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Ontario's Legislative Assembly will continue its hearings over the summer into alleged performance failings and mismanagement at the Canadian province's government-funded air-ambulance service known as "Ornge." The hearings started on March 28 and, as of press time, it was unclear when Members of the Provincial Parliament (MPPs) would issue their final report into what appears to have gone badly wrong after Ontario's Liberal Party-led government gave overall control of the service to privately owned Ornge. Instead, the opposition politicians who instigated the hearings called last month for a full select committee investigation with full judicial powers, to get to the bottom of allegations and testimony aired in the parliamentary sessions.
Ornge has one of the most modern air-ambulance fleets in the world, operating 12 AgustaWestland AW139s (10 in service) and 10 Pilatus PC-12s from 12 bases across Ontario; it employs 500 people. Last year, Ornge directly transferred or contracted for the transfer of 19,000 patients, both in the air and on the ground, for which Ontario paid Ornge $150 million to provide the service within the framework of Canada's nationalized health-care system. Under the arrangement, Ornge uses both its own aircraft and contracts for supplemental lift from other operators.
Air-ambulance service has always been a vital component of Ontario's health-care system. The province is geographically large and its rural hamlets are often great distances from modern medical care. When Ornge was formed in 2005, its mandate was to significantly improve the air-ambulance service in the province, which was then being served by a diverse fleet of 70 rotary-wing and fixed-wing medical aircraft owned and flown by some 30 different contractors, and administered by the provincial Ministry of Health.
Ornge created a trust to obtain capital to buy new aircraft, outfit them with medical interiors, establish bases and train staff. Between 2009 and 2011, the trust raised $300 million from bond issues in the capital markets. Ornge paid $28 million to acquire a fleet of 11 used Sikorsky S-76As from Canadian Helicopters Ltd (CHL) to fly while awaiting delivery of the AW139s it chose to order; Ornge also bought a $15 million office building.
Ontario paid Ornge more money to set up a complementary ground-ambulance service. Ornge was intended to be such a model of efficiency that its founder and former CEO, Dr. Chris Mazza, hoped to replicate it in other countries and someday add jet service to the mix. At one point, Ornge pursued a joint venture with U.S.-based AirMed, an operator of medically equipped Hawkers.
A special report by Ontario's auditor general found that in fiscal year 2009-2010, Ornge turned down 7,700 requests for assistance; some 4,700 of those were on-scene requests, while another 3,000 involved the transfer of patients between medical facilities. Of the latter, 1,900 were classified "urgent." Since 2007, according to National Healthwatch (which describes itself as "Canada's nerve center for the health-related industry"), 145 Ornge patient incidents have been investigated by the Ministry of Health, 26 of which involve the death of patients. Forty of those incidents have occurred since installation of new management this year. Factors such as aircraft not being available for missions due to maintenance, lack of crewmembers and other reasons are not unknown among air-medical operations, but Conservative Party MPP Frank Klees suggested at the hearings that Ornge would appear to have more than usual. Helicopter operator CHL, for example, claims that it provided exemplary service under the old pre-Ornge arrangement and subsequently as an Ornge contractor. In a published letter "to the people of Ontario" dated April 19, CHL CEO Don Wall stated that CHL had flown more than 140,000 Ontario patients since 1977, with a dispatch rate of 97 percent. CHL pilots flew the S-76As that Ornge had bought from CHL until March 31, when CHL flew its last flight for Ornge.
The auditor general also found that, while the number of patients transported by Ornge decreased by 6 percent between 2007 and 2011, Ornge's annual funding increased by 20 percent.
"I have spoken to a number of [Ornge] paramedics and pilots who are extremely frustrated," Klees told AIN. Klees said that one of their chief frustrations is the AW139s' custom $600,000 Ornge-specified two-patient Aerolite medical interiors, which he said are so ergonomically challenged that paramedics cannot perform patient CPR in the helicopters.
Aerolite provided the following response to AIN: "Aerolite built a customized EMS interior for the Ornge AW139s to the technical layout specifications demanded by Ornge. Aerolite won the Ornge contract after a year-long competitive bid process involving various EMS interior manufacturers and completion centers. Before building the first Ornge interior, Aerolite held two EMS interior mockup reviews to verify ergonomics, patient handling, clinical functionality and safety. Aerolite built mockups of the proposed interior in an actual AW139 fuselage. Functional seats, cabinets, stretchers and so on were built to actual scale and presented to the medical staff, paramedics, project management and management of Ornge. The fact that headroom above the patient was limited was recognized early on in the project. Ornge management decided that other considerations, such as intubation and medical attendant position in relation to a patient, would trump the headroom consideration. The current management reconsidered the headroom issue after frontline Ornge staff voiced concerns. A regulatory exemption that will allow the stretcher to be flown in a lower position (thus guaranteeing correct headroom above a patient) was implemented in early February 2012. Aerolite is now working with Ornge on a permanent solution to this issue."
Under questioning before the Public Accounts committee, Steven Farquhar, Ornge v-p of operations, said that Ornge never field-tested the interiors before they were ordered. Ornge spokesman James MacDonald confirmed to AIN that Ornge has received a temporary exemption from Transport Canada to allow patients to be transported in the transverse position, facilitating CPR, and that Ornge is evaluating new interior options that will be field tested.
MacDonald also said that Ornge is aggressively recruiting AW139 pilots. "Every effort is being made to fill open vacancies and bolster the current pilot roster," he said.
Ornge declined to make the company's new CEO, Ron McKerlie, available to AIN to discuss its ongoing operational issues.
Ornge under the Microscope
Ornge has found itself under the microscope since late last year for both performance issues and concerns over the way it handled financial transactions involving both real estate and aircraft acquisitions. Transactions have provoked controversy in the Ontario parliament, where they were portrayed as entailing the conversion of public debt into private equity and/or revenues. While, technically, the bond debtor is "Ornge Issuer Trust," the auditor general notes, "this debt is included in the provincial debt in the province's financial statements, and the Ministry (of Health) is funding the ongoing financing payments."
Numerous audits and official investigations are under way by various agencies, including the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Provincial Parliament's Committee on Public Accounts. Members of that committee have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the conduct of AgustaWestland's Philadelphia office regarding the sale of AW139s to Ornge for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The U.S. Justice Department told AIN that as a matter of policy it does not comment on potential or ongoing investigations. AgustaWestland's U.S. office in Philadelphia did not respond to AIN's numerous e-mails and phone calls requesting comment.
In the wake of allegations of sweetheart loans, exorbitant salaries and directors' fees, and the creation of a complex web of for-profit companies attached to Ornge that Ontario officials believe engaged in suspicious transactions, Ornge founder and former CEO Mazza, his board and several senior executives no longer work for Ornge. Some were formally fired by the Ministry of Health; others lost their jobs when the ministry placed Ornge's for-profit operations into receivership, effectively eliminating their jobs. Mazza has been absent from public view since going on medical leave from Ornge on December 22 last year. He left Ornge in early February. The Public Accounts committee wants to hear from him, but at the time of the hearings his lawyers said he was under psychiatric care and too ill to testify. MPPs have been pressing for a warrant that would force Mazza to appear before them in July.
