, ducks into rehab, emerges with a humbling public statement, gives tightly controlled interviews to trusted reporters (or better yet, Oprah Winfrey) before launching a triumphant comeback.
Woods, who is on a self-serving self-flagellation kick as he returns to golf this week, has added to the formula a public scolding – delivered in a sneaker commercial, by a loved one/authority figure who has been dead for nearly four years.
Tiger Woods, of course, is a lot more than a golfer – he's an endorsement machine, who, pre-scandal, reportedly made $100 million a year from deals beyond the links. Nike, which gave us Charles Barkley unapologetically Normal.dotm 0 0 1 2 15 CUNY Graduate School of Journalism 1 1 18 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} declaring, "I am not a role model," offered a Woods a chance to help keep their lucrative association with him alive by letting him essentially make penance in a 30-second ad.
The presence of Woods' mother, Kultida, at his February question-free press conference/public confession proved unsettling enough. It feels even more unnerving and unseemly for Woods to use his late father to help sell himself to the public as a chastened man.
For someone who already has dragged his family through the rough over the last four-plus months, the commercial might be Tiger Wood's most selfish stroke yet.
U.S. & World
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, Miltie-media NY City News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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Perry pushes prayer, not legislation, to fight violence
Gov. Rick Perry recommended prayer rather than changes in gun laws to combat violence in society, following President Obama's call for increased gun control and enforcement.
"There is evil prowling in the world – it shows up in our movies, video games and online fascinations, and finds its way into vulnerable hearts and minds," Perry said in a statement issued after the president's Washington, D.C., news conference on gun violence. "As a free people, let us choose what kind of people we will be. Laws, the only redoubt of secularism, will not suffice. Let us all return to our places of worship and pray for help. Above all, let us pray for our children."
Perry said few of the recommendations put forth by Vice President Joe Biden's committee on violence, appointed by the president after the Newtown school massacre that killed 20 children and six adults, had anything to do with what happened in that Connecticut town.
"In fact, the piling on by the political left, and their cohorts in the media, to use the massacre of little children to advance a pre-existing political agenda that would not have saved those children, disgusts me, personally," the governor said. "The Second Amendment to the Constitution is a basic right of free people and cannot be nor will it be abridged by the executive power of this or any other president."
State Rep. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, applauded the president's announcement, calling it a "common sense plan to increase gun safety."
In a statement, Ellis voiced support for Obama's call for universal background checks for all gun purchases, reinstatement of the assault weapons ban and a prohibition on high-capacity ammunition clips.
"I also applaud his plan to issue an executive order requiring the Center for Disease Control to study the impact of guns and gun violence on public health," the lawmaker said. "For too long, science has been bullied into silence on this issue.
Ellis said he planned to file legislation to close the gun show loophole in Texas. Under federal law, unlicensed gun dealers are not required to conduct background checks of buyers. Many of the sales at gun shows are by unlicensed dealers.
More Information
Stockman unhappy: Promises to fight
Gun drama unfolds: On social media
'Elitist hypocrit': NRA ad on Obama
Texan take: Ted Poe sees hypocrisy
Another shooting: 2 killed at college
'Gun Appreciation Day': Don't miss it
"I am also exploring other common sense solutions to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them, help law enforcement track gun crime and increase oversight of those allowed to sell firearms in Texas," Ellis said. "We can ensure public safety while preserving the individual right to bear arms is protected."
Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, said the administration's gun control proposals will not be effective.
"Any gun control laws that are implemented as of 2013 are going to only apply to the honest citizens, they're not going to apply to the crooks," Hunt said. "That's why we have serious problems with it."
Hunt said any changes in law would be followed by honest citizens, but would have no effect on keeping criminals from obtaining guns.
"I think this is a reaction to a very tragic situation, no doubt about it, but every gun law in effect would not have prevented what happened in that situation," Hunt said of the Sandy Hook shooting. "That person was mentally ill, he didn't by the gun himself, someone who was competent bought it."


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Children's books have always been important to me. Good children's literature should be enjoyed by children of all ages, including adults. Despite several moves, I have still hung on to all of the picture books that I enjoyed reading to our children – I can't let them go.
One author, not included in that collection of mine until recently, is Kate DiCamillo. I discovered her books at a reading conference and they have captivated me. I have fallen in love with her haunting style. She has a direct approach with difficult subjects. Somewhere in the beautiful, polished stories she creates, there comes an upper cut of a fist – a shot of realism that we know is always part of life, but should it be in a book for children?
One of the things that a good children's book does is to allow children to experience the real world vicariously, which includes sadness and loss. Through the story the child can safely imagine how they would react in the same situation. One fantasy author said once "if it's too scary for adults, give it to children."
Here are the books that I've read from this author. Though they are poignant, with DiCamillo's books whenever there is loss, there is also redemption. Why not read one aloud, and if you can't find a child to read to, find an adult!
Also, here are some FAQs about the author:
Peter wants to find his long lost sister. When a fortune teller tells him that an elephant will lead him there, what seems an impossibility, becomes an amazing story with a sense of everyday magic. A haunting modern tale about the transformative power of hope and the value of community.
'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'
The timeless tale of a lost china rabbit. Edward goes on a difficult journey which causes him to grow and learn some important life lessons and to discover the true meaning of love.
A hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South. In life sad and sweet and are always all mixed up together. Everything changes one day, when Opal goes into a supermarket and comes out with a scraggly dog.
A Christmas story full of compassion and joy. This is a beautifully illustrated, unusual story – unsentimental and real.
DeCamillo often has characters who just appear to her, and one day Rob showed up. He haunted her other stories, until she finally wrote this story about a tiger, grief, and redemption. Like a tiger (and grief) some things can't be locked up forever!
Three unforgettable characters embark on a journey that will lead them to a horrible dungeon, a glittering castle, and into each other's lives – a mouse, a rat, and a serving girl. A delicious soup of an old world tale with a cheeky twist.


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We are not amused.
That was the clear message from attendees of FPA Retreat 2013 in Palm Springs, Calif., to the announcement during a town hall meeting on Sunday that the CFP Board is considering a plan to enter the continuing education provider market.
The CFP Board, which is currently tasked with setting the standards and regulating CFP CE providers, would now become a provider itself if the plan were eventually approved.
"It's a conflict of interest and a serious threat to the profession and the credibility of the CFP mark," FPA president Michael Branham said when stating the FPA's position on the matter.
Branham stressed that the CFP Board is at this time only exploring the idea of entering the CE provider market.
Michael Kitces, director of research for Pinnacle Advisory Group (and AdvisorOne contributor), compared the CFP Board's plan to a hypothetical situation in which the SEC "suddenly announced it would open an RIA that was direct-to-consumer for financial advice, while still regulating the rest of us. The conflict of interest is so apparent; I don't see how it would work."
"The CFP Board has one task, and it's a sacred task—to protect the credibility of the CFP mark, even if that means certain limitations," said Richard Wagner of Denver-based WorthLiving.
Branham took pains to note the FPA was grateful to the CFP Board for sharing the information, and added he did not want FPA Retreat attendees to go after the CFP Board members in attendance with "pitchforks and torches."
However, CFP Board member Nancy Kistner addressed the crowd, saying the announcement was simply made as a possible option to help raise the quality of CFP continuing education.
"We appreciate the feedback and dialogue," Kistner said. "This is all part of the conversation, and yes, the conversation is an unpleasant one, but I ask you to continue to be open in expressing your views."
View complete AdvisorOne coverage of FPA Retreat 2013 on our Retreat landing page.


