text:
Roy van de Water, Derek Neighbors, Jade Meskill, and Greg Taylor discuss the Gangplank Manifesto: Community over Agendas.
Jade Meskill: Welcome to the Dangercast, where we talk about the design and culture of Gangplank. I'm Jade Meskill.
Derek Neighbors: I'm Derek Neighbors.
Greg Taylor: Greg Taylor.
Roy van de Water: And I'm Roy van de Water.
Jade: For our second episode, we wanted to talk about the next value of the Gangplank manifesto. If you don't know what the Gangplank manifesto is, go to gangplankmanifesto.com. The second value is "Community over Agendas." What does that mean to you guys?
Roy: Maybe having community instead of having meetings. Maybe talking to people instead of keeping a calender.
Jade: I don't think we meant those kind of agendas.
Derek: I think everybody has an agenda in everything they do at some level and at some point. I think that again the values on the left we value more than the things on the right. So it doesn't mean that the things on the right are necessarily bad or evil or that they're…
Jade: No, it's OK, to have an agenda.
Derek: I think where we were really getting at here is that there are a lot of hidden agendas. There was a lot of bullshit playing around, really trying to drive things and not being really upfront about them. And I think when Gangplank came around we said, "Let's do cool shit. Let's create place, let's create community, let's create relationships, and let's drop all the bullshit". To me, this is almost like the no bullshit one.
Greg: The no bullshit fly zone.
Derek: It's about people not bullshit. It's about building community. Here in Arizona, where Gangplank started, we're fairly young as a state, we're fairly young as a business. Our economic environment, our economic engine has been a very mono‑culture, touristy, land development mentality.
There were just a ton of agendas around universities. Universities were one of the biggest purveyors of…just trying to drive students in the door, but that's not how they would sell things. It was so blatantly obvious that it was almost irritating.
People could just read it from a mile away that clearly this event, or this thing, or this meet up is totally about this thing and trying to do this. It's almost like the guy that says, "Put your business card in the fishbowl, and when you draw it, you get a free lunch." But when you come to the free lunch with your team, you get pitched on the damn insurance sales thing. It's a heavy pitch.
If nobody acts interested, the guy is completely pissed off and throws a fit that how dare he just bought 10 of you guys lunch and none of you are interested in his insurance pitch.
When you go, "Well, you said free lunch," "Oh, go read the bowl in fine print on the last part. It says that, 'You must sit through my seminar pitch…'"
Greg: No such thing as a free lunch.
Derek: Right.
Jade: [laughs]
Derek: At the time, almost everything that was happening in the Valley was that stuff where it's, "Well, if you read the fine print, you would know that this is a total power networking event. If you read the fine print and nobody is doing authentic community building…"
We just want to make our community better. Whatever that community is, whether it was the Ruby community or the Web Developer community or the Design community, nobody was really doing that.
In Refresh Phoenix…Refresh in the [inaudible 03:45] been national movement as well that was started in Arizona. That was one of the first events, that really was trying to be fairly community minded and fairly agenda free. We're really trying to model all of our events, all of our activities off of the same kind of ethics or ethos.
It doesn't mean that there will never be an agenda, but it should never be hidden. It should always be upfront. It should really be about the community, even more so than the agenda.
Greg: Whenever I hear agendas and community together, I always think ownership and power play.
Some of the things…What's driven me crazy in the Valley for so long is, as much respect as I do have for the people who throw events, everybody wants to own an event.
Everybody wants to take ownership where we have event A down here, we'll that's a Phoenix event, and this guy does this. This is a Chandler event, and they do this. This is a Tempe event and they do this.
That all of a sudden, it starts becoming little power struggles among…It's a divided community, over power. Then what happen is, in my mind, that breaks community.
Jade: Yeah.
Greg: There's clear lines drawn.
Derek: I met with somebody recently, took me a breakfast, and didn't know this [?] person, maybe met them one other time. I said, "Hey, I went and met with so and so."
I don't what's going on but when I told him I was meeting you for a breakfast today, he said, "Oh man, we hate Gangplank. In fact, if you're going to like anything on Gangplank's Facebook page or if you reach within their Tweets, we won't retweet or Facebook anything that you do. We're going to blackball you if you do that." To me, that's agenda, right?
Jade: Right.
Greg: That's a power play.
Jade: How stupid.
Derek: If this person is truly trying to build start‑up community, independent…I don't care who they're working with. To me, it's…if want to build the ruby community, the start‑up community, the design, the art community, you should support that community fully, no matter what.
That doesn't mean that when you have an event at your space, or you're doing things at your space, that you might not say like, "Hey, the reason we're doing this event in our space is we're trying to make downtown Chandler have a more vibrant music scene." Hey, man, that's an agenda. I fully admit that. But anybody who asks me like, "Hey, why are you having music events at Gangplank in Chandler"? It's because we're trying to build a music vibe, and trying to get creators and artists.
But if somebody says like, "Hey, do you know any musicians that would play at my club in downtown Phoenix"? I'd gladly hand over the list of every musician I know, because I want to support that community. I know the only way that I'm going to be effective is if I fully embrace and support that community, regardless of what my…
I think that's what it's really about, is putting the communities that you're supporting above whatever agendas you have. The minute that you stop doing that, you just destroy community, and you destroy what you're doing. Because communities can see, whether you think it or not, communities are just like little kids. They can see through all your shit. They'll walk up and be like, "Man, why are you so fat? Why are you drawing your arms?" They're not dumb, they see the world as it is pretty quickly.
Greg: One of the things you said, you said, "truly want to build a community." Well, do they really want to build a community? Or do they just have an agenda for, what's the end result of the community, what gain will they get as a by‑product?
Jade: I think that is a lot of what influenced this line in the manifesto, was looking at…People want the direct benefit of doing something, right? At Gangplank we're all about the indirect benefit. That's a long play, and it's really hard to do. I think, Derek, what you're saying is, really, the hidden agendas break the connectedness.
Derek: Yes.
Jade: That's such an essential component of community. Where if you have a transparent agenda, if you' re very upfront with, "Hey, we're trying to do this," that will only increase the connectedness of the community that actually wants to be part of that, right? It becomes very easy to say, "No, that's not for me." Or, "Yes, that's very much for me."
Greg: Honestly, how often is a hidden agenda really hidden? [laughs]
Jade: It's not. You may think it is, which makes it all the more insulting, right? "Do you think I'm stupid? Now I'm not only mad that you did this to me, but now you think that I'm dumb, and I can't tell when you have a hidden agenda."
Roy: When you have a transparent agenda, the funny thing is, is even when you're totally selfish in your transparent agenda, oftentimes people will want to help, just for the sake of helping too.
Jade: Yeah.
Greg: Transparency goes a long way.
Derek: I've seen a lot of things in Phoenix seem to be location based works, which is funny in and of itself to me in a lot of ways, but I think what happens is, if you're truly supportive of the community, and you're really trying to do something for it, good stuff happens regardless of whether your agenda gets met or not. But when you're totally agenda‑based, what tends to happen is you tend to block good things from happening that are possible.
We've seen a lot of stuff come out where it's, "Hey, we want this thing, and so we put it under the banner of 'community,' because we see that that works. If Gangplank does that, and it works, we're going to use that same thing, but we've really got this thing over here." I'm going to do an incubator, but I'm not going to call it an incubator. It's, "I support start‑ups, I want to be part of the start‑up community." What I really want to do is get paid to play around with start‑ups.
Then what happens is when I start to build a community, start to do some stuff around that, at some point when I'm not getting paid and then I have to go away, what happens is I've just damaged that entire community, because they thought they were buying into a community. What I was getting them to buy into was, "Figure out a way for me to make money doing this."
Then when I end up having to go away, which is totally fine, stuff fails and succeeds all the time, then that community's left grasping, like, "Whoa, how did this happen?" They're left scrambling. They've made all sorts of choices that have alienated them from other people, because they're following this agenda instead of being part of the community.
I've seen this happen really recently with a group that had gone somewhere. They'd come and they'd talked to us and asked for some advice. We said, "Hey, do this, make it all about community." I thought they did a really fabulous job of going out and building a community around a really niche market that they were into. I think it went really well.
They lost their space, and what's happened is they've got now, this thriving community that's like, "I want to do this event and this event." The organizer has no access to space, because there is such an agenda there why there is space available at no cost.
They don't want to use it, because they're afraid that, "Hey, this community that I've been building for my need. If I go and point them to connect with another community or another resource. My fear is that while I'm getting my shit together, they're going to leave and abandon me. When I get it back together, I'm not going to be able to get whatever my agenda is."
In reality, if they were like, "I'm just making it happen, and we're in charge of helping that community to continue to flourish like they were when they were getting their agenda needs met." When they got their crap back together, that community would've followed them right back.
It's just so small minded to think that way. It hurts everybody. That community is hurt, is starting to fall apart. When that happens multiple times where you have a number of starts and stops, starts and stops, people get disingenuous and they get disconnected.
The next time something comes up they're like, "Sorry, I've already been there"…
Jade: …Yep, the early bird.
Derek: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm not going to put my time into that, because I've seen it happen time and time again." That's one of my fears with Phoenix is in Arizona in general, is that we tend to do this to ourselves.
If it happens too many times, when really good stuff comes out, people are just like, "I'm sorry. I'm done. I already wasted social capital on something like this before, and I got screwed. It was really all about this agenda and the like. I'm not going to have that happen again." Or, "I just have no energy left."
Jade: I'm sorry.
Roy: I was thinking too, it's interesting because I feel like a community, like a network value is based on the number of connections between people. If you try to centralize the community around yourself and your agenda, then the number of connections in that community are equal to the number of people. Because it's all of those people to you.
If you are all rallied around the common cause, then the number of connections was in factorial, because it's every single person connected to every single other person in the community. All of a sudden, the power of your community grows.
Derek: The major power that people don't see is community builders. Is the more you connect people, the more powerful your individual node becomes.
Jade: Yes.
Derek: It's not the more people you make go through your node that makes you powerful, in fact that makes you…It's almost like a capacitor, that the more electricity that actually comes through you, the more overloaded you become, and the more unsustainable you become. Whereas, the more you connect the wires to other wires that don't have to go through you, the stronger you become.
I think that is just such a like reverse way of thinking for people that feel like they have to own the connection. In reality it's like, if you make meaningful connections for people, people remember when you make meaningful connections for them.
Greg: They just do.
Derek: They come back to you, time and time again, and they introduce you to more people, and they ask you to connect them to more people. That is one of the things that agenda builders don't get, that community builders do get is they want to control the network, community builders want to expand the network.
Jade: What does a healthy community look like? One that…
Derek: …Never seen one, don't know.
Jade: In a fantastical, imaginary world…
Derek: …Unicorn. Unicorn.
Jade: What would it look like if you were involved in the community that truly embraced the community itself over the agendas of the individuals, what does that feel like? What does it look like?
Greg: To me, whenever I look at a community or I want to become a part of a community, the first thing I always do is, I show up. That's always the most important thing. You show up, and you take part in things. You help one another.
A healthy community is people who can agree to disagree. Agree to move forward with their disagreements. People who aren't so looking for…I'll go back to the ownership thing, looking to take credit for ideas. We're more powerful as a group than as individuals, and that's just some of the traits that I always look for.
Roy: I think that a healthy community has a [inaudible 14:46] culture, while it may have diversity in opinions. You can go to any…
Greg: …and distinction.
Roy: Right. You can go to any part of that community and culturally it will be the same. It'll be the same vibe, even though the people may disagree with the other people in the community.
Jade: They have the same core values, essentially.
Roy: Right.
Jade: The personalities involved might be…
Ron: Right. I think they should be different too.
Greg: It's like moving forward with one common goal.
Derek: Healthy communities have shared vision. They want something that's the same, whatever that thing is. If I'm a Manchester United fan, I want them to win the Euro Cup. I want them to win the Premier League. Like all the other fans wanting that exact same thing. I want them to sign the biggest, most awesome superstar on the planet…
Roy: …And you want to ride in the streets.
Derek: Yeah. There's kind of shared expectation. The other part of it is that sense of belonging. That you feel accepted. That's one thing that agendas hurt so bad, because the minute that you are in "agenda" mode, by default, everybody becomes a binary.
Do you fit my agenda or don't you? When you are in "community" mode, it's everybody belongs as long as you believe in the vision. I think that is the biggest earns. If you don't fit the agenda, it doesn't matter. I'm immediately going to be like, "You're useless to me."
Where if you share the vision you're infinitely valuable to me regardless of all of those other things ‑‑ diversity, whether you're dissenting, whatever. As long as you believe in the ultimate shared vision, you're part of the community, you belong.
Greg: Me personally, when I sense an agenda, my guard goes up.
Jade: Mm‑hmm.
Derek: Right
Greg: I sense no agenda and I sense cool things are happening, my guard goes down. I'm more vulnerable. I'm more apt to throw out ideas. They may stupid, but you can tell me that they're stupid. I'm not crossing anybody's agenda where there's going to be real problems when it comes to that. To me, it's a "guard up" versus "guard down."
Jade: I think that's a great place to stop because our next topic for next week is, "Participation over Observation." Thanks for listening to the Dangercast. We'll catch you next week…