At hearings on May 16, former Ornge v-p of finance Maria Renzella confirmed Canadian press reports that Mazza's 2011 salary was $1.4 million. Board members made $100,000 to $200,000 per year each. "Those directors' fees were exorbitant and were not in any way justified," Klees told AIN. "For any director of any board to even pretend that he was meeting his fiduciary responsibilities–you don't have to look any further than their directors' fees to call that into question."
Senior executives at Ornge made six-figure salaries. According to testimony at the hearing, Mazza sent several of them, including his girlfriend, Kelly Long (described as having risen through the ranks "very quickly" to become a vice president at an Ornge affiliate company), to university to get MBAs at Ornge's expense.
What Ornge referred to as its official charities allegedly received big donations from suppliers, including $2.9 million from AgustaWestland. The charities (such as the Ornge Foundation, with a mandate to "support and promote improvement of patient care") allegedly steered money, in part, to a $43,000 speedboat and to a $500,000 deal with Orange County Choppers for a pair of custom motorcycles and an appearance on the American Chopper television program. AgustaWestland in Philadelphia did not respond to AIN's request for comment on these transactions.
A March 2012 special report by Ontario's auditor general concluded that Ornge used its for-profit companies, in part, to obfuscate its financial transactions, including shielding senior executives from a Canadian law (the "Sunshine List") that requires the disclosure of all salaries over $100,000 in government-funded entities. The practice also made it more difficult for the Ministry of Health to determine the true cost of service delivery, according to the auditor general. Ornge formed independent entities, such as Ornge Air, to deliver air-ambulance services to Ornge.
The auditor general stated, "These entities were not covered by the performance agreement Ornge has with the Ministry (of Health), and therefore the Ministry would likely not have access to the records of these entities…the Ministry cannot periodically spot-check whether the costs incurred by these entities and billed back to Ornge are reasonable or whether potential conflicts of interest have been avoided. Avoiding potential conflicts would be especially important given that…some members of Ornge's management and board were shareholders of certain of these entities."
Ontario officials also questioned whether another Ornge for-profit company, Ornge Global Real Estate, used $15 million of the $300 million bond proceeds to generate a $9 million profit by artificially inflating the value of the office building that housed Ornge. According to the auditor general's report, Ornge "entered into a complex arrangement with some of the other entities it created to sell the building and lease it back to itself. An independent real-estate appraiser we engaged estimates that, under its lease with a related Ornge company, Ornge's rent payments were 40 percent higher than fair market value rent…Ornge's above-market rent enabled one of the entities involved in the arrangement, Ornge Global Real Estate, to obtain $24 million in financing for the building that Ornge paid $15 million for. We understand that the $9 million 'profit' generated as a result was being flowed to a company called Ornge Global Holdings LP… At the time of our audit, Ornge Global Holdings LP was owned by members of Ornge's senior management and the board."
With regard to Ornge's aircraft, the auditor general complained that "an open public competitive tender was not used" and that Ornge over-bought: "Although Ornge's own analysis indicated nine helicopters and six airplanes were needed, Ornge purchased 12 new helicopters and 10 new airplanes. Ornge advised the Ministry [of Health] that the excess capacity could be made available to its other business ventures." Two of the AW139s were outfitted with passenger seating, rendering them unavailable for medevac transport.
Ornge's transaction on the AW139s has drawn scrutiny on a number of fronts, with MPP Klees (in a May 3 session of the Ontario Provincial Parliament) publicly accusing AgustaWestland of providing what he characterized as a multimillion-dollar "kickback" to Ornge's charity, in the form of the $2.9 million donation, as well as two marketing services and endorsement contracts worth $6.7 million to for-profit companies Ornge Peel and Ornge Global.
AgustaWestland claims it did nothing wrong. In his testimony before the Public Accounts committee on April 18, AW executive vice president Louis Bartolotta, who is based at AW Philadelphia and negotiated the Ornge deal, valued one of the marketing services agreements with Ornge at $4.77 million and called it "a very honest, straightforward contract for services." When asked what AW received, he mentioned an 80-page report designed to identify "where countries might have a requirement for aeromedical transportation, where the Ornge model might fit." Although Ornge was a relatively new player in the aeromedical business, Bartolotta said AW "felt that their expertise was superior to anything else we could find in the marketplace." Bartolottasaid that AW expected to receive additional reports under the agreement, but indicated that the work was not done.
Much of the marketing report was prepared by Long and Carrie Anne Brunet, an Ornge executive who is the daughter of former Ornge chairman Rainer Beltzner. Ornge's new management has turned over a copy of the report to the Ontario Provincial Police as part of its investigation.
AW declined to make Bartolotta available for an interview or to reveal any details of its marketing agreements with Ornge. In a prepared statement to AIN, AW spokesman Geoff Russell said, "AgustaWestland is proud of its work on behalf of Ornge and the aircraft we delivered. We will cooperate with any appropriate authority and provide any assistance we can." Russell also said AW "willingly contributed to the Ornge Foundation, because it believed in their work."
In an official statement about Ornge on its website, AW posted the following on March 7, "It is our belief that the propriety of our actions, soundness of the selection of the AW139 and its fitness for the mission it performs on behalf of the citizens of Ontario cannot be questioned. State-of-the-art design and full protection against icing are only two of the many characteristics which make the AW139 capable of delivering the highest level of patient care and serving Ontario so well."
In his testimony before the Public Accounts committee on May 9, Rick Potter, former Ornge Air chief operating officer (COO), made further specific criticisms of the way Ornge's top management handled its transactions with AW. Questioned by the committee, Potter acknowledged that he is a long-time supporter of the Conservative Party, which has been leading the opposition to the Liberal Party's handling of the matter.
Ornge's original agreement with AW was for 10 helicopters and options for two more, subsequently exercised, for a total of $144 million. Before delivery, Potter said, AW presented a bill to Ornge for $12 million more to cover the cost of increased gross weight, an additional landing light and an upgrade to the communications package for the fleet. However, AW owed Ornge $2 million in late-delivery charges.
In his testimony, Potter said that he and Bartolotta had met in Philadelphia to work out the math and Potter claimed to have come away with AW waiving the additional charges. Potter believed he had struck a sound bargain, but he alleges that Ornge CEO Mazza was less than pleased and pressed for Ornge to pay the additional charges AW wanted. "[Mazza] said something to the effect that there were other things to be considered," Potter told the committee.
Tom Rothfels, the Ornge executive who handled the original negotiations with AW for the helicopters, testified that Mazza had insisted on paying AW more than the contract required, but Rothfels said the amount came to about $600,000 per helicopter. He said, "I think I reiterated a number of times to Rick Potter, to [Ornge attorney] Cindy Heinz, to Maria Renzella and to Chris Mazza that the $600,000 weight upgrade was a fictional charge and that we, Ornge, should not be paying it."
Numbers provided at the hearings by Rothfels, Potter, Klees and Bartolotta are hard to compare apples-to-apples. Rothfels' total extra payment comes to $7.2 million for the 12 aircraft ordered, while Potter said the amount was about $10 million. Klees claims that AW paid $2.9 million to an Ornge charity and $6.7 million for two marketing agreements, for a total of $9.6 million, or about $10 million. Bartolotta said in his testimony that AW paid $4.77 million for one marketing agreement.
Potter is no longer an employee of Ornge Air, but he remained as a consultant at $20,000 a month until the end of May. Rothfels said he resigned his position after and partly because of the unusual deal regarding the extra payment to AW.