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The Wynn Las Vegas Hotel just announced that it will be installing the Amazon Echo device in every one of its 4,748 guest rooms by Summer 2017. Apparently, hotel guests will be able to use Echo, Amazon's hands-free voice-controlled speaker, to control room lights, temperature, and drapery, but also some TV functions.
CEO Steve Wynn: "I have never, ever seen anything that was more intuitively dead-on to making a guest experience seamlessly delicious, effortlessly convenient than the ability to talk to your room and say .. 'Alexa, I'm here, open the curtains, … lower the temperature, … turn on the news.' She becomes our butler, at the service of each of our guests".
The announcement does, however, also raise security concerns. The Alexa device is always listening, at least for the "wake word". This is, of course, necessary for it to work when you actually need it. It needs to know when it is being "addressed" to start recognising what you say and hopefully act on it afterwards. Interestingly, though, according to the Alexa FAQ:
When these devices detect the wake word, they stream audio to the cloud, including a fraction of a second of audio before the wake word.
All commands are saved on the device's History. The question is: Will the hotel automatically wipe the device's history once a guest has checked out? Or at least before the next guest arrives in the room! Can perhaps every guest have access to their own history of commands, so that they can delete it themselves just before check-out? These are crucial security aspects that the Hotel needs to consider, because it would be a shame for this seamlessly delicious and effortlessly convenient experience to be cut short by paranoid guests switching the Echo off as soon as they enter the room!


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Google Trend graph shows a bit of a decline in the rate that people were going to Google and typing in the keyword Zoologist. The downward trend leveled off in about 2010 and has remained constant with interest in Zoology & Zoologists showing strong cyclical trends every year.
Bureau of Labor Statistics information for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists listed the median salary in 2010 at $57,430 a year which comes out to around $27.61 an hour. A Zoologist typically is required to have a Zoology degree or some related type of Biology major focused Bachelors Degree. The number of Zoologist jobs available in 2010 were 19,800 in total. The Zoologist job outlook shows that the profession will have a growth rate of 7% adding nearly 1,500 Zoology jobs to the job market from 2010 – 2020. Depending on if you get a Zoologist job in one of the highest paying states you can make as much as $61,000 a year.
Listed below is information that is specific to Zoologist job salaries that you can expect to receive in that state area. Our state by state breakdown allows you to see which state is best to get a job as a Zoologist. The salary information provided below is off of real-world job listings for Zoologists and the pay offered for those jobs. We source Indeed, Simply Hired, PayScale and GlassDoor.com. The information provided by Indeed about their process for collecting salary averages is as follows: "Indeed Salary Search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months. Many job descriptions don't contain salary information, but there are enough that do to produce statistically significant median salaries for millions of keyword, job title and location combinations – in fact, most job searches you are likely to think of. As new jobs are added each day, the Indeed Salary Search index is automatically updated with fresh salary data, so the salary results are as up-to-date as they could possibly be."


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DOVER — The City's Capital Improvements Program will be presented at this week's council meeting Wednesday.
At 7 p.m., the council will meet in McConnell Center's room 305 for a workshop and citizen's forum, with a CIP presentation. This is a joint meeting with the Planning Board.
The CIP is a tool that outlines a schedule for the next six years of capital projects and purchases greater than $25,000 which maintain and improve the community infrastructure. They will be discussed in an openly public meeting and will consist of reviewing the proposed CIP for fiscal years 2014 to 2019.
Dover's Director of Planning and Community Development Chris Parker said he is excited to release the proposed CIP for the council and Planning Board's review. His CIP projects range from complex road reconstructions to routine maintenance and replacement of equipment. Projects include City Hall repairs, cemetery improvements, police and fire station updates, general street and sidewalk improvements, Whittier Street Bridge and water fund projects.
According to Parker, the various departments submit project requests over the summer months. He and Finance Director Dan Lynch review the projects with the city manager before the list is compiled into the overall Capital Improvements Plan. This plan is updated annually by the community and involves input sessions with the Planning Board and City Council.
After Wednesday's joint session, the Planning Board will begin reviewing the plan and forward its recommendations to City Council.
To view the updated CIP projects, visit http://www.dover.nh.gov/planhome.htm and click on the CIP link. Contained within the page is a video overview of the plan as well as a map locating projects proposed in the first year of the program.
For more information, contact the Dover Planning Department at (603) 516-6008, email Parker at email@example.com, or stop by the Planning Office located on the first floor of City Hall.
Public can comment on 6-year Dover CIP Wednesday
DOVER — The City's Capital Improvements Program will be presented at this week's council meeting Wednesday.


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With nearly 30 years of finance experience, Walker Finance knows that one standard type of financing does not fit every equipment purchasing decision. That is why we have multiple options.
Simple Finance Terms: We offer fixed finance terms at competitive rates available to qualified buyers for up to 60 months. We have standard terms, but we also offer deferred payment plans, seasonal payments, and other customized terms that fit for your business needs. Our experienced Finance Rep will work with you to find the plan that is right for you.
Lease Terms: Typically, lease terms are for up to 60 months with $1.00, 10% and FMV buyouts.
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Contact us today for more information or complete a Credit Application to start the credit process.
Purchase Option or Buyout
Buyout/Purchase options are determined before the lease begins. They outline your final financial obligations at the end of the lease.
$1 Buyout: Probably the most common lease buyout, the lessee purchases the equipment for $1 at the end of a capital lease and also enjoys the depreciation tax benefits of owning the equipment.
10% Buyout: With this contract, at the end of the lease term the lessee would purchase the equipment for 10% of its original purchase price. The 10% Buyout results in a lower monthly payment than the $1 Buyout, but has the lump sum final payment at the end of the lease.
Fair Market Value (FMV) Purchase Option: At the end of the lease term the Lessee would be able to purchase the equipment for its then Fair Market Value, continue to lease, or return the equipment. Often, this buyout can result in lower monthly payments. Generally, the lessee would list the payments as an operating expense and would not depreciate the asset. Many companies use this structure as a financial planning tool and a means to avoid technological obsolescence.
Why Government Lease Purchase?
Quick Delivery: Lease Purchase financing may allow the Government Entity to acquire the equipment they need more quickly than other means and to spread the cost over multiple budget years.
Flexible Terms: The payment type can be tailored to suit the needs of each government. Annual, semi-annual, quarterly and monthly payment intervals are available with terms extending to the useful life of the equipment. Deferrals, down-payments and advanced payments can also be arranged for the benefit of the government entity. Up to 100% of equipment cost can be financed, as well as "soft" costs such as freight, installation, and training.
Early Purchase Option: If funds become available; the government may buy-out at any time after the completion of the first fiscal year.
Non-Appropriation: Government leases are characterized by a Non-Appropriation clause which specifies that the lease may be terminated in the event funds are not made available in subsequent fiscal years.
Nothing Down: Under most payment plans, no down payment or security deposit is required. However, structuring the lease with advance payments may lower the net cost of financing to the lessee.
$1.00 Buyout: Lessee owns the equipment at end of lease term. Most government leases are structured with $1 Buyout.
Government Lease Rentals: A government lease rental is NOT A MONTH TO MONTH CONTRACT, but a fixed length financing in which the equipment will be paid for by the leasing company, and will revert to the leasing company at the completion of the contract term. Additionally, with municipal lease rental the interest paid by the lessee is not tax exempt to the investor. The result of this is that a rental could have higher payments than a municipal lease purchase due to the higher interest rates. However the advantages of not having to own outdated technological equipment may make this an attractive alternative.