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Leah Remini appeared on the "Today" show Monday to speak out against Scientology ahead of her A&E documentary "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath."
Remini, a former member who detailed her experience with the Church of Scientology in her book Troublemaker, explained why she decided to come forward with her revelations, telling "Today's" Savannah Guthrie she's only in it to help people.
U.S. & World
Celebs Outspoken About Their Religion
"I'm not a big fan of bullies, so it is part of who I am. I was a fighter in the Church. This is what they taught me, so I'm going to continue my fight, but I'm on the right side of that fight now," she said. "I just want to send the message that I'm not going to sit back and allow it to go on."
Specifically, Remini said she wasn't OK with the church "victimizing victims." The Church of Scientology has repeatedly denied all of Remini's allegations. In response to Remini's "Today" interview, the Church issued a statement denying all of her allegations.
With such a high-profile career, Remini said she feels like she has the power to send a message to those who might not be in the position to walk away or speak out like she has.
Leah Remini: Why I'm Fighting the Church of Scientology
"It's for the victims," she shared. "It's for the people who have spoken out, but it's also for people who just maybe don't have the strength to fight, feel they don't have a voice...I just want to give people strength and not just with this organization but with any bully. I just hope that that's what the message is."
The biggest difference between the Church of Scientology and any other church, Remini claimed, is how Scientology treats its dissenters.
"Well, it's difficult to leave. But again, I am on TV because I was an actress and I have a lot of support," she continued. "So for me, it pales in comparison to what former high-ranking executives had to deal with and what parishioners had to deal with, just average, everyday Scientologists who dedicated their lives, money and families to this. Now they're suffering for speaking out."
Guthrie mentioned how in other religious organizations people are free to come and go as they please, to which Remini claimed that's exactly what makes Scientology different.
"If you speak out, you're labeled an enemy to the Church and the Church has policies on how to deal with its enemies," she explained, "and they go after them. It's in their own policies. So they don't know any different, as I did when I was if the Church. So I understand this. I have compassion for it. Because you do become a person who's very hateful and you're very judgmental towards anyone who isn't a Scientologist."
She added, "And a critic of Scientology is dealt with in a very specific way. And that is unlike a real church."
Leah Remini Admires Katie Holmes for Leaving Scientology
Guthrie noted that the Church says it does not disconnect families or encourage people to separate from their friends and family. Remini, however, claimed the Church is "sly" in its efforts to separate its members from people outside of the organization.
"They are sly in that they are right about there is no 'policy' of disconnection as it's categorized in the press. Because if you're not in it your whole life you don't actually know the inner workings of their policies. And their policy is very specific about how you deal with someone who has spoken out about the Church of Scientology, and there is no option but to disconnect or you will get kicked out of the church," the "King of Queens" alum said.
"Now for members who were in it their whole lives, this is an every day proposition. This is a quarter of a million dollar proposition for just average parishioners. The dedication it takes to be a Scientologist is a lot.
"And it's not easy to just walk away. Because most people say, why not just get up and leave? Well, you're leaving everything you've ever known. You're giving up your whole life because that is what it takes to be a Scientologist. Then you're going to be losing your family because most of your family and friends are Scientologists."
When the trailer for Remini's docu-series first aired, a spokesperson for the Church issued a statement to E! News: "Desperate for attention with an acting career stuck in a nearly decade-long tailspin, Leah Remini needs to move on with her life. Instead, she seeks publicity by maliciously spreading lies about the Church using the same handful of bitter zealots who were kicked out years ago for chronic dishonesty and corruption and whose false claims the Church refuted years ago, including through judicial decisions."
The spokesperson encouraged people to learn more about Scientology by visiting its website.
Now that Remini has embarked on this journey, she admitted she often has doubts. "Every day I'm like I don't know if I want to do this. It's not an easy thing to do, but I think it is the right thing to do," she said. "And I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about its victims and I feel it is important message and I feel this is the path that I'm supposed to be on at this point in my life."

subset: commoncrawl


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Rapper-turned-actor and movie producer Ice Cube became the latest celebrity to be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday.
Speaking at the ceremony in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard, Ice Cube gave thanks to his parents and others who played a role in his career.
"I'm so honored to be here, you know, it's a great day," he said.
U.S. & World
"... You know, you don't get here by yourself. When you're coming up doing music, movies, just trying to be creative, you never figure you'll be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame one day. So today is not really about Ice Cube. It's about all the people who helped me get here."
The star is the 2,614th on the famed walk.
The ceremony came three days after the release of the 25th-anniversary edition of his second album "Death Certificate," which includes three new songs.
Ice Cube, whose birth name is O'Shea Jackson, first attracted attention as a rapper and songwriter with the West Coast gangsta rap group N.W.A. in the late 1980s, writing lyrics for its groundbreaking songs "Straight Outta Compton" and "Gangsta, Gangsta" and "Express Yourself."
He soon left the group for a solo career, releasing his first studio album in 1990, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted."
Ice Cube, now 47, began his acting career with the 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood." He later appeared in the "Friday," "Barbershop," "Are We There Yet?" and "Ride Along" franchises, which he also produced, and such films as "Three King."
Ice Cube also was a producer of the 2015 N.W.A. biopic "Straight Outta Compton" and directed the 1998 film, "The Players Club."