Opposition Restates Its Case
The Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) has always opposed the decision to allow Ornge to acquire its own aircraft and has restated its position. In an open letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty dated March 16, ATAC CEO John McKenna wrote, "The prospect of a monopoly provider (Ornge) of air-ambulance services continuing to operate flights while it also contracts flights from private operators is ethically very questionable. We do not believe that there was ever a credible case made to justify the move from a private deliverer of air-ambulance services by reputable and responsible regional air carriers to a government monopoly provider. The takeover of those services by Ornge was not based on complaints of bad service but seemingly on Ornge management's desire to build an empire using public funds. Private operators had provided a continuous, competitive, scandal-free and much appreciated service for decades."
Potter, the former Ornge Air COO, testified that a service like Ornge was needed and said that the dispatch rate of the private providers had fallen to 65 percent and that some were still flying unpressurized, piston-powered aircraft. Potter implemented a program of independent safety audits of Ornge contractors and required them to install safety equipment such as Taws, Tcas and GPS. He also defended Ornge's flight operations and the decision to acquire the AW139s. "We have an availability rate of 95 to 96 percent. We have the most over-trained Pilatus pilots in the world. The AW139s have 30 percent more performance" than the S-76s they replaced, Potter said. "I stand by the selection of the aircraft."
In his March report, Ontario's auditor general recommended a number of reforms for Ornge, including better cost comparisons and cost tracking of Ornge services by the Ministry of Health; using actual patient transfer data to rationalize the number of Ornge air and ground ambulances; electronically linking Ornge's dispatch system to land-ambulance dispatch systems; more accurately tracking Ornge's actual response times; and conducting unannounced visits and reviews of Ornge bases and its dispatch center. Ornge's new management and the Ministry of Health are taking the recommendations under advisement.
From an air-operations perspective, Potter maintains that Ornge is 90 to 95 percent of "where it should be."
MPP Klees said he thinks the new management team at Ornge is "very competent and [is] attempting to get the place cleaned up, but I am not at all assured that things are happening as fast or as efficiently as they should be."
At the end of the Public Accounts Committee hearing on May 9, Klees characterized Ornge as "the worst scandal this Province has ever seen. What went wrong was greed. There were a lot of people at the [public] trough. A lot of people took a concept and, quite frankly, abused it."
On June 21, Ornge provided AIN with the following statement:
"Ornge's new leadership team and board of directors welcomes this report and is committed to moving forward with its recommendations.At the time of its release, the new leadership at Ornge had already put in place a number of measures to improve patient care, governance and oversight, and we continue to make significant progress. These measures include the appointment of a new volunteer board of directors; the implementation of an improved performance agreement with the Government of Ontario; the formation of a committee under the direction of Ornge Board member Dr. Barry McLellan to address patient care issues; a strengthened on-scene response process; the implementation of an interim solution to improve the configuration of the medical interiors of the helicopters; and a thorough internal review of all policies and procedures."
Unless otherwise noted, the sources for this article are the official transcript of testimony presented to the Province of Ontario investigation into the conduct of air-ambulance service Ornge and the author's interview with Ontario Conservative Party MPP Frank Klees.
runswithscissors42 (not verified)
July 11, 2012 - 3:28am
Get ready to bend over without a reacharound, America!
jelly andrews (not verified)
October 4, 2012 - 9:07pm
I just don't get it why they keep on quarreling about that issue instead of improving their facility to help save more lives. They better work hand in hand and assist each other to have a quality service.
Rick Crosby (not verified)
October 25, 2012 - 7:35pm
This is a great example as to why Goverment should stay out of the private sector! $150,000,000 paid to Ornge Air and Companies is way too much money to transport 19,000 patients! If the Ontario Goverment went back to utilizing the numerous medically-equipped charter companies in Ontario, the cost savings would be enormous! The competitive nature of this business or any business for that matter, will keep the costs down and save the tax payers of Ontario millions of dollars every year! Keep the Goverment out of the Free Enterprise system and everybody wins!


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The Alex Film Society is tipping its hat to animation with the inaugural showing of "The Greatest Cartoons Ever!" — the crème de la crème of cartoons from the movies' Golden Age — in two screenings on Sunday at the Alex Theatre.
It's the baby of film society board member Frank Gladstone, who's been working in the animation industry for 40 years.
The lineup includes "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" 1936, Paramount; "Snow White" starring Betty Boop, 1933, Paramount; "Three Little Pigs" 1933, Disney; "The Rabbit of Seville" featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, 1950, Warner Bros.; and "Superman", a rare 35mm print.
An interesting fact about the Popeye cartoon is that some say it was the inspiration for Walt Disney's "Fantasia", Gladstone said.
Fleischer Studios, which produced cartoons for Paramount Studios, released two Popeyes that had a 3-D feel to them, he said.
"Popeye was so popular, Walt was worried that Mickey was losing ground," Gladstone said. "Walt wanted to do something special with 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' which was a short. They decided to make it part of 'Fantasia'."
Also on the program is the 1950 Warner Bros. cartoon "The Rabbit of Seville," featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
"It's a send up of the opera, and in it, Bug Bunny gives a haircut to Elmer Fudd to the music of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville.' "
Gladstone and special guest Jerry Beck, animation historian and author, will be on stage and host a series of clips as an added attraction, Gladstone said.
If the show draws enough people, the film society will build this event like it did for the Three Stooges Big Screen event held every Thanksgiving weekend, he added.
What: The Alex Film Society presents "The Greatest Cartoons Ever!"
When: 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale
Admission: $15; $12.50 seniors/students/kids; $10 Alex Film Society members (join at the box office with cash or check and save immediately on admission). Information: http://www.alexfilmsociety.org

subset: commoncrawl


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Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.
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DURHAM, N.C. -- In his first public appearance since Mitt Romney unveiled Paul Ryan as his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden lashed the new GOP ticket to the Bush administration and said that Ryan's budget makes the differences between Obama and his Republican rivals even more stark.
"Congressman Ryan has given definition to the vague commitments that Romney's been making," Biden said of Ryan's controversial budget proposition during a Monday speech at the Durham Armory.
Calling his Republican counterpart a "good guy," Biden took issue with those who call the Ryan budget, which would fundamentally overhaul entitlement programs, a "gutsy" proposition.
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Met by cheers from the audience of several hundred, the vice president predicted that the American people will reject the Romney-Ryan effort "to impose on the American people what the Republican congress has been preaching."
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More:Fact Sheet on Internet Freedom
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech on "Internet Rights and Wrongs: Choices and Challenges in a Networked World" at George Washington University. The Secretary said:
"The internet has become the public space of the 21st century -- the world's town square, classroom, marketplace, coffeehouse, and nightclub. We all shape and are shaped by what happens there, all 2 billion of us and counting. And that presents a challenge. To maintain an internet that delivers the greatest possible benefits to the world, we need to have a serious conversation about the principles that will guide us, what rules exist and should not exist and why, what behaviors should be encouraged or discouraged and how.
"The goal is not to tell people how to use the internet any more than we ought to tell people how to use any public square, whether it's Tahrir Square or Times Square. The value of these spaces derives from the variety of activities people can pursue in them, from holding a rally to selling their vegetables, to having a private conversation. These spaces provide an open platform, and so does the internet. It does not serve any particular agenda, and it never should. But if people around the world are going come together every day online and have a safe and productive experience, we need a shared vision to guide us.