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Projects Abroad Human Rights Office – Cape Town, South Africa – Monthly Reports
Projects Abroad Human Rights Office - Cape town - Monthly reports - May 2011
|Police: Your Rights and Access to Justice
|Legal Clinic
|Child Trafficking
|Intestate and Property Rights
|Child Labour/Trafficking
|Case Work
Social Justice
Police: Your Rights and Access to Justice
This month we had one workshop in this project. We visited Nima, a community which has expressed serious issues relating to local policing and violations of offender's rights. Our volunteers presented the UN's 10 Suspect Rights and a general statement on current police behaviour with reference to corruption and extortion. The community leaders were very interested, engaged and grateful for the training. We will continue to work with this community and facilitate a better relationship between the police and the public.
Intestacy and Property Rights
This is a project we ran last month and due to its success decided to continue work on this issue, visiting various affected communities over June. The clinic combines focal group discussions and legal services to tackle violations of individual's intestacy rights and break the trend of such abuses in the communities we target. In May we visited two affected communities.
Child Trafficking and Labour
Following research carried out last month we began to launch our child trafficking project at the beginning of May. Our Project is two- fold; we plan to work on the following intentions;
- Community Awareness
- Rehabilitation and Monitoring.
In May we conducted an initial fact-finding mission in Ningo, a district East of Accra we believed had been struck by issues surrounding child trafficking in the past. All of our volunteers took part in this outreach. We visited two villages; Old Ningo and Anwhiam. While the community of Old Ningo seemed to be knowledgeable on Child Trafficking, Anwhiam's lack of sensitisation on the issue was very obvious. In both communities it was evident that there is not a sufficient rehabilitation or re-integration program for victims of trafficking or a network of support for their families. From these findings we have decided to proceed with sensitising the community of Anwhiam on Child Trafficking and Labour. For both Old Ningo and Anwhiam we have proposed to set up an educational and social program for victims of trafficking with the help of the local community. We hope to work with local volunteers in providing extra classes to previously trafficked children while ensuring their school facilitates their special needs. We will give advocacy in these schools on issues of child trafficking and labour and run this program at the weekends. We will be travelling to Old Ningo next week to discuss our proposal with the community.
Alongside our community outreach work we intend to work with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit and victims shelters within Accra. Under the guidance of an experienced youth worker we hope to adopt a rehabilitation programme which has already been implemented by IOM; the International Organisation for Migration. We will restructure this for the use of Project Abroad Human Rights Organisation and begin work in the shelters. We will also begin to profile all the residing children in the hope of creating a live database for the benefit of the Unit and all stakeholders involved in eradicating child trafficking.
We have also proposed that we create a website for the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit to better publicise their work; help to identify trafficked children and perpetrators and highlight the issue of trafficking all over Ghana.
Our work in the mining community of Obuasi recommenced this month and our team of volunteers travelled to the Ashanti region to monitor development in the area and investigate water and sanitation issues. This trip was a four day mission where volunteers held forums in two affected communities.
The communities have not sufficient access to safe water.In the community of Fenaso there are 2 boreholes for 1500 people. Usually 1 borehole is meant for 150 people. Furthermore, due to the mining industry in the area, streams and water sources are heavily contaminated creating problems for everyday life, particularly in farming homes where crops and live-stock live a short and unproductive existence.
Another frightening issue was the lack of health care available to the community. Fenaso has a small medical center; on investigation we discovered that this clinic did not have basic Malaria medication. If members of the community get seriously ill, they have to go to the hospital in Obuasi, which is 25 km away.
Having investigated the scenes our team held a meeting with the stakeholders involved in bringing change to these communities. In attendance were members of PAHO, our partners WACAM, representatives from both communities and representatives from AGA (Anglo Gold Ashanti- Mining Company).
We hope to continue working towards the achievement of even basic necessities for the communities surrounding Obuasi. We will return to the community in the coming weeks after we have reviewed our findings and proposed a beneficial plan of action. Mid- June we will return to take part in another stakeholder meeting and hopefully continue and progress negotiations.
Legal Services
Legal Clinic
This month PAHO attended the monthly clinic on child maintenance with Legal Aid. It took place at the beginning of the month. We do not project this to continue for the month of June.
Case Work
Mr. Hans and the volunteers are currently creating case profiles. When this is ready I will forward the details of all of our running cases. I cannot emphasis enough the added dimension our legal service has added to both our work and volunteer satisfaction.
This month we have worked on 8 cases dealing with issues of defilement, rape, child maintenance, torture and refuge, intestacy and property rights. Here are some examples;
Mid-May PAHO managed to free a man who had been wrongfully charged of defilement (the rape of a minor). Mr. Pat's case had been referred to us by DVVSU (Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Police). Before he came to us he had been in custody for 5months waiting for his hearing in appalling conditions. After two months it was clear the evidence was inconsistent and often simply not there so Mr. Hans made a plea of no submission. Mr. Pat was charged on foot of a medical report which the charging officer admittedly did not understand, furthermore the said report showed no sign of interference with the 'victim'. The case was acquitted and Mr. Pat has returned to his daughters in Kassoa.
At the moment we are seeking child maintenance for a client who had been kicked out of her home and beaten by her spouse. The separation came after the husband was convinced by a 'Pastor' that his wife was possessed by 7 'evil and stubborn spirits'.
This month all of our research has been in-house and for the purpose of our running projects.
Other Work
Alongside our projects volunteers have been visiting various organisations, observing how governmental and non- governmental bodies involved in Human Rights run, the impact they make and how they fit in with our own mission. On the 13th of May we attended Amnesty's International Annual Report Launch which the volunteers found extremely beneficial and interesting.
On the 18th of May we attended CHRAJ's NGO forum. Here we had an opportunity to discuss the scope of human rights in Ghana and involve ourselves in discussions. We will part-take in the organising of and attend International Day in Support of Victims of Torture at the end of June.
Last Saturday all of our volunteers attended a public forum to celebrate Amnesty's 50th Anniversary, one of our team Harry presented a message of solidarity on behalf of PAHO.
May has seen some fresh faces bringing some fresh ideas for workshops and areas of research. One of the projects seeing the most action this month was the work we have been doing alongside Free Gender, an organisation we have not long begun working with. They are an organisation from Khayelitsha who are tackling the issue of homophobia and corrective rape, stories of which are becoming more and more common here in South Africa. Within our legal services area, we had a lull in the number of clients requesting our assistance at the beginning of the month, however towards the end we saw the numbers start to increase and we opened some new case files for new clients.
Social Justice
Bonnytoun – This month began with volunteers showing the boys a program called 'The Wire'. This is an American crime drama which focuses on a number of issues including corruption, violence, gun crime and drugs. The idea was to discuss with the boys the negative aspects of such behaviour, however the boys focused more on glorifying it and struggled to spot the negatives. Volunteers then reverted back to the music workshops which had seemed to make an impact on the boys last month. Volunteers are currently trying to arrange for some local Cape Town musicians/rappers to attend Bonnytoun. The idea is for them to talk to the boys about their own struggles growing up and how they turned their own lives around, turning negative influences into positives through their music. We are hoping this will be welcomed by the boys and they will learn a lot from inspirational people who come from similar backgrounds to them.
The Women's Shelters: Sisters Incorporated and St' Anne's – Visits to the women's shelters have been continuing this month with volunteers holding discussions about women from all over the world and talking to the women in the shelter about their own countries and how women are treated there. They also discussed inspirational women who dedicated their lives to helping others, for example Mother Teresa. The women were also shown an inspirational movie with the plan next month of doing something more practical with the women as this always encourages them to open up more.
Khayelitsha – SiyaKhathala – We currently have two volunteers who are focusing on improving the marketing of SiyaKhathala. They have been meeting with the leader of the organisation and have begun designing a new logo, letterheads and business cards as well as pamphlets and the forms to be used to organise the cases. They have also spent time researching into claiming donations from other organisations and they begun to draw up a donation request letter which the organisation will be able to use for future requests.
Free Gender – A lot of time was spent at this project over the past month with some passionate volunteers really putting their all in to bringing the issue of corrective rape to people's attention. This month volunteers carried out a marketing and advertising campaign for a panel discussion that Free Gender were hosting. Advertisements were put in papers and on the radio whilst volunteers also looked into sourcing films that could be shown to the public in an evening before the discussion to gain recognition of this awful crime. The panel discussion went well although not all of the invited organisations turned up.
Manenberg Boys – The beginning of May began with a meeting with the organisers of Self Help Manenberg. Here we were able to agree on having a program that would run every 2 months for the next year. The content of which will be discussed and agreed upon with the organisers at the beginning of each 2 month period. This has created a much more structured role for us and means that we have a bit more freedom with our program in that we no longer have to run each workshop past Self Help Manenberg.
Manenberg Girls – Volunteers also had a meeting with the girls from Manenberg at the beginning of the month which gave them the chance to chat to the women and find out the sorts of activities they would like to be involved in. It was a common desire that they wanted to experience Cape Town and go on more trips to museums and so on to find out more about their country and their heritage. These are opportunities they have never had growing up. This month there has been a visit to the slave lodge museum which enabled the girls to learn more about the history of their City. Volunteers are planning to begin a business project with the girls next month in which they will learn new skills. Ideas such as a bake sale have been put forward which would enable the girls to make a bit of profit as well as increase business opportunities for them. Also getting the girls set up with their own internships is something we are also looking to do. Volunteers are also working hard to organise a netball tournament between all the netball teams within Manenberg for Youth Day on the 16th June.
Legal Services
Lavender Hill – Visits to Lavender Hill have been continuing throughout May however work has at times been slow this month with fewer clients attending the sessions compared to previous months. This however has meant that back at the office we have been able to catch up on the backlog of cases we have had from Lavender Hill and ensure that everyone's issue is being dealt with. We are now ready to take on the next influx of cases we receive from here.
WILDAF - Our only volunteer in our Human Rights field in May has been working with WiLDAF. She is in Togo to conduct a case study about Women's Rights in Africa for her thesis in Law and being placed at WiLDAF Togo gives her full insight into the struggles facing women.
Often she represents the organisation at meetings, where she also had the chance to meet with an official of the Ministry of Promotion of Women in Togo, whom later briefed her on several areas of interest in his office.
She has chosen to focus on the right to inherit land, an issue that often excludes the widow by the dead husband's family or sometimes her own sons. She is analysing reports and preparing to conduct interviews in a couple of villages next week.