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Kim Kardashian's little brother has explained his decision to rip into his ex Rita Ora on Twitter, revealing he wanted to make sure the singer would never want to reconcile with him again.
Rob Kardashian ended 2012 by accusing his ex of cheating on him with "nearly 20 dudes" via a series of angry tweets he has since deleted.
He has now opened up about the hurtful remarks he made in the latest episode of "Kourtney & Kim Take Miami," which Sunday night, explaining he simply wanted her to hate him.
Rob said, "I posted what I posted to keep myself from taking her back. Every time she messed up, I took her back for over a year now. I just had to do that to make her hate me."
His sister Kourtney suggested the tweets may not have been the best way to end the relationship, telling him, "She's the one who's in the wrong but she'll probably try to make it like you're in the wrong for posting it."
She added, "It's getting so ugly. Instead of dealing with it privately, it's just becoming a public matter now."
And big sister Kim also weighed in, adding, "You loved her for a reason. You aren't together for a reason now. You just always have to take the high road."


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Pregabalin (Lyrica) for Acute Fibromyalgia Pain - Medicine by the Numbers - American ...
May 1, 2018 - Pregabalin (Lyrica) provides good pain relief to some patients with acute fibromyalgia pain but does not work for most persons. Learn more.
American Family Physician : Medicine by the Numbers
Page 1


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At the invitation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives' Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, Penn State's Dickinson School of Law Professor Katherine Pearson testified before the state legislature on Wednesday on protecting older Pennsylvanians from financial abuse and exploitation.
Pearson explained that the protection of older adults from exploitation requires a careful balance. "On the one hand, it is important to recognize their rights to individual autonomy; on the other hand, it is important to recognize the potential for vulnerability to influence, manipulation and outright fraud. … One of the most important steps is to address the potential for abuse as early as possible, before the money has disappeared completely. Prompt action can preserve not only elders' savings, but also their dignity."
Urging legislators to consider specific additional safeguards under the Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA), Pearson recommended that to facilitate early reporting Pennsylvania take steps to create an environment where banks and other financial institutions are more likely to report suspicions of financial abuse. She also suggested that to facilitate early recovery, Pennsylvania adopt a private right of action under OAPSA, to permit a victim of exploitation to allege statutory grounds against a perpetrator in order recovery money or property.
In addition to presenting an opening statement at today's hearing, Pearson was part of a panel responding to questions and comments from members of the House Committee. The panelists included representatives of Pennsylvania Bankers' Association, community banks and credit unions, Temple University's Institute of Protective Services, and Pennsylvania's Area Agencies on Aging. The hearing was recorded for later airing by PCN.
A nationally recognized elder law expert, Pearson is frequently called upon to address legal issues that affect not only older adults in Pennsylvania but across the U.S. and in other countries. She has served as a chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Elder Law Section and is a current member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Elder Law Task Force. Professor Pearson also is part of a multi-disciplinary research team on elder abuse advising the Commissioner of Older Persons in Northern Ireland, with a report coming out later this year. From 2009-10, she was a U.K.-U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she analyzed alternative approaches to elder advocacy while researching at Queen's University Belfast. Pearson draws upon her 20-plus years of experience in her most recent book "The Law of Financial Abuse and Exploitation" (2011). She is also a co-editor of the Elder Law Prof Blog.


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Census 'Successfully Completed' Work to Date Despite 'Shaky' Computer Problems, Census Director Says
Monday, July 12, 2010
By Nicholas Ballasy, Video Reporter
*** begin quote ***
(CNSNews.com) – The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Robert Groves, told CNSNews.com that the Census "successfully completed" all operations to date despite a "shaky" information technology (IT) system that affected the early weeks of door-to-door counting. He added that he does not have "any evidence" that the IT problems had a "quality impact" on the accuracy of the population count, but encouraged people to wait for a final report that will be issued by the Commerce Department's inspector general to "see what he has to say" as an "independent voice."
*** end quote ***
Can you say "cooking the books"? What better way to get the result you want than to blame it on the technology.
# # # # #


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Each Short Shot contains 20% flavour concentrate pre mixed to the correct flavour strength, leaving room to fill up the bottle with your PG & VG to make it up to the desired amount. Simply top up the bottle with nicotine (if desired) and whatever PG, VG or base you require to reach your final ratio. Links to PG, VG & Nic Shots here.
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The other day we were getting some messages on our network switch that a host was flapping between ports. It turns out we had two virtual hosts on different machines using the same MAC address (not good). We had the interface and MAC information, and wanted to find what vm domains mapped to these. Its easy if you know the domain name of the vm node, you can get back the associated information like so:
% sudo virsh domiflist goulah
Interface Type Source Model MAC
vnet2 bridge br0 - 52:54:00:19:40:18
But if you only have the virtual interface, how would you get the domain? I remembered virsh dumpxml will show all of the dynamic properties about the VM, including those which are not available in the static XML definition of the VM in /etc/libvirt/qemu/foo.xml. Which vnetX interface is attached to which VM is one of these additional dynamic properties. So we can grep for this! I concocted up a simple (not very elegant) function which given the vnet interface will return the domain associated to it:
function find-vnet() { for vm in $(sudo virsh list | grep running | awk '{print $2}'); do sudo virsh dumpxml $vm|grep -q "$1" && echo $vm; done }
It just looks through all the running domains and prints the domain name if it finds the interface you're looking for. So now you can do:
% find-vnet vnet2
I wonder if others out there have a clever way of doing this or if this is really the best way? If you know of a better way leave a comment. Perhaps the problem is not common enough that a libvirt built-in command exists.


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George McGovern On Why Politicians Who Haven't Built A Business Are Bad At Regulating
from the good-points deptWith the passing of former Senator and Presidential candidate George McGovern this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reran a 1992 column he wrote about how much he learned from trying to start a business after he'd left politics. TheMoneyIllusion has an excerpt as well:
In 1988, I invested most of the earnings from this lecture circuit acquiring the leasehold on Connecticut's Stratford Inn. Hotels, inns and restaurants have always held a special fascination for me. The Stratford Inn promised the realization of a longtime dream to own a combination hotel, restaurant and public conference facility — complete with an experienced manager and staff.He goes on to talk about how all sorts of crazy regulations, that may have appeared to make sense to the politicians passing them, were actually serving to create a huge headache for businesses -- often because whoever is writing the laws has no idea what they're talking about:
In retrospect, I wish I had known more about the hazards and difficulties of such a business, especially during a recession of the kind that hit New England just as I was acquiring the inn's 43-year leasehold. I also wish that during the years I was in public office, I had had this firsthand experience about the difficulties business people face every day. That knowledge would have made me a better U.S. senator and a more understanding presidential contender.
In short, "one-size-fits-all" rules for business ignore the reality of the marketplace. And setting thresholds for regulatory guidelines at artificial levels — e.g., 50 employees or more, $500,000 in sales — takes no account of other realities, such as profit margins, labor intensive vs. capital intensive businesses, and local market economics.When we talk about Washington DC (and other governments) passing regulations that impact how entrepreneurs and innovators build great new companies, this is the kind of thing that we're worried about. The vast majority of elected officials really have no idea. They pass rules and regulations that sound good and are meant to serve a good purpose, but they rarely take into account the consequences of the regulations they pass or how they'll impact how companies act. This is not to say that there shouldn't be regulations, but that regulators need (a) a much better understanding of business and (b) they need to be aware that the impact of regulations can be stifling. I've never understood why every piece of legislation that will impact companies doesn't come with specific metrics to determine if it's a success and a mandatory review period / sunset provision, in which an independent board is tasked with determining if the law accomplished what it set out to do, and if there were any costly side effects or unintended consequences.
The problem we face as legislators is: Where do we set the bar so that it is not too high to clear? I don't have the answer. I do know that we need to start raising these questions more often.
McGovern seemed to discover all that after his political career was over, but with his passing, perhaps we can encourage current politicians to recognize just how big an issue this is today. Especially when we rely on so many new technologies, innovations and services on a daily basis.
Filed Under: business, entrepreneurship, george mcgovern, politics, regulations


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Renovation of entrance to listed building
|aik Immobilien-Investmentgesellschaft
|project management:
|John van de Weg
|project team:
|Barbara Dirks
|Van Assema Bouw VOF
|Ingenieursbureau DWA
|Singel 250 Amsterdam
|floor area:
|ca. 850 m²
|start design phase 1:
|May 2016
|start construction phase 1:
|August 2016
|completion phase 1:
|October 2016
The office building is situated in a prime location on the Singel in the centre of Amsterdam. The building was originally designed for a specific tenant: the Dutch-Indian Commercial Bank. The expansions carried out in 1925 and 1952 were also designed for a bank. During the eighties, the building was converted into a multi-tenant office building.
The building is owned by AIK, a property investment company for pension funds with its head office in Germany. AIK offers clients tailor-made property investment solutions.
In order to make the building more attractive to new tenants, Knevel Architecten was asked to submit proposals for revitalising the interior. The 1st phase involved renovating the main entrance on the Singel. The 2nd phase consisted of adjustments to the 3rd floor. During the finishing works to the 3rd floor, the whole building (approximately 8200 m²) was relet. The works commissioned included design works, technical development and project management.
The monumental character of the entrance hall was restored using limited resources. The original marble walls and floors were cleaned and new doors with a brass finish and linear perforated brass lighting elements designed by Knevel Architecten were fitted as part of a general lighting plan. In addition, the existing lobby area in the hall was adapted, the interior of the lift cages and the outsides of the lift doors were renovated and a new access control system and signs were installed.
As a result, the main entrance on the Singel has been transformed into a lobby that is more in keeping with the times and the grandeur of the building.