"One year ago, I offered a starting point for that vision by calling for a global commitment to internet freedom, to protect human rights online as we do offline. The rights of individuals to express their views freely, petition their leaders, worship according to their beliefs -- these rights are universal, whether they are exercised in a public square or on an individual blog. The freedoms to assemble and associate also apply in cyberspace. In our time, people are as likely to come together to pursue common interests online as in a church or a labor hall.
"Together, the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association online comprise what I've called the freedom to connect. The United States supports this freedom for people everywhere, and we have called on other nations to do the same. Because we want people to have the chance to exercise this freedom. We also support expanding the number of people who have access to the internet. And because the internet must work evenly and reliably for it to have value, we support the multi-stakeholder system that governs the internet today, which has consistently kept it up and running through all manner of interruptions across networks, borders, and regions.
"In the year since my speech, people worldwide have continued to use the internet to solve shared problems and expose public corruption, from the people in Russia who tracked wildfires online and organized a volunteer firefighting squad, to the children in Syria who used Facebook to reveal abuse by their teachers, to the internet campaign in China that helps parents find their missing children.
"At the same time, the internet continues to be restrained in a myriad of ways. In China, the government censors content and redirects search requests to error pages. In Burma, independent news sites have been taken down with distributed denial of service attacks. In Cuba, the government is trying to create a national intranet, while not allowing their citizens to access the global internet. In Vietnam, bloggers who criticize the government are arrested and abused. In Iran, the authorities block opposition and media websites, target social media, and steal identifying information about their own people in order to hunt them down.
"These actions reflect a landscape that is complex and combustible, and sure to become more so in the coming years as billions of more people connect to the internet. The choices we make today will determine what the internet looks like in the future. Businesses have to choose whether and how to enter markets where internet freedom is limited. People have to choose how to act online, what information to share and with whom, which ideas to voice and how to voice them. Governments have to choose to live up to their commitments to protect free expression, assembly, and association.
"For the United States, the choice is clear. On the spectrum of internet freedom, we place ourselves on the side of openness. Now, we recognize that an open internet comes with challenges. It calls for ground rules to protect against wrongdoing and harm. And internet freedom raises tensions, like all freedoms do. But we believe the benefits far exceed the costs."
Secretary Clinton then addressed several of the challenges we must confront as we seek to protect and defend a free and open internet, including protecting both transparency and confidentiality. The Secretary said:
"...I know that government confidentiality has been a topic of debate during the past few months because of WikiLeaks, but it's been a false debate in many ways. Fundamentally, the WikiLeaks incident began with an act of theft. Government documents were stolen, just the same as if they had been smuggled out in a briefcase. Some have suggested that this theft was justified because governments have a responsibility to conduct all of our work out in the open in the full view of our citizens. I respectfully disagree. The United States could neither provide for our citizens' security nor promote the cause of human rights and democracy around the world if we had to make public every step of our efforts. Confidential communication gives our government the opportunity to do work that could not be done otherwise.
"Consider our work with former Soviet states to secure loose nuclear material. By keeping the details confidential, we make it less likely that terrorists or criminals will find the nuclear material and steal it for their own purposes. Or consider the content of the documents that WikiLeaks made public. Without commenting on the authenticity of any particular documents, we can observe that many of the cables released by WikiLeaks relate to human rights work carried on around the world. Our diplomats closely collaborate with activists, journalists, and citizens to challenge the misdeeds of oppressive governments. It is dangerous work. By publishing diplomatic cables, WikiLeaks exposed people to even greater risk.
"For operations like these, confidentiality is essential, especially in the internet age when dangerous information can be sent around the world with the click of a keystroke. But of course, governments also have a duty to be transparent. We govern with the consent of the people, and that consent must be informed to be meaningful. So we must be judicious about when we close off our work to the public, and we must review our standards frequently to make sure they are rigorous. In the United States, we have laws designed to ensure that the government makes its work open to the people, and the Obama Administration has also launched an unprecedented initiative to put government data online, to encourage citizen participation, and to generally increase the openness of government.
"The U.S. Government's ability to protect America, to secure the liberties of our people, and to support the rights and freedoms of others around the world depends on maintaining a balance between what's public and what should and must remain out of the public domain. The scale should and will always be tipped in favor of openness, but tipping the scale over completely serves no one's interests. Let me be clear. I said that the WikiLeaks incident began with a theft, just as if it had been executed by smuggling papers in a briefcase. The fact that WikiLeaks used the internet is not the reason we criticized its actions. WikiLeaks does not challenge our commitment to internet freedom.
"And one final word on this matter: There were reports in the days following these leaks that the United States Government intervened to coerce private companies to deny service to WikiLeaks. That is not the case. Now, some politicians and pundits publicly called for companies to disassociate from WikiLeaks, while others criticized them for doing so. Public officials are part of our country's public debates, but there is a line between expressing views and coercing conduct. Business decisions that private companies may have taken to enforce their own values or policies regarding WikiLeaks were not at the direction of the Obama Administration."
Secretary Clinton recognized the tensions and challenges in advancing liberty and security, transparency and confidentiality, freedom of expression and tolerance -- all of which comprise the foundation of a free, open, and secure society as well as a free, open, and secure internet where universal human rights are respected. She also recognized that some countries are trying a different approach, abridging rights online and working to erect permanent walls between different activities -- economic exchanges, political discussions, religious expressions, and social interactions. The Secretary said:
"I urge countries everywhere instead to join us in the bet we have made, a bet that an open internet will lead to stronger, more prosperous countries. At its core, it's an extension of the bet that the United States has been making for more than 200 years, that open societies give rise to the most lasting progress, that the rule of law is the firmest foundation for justice and peace, and that innovation thrives where ideas of all kinds are aired and explored. This is not a bet on computers or mobile phones. It's a bet on people. We're confident that together with those partners in government and people around the world who are making the same bet by hewing to universal rights that underpin open societies, we'll preserve the internet as an open space for all. And that will pay long-term gains for our shared progress and prosperity. The United States will continue to promote an internet where people's rights are protected and that it is open to innovation, interoperable all over the world, secure enough to hold people's trust, and reliable enough to support their work.
"In the past year, we have welcomed the emergence of a global coalition of countries, businesses, civil society groups, and digital activists seeking to advance these goals. We have found strong partners in several governments worldwide, and we've been encouraged by the work of the Global Network Initiative, which brings together companies, academics, and NGOs to work together to solve the challenges we are facing, like how to handle government requests for censorship or how to decide whether to sell technologies that could be used to violate rights or how to handle privacy issues in the context of cloud computing. We need strong corporate partners that have made principled, meaningful commitments to internet freedom as we work together to advance this common cause.
"We realize that in order to be meaningful, online freedoms must carry over into real-world activism. That's why we are working through our Civil Society 2.0 initiative to connect NGOs and advocates with technology and training that will magnify their impact. We are also committed to continuing our conversation with people everywhere around the world. Last week, you may have heard, we launched Twitter feeds in Arabic and Farsi, adding to the ones we already have in French and Spanish. We'll start similar ones in Chinese, Russian, and Hindi. This is enabling us to have real-time, two-way conversations with people wherever there is a connection that governments do not block.