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Jeri Holm
A lifelong resident of Camden, Jeri started her real estate career in 1999 after 20 years as a critical care nurse. That training provided a valuable set of skills. "Both professions are people oriented and require caring for people, listening, sincerity and hard work," she says.
Having grown up here, no one knows better than Jeri just how exceptional this area is. Working with her you'll never have to go far for answers about this place she calls home.
Jeri takes real estate seriously—this is evident in what she has accomplished in a short time. She served two terms as President of Coastal Mountains Council of Realtors, and one term of Past President. Jeri's peers voted her Realtor of the Year in 2005.
She has been active in many aspects of the real estate business and community, including the Realtors Giving Back Affordable Housing Committee, The Teen Center and Ragged Mountain Ski and Snowboard Club. She is currently on board of directors and a volunteer of the Knox Clinic. Jeri and her husband Bill have three grown children and live in Camden.
"Coming to Camden Real Estate was a natural move for me. With Scott's emphasis on excellence, integrity and teamwork it was a perfect fit with my ideals on how things should be done. He strives to be the best and I am happy to be part of this great team."
If you are selling your house you probably already know Jeri from around town. She'll welcome you and your listing to Camden Real Estate—and if you are a buyer you won't find a better local guide.
Phone: (207) 236-6171
Email: email@example.com


text: I am fortunate to be among the first Torontonians to own Kwan Lee's "Systema Strength and Flexibility†DVD. Viewing the video has been a delightful and instructive experience and the DVD certainly earned its place in my collection. One can admire the effort, mind and heart Kwan put into this p..read more >>