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The total investment in the project being built by French-developer Valorem is estimated at EUR 250 million and is expected to be commissioned in 2019-2020.
Details of the WKN project are yet to be disclosed. Both projects are believed to be in the early stages of development. According to Windpower Intelligence, neither company currently owns a project in the country.
Both developments will be built in the Ovidiopolsky area of the Odessa region. Valorem has a history of using Senvion turbines while WKN has used a mixture of manufacturers including Enercon and Vestas.
Valorem and WKN Windkraft Nord AG are not the only companies from the EU, which expressed an interest in building projects in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR), one of France's largest energy companies, announced development in the Zaporizhzhya region of Ukraine. It cost about EUR 70 million and have the capacity of 50MW.


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Damas, Guthrie and Parker-Rivera also honored at 2014 CAA Awards Banquet
BALTIMORE, Md. — Towson senior forward Jerrelle Benimon was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season in voting by the league's head coaches, media relations directors and members of the media. The announcement was made Thursday night at the league's pre-tournament awards banquet in Baltimore, Md.
Also receiving top honors were Delaware's Monte' Ross as the CAA Coach of the Year, William and Mary freshman guard/forward Omar Prewitt as the CAA Rookie of the Year and Northeastern junior forward Scott Eatherton as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year. William and Mary senior forward Tim Rusthoven was the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.
Benimon becomes the eighth player in conference history to receive CAA Player of the Year honors in multiple years. The senior forward has recorded a nation's-best 20 double-doubles in 31 games and he also leads Division I in rebounding with 11.7 per contest. Benimon, who ranked fourth in the league in scoring with 18.9 points per game, reached double figures in 28 of 31 outings and tallied 20 or more points 17 times.
Benimon, who was also selected to the CAA All-Defensive team for the second straight year, broke his own Towson single-season record with 363 rebounds, which was the fourth-most in a season in CAA history and the most by any CAA player other than Navy All-American David Robinson. Showing his all-around game, Benimon was also third in the conference in assists (3.7 apg), fourth in field goal percentage (52.8%) and fifth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
Joining Benimon on the All-CAA first team were Drexel senior guard Frantz Massenat, Delaware senior guardDevon Saddler, William & Mary junior guard Marcus Thornton and Delaware senior guard Davon Usher.
Earning second-team All-CAA honors were Northeastern's Eatherton (15.5 ppg/10.1 rpg), Drexel graduate student guard Chris Fouch (17.9 ppg/3.2 rpg), College of Charleston senior forward Willis Hall (12.2 ppg/9.0 rpg), William & Mary's Rusthoven (12.2 ppg/4.9 rpg) and Hofstra graduate student guard/forward Zeke Upshaw (19.6 ppg/4.2 rpg).
Named to the All-CAA third team were Delaware senior forward Carl Baptiste (10.9 ppg/8.3 rpg), James Madison sophomore guard Charles Cooke (14.3 ppg/5.0 rpg), Towson senior forward Marcus Damas (11.4 ppg/5.3 rpg), Towson senior forward/guard Rafriel Guthrie (12.0 ppg/2.9 rpg), James Madison sophomore guardAndre Nation (15.2 ppg/5.3 rpg) and Hofstra graduate student guard Dion Nesmith (13.2 ppg/4.3 apg).
Damas is second on the team in both rebounding and three-pointers made, and ranks third in scoring, assists and blocks. The senior ranks Top 20 in the CAA in scoring, rebounding, blocks, free throw percentage and free throw percentage. Damas became Towson's 23rd player to reach the 1,000-point scoring plateau on January 27. He enters this weekend's CAA Tournament having scored 1,094 points.
Guthrie ranks second on the team and 14th in the CAA in scoring. The senior has been on a tear in the second half of the season, scoring in double figures in 12 of his last 14 games. Since being inserted into the starting lineup on February 15, the Tigers are 6-0. Guthrie scored a season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting in Towson's win at Northeastern on February 20.
Sophomore Timajh Parker-Rivera was also honored on Thursday night as the forward was named to the CAA All-Academic Team.
Towson is set to open CAA Tournament play on Saturday night as the second-seeded Tigers will host seventh-seeded James Madison at 6 p.m. inside Baltimore Arena. The game can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet.
First Team All-CAA
Jerrelle Benimon, Towson Sr. F 6-8 245 Warrenton, Va./Fauquier
Frantz Massenat, Drexel
Devon Saddler, Delaware
Marcus Thornton, William & Mary Jr. G 6-4 185 Upper Marlboro, Md./Bishop McNamara
Davon Usher, Delaware
Second Team All-CAA
Scott Eatherton, Northeastern Jr. F 6-8 219 Hershey, Pa./Hershey
Chris Fouch, Drexel
Willis Hall, College of Charleston Sr. F 6-6 235 Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian
Tim Rusthoven, William & Mary Sr. F 6-9 235 Winfield, Ill./Wheaton Academy
Zeke Upshaw, Hofstra
Third Team All-CAA
Carl Baptiste, Delaware
Charles Cooke, James Madison So. G 6-6 200 Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic
Marcus Damas, Towson
Rafriel Guthrie, Towson
Andre Nation, James Madison So. G 6-5 200 Plant City, Fla./Faith Baptist Christian
Dion Nesmith, Hofstra
2013-14 CAA Player of the Year – Jerrelle Benimon, Towson
2013-14 CAA Coach of the Year – Monte' Ross, Delaware
2013-14 CAA Rookie of the Year – Omar Prewitt, William & Mary
2013-14 CAA Defensive Player of the Year – Scott Eatherton, Northeastern
2013-14 Dean Ehlers Leadership Award – Tim Rusthoven, William & Mary
CAA All-Rookie Team
Canyon Barry, Coll. of Charleston Fr. G 6-6 195 Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain
Omar Prewitt, William & Mary Fr. G/F 6-6 180 Mount Sterling, Ky./Montgomery County
Jamall Robinson, Hofstra Fr. G/F 6-5 210 Cheltenham, Md./Paul VI
Rodney Williams, Drexel Fr. F 6-7 220 Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's
T.J. Williams, Northeastern
CAA All-Defensive Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Adjehi Baru, Coll. of Charleston Jr. F 6-9 225 Abidjan, Ivory Coast/The Steward School
Jerrelle Benimon, Towson Sr. F 6-8 245 Warrenton, Va./Fauquier
Scott Eatherton, Northeastern Jr. F 6-8 219 Hershey, Pa./Hershey
Davon Usher, Delaware
David Walker, Northeastern So. G 6-6 176 Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls
CAA All-Academic Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Kyle Anderson, Delaware
Canyon Barry, Coll. of Charleston Fr. G 6-6 195 Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain
Brandon Britt, William & Mary Sr. G 6-2 200 Chesapeake, Va./Atlantic Shores Christian
Kyle Gaillard, William & Mary Sr. F 6-8 220 Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg
Willis Hall, College of Charleston Sr. F 6-6 235 Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian
Tanner Milson, UNCW
Dion Nesmith, Hofstra
Timajh Parker-Rivera, Towson So. F 6-7 215 Milford, Conn./St. Joseph
Shane Reybold, UNCW
Tim Rusthoven, William & Mary Sr. F 6-9 235 Winfield, Ill./Wheaton Academy


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Cuts in Youth Services
I have just read Jon Jollys post about the ongoing cuts to the services here in West Sussex.
As he rightly points out, it is a challenging and difficult time for all practitioners and managers within the service. The YSDS has already been reduced by £2m and we are now being asked to reduce the service by another £2m by March 2012. The service is currently consulting with residents & young people about these cuts and this closes on the 14th October with the select committee scheduled for the 4th November. Young people from the youth cabinet are meeting with the Cabinet Member and Director of Childrens Services to discuss these changes and input their views and thoughts about the future of the service.
Whilst this is happening we are also trying to bed in the new service which has seen significant changes in the way we are delivering and who is delivering our services. There has been a big upheaval for staff with many (including myself) being asked to change roles and operational areas. Staff are also uncertain of their future and are also being asked to deliver services in new and different ways. They are all working incredibly hard to deliver the best services for young people through these constant changes. Jon mentions the lack of communication and consultation with the community and young people over changes to the night a club opens and the staff delivering it. I agree that this should be the way we are working but have to put my hand up and admit that at the moment the fact that some of the clubs are open at all given the numbers of staff we have is a feat in itself. I oversee a different area of the county and know that I have been involved in making decisions about when we can open a club and who will staff it in isolation to the community and young people. This is partly down to the fact that with the need to further reduce the service is not recruiting new staff, any vacancies are managed internally which impacts again on the number of staff we have available so we are incredibly stretched.
Staff are also feeling devalued as their profession and years of training appear to count for nothing alongside a government agenda that believes volunteers can replace them. With staff stretched to deliver our own targeted and prevention services there is less time to support the voluntary sector as we used to at the very time they need that support to deliver universal services.. They (and communities I talk to) continue to be frustrated by this.
So where are we headed? Personally I am currently reviewing the services I am responsible for with the teams I manage whilst also making every effort to talk to the local communities and involve them in the decisions we have to make. In little over a month we should have a clearer steer on the way ahead which will need more planning and organising.
On a national level at a time of increasing youth unemployment, unrest and lack of opportunity the very services that could support young people are being decimated. It seems obvious to me (and many others across the country in similar positions) that these cuts are happening too rapidly and are unsustainable, by the time the government realises this will there be anything left to rebuild from?


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28 °CTuesday18/08/2020
*All amounts are in USD. Taxes and surcharges are included. No booking fee is applicable, but a payment surcharge may apply. Prices shown may vary depending on fare availability. You will see the final amount when selecting your payment method.