"Our commitment to internet freedom is a commitment to the rights of people, and we are matching that with our actions. Monitoring and responding to threats to internet freedom has become part of the daily work of our diplomats and development experts. They are working to advance internet freedom on the ground at our embassies and missions around the world. The United States continues to help people in oppressive internet environments get around filters, stay one step ahead of the censors, the hackers, and the thugs who beat them up or imprison them for what they say online.
"While the rights we seek to protect and support are clear, the various ways that these rights are violated are increasingly complex. I know some have criticized us for not pouring funding into a single technology, but we believe there is no silver bullet in the struggle against internet repression. There's no app for that. Start working, those of you out there. And accordingly, we are taking a comprehensive and innovative approach, one that matches our diplomacy with technology, secure distribution networks for tools, and direct support for those on the front lines.
"In the last three years, we have awarded more than $20 million in competitive grants through an open process, including interagency evaluation by technical and policy experts to support a burgeoning group of technologists and activists working at the cutting edge of the fight against internet repression. This year, we will award more than $25 million in additional funding. We are taking a venture capital-style approach, supporting a portfolio of technologies, tools, and training, and adapting as more users shift to mobile devices. We have our ear to the ground, talking to digital activists about where they need help, and our diversified approach means we're able to adapt the range of threats that they face. We support multiple tools, so if repressive governments figure out how to target one, others are available. And we invest in the cutting edge because we know that repressive governments are constantly innovating their methods of oppression and we intend to stay ahead of them.
"Likewise, we are leading the push to strengthen cyber security and online innovation, building capacity in developing countries, championing open and interoperable standards and enhancing international cooperation to respond to cyber threats. Deputy Secretary of Defense Lynn gave a speech on this issue just yesterday. All these efforts build on a decade of work to sustain an internet that is open, secure, and reliable. And in the coming year, the Administration will complete an international strategy for cyberspace, charting the course to continue this work into the future.
"This is a foreign policy priority for us, one that will only increase in importance in the coming years. That's why I've created the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, to enhance our work on cyber security and other issues and facilitate cooperation across the State Department and with other government agencies. I've named Christopher Painter, formerly senior director for cyber security at the National Security Council and a leader in the field for 20 years, to head this new office.
"The dramatic increase in internet users during the past 10 years has been remarkable to witness. But that was just the opening act. In the next 20 years, nearly 5 billion people will join the network. It is those users who will decide the future.
"So we are playing for the long game. Unlike much of what happens online, progress on this front will be measured in years, not seconds. The course we chart today will determine whether those who follow us will get the chance to experience the freedom, security, and prosperity of an open internet.
"As we look ahead, let us remember that internet freedom isn't about any one particular activity online. It's about ensuring that the internet remains a space where activities of all kinds can take place, from grand, ground-breaking, historic campaigns to the small, ordinary acts that people engage in every day.
"We want to keep the internet open for the protestor using social media to organize a march in Egypt; the college student emailing her family photos of her semester abroad; the lawyer in Vietnam blogging to expose corruption; the teenager in the United States who is bullied and finds words of support online; for the small business owner in Kenya using mobile banking to manage her profits; the philosopher in China reading academic journals for her dissertation; the scientist in Brazil sharing data in real time with colleagues overseas; and the billions and billions of interactions with the internet every single day as people communicate with loved ones, follow the news, do their jobs, and participate in the debates shaping their world.
"Internet freedom is about defending the space in which all these things occur so that it remains not just for the students here today, but your successors and all who come after you. This is one of the grand challenges of our time. We are engaged in a vigorous effort against those who we have always stood against, who wish to stifle and repress, to come forward with their version of reality and to accept none other. We enlist your help on behalf of this struggle. It's a struggle for human rights, it's a struggle for human freedom, and it's a struggle for human dignity."
Read the Secretary's full remarks here.
Victoria S. writes:
Shayan in Washington, DC writes:
When Secretary Clinton said "Iran is awful," Iranians would appreciate if she made the subtle yet important distinction that the Iranian government is horrible, while the people are obviously quite brave and seek freedom.
Thank you for your support of Iranian efforts to gain democracy!
Michalis in Cyprus writes:
I am working on a project that you might be interested.
Actually, not might, but for sure.
Contact me please.
Thank you.
Kate in North Carolina writes:
Hypocracy Watch: how can you preach about universal human rights when the US is the only country - other than Somalia - to fail to ratify the UN Convention on thr Rights of the Child?
Philip in California writes:
Thoughtful, intelligent and heartfelt speech!
Hillary rocks!!
Just wish there had been video of the speech!!!
Thanks madame secretary for representing all so well!!!!
DipNote Bloggers write:
@ Philip -- Thanks for your comments! Video of Secretary Clinton's remarks will be available on DipNote, state.gov, and YouTube soon.
Patricia M. in California writes:
A few years ago at a meeting in Menlo Park I made the comment to Secretary Clinton that Google was a play toy in comparison to what the Internet could and would be. Now we are finally seeing it in the geopolitical arena. Next we have to harness its ability to help with the spiraling costs of medical care. I applaud the State Department's efforts in keeping the Internet open and free.
K.D. in New Hampshire writes:
@ Kate in North Carolina,
Perhaps hypocrisy is not the correct term to be used. Secretary Clinton's speech concerns specifically the universal "freedom to connect," whereas the Convention on the Rights of the Child primarily deals with non-discrimination.
Eric in New Mexico writes:
To Sec. of State Clinton,
When you compare open space with ether space on the net, would you perhaps attempt to take from open skies agreements to model an open internet accord among nations?
Our military invented the internet, I can't believe they didn't think at the time it might just open up repressive governments like a can of beans, and one might consider the internet now to be a "weapon of mass introspection" in some ways.
As a tool the internet is like any other, it's all in how one uses it, and my only comment pushing back, is that yes indeed we can tell folks how to use the internet, and we should help folks learn how to use it so they can use it to help educate themselves about anything on thier mind, any place, any time.
As a tool for development assistance, you have a classroom in a box. No rural village should be without its "internet hut".
I figure if folks can come up with a worm that will spin enrichment centerfuges beyond their test limits without the opperators knowing, then it should be possible to pry open servers without a repressive regime knowing about it, until the're on candid cell-phone camera in a quick glabal minute. And then it's too late.
In regartds to Iran the US is put in a position of having the capacity to "level the playing feild" for the people to have voice unbound by government shutdown of communications, and having the stated policy of that of lending "moral support" as the President put it recently in a press conference.
So what's the morally correct thing to do but side with the people as we support states, not governments. If the people comprise the state, then to support the state the playing field must be leveled under hostile circumstance, to enable the will of the people being the embodiment of the will of the state, not its government which only makes claims of representation of same.
The subjects of the theocratic totalitarian stystem of government that claims not to hear their cries in protest of the Iranian people, only to call them "corrupt of earth", take the position that to give voice to dissenting thought against the government of Iran is to war aganst Allah, that one who participates in such activity is unclean and should be purged from the face of the Earth.
In fact Iranian parlimentarians are calling for members of their own population to be put to death on State TV.
Now if this isn't public advocation of a genocidal mindset upon one's own people by a government, then you need to find some different international lawyers to define that for you than you have working for this government of ours presently.
I'm willing to be that blunt about it publicly because doing so might just save some lives.
Thanks for listening, and your remarks on Iran were well chosen, though I tend to agree with Shayan in DC that under present circumstances, the protocol she suggests is valid in the isolation of the regime as not being representitive of Iran in any historical sense, nor of its people is habitually appropriate.