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Mar 23rd Update and a new payment method.
Today we added new payment method: credit card. Our billing panel has been updated and you can see new look. If you found a problem in new panel please tell us.
Apr 4th SEO Lite service in Europe
We just have extended the reach of our service into Europe. We hope that many individuals and companies involved in the positioning of pages will find our offer very interesting.
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South Dakota Sales Tax Guide
Chapter 2: How to determine if you have sales tax nexus in South Dakota
The need to collect sales tax in South Dakota is predicated upon having a physical connection with the state. This is a concept known as nexus. Nexus is a latin word that means "to bind or tie" and it stands as the deciding factor for whether the South Dakota Department of Revenue has the legal authority to require your business to collect, file, and remit sales tax. The two main principles most closely linked to nexus and taxes (especially multistate sales tax) are the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Commerce Clause, Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.What activities or situations may trigger nexus in South Dakota?
Sales tax nexus in South Dakota can be triggered by a number of factors. The most common include having a physical location (office, warehouse, plant, etc.) within the state, having employees within the state, or conducting marketing activities within the state.
More recently, internet commerce has sparked debate over what activities can trigger nexus and where sales tax should be collected. For example, Fulfillment by Amazon merchants may find their products stored in Amazon warehouses across the country. This presence of physical goods in a state may trigger nexus and expands the complexity of managing sales tax compliance.Does Amazon have Fulfillment Centers in South Dakota?
At this time, there are no active Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) warehouses in South Dakota.Does South Dakota have click-through nexus?
Click-through nexus in South Dakota constitutes a situation in which a seller outside South Dakota makes a sale to a resident of the state that is initiated through online contact with a 3rd party. Working with an affiliate marketer is a common example of a way in which click-through nexus may be triggered.
At this time, the South Dakota Department of Revenue has not enacted a click-through nexus law.


text: MP3 compression of digital audio files made music more portable. Shutterstock?Roger Jegg Fotodesign Jegg.de May 29, 2017 Not dead yet: how MP3 changed the way we listen to music Yanto Browning, Queensland University of Technology The MP3 audio file transformed the way we accessed music online. So what does it mean now that licensing and support for the popular format is to end?


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President Obama's announcement last month that the United States will contribute $10 million to combat rhinoceros and elephant poaching in Africa comes at a crucial time to address an ecological catastrophe.
In 2012, a shocking 30,000 elephants in Africa were slaughtered for their ivory, 7.4 percent of the entire population. Rhinos are in an even more precarious situation. Last year in South Africa, the last bastion for these species, 668 rhino were killed for their horns. This year, as of July 31, 536 rhino have been poached in South Africa. This is out of a global population of fewer than 30,000 rhinos, compared to 500,000 in Africa and Asia at the start of the 20th century.
Why is this important?
Terrorist organizations like Al Shabaab and the Lord's Resistance Army, and militant groups from Africa's Sahel to Somalia, are slaughtering elephants and rhinos to fund their violent activities. International crime syndicates, acting as middlemen, earn hundreds of millions of dollars trafficking in ivory and rhino horn. Purchasing these products enables these groups to have the funds to be a persistent threat to global security.
For countries like Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa, home to these charismatic species, their existence fuels an ecotourism industry that generates millions of jobs and billions of dollars in foreign exchange. Wipe out these animals, and the tourists who come to see them will vanish. Jobs and futures will follow suit and many people will be tossed into a life of grinding poverty.
Outside Africa it is not well known that the fight to protect these animals has been a bloody, low-level war pitting lightly armed wildlife officers against heavily armed poachers. In this battle, a terrible toll has been paid by those who safeguard these animals. Poachers have murdered hundreds of game rangers in the last few years.
What can be done to stop the carnage?
Although enforcement efforts have improved, game rangers need better weaponry, drones to monitor large reserves, helicopters for rapid reaction capabilities, and night-vision goggles to give them a fighting chance against these well-armed poachers.
However, the best opportunity to stop the killing lies in collapsing demand for ivory and rhino horn in China and Vietnam, countries that are the consumer epicenter for these products. Without doing this, no matter how much is done to enhance anti-poaching activities, the financial incentive to kill these animals is just too great. Ivory is worth more than $1,000 per pound and rhino horn is more valuable than gold.
Alarmingly, organizations like the World Wildlife Fund's TRAFFIC, which are devoted to stopping the illegal trade in wildlife products, have shown that a significant number of China's burgeoning middle class of more than 230 million people have expressed a desire to purchase ivory. This is as much for personal pleasure as it is a demonstration of wealth.
Buying rhino horn has also become a status symbol. In Vietnam in particular, the rich buy it supposedly to ward off hangovers but mostly to show off their affluence. Others purchase it because they heard that an unnamed Vietnamese politician consumed rhino horn and was cured of an unnamed cancer. This is a cruel urban myth as rhino horn is made of keratin, the same substance as fingernails, and has absolutely no medicinal power.
To reduce demand, people's behavior must change. A clear connection must be made between purchasing these products and the agony animals endure, the murder of brave conservation officers, and the terrorism threat.
Messages cannot be banal. They must appeal to people's hearts as well as their minds. Videos and photos showing the situation on the ground should be distributed widely through the Internet. Savvy social networkers in China and Vietnam can do this. The ultimate goal must be to make it culturally and socially abhorrent to buy ivory or rhino horn.
The US contribution to save these species from extinction should certainly be used to provide better equipment for anti-poaching activities, but it must also support a grassroots social networking effort to spread visuals of the horrible cost paid by people, animals, and nations as a consequence of purchasing trinkets made of ivory and powders from rhino horn that have no medicinal value.
If this effort fails, elephants and rhinos, which have roamed this planet for tens of millions of years, will have but a decade left on Earth. Their very survival lies in the hands of the people of China and Vietnam who are thinking of buying ivory or rhino horn.
Dr. Keith Martin is the executive director for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health in Washington, D.C. He is a physician with extensive experience in conservation in Africa. He was a six-term member of Parliament in Canada and founded Canada's first International Conservation Caucus.


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My friends and I love pizza. Can you help us share these pizzas
Grandma found her pie balanced on the scale with two weights and a
quarter of a pie. So how heavy was each pie?
Katie and Will have some balloons. Will's balloon burst at exactly
the same size as Katie's at the beginning of a puff. How many puffs
had Will done before his balloon burst?