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last update March 31, 2013
and 12-2-2017 (restoring images)
Update, March 31, 2013: Thanks to Petri, I finally noticed a comment left here recently by someone in Libya, phone number included, who claims he filmed one of the three videos examined here (not sure which one - See comments below, scroll waaaay down.) How do you respond to that? I ventured a guess, right below that.
Note, Sept. 9:
For those who've read this post before when it was boring, please check it out again. It took me two weeks, but I finally finished my analysis and it went better even than I thought. The introduction is optional context information. The actual analysis below that is what matters, with the videos themselves best for double-checking me.
Note, Sept. 18:
For those not inclined to read, I have a video explanation up now,embedded at the post's bottom.
Protesters Shot in al Baida
The UN Human Right Council report of June 1 [PDF link] found the following about the Libyan government's firing on demonstrators in the eastern city of al-Baida:
[M]embers of Al-Bayda Internal Security Agency fired live ammunition at a demonstration in Al-Salhi Square and the Commission has verified that several demonstrators had been killed. On 17 February, according to information received by the Commission from forensic and prosecutorial authorities, security forces of Khamis Katiba were deployed in Al-Bayda where they shot at demonstrators without prior warning, resulting in the deaths of 11 other demonstrators. Other witnesses spoke specifically of actions of the ISA and Revolutionary Committees in shooting at persons during demonstrations.This is similar to what they found, mostly from just accepting what "protesters" told them, in several other Libyan cities. The main difference is that with al Baida, there is also at least some video evidence to support people being killed while only protesting.
Aside from the very few flukes like this, the Libyan government's explanation seems to fit the video record much better than the charges of the protesters and, pretty much, the world. Rather than peaceful protesters mowed down for speaking up, what the evidence (and lack of it) suggests is they were generally killed trying to storm army bases to secure their starter weapons for a military takeover. Few countries in the world would tolerate that without at least trying some deadly force to prevent it. (See the detailed article on this big question here).
A while back a Youtube friend tipped me off to an interesting angle about some videos I was already aware of but hadn't posted on yet. I already aware of two of the three videos he linked me to, listed and shown below. These were both the only videos I recall seeing where apparently unarmed protester types are shot dead right on camera while not clearly attacking a government facility. I only noticed seeing them together they were from nowhere but al Baida. Looking closer yet (again, below), I see they're apparently from nowhere but the intersection of Sharia Omar al-Muktar and Souq al-Hoot in al Baida.
I knew one of the videos below (the third) was from there, and didn't even know of the first one's existence. But they're all from that town of around 200,000 between Benghazi and al Qaeda central, Dernah. Al Baida's youth and Islamists were among the first to violently revolt; along with Benghazi and Az Zintan, al Baida witnessed violent protests and the torching of police stations on the 15th and daily from there. People were dying there, in small numbers and on both sides, from the very outset, unlike even in Benghazi. On the 18th, two policemen (internal security, I presume) were hanged by protesters there, perhaps angry about something that happened on the 17th.
Al Baida also fell before Benghazi, at an uncertain time between Feb 18 the Feb 20. The rebels there or perhaps from Dernah - Libya's nearby al Qaeda central - were able to spread out and take nearby Shahet military base, early on the 19th, and Labraq airbase right after that (before the 21st). The weapons seized from Shahet apparently assisted the final taking of the "Katiba" barracks in Benghazi the following day, marking the effective conquest of their new capitol city.
And by the time of the al Baida massacre, where 22 government soldiers were executed and blamed on the regime, there were some strange people working that town. One bearded, possibly be-robed man with a walking stick and questions about Emirs passed judgment, on video, upon the condemned men some evening around Feb 19-22. They deserved their fate, he said, for daring to shoot back at the rebels as they took Labraq airbase (see here for the transcript).
On the days the videos below were filmed, who was working that town?
The videos
1) Protests in Al Bayda East Libya on the 17th Feb facing live fire
Posted by Libyanm, Jun 10, but dated on-screen Feb 17, day 3 of fighting.
2) "Qaddafi's men open fire on a funeral procession and kill mourners, Al BaiDa'"
Posted by LibyanSolidarity, March 2.
On-screen text has, in "Indian numbers," 17, suggesting again Feb 17. The day or the group? Dunno.
Posted by apologiiiize, Feb 20. Description gives this as the date of the incident. Could be earlier.
First, Video 3
Only the date, February 20, and its view from ground level sets video 3 apart. Otherwise it seems all three videos seem to show either the same encounter or the same exact type of encounter happening repeatedly at the same spot. Video 3 is unique in showing it from ground level, as the crowd stops moving forward, holding a position near a row of dark blue blobs that seem to be internal security police. The quality is just atrocious. I've wondered if the resolution was lowered to obscure some detail. Like, for example, which way are the police's weapons pointing, up or forward?
A shot is fired, then we see a man down, a young guy, unconscious it seems, a pool of blood under the back of his head. Other quickly pick him up by the hands and feet and run him back the direction they came, blood just pouring from his head all the way. Barring an elaborate special effects job by the protesters (not impossible), it seems there's little doubt this kid was shot in the head right there, ten feet in front of this camera person, and was dead soon after.
We're to presume the shot was from the security men just fifty feet away at the intersection. But that's not what we're doing.
The Scene and the Sides
The police line is quite near that presumed security center. The battle-scarred pavement around them seems to be from some previous violence. The white smears are I think from large rocks native to the area, breaking into chalky dust (al Baida means "the white," by the way). The black smears are apparently from Molotov cocktails or some such, like the rocks, hurled towards the police line. In this video, both sides are hurling things at each other.
The security men run around in their area, with more coming from the north, but don't advance or retreat. Some hold rifle-shaped weapons for firing something - bullets, tear gas, I'm not sure. The sound of shots combined with no one running suggests they are shooting mostly in the air and everyone here knows that.
The Fallen
The first two videos show two separate shootings, at two different intersections. I'm pretty sure video 3 shows the same killing as video 1, from a position just a couple of people behind the victim.
Video 1 has the shot come at 1:26. The victim is visible writhing around (or being adjusted?) on the pavement. There's no ambulance; some of the protesters carry him off, back towards the hospital, within a matter of seconds. A pool and trail of blood are left, as happened with the victim in video 3. I think it's the same.
At left are what I think are the camera person locations and the spots where the two martyrs fell, established by comparing cross-streets, building heights, and so on. By this, the video 2 victim was sniped quite a ways from the police line. It's possible as far as I know, but a long shot. The victim shown in Videos 1 and 3, however, is in a great spot to be told "no further" with a bullet to the head. There's no denying that. However...
My Theory: A False Flag Op by Terrorist Snipers
In video 2, the ambulance comes in from the side of the police line. We're to presume the shooting did too, but I'm not so sure. My theory, which is looking better the more I look, is that rooftop snipers along the route, provocateurs hoping to demonize the regime and enrage the masses below, are doing the shooting here.
|The camera just before the shooting.
Just left of the sniper position?
If the first team shot both the victim and the video from their rooftop, they're apparently not shooting now. But a person was just shot beneath them once the other camera had a view. Was it really the police this time, or another sniper yet next to this camera person? Twice in a row, a demonstrator was shot down just as they came into a cemera's line of view.
I'm not sure yet how to analyze the audio aspect of the videos, but unless it's been doctored, a shot from the police zone down the street should sound very different from a gun right there next to the camera. But just from the visuals, I think we have a compelling, if not conclusive, case that these rare protester deaths were part of a coordinated false flag operation by extremely sinister elements within the Libyan uprising.
Note Sept. 11: One more odd bit - the gray truck in video 2, that has the victim loaded in its bed instead of in the government ambulance, was parked right there waiting. It pulls up just before the shooting in fact at 0:05, before the first cut (perhaps being the signal to double check everyone's readiness?). All it does is park there. Then comes the brief edit, the gunshot, enough time for the death and reaction to filmed for a moment passes. Then the truck rolls forward just in time to keep the evidence from the authorities, we presume. A group of people loads the victim, and in a matter of seconds, the truck drives through the crowd towards the hospital or wherever. I think what happened next is the crowd blocked the ambulance until it gave up, but again, that part wasn't shown. Why there was no truck ready the second time, I do not know.
Video Version and One More Clue
More on the Victims, Date, and Location
Comments (see below) submitted by astute reader Felix alerts me to A report on the website of AlKarama 4 March 2011. AlKamarais a Switzerland-based organization, he says, and the report "mentions that the evidence for 59 deaths in Al Baida is based solely on death certificates issued by the hospital, all for bullet wounds (allegedly). These are assumed to be demonstrators." Indeed, that was their basis for proving a government order worthy of investigation and sanctions. As this study shows, that was a leap of faith (unrecognized?) that seems unwarranted.
The report also mentions "a 10 year old girl, Rokaya Mabrouk, shot dead in Al Baida on 18 February 2011 and a 14 year old boy, Saad Al Yamani, killed in front of the security forces' headquarters on 16 February 2011," Felix says. Sounds like deft provocateur work, just like the videos examined above. Felix also reasons that these videos might be from the 16th instead of the 17th, citing exactly two protesters killed in front of the main security HQ that day - Mr.Yamani and a 21-year-old named Khaled Naji Khanfar. Other than one in Ajdabiya, and a few in front of al Abraq airpot, the rest of the death locales are given as just "Al Baida." Quite a few are listed as going down that day, any of them perhaps at the same place, just not specified.
I could go with either day at this point, and I don't suppose it much matters. But the location is a match. One site I found gives "Al Jabal al Akhdar" as one of Libya's 25 municipal adminstrative divisions. Many cities have a district of their own name, but not al Baida. So the civil defense station of that name these protesters were shot near would seem to be the main one for that city, as cited for those two shot guys.