Look at this more as a 31 year abberation of bad governance on par with Hitler and you get just a hint of why she asked this of you for no taint to rub off on the people who are equally victim of that government's political stupidity and malice.
So just how long are the American people expected to put up with this, along with IEDs to the Taliban courtesy of the government of Iran, anyway?
As you might note here, I'm well beyond fed up. But I'm doing my best to make good use of my anger.
Which can be summed up in the wish that you put on some really sharp diplomatic pumps and step on the grand Ayatollah's political neck, and tap dance on Aminutijob's head.
I'm probably asking to little as such.
And I wouldn't try and interpret how the President might ask you to implement that feat, just that he should as the timing seems apropriate.
I wish it were a laughing matter.
I was just thinking that the annual expense the US Navy runs protecting the Persian Gulf from Iranian interferance of shipping or threats of closing Hormuz strait would just about close that 16% budget black hole that's looming on your fiscal calander.
Now if that isn't motivating to deal with a regional threat, then ask folks at Treasury how much they spend dealing with Iranian banksters trying to outwit sanctions...and we're trying to trim our budget to pay down on national debt?
Well then let's solve some problems in the world and we won't have to continue to spend big bucko's on them or lose people because they continue unabated.
That's your answer to Congress if I may say so.
Leroy Peter O. writes:
Hi Hillary,
Quite a good speech, Keep it up, Let us save the cyber space from the unknown.
Best Rgds
Vic L. in Pennsylvania writes:
Sec. of State Clinton laudably condemned gov't internet censorship yesterday. Apparently, Lockheed Martin, cyber-censor to U.S. Homeland-mil-intel, did not get the message. Once again my attempted comment to a New York Times web article was censored via re-directed "spoofed page" fraud and deception. Bottom line: American fascists within will not stop censoring until they are forced to respect the U.S. Constitution.
John T. in Idaho writes:
From Ms. Clintons remarks: We want to keep the internet open for the protestor using social media to organize a march in Egypt; the college student emailing her family photos of her semester abroad; the lawyer in Vietnam blogging to expose corruption; the teenager in the United States who is bullied and finds words of support online; for the small business owner in Kenya using mobile banking to manage her profits; the philosopher in China reading academic journals for her dissertation; the scientist in Brazil sharing data in real time with colleagues overseas; and the billions and billions of interactions with the internet every single day as people communicate with loved ones, follow the news, do their jobs, and participate in the debates shaping their world.
To this point, I spent 10 years from 1999-2009 supporting/providing internet reports from all over the world for the web site www.endurance.net. Our reports came/come in real time from Bahrain, UAE, Malaysia, China, Japan, Egypt, Europe, Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Africa, ... We required unrestricted net access as the 100 mile horse races took place. Most countries had various restrictions of service in place that made it impossible to get our news out to the endurance world.
So I asked my son to develop technology that would provide a secure, unblocked tunnel - for all services - no mater where I came into the net, I needed to find a way through to my servers. He came through and provided me with technology that I still use on my world travels.
All of the scenarios mentioned above by Sec. Clinton - as well as many others - are cleanly and easily available (along with privacy:) - he built on open source stacks and gave me a solid personalized virtual private network of equivalent service level as VPNs provided to corporate organizations. The difference being, it did not need expensive, dedicated infrastructure - rather it is a very personalized shared infrastructure solution.
The internet provides a the basic infrastructure to enable unfettered access - there are may ways to subvert net access. I would be happy to discuss with you ways we might encourage availability and ubiquitous access to the special services I have been using.
John T.
Chief Scientist
People Power Company
Dara K. in Michigan writes:
How can you give a speech about internet freedoms and the rights of the people while a peaceful protester is dragged out of the room. How dare you! Disgusting!!
Beatriz C. in Venezuela writes:
I. in California writes:
Please provide 3G like internet to Iran, they cut off the internet and phone service, with these tools the regime will fall...
Dave H. in Maryland writes:
After hearing the Secretary's speech, it reminded me of some of the ideas that Cass Sunstein, the White House information czar has put forth in regard to congnitive infiltration. Am I correct in my understanding of the plan for using the internet and social networking to bring rogue nations in line with the global agenda?
Does the State Department consider the homeland as being outside the realm of possible venues for such revolutions as they are supporting elsewhere? Between the control grid and Executive branch authority over the internet, maybe it's viewed as an unreasonable outcome. There are a lot of guys out there with pick-up trucks, guns and dogs. Americans aren't poor like Egyptians. Just look at those school teachers in Wisconsin. You can imagine if they were a slightly less educated group.
Mike G. in Australia writes:
An interesting thing happens at about 2:08 in the video. There is a commotion in the room and amongst the scuffling you can hear the words "is this America?" repeated twice. I've read that a 71 year old man was standing in silent protest with his back to Clinton. he was forcibly removed by security leaving him bruised and bleeding. All this while Clinton was promoting the right to free speech. email me if you want my address so you can come and get me too.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Who wants to be Mrs.Salman Rushdie No.5?
16 comments:
- rupa roy said...
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- February 5, 2013 at 2:22 PM
- Another Kiran In NYC said...
I fell in love with Salman Rushdie a couple of decades ago when I saw him on Charlie Rose's show on PBS. That man weaves words into a good conversation like a paithani master weaver handles a skein of silk on a loom. The weavers hands may be gnarled but they create absurdly beautiful things. Salman speaks beautifully and he lets you into his amazing mind in a serious conversation with an interesting interviewer. He looks comfortable in his own skin, and that is amazingly sexy to women of a certain age like me.
As a writer, Salman has seemed up and down to me. Some brilliant, some meh. My favorite has been the children's book he wrote.
My hands are itching to get themselves to rearrange some furniture and "fix up" the living room of the palace in the picture. Old world is all very well, but please please display your beautiful stuff nicely or just warehouse it!
How many lit fests are there anyway? And the mango people still do not have access to affordable books or free libraries. Such a damn shame.
- February 5, 2013 at 6:44 PM
- Tsomo85 said...
Mr.Rushdie's fame can not be glorified without his downfall & poor taste in women. #fact :(
- February 6, 2013 at 11:59 AM
- Vinay Bhushan Bhagwaty said...
pretty disappointing piece from your mighty pen, madam.
- February 6, 2013 at 3:43 PM
- Anil Kumar said...
I think Salman needs a Gorilla. Not a female Gorilla like Serena Williams - but a male version of Serena Williams.
Thats the kind of values spread in the name of freedom which bites Indian women repeatedly.
A man having his 5th wife/gf and still high profile people think its cool thing and speculate on it. If you spread this animal behaviour in society and then shed tears for rape/domestic abuse victims...I guess you have lost the right to show sympathy for women who are abused in India.
How much do you get paid for writing such article Ms De? I think you are much better than writing these cheap articles.
- February 6, 2013 at 11:06 PM
- Caravan Family said...
Strange, but I've noticed that most of these royal women look absolutely miserable in their photos..it's not just this Jaipur one, the Gwalior and other ones look miserable as well..must be the lack of freedom.
That living room is a nightmare - wallhanging of tirupati balaji, statue of sai baba, clutter, all crammed on every surface possible - a recipe for disaster!
- February 7, 2013 at 9:31 AM
- Vinay Bhushan Bhagwaty said...
well said, Anil Kumar. i totally agree. i don't think anybody is drooling over Rushide as De is fantasizing.