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Canucks core near tipping point, know time to win it all is now
Kevin Bieksa 'doesn't do windows,' but others realize theirs in Vancouver is closing
Vancouver Sun sports columnists Iain MacIntyre and Cam Cole look at the Vancouver lineup a day before they open their first-round series at home against the San Jose Sharks.
VANCOUVER — It is window season again in Vancouver.
If the Canucks' marketing department were on its toes, it would have a major sponsorship deal with Jeld-Wen, or Pella. Surely Bill Gates would do Windows commercials on the big scoreboard, maybe even own the team. He could probably afford it.
Window season is every spring for the last two or three — that time of year when the Vancouver Canucks' core group is reminded of its advancing years and advised to win the Stanley Cup now, before the prime of Henrik and Daniel Sedin has expired and the good times follow these magical twins over the far side of the hill and the window of opportunity slams shut on everyone's fingers.
There are those in the room who would rather not discuss it.
Kevin Bieksa, for one, like some recalcitrant janitor, says, in effect: "I don't do windows."
For one thing, it's too far in the future, he said Tuesday, when what really needs to be looked after is Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TSN, Team 1040), and then Game 2, and eventually trying to get through the first round — and then, maybe, we'll talk about windows.
And of course, he's right.
"I think last year we kind of overlooked our first-round opponent a little bit — not too much, but just enough," said the most indispensable piece of the Canucks' defence. "And I think we're not making that mistake this year."
The Sedins, though, are not bashful about addressing age. Neither is coach Alain Vigneault.
Much is at stake for the Canucks in these playoffs. They all know it, perhaps none more so than the twins, although Vigneault is keenly aware of how quickly regular-season success — even years of it, on end — can be forgotten in the fevered aftermath of an early playoff exit.
Asked Tuesday if there is any such thing as wanting it more this year than last year or the year before or the year before that, the coach said:
"I believe so. I think guys are smart. We're all getting a little older, and I think they understand that they've been working for this moment, for this opportunity, for a long time.
"They're excited, they're highly motivated, and they understand about the window. We're in our window. And the will to get it done, in my opinion, is going to be real high. And they're going to go out and be in the moment (Wednesday) night and work real hard to get it done."
It is not as though the nucleus is approaching the Geritol years, although one question to Daniel about reaching his mid-30s prompted a round of chuckles and an "I'm almost 40!" retort from Henrik's little bro.
(For the record, they're 32. Both of them.)
"It's always been about the Stanley Cup, that's what people don't understand. You're no one in this league if you haven't won," said Daniel. "That's always been our goal (but) lately we've had the teams to do it.
"Management has believed in us. That's what they've been telling us all along. We want to prove that they've chosen the right people.
"You never know with injuries and the salary cap situation what team you're going to have in here from year to year. We know we might be down to our last few chances. But our team is as good as it was two years ago, we're looking forward to this opportunity."
"We talk about it pretty much every day," said Henrik. "You look at team pictures from our first years, or when Burr (Alex Burrows) came in and Juice (Bieksa) and other guys ... and now you look at pictures, or go to Christmas parties, and we all have kids — we've been here a long time, and it's old home for us. It's special that way. It means we've done something good, but we have one more thing to accomplish together."
Those old photos of the twins as rosy-cheeked cherubs are hilarious now, given the chiseled features of today and the accumulated mileage that's evident in their eyes.
"I think the only message you can give to young guys that are here now and maybe getting their first taste of playoffs is that you can't take this for granted," Henrik said. "They might think 'I'm 21-22 years old and this is going to happen every year' but I've been here 12 years now and there's very few years where you go into the playoffs feeling you have a great chance of winning it all, and you've got to take advantage of that when it happens.
"You're going to be in more playoffs, but it's not every year you're in a group that's been together a long time, with two great goalies, one of the best D groups in the league and has some offensive talent. So you have to make something out of it."
Individually, Henrik said, the window is open longer. But for he and Daniel, for Ryan Kesler, 28, and Bieksa, 31, and Burrows, 32, and Roberto Luongo, 34, and Dan Hamhuis, 30, and even Alex Edler and Mason Raymond and Jannik Hansen, all 27, there is perhaps another level of want.
"For us, this core group, we have a chance to be front-line players winning the Cup," said the captain. "We might have guys that move on and go to other teams and might win a Cup here or there, but they might not have a chance to be the front-line players, and that's where you want to be.
"We've been fortunate to have great teams here. But until you win it all, people are going to look back at this team like every other team that had good players but didn't win (the Cup).
"When we first came in, Ottawa had a great group of players and they didn't take the chance when they had it, and a few years later, they're rebuilding and they're not close to where they were."
The core guys know they are approaching that kind of tipping point, where it becomes impossible economically, or impractical, performance-wise, to keep the whole gang together.
"They want to win," said Vigneault. "There is no other thing."
The window is closing. Each opportunity lost could be the last.
So if wanting it more is a possibility, now is the time.
No pane, no gain.


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Classical Music and Stamp Collecting
A cozy, genteel room to discuss books, authors, and things literary.
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Classical Music and Stamp Collecting
If you like stamp collecting and classical music, then you might want to check out the recently released Kindle edition of the award-winning "The Life and Work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Philatelic Journey" available on Amazon. The e-book is about 380 pages with almost 800 color images of stamps, cancellations, covers, and maximum cards (as well as an appendix with Mozart coins, telephone cards, and collector's cards). Not at all expensive (actually free for Kindle Unlimited users).
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Hello Mr Noam Chomsky,
We have talk in Paris, during your last time in Collège de France, Mutualité and Maison des Métallos.
You have sent to me and e-mail after, about your ideas, and i was glad of it.
My mom was dead the last saturday. I say it to you, because you are important for my mind, and activities for other one.
Peace on her soul…


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Google's Two-Factor Authentication Won't Change the Game
Google's announcement that they will add an option for two-factor authentication on Google Apps really shouldn't be surprising.
It's been accepted in the security business that passwords are a failure for some time, but alternatives have failed to crack the ubiquity barrier because of cost and usability problems. The straightforward way to strengthen the authentication is to add "something you have" to the password's "something you know."
Conventional two-factor authentication, generally through separate OTP (One-Time Password) tokens, can prove that the user has the token tied to the account, but they can be a pain to use and manage. Even with the enormous costs involved with identity theft on consumer Internet service, two-factor authentication has not gained any traction because they're just too much bother for users.
Google avoids the separate token problem by using your mobile phone, something almost all of us have these days. It's not a new idea. PhoneFactor has been doing it for years. Whatever arguments you can make in favor of separate tokens (they don't require any mobile signal for example) pale next to the convenience aspect.
How much of game changer is this? I think it's a big deal for 2-factor authentication in business apps and the other sorts of apps that show up on Google Apps. Try getting 2-factor authentication on your cheap hosting plan; it's not a practical option. Google Apps may change the minimum standard of security features for hosted services. This is a really good thing. It's bad news for conventional token-based authentication, but that's probably old news.
On the other hand, I don't see that this will change matters with respect to consumer services. Even banks, which have a great deal at stake and have had the ability to add such phone authentication to their Internet services for some time, have been slow to do so. I'm sure they test such things with users all the time and I presume they don't test well.
It's a shame, because authentication in the consumer space is a major problem, and there doesn't seem to be any good solution. Users don't want to pick complex passwords or change them often and are too willing to give up them up. Too bad Google can't fix that.
Originally posted to the PCMag.com security blog, Security Watch.


text: WATERLOO, ON, Nov. 23, 2011 - Paul Dirac was a scientific genius of legendary eccentricity. He is best known for conceiving of antimatter and co-discovering the most revolutionary theory of the past century - quantum mechanics - while strangely sending postcards home during his times of great discovery to discuss only the weather. On Wednesday, December 14, as part of Perimeter Institute's Public Lecture series presented by Sun Life Financial, Graham Farmelo, By-Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge University, UK, will examine the life of Paul Dirac, exploring where his obsessions began and why he was sometimes called 'the strangest man' in the modern history of physics. Graham Farmelo is a By-Fellow at Churchill College at Cambridge University and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Northeastern University in Boston. He obtained his PhD in particle physics in 1977, and later held a tenured position at the UK's Open University. In 1990, he moved to the Science Museum in London, UK to become Assistant Director. Since 2003, he has been a consultant in science communication and author. Farmelo recently published 'The Strangest Man', a biography of Paul Dirac that won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Graham Farmelo's lecture, entitled "Paul Dirac and the Religion of Mathematical Beauty" will be held Wednesday, December 14 at 7:00 PM ET in Waterloo, Ontario. Tickets will be available starting Monday, November 28, 2011. Further details can be found at www.perimeterinstitute.ca.