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Has Jack Bauer gone soft? You could think so if you watch the sneak peek airing of Kiefer Sutherland's new drama, "Touch" (8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox; 2.5 stars).
Sutherland, who for eight seasons starred in Fox's "24," is so identified with badass spy Bauer that some might find it difficult to buy him as Martin Bohm, a sensitive, compassionate dad mourning the 9/11 loss of his wife and his inability to communicate with his son Jake (David Mazouz), who has been misdiagnosed as autistic.
But don't despair, "24" fans. Sutherland gives us a couple Bauer moments: When Martin is faced with a ticking-clock scenario and his voice tightens with tension, I half expected him to shout, "I need it now Chloe!" He also gets into a fight at a gas station.
I think the producers were hedging their bets, yet Sutherland can play tender, too. Martin's despair, anger and desparation come through that distinctive, gravelly voice we're used to hearing shout threats. The voice softens, as does Sutherland's demeanor, even when Martin has to once again save Jake, who has a habit of climbing cell phone towers.
Jake spends most of his time scribbling numbers in notebooks. In Wednesday's pilot, he writes 3 and 18 over and again. Martin is at his wit's end as to what any of it means until he finds the Teller Institute, which is run by a guy in a bathrobe out of his run-down home. Teller (Danny Glover) explains that Jake is really a genius, and that the patterns he draws show that he has discovered the Fibonacci sequence, the mathematical pattern that is basically the code for the entire universe.
In essence, Jake can predict human connections with the numbers and patterns he sees, and if Martin can "read" them, they can connect as well as help other people.
It's all very new-agey and a bit pretentious. And that's the rub with "Touch." It comes from "Heroes" creator/big idea man Tim Kring, who wants to show viewers how our lives inevitably touch each other—if we just recognize the patterns. What does a man who lost his cell phone in the U.S. have to do with an Irish pub singer have to do with an Arab suicide bomber have to do with a lottery winner have to do with a boy named Jake who climbs cell phone towers?
You're going to find out if you stick around for the hour-long pilot.
That hour is well-executed and intriguing, if emotionally manipulative. But I'm curious how the show will play out on a weekly basis when it returns March 19. Like I said, Kring's a big idea man, but in "Heroes" those ideas got lost in the execution. "Touch" has the continuing story of Martin's attempts to connect with Jake and how a social worker (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Teller will help, but Sutherland himself has said the show is a procedural about how Jake and his numbers—with Martin's help—will bring disparate people together.
Seems to me like that could get old, even if Martin goes a little Jack Bauer at times.


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The percentage of medical school graduates choosing family medicine residencies has jumped by nearly 10 percent during the past five years, an increase that demonstrates the growing popularity of family medicine as a career choice, according to Perry Pugno, M.D., vice president for medical education at the AAFP.
The AAFP conducts an annual survey of the nation's family medicine residency programs, and according to those data, 67.4 percent of first-year family medicine residents graduated from U.S. allopathic or osteopathic medical schools this year, making 2013 the fifth straight year the percentage has increased. In 2009, 58 percent of first-year family medicine residents graduated from a U.S. allopathic or osteopathic medical school.
"This is another indicator that medical students realize primary care is the foundation of health care," said Pugno in a recent press release. "The number of students choosing family medicine in the annual Match (National Resident Matching Program) continues to increase, and the attendance at the AAFP's National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students has really increased. All of these point to a trend toward primary care careers."
Pugno added, however, that the nation is not producing enough family physicians to meet the growing demand for primary care and family physician services, especially as the population ages and more people gain access to health care coverage through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The nation is producing about 3,500 family physicians a year, but will need about 40,000 more FPs by 2020 to address current and anticipated demand, said Pugno in an interview with AAFP News Now.
He described medical students as "savvy consumers of information," saying "they recognize that the demand for primary care is clearly going to escalate."
"They see the results of studies from across the nation showing that a robust primary care base achieves better care, better patient experience and better health, and that it does so at a lower cost," said Pugno.
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We recently caught up with esDot Studio's owner Shawn Blais to learn about some of his recent projects using Flash and AIR for game and app development. Check out the Q&A below to see what Shawn is creating, monetizing and having fun doing what loves. Enjoy!
What is your name, company, title?
Shawn Blais, owner/coder/marketer of esDot Studio, Inc. esDot is a company I started for the sole purpose of developing cool, polished AIR apps to mobile platforms. I started serious mobile development in late 2010, since then I've created 5 apps and am hard at work on the 6th. I code primarily on evenings and weekends, by day I'm lucky enough to work with a fantastic team at gskinner.com here in Edmonton. Without the experience and opportunities gained there I certainly would not be where I am today.
Where are you located?
Edmonton, AB.
Why did you use Flash/AIR to develop this app?
Two reasons really, efficiency and reach. Flash is so incredibly efficient at churning out high quality interactive apps, that you can literally code entire apps in a matter of 2 or 3 weeks, for me this is huge. I can use my skillset, and existing workflow to literally just fly through these apps.
In terms of reach, AIR allows me to take those 2 or 3 week apps, and deploy them to iOS, Android, BlackBerry PlayBook, Amazon Appstore and NOOK Color. That's pretty crazy. And since there are two new markets opening up next year, Windows Metro and BlackBerry10, I'm hoping that I'll be able to deliver my apps to those, too.
Diversifying my income across all these different app stores has really been a key part of my success. It's been interesting to watch how different apps sell in different markets, SnowBomber for example took off pretty big on BlackBerry PlayBook, and Amazon Appstore, but was quiet everywhere else. TouchUp on the other hand, sells best on iOS. So it's always different depending on the market, and it's hard to predict, so it pays to just be in them all.
I looked hard at options like Corona, and Appcelerator, but I couldn't get over the lack of strong typing in the languages, and the hit to my overall efficiency would have been massive. Also, the hard truth about HTML apps is that testing costs are massive, you really need to test on devices, on different versions of OS etc, and debugging is pretty hard, so it ends up being this monumental time drain. With AIR testing on a new device is usually just a couple hours, or even no time at all, and you get live debugging with breakpoints, so it's usually pretty easy. That's not to say there isn't the odd issue that will drive you nuts, but it's fairly rare!
How easy was it to deliver your app across multiple channels?
Signing up for the various portals, and passing approval is a pretty tedious process, but once you're all setup it's really a breeze. The fact I can build and install an iOS app, using a Windows box, is pretty awesome. Most other development paths would force me to buy a Mac to code on (I actually did end up buying a cheap mac for $500 off eBay, in order to do the final upload to iTunes).
Are you monetizing this app currently? If not, do you have plans to do so in the future?
Currently I'm monetizing ColorUp Pro, TouchUp Pro, SkyTunes, SnowBomber and RedditSolitaire across various markets. Most of my apps have free and paid versions, and TouchUp Pro and SnowBomber also have In App Purchase support on iOS, using an ANE.
Adding In App Purchase, and releasing a free version TouchUp Pro was a great experiment. It nearly doubled my sales on iOS, and I now get an even split between In App Purchase, and Paid Installs.
How many people are currently using the app?
With TouchUp Pro, there are about 12,000 daily users across all platforms. SnowBomber sees about 3000-4000 players a day, most of those on PlayBook or Kindle [is this Kindle Fire?]. Across all my apps, I see about 5,000-10,000 installs a day, with around 5% of those being paid.
What drives you to create these apps/games?
Primarily it was financial, new baby, new house, so something had to give and I saw this as the road to success. Plus, I'm just a complete gadget freak, so I was incredibly passionate about mobile devices, and bringing cool new UI's to them.
Do you have anything else up your sleeve?
I have a new Photo Editor coming out very soon which will be stunning, it's running at 60fps and the graphics are based on Android 4.0 UI. Then it looks like we might be teaming up with the awesome artists over at Cherry Sauce (http://cherrysauce.squarespace.com/contact/) to do some fun stuff. Stay tuned!
What do you want developers to know about creating apps with AIR/Flash?
Well, if you haven't tried it lately, go for it. The performance is really great these days and the workflow is solid, it's really improved a lot over the earlier AIR 2.7 SDK.
In terms of making money, from my experience the money is in productivity apps. Just make something really nice, really simple, that everyone needs, and you'll do well. It doesn't really matter if there's good competitors in the space, because users love having choices. As long as that space is not completely oversaturated … the most saturated markets seem to be Games and Music, so maybe look elsewhere…
Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
Check out my blog for some tips and tricks on how to achieve fast rendering in AIR for mobile: http://esdot.ca/site/category/blog


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Retail Project Merchandising Part Time SAS
The foundation of retail is built with strong displays for consumers to easily spot the brand names and quality products they love. Help increase sales of premium consumer products by applying for our part time Retail Project Merchandiser job. You will have the chance to build and craft retail merchandising displays at our client's retail locations within assigned territories. This position is responsible for calling in for project work for merchandising products and maintaining strong relationships with in-store management. Bring your skills to the company, the largest sales and marketing agency in North America, where you will receive in-depth training and competitive pay rates.
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Folks in New York rode the subway without pants yesterday:
About 900 New Yorkers shed their bottoms – but not their underwear – and took to the 2, 6 and R trains for the seventh annual No Pants Subway Ride.
"This is what I'd be doing anyway on a Saturday – sitting at home with my pants off," proclaimed Matt Gernt, 22, a finance consultant from Harlem, before boarding an R train.
I can't say I'm interested in seeing that much of my fellow riders (Seattle bus types: Don't get any ideas.), but I imagine that for some New Yorkers (my brother, Jeremy, for example), it all depends on who's on the train.