- February 7, 2013 at 1:41 PM
- abhi singh said...
rushdie does knows his art and is a charmer!
- February 7, 2013 at 5:47 PM
- Wandering Madrasi said...
Well, lets just enjoy his talent at writing. Neither hot nor tasty:((
- February 8, 2013 at 1:59 AM
- Anil Kumar said...
A Gorilla is also very charming. And if you lock him up with Rushdie - you can see his art as well.
- February 10, 2013 at 5:17 AM
- deepa rai said...
hi Shobha
Deepa here.Plese heelllp!I am 20 years old. I have 2 step brothers from step dad.
We are family of 4. The eldest brother Pravesh is 28 years old and very nice and my best buddy.
Mom is school teacher and dad is no more.
But the problem is the other brother 24 years old.
He is so jealous to see me and eldest bro Pravesh
together. He always tells me every morning" so wat ru gonna do today? take naked bath with Pravesh
or smth?" He keeps on telling me that I and Pravesh are husband and wife and we have sex everyday.
(god! wat sin!)
He says that among 2 brothers,he thinks I like Pravesh more coz he is more handsome
taller and stronger, which wasnt true coz I liked both of them equally
but after his pervert activities I admit I now like my elder brother much more than him.
he is so pervert that last time , he climbed up the sewer pipe, behing the house, to reach the toilet window
so that he could sneak peek inside and see me and Pravesh using toilet turnwise and get turned on.
God he was there for 2 hours enduring pain and smell
I even caught him twice on pervert activities. Once, sniffing the toilet bowl as soon
as I had used it and the other time after elder brother Pravesh used it. Whenever I go out with my ELDER BRO
he follows us all throughout sometimes waiting 3 hours outside theatre just to keep a tab on us
I warned him that i'll complain mom and Pravesh and he says sorry i will not do
but he does that.
last time u wont believe I saw him opening elder brothers shorts while he was sleeping and
buried his nose inside elder brothers ass crack sniffing it fondly for long tym
Plese helpppppppppp! he tells that my and Pravesh's ass smells so similar and he enjoys it
whenever I am with my brother Pravesh in my room chatting him he quietly slips under
our bed and wait there for hours until Pravesh goes out of room after which he comes out and
tells that he wanted to get farted on by both of us, thats why he was there,under our bed waiting
patiently for gas./ Freaaaaaak!!
- February 17, 2013 at 4:25 PM
- Shainex TM said...
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How is your garden doing?
Here's a new Banana Flower. The weather is a little cool and these bananas might not get to mature. Banana flowers that open during February to October have the best chance of producing great fruit. From flower to harvest is usually 100 days.For best results view the pictures with the PicLens.You can see the picture in the photo gallery at ****mysisterdalesgarden**** just go to the photo gallery 1 and click on the December 2010 tab and you will see the new Banana Flower. *******mysisterdalesgarden****/photo-gallery/new-banana-flower-opening/ Miriam California Zone 9/10 Dedicate flowers to Friends and Loved Ones ****mysisterdalesgarden****
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Tonight at the Lucky Stardust Lounge
"You... are... so beautiful..."
[Leaning on piano]
"The Goldmans, everyone! Fifty years today! Aren't they adorable?
Thank you, Nia C., Krystal C., Karen R., Julie R., Alison V., and Joshua P. Thank you so much. No, really. Thank you. Really. You're too much. Thank you. Tip your waitress!


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Chemung County Courts
Law Library
Charles B. Swartwood Law Library
Hazlett Building, First Floor
203-205 Lake Street
P.O. Box 588
Elmira, NY 14902
Phone: 607-873-9443
Fax: 212-401-9101
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
(with part-time staffing on Tuesday & Wednesday 8:30-4:30, and Thursday 8:30-12:00)
Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
(except State Holidays)
Law Librarian
Jennifer Cartwright
All visitors must pass through a magnetometer upon entering the courthouse.
The Charles B. Swartwood Law Library, Chemung County, was established as the Supreme Court Library at Elmira on April 4, 1895 (L.1895, Ch. 231). Originally housed in a county building on Lake Street, the devastating Hurricane Agnes Flood of 1972 resulted in its relocation to the Hazlett Building at 203-205 Lake Street where the library now resides.
Renamed 1992 in honor of an esteemed local jurist, the Hon. Charles B. Swartwood, the library serves the bench, bar, and public in and around the County of Chemung. The library's collection includes both Federal and New York State primary materials, West's Regional Reporters, general practice treatises, and a small Pennsylvania collection, and is maintained in a variety of formats including print, microform, audio and video, and CD-ROM.
The Charles B. Swartwood Law Library is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL),the Association of Law Libraries of Upstate New York (ALLUNY), and the South Central Research Library Council (SCRLC).
From all directions: Take Route 17 (East or West) to exit 56 (Church Street). Take a left onto Lake Street. The Library is located on the corner of Lake and Market Streets. (Map of Elmira prepared by Mapquest)
Metered parking is available on both Lake and Market Streets. A parking garage is located on the corner of Market and Baldwin Streets. From Lake Street, take a right onto Market Street. At the traffic light, take a left onto Baldwin Street. The entrance to the parking garage is on your left.
Law library staff will assist the judiciary and members of the bar in securing all information they deem necessary in researching legal issues or in the practice of law.
The law library staff will provide legal information to the non-lawyer community by providing access to the materials in the collection. Because of ethical and legal implications surrounding the unauthorized practice of law, non-lawyer law library staff cannot interpret the meaning of materials or ascertain their relevance for a patron's particular needs. Staff cannot perform legal research or provide legal advice or render legal opinions or otherwise evaluate a patron's current situation or pending case.
The law library staff will respond to telephone inquiries for cite checks and brief definitions. No other information will be given over the telephone. Staff will not answer telephone inquiries for information which require research or interpretation of legal materials.
Any person with a valid library card issued by one of the Court Law Libraries within the Sixth Judicial District [Elmira, Binghamton, Ithaca, Norwich, Cooperstown, Delhi, and Cortland] may borrow circulating materials from the Charles B. Swartwood Law Library subject to the circulation rules of this library.
Library card application/registration forms may be obtained from the staff at any of the Sixth District Law Libraries. At least one form of identification [including but not limited to: valid NYS driver's license, Attorney Registration number, or student identification number] AND proof of current address must be presented in person before a card will be issued. Library cards must be presented in order to borrow any materials. All circulation records are kept strictly confidential (CPLR § 4509).
All circulating items, unless otherwise specified, may be borrowed for a period of 7 days. Overdue materials will be subject to a fine. Materials borrowed via Interlibrary Loan will be subject to the lending institution's loan period and circulation policies.
Materials borrowed from the Charles B. Swartwood Law Library should be returned to this library only, NOT a branch of the Southern Tier Library System [Big Flats, Elmira Heights, Horseheads, Southside, West Elmira, and the Steele Memorial Library]. Failure to return materials to the appropriate library may result in overdue charges being imposed on the patron until the items are received in satisfactory condition.
A vendor-owned copy machine is located near the library entrance. The machine is coin operated.
Copies are $.25 each.