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Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Media Room
Welcome to the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Media Room. Our online media room is a rich resource for you and your colleagues. This is where you'll find press kits, story ideas, beach buzz and other valuable resources.
If you would like to be added to our press release distribution list, please contact us with all your pertinent information at the e-mail address below and note whether you would like to receive Sandestin information via e-mail, fax or mail.
Please feel free to contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com with any additional editorial requests. Please see our recent Press Releases, download our Media Galleries, or view our Frequently Asked Questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is a 2,400-acre premier destination resort located in Northwest Florida. Sandestin invites guests to enter its world of 30 charming village neighborhoods featuring condominiums, villas, town homes and a wide variety of hotel accommodations. The resort boasts more than seven miles of sugar-white sand beach and bayfront property, four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 113-slip marina, water sports, children's programs, a fitness center and spa, 65,000 square feet of meeting space and a pedestrian village featuring a host of boutique shops, casual and fine dining restaurants, nightclubs and bars that come alive with strolling musicians, street performers, dancing fountains and lively festivals and events. In this complete vacation world, guests can create their own, one-of-a-kind memorable experience.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is located on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast, between Pensacola and Panama City, eight miles east of Destin. A member of Visit South Walton – Sandestin is the only resort situated on both the Intercoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico and is accessible via three airports – Fort Walton Beach, Panama City and Pensacola. The 2,400-acre Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, founded in 1973, is the premier family resort destination in Northwest Florida.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort offers the most desirable year-round sand, surf and golf vacation experience in the Southeast for families and groups. It is the region's only resort to offer both beach and bay access. Sandestin offers incomparable golf, including the Raven Golf Club, expanded tennis and a broad range of recreational activities. Accommodations can be found in a wide variety of rental units, ranging from condominiums and villas to large single-family homes. Sandestin has embarked on the most unique development program in Northwest Florida. The resort's 28-acre Village of Baytowne Wharf offers guests shopping, dining and entertainment options with its 30 unique retail offerings, restaurants, eateries and bars. The resort also features the 168-unit Grand Sandestin and the Baytowne Conference Center, which features the Magnolia Ballroom, the largest ballroom in Northwest Florida on the Gulf Coast.
To help guests stretch their vacation dollar, the resort provides all guests with a variety of complimentary amenities including use of the fitness center, bicycles, one hour of kayaks and tennis court rental each day plus access to children's activities.
Throughout its 30 distinct neighborhoods, Sandestin offers more than 1,200 rental accommodations including single family homes, one- to four-bedroom villas, condominiums, the 168-room Grand Sandestin,and the 130-room Bayside at Sandestin. In fact, there are more than 30 different accommodations choices available at Sandestin to suit every budget.
Sandestin offers guests 72 holes of award-winning golf on four championship courses, including the Raven Golf Club, Burnt Pine Golf Club, The Links Golf Club and Baytowne Golf Club. All four of Sandestin's courses were designed by world-renowned course architects. In fact, Sandestin is the only resort with courses designed by both Jones brothers – Rees Jones (Burnt Pine) and Robert Trent Jones Jr. (Raven). Both The Links Golf Club and Baytowne Golf Club were designed by Tom Jackson. Sandestin also provides guests of all ages and skill levels with instruction, courtesy of the Sandestin Golf Academy.
In addition to golf, Sandestin offers world-class tennis on 15 courts. Sandestin offers 15 world-class courts in hard and Hydrogrid clay. Tennis instruction for adults and children is also available. Sandestin also maintains 7.5 miles of top-rated sugar-white sand beach and bayfront property and the 113-slip, full-service Baytowne Marina. The property also features a fitness center, salon and day spa, 19 swimming pools, an 18-hole putting course (The Dunes) and a nature park (Jolee Island).
Recreational activities at Sandestin include beach volleyball, boogie boards, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, catch-release lake fishing, waverunner rentals, pontoon boat rentals, sailing instruction, sailboat rentals, sailing charters, sunset cruises, Solaris dinner cruises, professional golf, tennis and sailing lessons.
Sandestin offers guests a choice of more than 20 restaurants right on the resort grounds. The resort's Village of Baytowne Wharf features a number of dining options including Acme Oyster House, Another Broken Egg Café, Bistro Bijoux, Marlin Grill and Poppy's Seafood Factory. Hammerhead's Bar & Grille, Rum Runners and John Wehner's Village Door provide guests with a choice of nightlife venues.
In addition to the dining choices at the Village, Sandestin also offers guests a Gulf-front restaurant – Elephant Walk overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Located at the scenic Baytowne Marina overlooking the Choctawhatchee Bay, Marina Bar & Grill is a treasure for all ages. Three Tiki Bars are also available seasonally. Located adjacent to Sandestin's Baytowne Marina, The Village of Baytowne Wharf is a 28-acre pedestrian-only coastal village located along Choctawatchee Bay. The Village has its own accommodations for those who choose to stay in the center of the action, a variety of restaurants, nightlife venues, shops and boutiques for guests to explore during their stay. The Village also has an Events Plaza with vibrant special events, annual festivals and concerts. Designed by Master Resort Planner Eldon Beck, the Village's unique architecture combines French, Spanish, colonial, antebellum and "Low Country" influences from five centuries of history and culture of the Gulf Coast.
Although guests can drive their own cars throughout the resort, except within The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Sandestin also provides a fleet of complimentary transportation services. Download our free Explore Sandestin App for an interactive map that pinpoints the locations of our trams.
From designer jewelry to collectible art to products to pamper your pet, guests will find a wealth of retail offerings at Sandestin. Shoppers can choose from the boutiques at The Market Shops, the specialty retailers at The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Silver Sands Premium Outlets or Grand Boulevard. The Village of Baytowne Wharf features specialty boutiques and retail shops such as Island Clothiers, Coconut Kids and Toys & Treasures, among others. You will also discover Barefoot Princess, the only signature Lilly Pulitzer Store in the area. In addition, guests can shop at two golf shops, a gift shop and the Tennis Shop. Located off-property approximately one mile from Sandestin is the Silver Sands Premium Outlets.
Sandestin offers a variety of instruction programs for children including a Junior Golf Program, Sailing and Tennis instruction programs. Kids will also enjoy the Jolee Island Nature Park and Capt. Joe Lee's Tree House and Nature Walk. Club KZ is Sandestin's adult-supervised children's activity program that includes daily events for kids ages four through 12 years of age throughout the season.
Sandestin is able to offer groups of up to 1,600 more than 65,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. This includes the Magnolia Ballroom – the largest ballroom in Northwest Florida – located within the new 60,000 square-foot Baytowne Conference Center. The resort's award-winning meeting facilities also include the 12,600 square-foot Linkside Center Exhibit Hall; 24 breakout rooms plus two ballrooms and four boardrooms; 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting space on the Gulf; a Grand Lawn (at the Baytowne Conference Center) for outdoor functions; two business centers; and an oversized pool deck ideal for casual outdoor receptions.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, 9300 Emerald Coast Parkway West, Destin, Florida 32550
800.277.0800 or 850.267.8000
Sandestin reservations can be made through 800.470.7389; or at email@example.com.
Sandestin is dedicated to innovating for the new and different. It's important to accommodate the ever-changing needs, likes and desires of Sandestin guests. Visit Sandestin.com/Progress-Development to discover the future of Sandestin improvement and development projects.