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I-35 South of Owatonna Reopens After Crash
OWATONNA, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota State Patrol says a section of I-35 south of Owatonna that was closed after a fiery crash has now reopened.
The Patrol says a semi and a car were stopped in the right northbound lane Thursday afternoon due to traffic backups. Another semi crashed into the car, which then collided with the first semi. The trucks then caught on fire, sending a plume of smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles.
Traffic was detoured onto other roads. Southbound I-35 was reduced to one lane.
All lanes in both directions in that area are now reopened.


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Dark Optimism – the album!
by Shaun Chamberlin on December 31st, 2011
Because why not? 🙂
A collection of songs from various genres, all in some way pertinent to the state of the world as we enter the new year. Here's hoping that the '2012 apocalypse' meme doesn't encourage enough panic to fulfil itself!
(this 'album' is shaped by the songs contributed by Dark Optimism readers last year, and others since. Thanks all!)
Edit – February 2017: The original Dark Optimism album posted here was sadly lost due to the demise of the player I uploaded it in. However, it has been updated and reborn in the 2017 edition!
Edit – January 2012: Ani DiFranco (song #9 above) turned up at OccupyLSX outside St. Paul's the other day. See below 🙂


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It makes me feel good to be a part of helping preserve these memories for them.
I used the Fancy Pants Designs "Happy Place" Collection for this layout.
I just can't say enough how much I love using Fancy Pants Products. They make pulling at layout together SO easy. Same with cards, or anything else you are wanting to create.
There is always great pieces for titles, and so many fun bits and pieces for adding interest.
It's been fun working on these layouts, because since there are so many to do, I have to keep them simple, so I can keep moving. Not sweating it and just kind of rolling with it has been nice. I've actually been pulling up sketches on Pinterest for quick inspiration and it has really helped me to keep trucking along.
Many of the layout are about trying to get quite a few photos on to one pages, and doing two page spreads. That is a bit out of my comfort zone, so the sketches have been a big help.
If you get in a funk, I suggest you give Pinterest sketches a try :)
I am doing "INSIDE' things this weekend as we are having nasty weather. Crazy weather! I couple of days ago it was in the 70's here .. now blizzard. Welcome to Nebraska living! lol
This photo is the view looking out from my studio window to the North. Faintly in the distance you can barely see the county road that runs along the East side of our property.
I can hear the wind whipping out there, and I'm cold even in the house, so I have no intention of going out!
So.. it's inside activities for me. Aside from working on the layouts , I decided to give a try, something that I have been watching You Tube videos about. They are taking these beads ( you can get at Hobby Lobby or Micheals), and melting them in the oven on Parchment paper, to create little dot embellishments that look just like the enamel dots you buy on sheets.
There are a number of great video on You Tube showing you how. Here is just one
DIY Enamel Dots Video
I ended up finding these in two sizes. They are inexpensive, and trust me... you can make A LOT with one container
Below you can see how I have them laid out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. ( I did hear in one of the videos that they used $ store parchment paper and it did not work as well as Reynolds brand). I used Reynold band parchment paper and it worked super.
I did mine in the over at 425 for about 11 minutes. This will vary with size. That was for the larger ones. The smaller ones were about 6 minutes. Just watch them, and you can tell when they are ready. First they will start to look like little doughnuts and then closer to the end, you will only see a little dimple in the top. They are still not ready until that little dimple is gone.
**Watching couple of the videos will be really helpful***
Below you can see were you can still see the little indentation where the hole was. They still need another minute or so.
They cool quickly and come right off the parchment paper. I just folded the parchment when they were cooled and used it like a funnel to pour them right into the container.
Just so you know... I did notice a bit of a smell from them being in the oven, but not a lot. With being a migraine sufferer I'm very conscious of smells and what might bother me and trigger a headache. I will wait for a nicer day when I can open the windows a bit for ventilation before a do more, just to be safe. Cracking the door open during a blizzard last night probably wasn't the best. lol But.. I sure didn't want a headache.
Well, this is now the really cool part. I was thinking of away to get adhesive to the backs without having to use a drop of glue when I add them to a card or layout. This is one thing I didn't hear mentioned in any of the videos. I often have trouble adding a wet glue to an embellishment I'm putting on a project. Even tho I try to add just add a little, it seems to "smoosh" out around the edges. I don't like the glue mess on my project.
DODZ Adhesives Dots Small from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3 L would be a great solution to this.
But Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Adhesive Transfer Sheets came into my mind. I couldn't wait to give it a try.
It worked GREAT! I just peeled off the top sheet and added the dots. SO easy!
When I remove them from the sheets the adhesive is on the dots!
My dots are on a sheet and all ready to use!! Seriously it could got have worked any better! YAY!
( I'm easily excitable lol)
If you do make these easy dots, the adhesive sheets are a must.
I hope you found this helpful.
My online J Bloom Party is still doing on until Monday, if anyone is interested. Here is the link.
When you click on Shop you will see my party. It will say "Amy's J Bloom" ( Amy is my son Wes's girlfriend)
Thank for stopping by!


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Recent Posts
- The Russ Liquid Test returns to Phoenix this March!
- Steve Aoki coming back to Scottsdale next Saturday to perform at the Birds Nest
- The Record Company >> Getting Up Off The Ground in Los Angeles [El Rey]
- Go HAIM or Go Home >> Going Under the Wire in Los Angeles [The Fonda]
- Hirie & Nahko and Medicine for the People >> Healing the Santa Cruz Crowd [The Catalyst]
- Nathaniel Rateliff >> Night Sweats in Los Angeles [Greek Theatre]
- All Rap Matters >> Atmosphere and Brother Ali in San Francisco [The Masonic]
- Crystal Castles in Phoenix [The Pressroom] >> Where's Alice?
- The Kills >> Killing It in Los Angeles [The Wiltern]
- Crystal Castles are coming back to Phoenix in September!
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zLISTED >> Top Summer Songs
Summer is >> in full effect and everyone has songs that remind them of summer. Every season I continue to manipulate a playlist that I created with my first intro to iTunes almost a decade ago and while it changes … Continue reading
Posted in music, rando, tech, zLISTED Tagged 311, ace of base, afi, alternative, apple, atb, bananarama, blonde redhead, boys of summer, bravery, cd, chill, coconut records, cover, cruel summer, dance, deadbeat summer, death cab for cutie, dino, dj jazzy jeff, dj sammy, don henley, dove shack, drums, electro, electronic, ferry corsten, fresh prince, girl talk, hip-hop, interpol, itunes, justin timberlake, leonid redenko, lil rob, marcdzb, neon indian, nocera, old school, solstice, soundtrack, spotify, spring and by summer fall, summer, summer day, summer girls, summer love, summer nights, summer of love, summer rain, summer shudder, summer skin, summer smoke, summer song, summer well, summerfish, summertime, summertime in the lbc, swollen summer, taking back sunday, video, will smith, yacht, you're so last summer Leave a comment


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Years of amateur and professional TV-watching and the impressive title attached to my byline notwithstanding, I have never believed that I would last a minute as a television programmer. I know what I like, and usually why I like it, but what will float and what will sink on the great waters of commerce I admit to be beyond my ken.
Still, had anyone in charge at Sundance Channel (now calling itself SundanceTV) asked me whether the network should follow its fine "Top of the Lake," "The Returned" and "Rectify" — slow, atmospheric, morally ambiguous, semi-rural stories of crime and family in which old wounds are opened and buried secrets surface — with a fourth such series, I might have suggested it was time for a big-city screwball romance or something with unicorns.
Between those shows and the likes of "The Killing" and "The Bridge" and "True Detective" and "Low Winter Sun" (which I, and possibly I alone, watched to the end) elsewhere on the dial, there has been an abundance of such stuff — how much moodiness can the system take?
But consistency counts for something when you're building a brand. And "The Red Road," which begins Thursday on the network, is — to judge by the first two of six episodes — very good. Set in a fictional New Jersey woodland town and concerning in part an Indian tribe, the Lenape, it is the product of an impressive trust of talent.
Executive producer Sarah Condon (HBO's "Looking" and "Bored to Death," but also Nickelodeon classic "Clarissa Explains It All") sent creator Aaron Guzikowski ("Prisoners") news stories about the Lenape, community relations and toxic waste. Show runner Bridget Carpenter spent five years on "Friday Night Lights"; James Gray ("Little Odessa," "The Immigrant") directed the tone-setting first episode.
It is not as uncanny as the Sundance series it follows — many of its constituent parts and players and dramatic relations are familiar ones, even the way in which some ostensibly good characters might compromise themselves and some clearly bad characters are shown to be something more than less than human. The symmetrical balance and historical connectedness of the two male leads — Martin Henderson's cop, Jason Momoa's ex-con, tied by the troubled woman who is now Henderson's wife (a terrific Julianne Nicholson) — feels almost too perfect at times.
And yet, though many seeds are quickly sewn — there is a missing college student, a literally forbidden romance, a prodigal son's return, a mother's shaky mental state — it is hard, in a good way, to see where it's headed, past the more obvious personal entanglements and somewhat-beside-the-point criminal actions. It feels productively mysterious.
The show tells you covertly a lot about the characters, building them up through bits of behavior and stray remarks that can seem contradictory at first but do start to cohere into something more complex. Henderson is, it's true, called on to sweat a lot before the story gets very far at all.
But Momoa — a male model who starred in the 2011 "Conan the Barbarian" and looks for a second like he might be the hero (and who knows?) — feels dangerous without seeming to do much at all. And if the leads seem sometimes to have to carry too much of an electrical charge, dramatically speaking, the supporting cast — including Tamara Tunie, Tom Sizemore and Mike Farrell, with Allie Gonino and Annalise Basso as Henderson's daughters — keeps the series grounded.
Condon has said that "Red Road" is about "where this nation came from and where it's going" and Guzikowski that "it deals with themes of what it is to be an American." Fortunately, he has written people strong enough to stand only for themselves.
'The Red Road'
Where: Sundance
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Rating: TV-14-LV (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14 with advisories for coarse language and violence)
- Television
- Entertainment
- Television Industry
- Reviews
- Jason Momoa
- Conan the Barbarian (movie)
- Friday Night Lights (tv program)
- Bored to Death (tv program)
- The Killing (tv program)
- True Detective
- Sundance Film Festival
- Sundance Channel (tv network)
- Nickelodeon (tv network)
- Julianne Nicholson
- Tamara Tunie


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Axe's aghanim description says "Battle hunger provides -30% damage output reduction. Applies Battle Hunger on nearby enemies after a successfull Culling Blade."
The word 'successful' has two L instead of one. None of the tooltips tell the radius for the effect. In addition, Battle Hunger's tooltip always says "Units affected by Battle Hunger cannot be denied." when this only applies to heroes and not all units. Creeps can still be denied as normal under Battle Hunger.


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Check out our domestic airfares, and get explore Canada from coast to coast.
If you're ready to travel the world, take a look! Travelocity has the deals and flight search tools that can allow you to plan an international trip with the click of a few buttons. Travelling to the U.S., Europe and the Caribbean has never been easier. With such an amazing world to explore, Travelocity gives you the chance to quench your wanderlust without breaking the bank.
Prefer to fly with a specific airline? No problem. No matter which airline you prefer, Travelocity will help you find the best tickets to get you where you want to go. If you're looking to rack up frequent flier miles from any of these great airlines, we've got you covered.
With Travelocity, you can check out popular flight routes to locate the latest deals and discount prices on the most popular Canadian destinations, from Victoria to St. Johns. And be sure to look at our direct flights, so you can get where you're going without a layover.
*Savings based on all package bookings with Flight + Hotel made from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 as compared to the price of the same components booked separately. Savings will vary based on origin/destination, length of trip, stay dates and selected travel supplier(s). Savings not available on all packages.


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City Hall Hours
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Alternating Fridays
Norwalk Historical Homes
(All Ages)
12426 Mapledale Street
Saturday, January 19 • February 2 & 16
1:00-4:00 p.m.
The Johnston family was considered one of the "first" families of Norwalk, settling here prior to the 1900's. Darius David ("D.D".) Johnston pioneered the first school system in Norwalk in 1880. Johnston was also responsible for the first real industry in town, a cheese factory, by furnishing Tom Lumbard with the money in 1882. By the early 1900's, Norwalk had become an established dairy center. Norwalk was also the home of some of the largest sugar beet farms in all of Southern California during this era.
Norwalk's prosperity was evident in the 1890s with the construction of a number of fine homes that were located in the middle of orchards, farms and dairies. Headstones for some of these families can be found at Little Lake Cemetery, which was founded in 1843 on the border between Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs at Lakeland Road.
The Johnston-Hargitt Ranch originally consisted of 120 acres devoted to the cultivation of wine grapes, plus, avocados, and citrus fruits. Eventually the surrounding acreage gave way to housing development leaving only the house and water tower.
The Hargitt house was built in 1891 by the D.D. Johnston family. (Shortly after, D.D's daughter Cora would marry Charles Frederick Hargitt.) The two-story shiplap building is built of Redwood shipped from Northern California, floated ashore at Seal Beach and then hauled north along what is today Norwalk Boulevard. This home is an Eastlake Victorian style home with crossed gables. The exterior design has not been changed from the original. The front and side bay gables are covered in "fish scale" shingles and ornamented with decorative scrollwork. The bay windows and two-story entrance porch are ornamented with spindle and bracket work. One of the original stained glass windows still remains as well as the original etched and stained glass work at the front door.
The semi-attached water tower has not been altered and still retains its original pipes. The stairs at the rear of the water tower building were added in 1930.
Friends of the Hargitt House and members of the Norwalk Historical Heritage Commission conduct tours of the Johnston-Hargitt Ranch Museum on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
This museum is currently closed for renovations
(All Ages)
Norwalk Park, 12237 Sproul Street
The area known as "Norwalk" was first home to the Shoshonean Indian tribes. Surviving primarily on honey, berries, acorns, sage, squirrels, rabbits and birds, their huts were part of the Sejat Indian village.
In the late 1760s, settlers and missions flourished under Spanish rule. Manuel Nieto, a Spanish soldier, received a Spanish land grant (Rancho Los Nietos) in 1784 that included the area of Norwalk.
The Rancho and mining days in California ended around 1860 and the land was subdivided and made available for sale when California was admitted into the union of the United States. Word of this land development reached the Sproul Brothers in Oregon. They recalled the fertile land and huge sycamore trees they saw during an earlier visit to the Southern California area. In 1869, Atwood Sproul, on behalf of his brother, Gilbert, purchased 463 acres (1.87 km2) of land at $11 an acre ($2700/km²) in an area known as Corazon de los Valles, or "Heart of the Valleys".
By 1873, railroads were being built in the area and the Sprouls deeded 23 acres (93,000 m²) stipulating a "passenger stop" clause in the deed. Three days after the Anaheim Branch Railroad crossed the "North-walk" for the first time, Gilbert Sproul surveyed a town site. In 1877, the name was recorded officially as Norwalk. Gilbert and wife Anna's home, built in 1870, known as the Sproul Museum, originally sat in a large sycamore grove where the community's first town meetings were held. The house was later relocated to its current location at 12237 Sproul Street in Norwalk Park.Take a trip back in time, and enjoy a visit to the historic Sproul Museum. The Museum contains many artifacts depicting the development of the City as well as Sproul family heirlooms. Admission is FREE; however, donations are always welcome. Please Note: The Museum may be closed during inclement weather. For more information, or to schedule a visit or group tour (10 or more), please call 562-929-5521.
BE A MUSEUM DOCENT! (Ages 18 & Over)
If you enjoy sharing stories, information, and talking to people, consider being a docent! The D.D. Johnston-Hargitt House and Sproul Museums are seeking people interested in leading tours at the two Museums. A three-month commitment is required. For more information, please call 562-929-5521.


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Obama's Budget: What States & Cities Need to Know
President Barack Obama released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 Wednesday. We break it down to tell you how it impacts states, cities and counties and their specific programs.
President Barack Obama's $3.7 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2014, which he unveiled Wednesday, includes increased funding for jobs, infrastructure and preschool, nearly $800 billion in new taxes, a $1.8 trillion cut to the deficit over the next decade, and cuts to Social Security and Medicare for the first time.
"The numbers work. There's not a lot of smoke and mirrors here," Obama said in his fifth annual budget request.
In good news for states and localities, the budget increases total federal grant funding to them; however, some programs are still on the chopping block. View a list of which state and local grant programs the president has targeted for cuts.
The president's budget has little chance of becoming law. It's primarily a political document meant to steer Republicans toward a broad debt-reduction deal.
Governing reporters are breaking down his budget to tell you how it would impact states, cities and counties and their specific programs.
Keep checking this page for ongoing analysis.
Obama has proposed pumping $75 billion over the next 10 years into an initiative to enroll every American child in preschool. He plans to pay for it by raising the cigarette tax. Read more.
As part of his pledge to double the amount of renewable energy produced in the United States, Obama also set aside $200 million in one-time funding for states to cut waste and be more efficient. The program is modeled on the administration's education reform initiative, Race To The Top. Read more.
Obama's transportation budget calls for ambitious investments in the country's infrastructure but does little to offer new suggestions on how to pay for it. Read more.
In what's like a recognition that not every state will choose to expand Medicaid, Obama has proposed postponing Obamacare's planned cuts to Medicaid payments to hospitals. The move would likely complicate the politics of the Medicaid expansion. Read more. Delaying the cuts could also set the administration up for an annual headache similar to what's become known around Washington as the "doc fix." Find out why.
Public Safety
The president, a more outspoken advocate of gun safety since last year's mass shootings, included increased funding for five programs to try to prevent another Newtown. Read more.
Taxes and Revenue
The president's fiscal plan targets wealthy taxpayers and Social Security to help lower the deficit -- but some are concerned that the tax increases and spending cuts could mean added costs for states and localities. Read more.
We invite you to discuss and comment on this article using social media.


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Welcome to Island Light Photography.
Your source for high quality nature photographs from British Columbia and around the world.
We offer affordable commercial stock images as well as prints in a variety of sizes, greeting cards, photo calendars, and free ecards of all our images.
We are committed to ethical and environmentally sound practices, treating plants and animals with respect and using sustainable materials for our products.