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How does a vampire get a daylight ring on The Originals? By kicking some ass.
Fall TV Popularity Contest: And the winner is...
On Tuesday's episode of the CW series, tensions between Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) and Klaus (Joseph Morgan) continue to rise, leaving some members of Marcel's inner circle a little uneasy. In order to keep his allies close, Marcel offers up a coveted daylight ring — but his vampires are going to have to fight for it. Watch our exclusive clip below:
The Originals airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of the CW's parent companies.)


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LG has released a video showing a first glimpse of the Optimus Vu, a smartphone with a 5-inch display with an unsual 4:3 aspect ratio.
The Korean video doesn't reveal much else about the new handset other than its screen dimensions and a murky glimpse at its outside appearance.
However, Korean sites Datacider and Google Pad have come up with some further details for the Optimus Vu between them, including a 1024 x 768px IPS display for that headline 4:3 aspect ratio.
Inside, the Optimus Vu has a 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon processor tied to 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.
It also features an 8-megapixel camera along with NFC support.
Android inside
It's expected to run the older Android 2.3 Gingerbread rather than Google's brand new Ice Cream Sandwich OS.
The Optimus Vu's 5-inch screen is getting into Samsung Galaxy Note territory, though the 4:3 aspect ratio seems like a bit of a strange choice.
There's no indication of when or if it will make it out of Korea and into the UK and other territories, but as closet 4:3 fans we hope to get our hands on it soon.
To cast your own eye over LG's new baby, have a look at LG's Optimus Vu video yourself.
Via The Verge, Datacider, Google Pad


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Stevens Student Richard Sanchez Delivers Memorable Inauguration Speech
Last month's inauguration of Dr. Nariman Farvardin as the new President of Stevens was a momentous occasion for the entire university community, but none more so than for computer engineering major Richard Sanchez. In the course of two weeks, he wrote, rewrote, rehearsed, and delivered an impressive speech to Stevens students, alum, faculty and staff, plus distinguished guests such as New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Dr. Jeong Kim, Executive Vice President of Alcatel-Lucent and President of Bell Labs.
When Sanchez saw a notice in the Student Life Newsletter seeking an inauguration student speaker, he felt like he was up to the task – to give an inspiring speech on behalf of the student body.
"Ever since I came to Stevens, I had a passion for this school," Sanchez said. "Having this opportunity, I felt confident in myself and my experiences to represent Stevens to the fullest for such a historic moment."
Sanchez is a co-op student in his fifth year at Stevens. He is heavily involved with multiple organizations on campus including Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Gear & Triangle, Order of Omega, Chi Alpha Epsilon, and the Orientation Program, which gives him a uniquely complete perspective on what it means to be a member of the Stevens community.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to give back and say everything I felt necessary as a student of this great institution," he said.
Sanchez was nominated for the position after presenting his speech to a group of administrators in the Student Life department. He had only two weeks to prepare. In that time, he participated in five planning sessions in which a team of faculty and staff helped him analyze and revise the content. In all, there were about four versions of the speech before it was perfected to deliver the message he wanted to get across.
"I want our new President to embrace the community and empower us with tools and resources so that we can continue to be good engineers and business leaders," Sanchez said. "At the same time, I want him to inspire the community, as he is now at the forefront of innovation and excellence."
Once the content of the speech was complete, Sanchez practiced his delivery with the help of Robert Gonzales, Managing Director of DeBaun Center for Performing Arts. Gonzalez showed Sanchez how to emphasize the most impactful words and sentences.
"I not only wanted it to be a monumental moment for the President, but for the students as well," Sanchez said.
Although Sanchez has a natural ability to address large crowds, at first it did not quite hit him how big this moment was going to be. When it did, Gonzales shared tips with Sanchez to conquer his nerves, such as rehearsing in front of the mirror, recording his speech on his iPad, and delivering the speech in front of as many people as he could. He did just that, rehearsing in front of his fraternity brothers every day leading up to the inauguration.
"I was even rehearsing the speech in the library and people would come up to ask me why I was talking to myself," he said. "When I told them about the speech, they all said I was the right fit to deliver the speech, which was truly heartwarming."
When it came down to the day of the inauguration, Sanchez listened to LMFAO songs on his sound system.
"I woke up and tried not to think about it at all. All I wanted to do was relax and feel good."
As the procession of speakers, honorary guests, faculty and staff walked into Canavan, the applause was overwhelming.
"When I walked into the room, I saw all of my peers cheering for me and it was a great way to start the occasion," Sanchez said. "By the time I reached the podium, I looked out to the crowd and thought to myself, 'I've got this – they selected you for a reason and you can do this.'"
Sanchez's speech delivered a clear call to action to President Farvardin – to embrace the traditions and values of Stevens, to empower the community to become science and business leaders, and to inspire commitment to the continued success of the university. He spoke each word with intent, purpose and eloquence. His smile put the crowd at ease and showed how genuine and earnest he was – on behalf of the entire student body – about the powerful words he was saying.
Sanchez credits his good performance to the support of his fellow students, his fraternity brothers, the speech committee, and even his girlfriend.
"Everyone played a pivotal role in the speech," he said. "This opportunity is by far the most significant achievement I have accomplished at Stevens yet. It's because of them that I stand here as the person I am today."


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Unemployment Insurance Handbook for Employers (UCB-201-P)
Section 4 - Wage Reporting
A return envelope is provided with each wage and contribution report packet the department mails. If you did not receive a return envelope, or you generate your own reports, mail forms and any payment due to:
Department of Workforce Development
Division of Unemployment Insurance
P.O. Box 78960
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53278
Do not mail any paper reports if you file your quarterly wage and tax reports electronically.
Updated: March 12, 2014
Content Contact: UI Wage Reporting