This library is a member of the South Central Research Library Council (SCRLC). SCRLC is a non-profit organization of academic, public, school, hospital, special and court libraries and library systems in the 14 counties of New York's Southern Tier. The Charles B. Swartwood Law Library cooperates with the SCRLC member libraries, with other law libraries and with government agency libraries in obtaining books and other library materials through interlibrary loan. The cost of this service is determined by the lending library and is passed on to the patron initiating the loan request. Forms for requesting material not owned by this library are available from any staff member.
Area Businesses & Events:
Chemung County Chamber of Commerce
Bar Association & Lawyer Referral Services:
Chemung County Bar Association
Chemung County Neighborhood Legal Services
Elmira College
County Government:
Chemung County Government
Labor & Unemployment Services:
NYS Dept. of Labor Division of Employment & Workforce Solutions Information
Southern Tier Library System
Chemung County Library District
Local Newspaper, Elmira Star-Gazette


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Frockin' up - Morning baby meet up
Wednesday we went over a friend's for a baby get together. Her baby girl was born 5 days before Lulu. We were joined by another friend (who happened to be my midwife until she went on maternity leave) who's little girl is just 2 weeks old! It's lovely to have friends who also have little bubs. Great for advice & confirmation that what you're going through is 'normal'.
|Top - American Eagle
Pants - Kmart
Thongs - Havianas
Necklace - Victoria BC Markets
|Onsie - gift from Auntie Noosh
Star blanket - Target
Cream blanket - Pumpkin Patch
Quilt cover sans quilt - Ikea
I blinged up my toes with a nailpolish combo. Makes me smile everytime I see it.


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I have always been a warm weather walker. It never occurred to me that I should be anything else. No walking until it hit 50 degrees for this chick, thank you very much
But I've noticed recently, especially since I'm supposed to be exercising every day, that there is a lot of information out there regarding cold weather walking. It's said that you will burn more calories walking in colder weather. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if there is even more information next week that it's NOT good for you. The media will always write what they want and twist the facts to agree with their article. But that's a rant for another day.
All that aside, I've been walking every day — even in colder weather. Except for yesterday, which was totally out. Blowing a gale it was and only 30 degrees. I've watched enough meteorologists going through their wind chill routines to know enough to stay inside.
Today it was 32 degrees with a pretty gusty breeze but nothing like yesterday. I wore two pairs of knitted pants, a long-sleeved tee-shirt, a turtle neck shirt, a Columbia 3 in 1 jacket, a Polartec around the back of my head earmuffs, my slouchy hat that I knitted for myself over the earmuffs, my wool socks, a scarf around my neck and my leather mittens. Yes, as a matter of fact, I did look like a lot Randy of A Christmas Story fame.
But I was warm! That jacket blocked all the wind, my ears and hands were toasty, I had my scarf loosely covering my mouth and nose. It was almost sort of empowering that I was out exercising even though conditions weren't ideal. By the time I got home 30 minutes later having gotten my mile and a half din, I was actually sweating a little bit under all that. {Note to self — look into polypropylene for a base layer.}
All this cold weather clothing put me in mind of when I was a little twig in the north of New York state with all the snow, cold and ice that it had to offer.
#1 — I hated oatmeal (lovingly called porridge by my grandparents)
#2 — I hated that I had to wear ski pants to school (So what if it was supposed to be -20 degrees, wearing ski pants was NOT COOL, even though it was back in the days that girls wore dresses to school.)
#3 — I hated wearing winter hats and boots
And I can imagine my grandparents conversation, looking down at me.
"Bernice, she's finally wearing proper winter clothing!!"
Walter, she's eating porridge!!"
Yep, only took me 57 years!!


text:
lived in - Wales / Council Bluffs / Fort Harmony, UT / Grafton, UT / Kanarraville, UT
William Rees Davies age 44 - 46 / b. 1805 Carmarthen, Wales - m. abt 1824 Swansen, Glamorgan, Wales - d. 1865 Kanarraville, UT - buried Kanarraville, UT.
Rachel MORRIS DAVIES age 46 - 49 / b. 1803 Saint Ishmael, Carmarthen, Wales - d. 1882 Kanarraville, UT - buried Kanarraville, UT.
BAPTIZED: Both 1843 in Wales by William Henshaw.
Rachel MORRIS DAVIES - was the first women baptized in Wales.
William Reese DAVIES - was the first men baptized in Wales.
William Reese DAVIES - First Welsh speaking missionary in Wales abt 1843.
William Reese DAVIES - Branch President of Welsh Branch Council Bluffs (1849-1852)
William Reese DAVIES - Indian Mission, Presiding Elder Fort Harmony, UT
1. BY SEA: "Troubador" from Wales to Liverpool.
2. BY SEA: 1849 "Buena Vista" to New Orleans. President of Welch Saints, Dan Jones, William R. Davies one of three counselors. William age 44, Rachel age 46
"Buena Vista" Information:
U.S. / 547 tons
Mater: E. Linnell
Depart Liverpool: Feb 25, 1849
Arrival New Orleans: April 19, 1849
53 Days passage
Company Leader: Dan Jones
249 LDS passengers
"Buena Vista" Narrative:
(Heart Throbs of the West, Vol.11, p.3)
Having finished his mission in Wales, Captain Jones sailed from Liverpool February 26, 1849 with 249 emigrating Saints on board the [p.4]ship "Buena Vista." The boat was a leaky one that the English said, "Let them have it and it will go down with all the damned Mormons on board." But Jones, being seaworthy and wise, repaired the ship and, with prayers each day for safety, they came across the ocean, unloaded everything upon the docks (much of it water soaked and spoiled. See mirror in exhibit) and the ship sank in the harbor. With their wealth of melody and song the Welsh Saints came ashore carrying, some of them, their crude .harps with strings of hair or leather, even though they knew space in wagons would be limited. But they couldn't leave their music behind. Leaving New Orleans the Welshmen took a steamer, "Highland Mary" up the Mississippi. But death rode with them, for cholera claimed sixty lives, about one fourth of the company. They landed at Kanesville, Iowa, in May, 1849, and [most] crossed the plains with ox teams with Dan Jones as captain, included in the George A. Smith company. Under date of August 12, 1849, George A. Smith wrote as follows, while crossing the plains: "Captain Dan Jones understands his duty, and surely he has done nobly in building up the Kingdom of God in his native land and conducting the company he has across the mighty deep."
(Heart Throbs of the West, Vol.11, p.8)
Sarah Evans Jeremy. With her husband, Sarah came as a pioneer of 1849. Her story of the people who were stricken with Cholera follows:—After seven weeks aboard the "Buena Vista," they ran out of oatmeal, bread and water and had to eat hardtack and drink water full of slime, called "ropey water." Their hearts were filled with joy as they saw the buildings of New Orleans outlined against the sky and two tug boats came and towed the big steamer into the harbor. Out of the 249 passengers aboard the "Highland Mary," one-third were stricken with the Cholera while enroute from New Orleans to Council Bluffs. Men and women were lying on the deck, unable to help themselves and no one able to do anything for them. Their tongues and mouths were parched with thirst and they felt as if they were being consumed with fire, and yet they were advised by a Brother Benjamin Clapp at New Orleans not to drink any water if they were stricken. However, Sarah's little boy, Thomas, who was nine years old at the time, crawled out of his bunk and drank the water off of some outmeal that one of the ladies had put on the stove to cook and by so doing, his life was spared, but his mother lost three of her beautiful little girls in one night; Sarah, Margaret and Mary. Coffins were made of rough boards and they were buried among the big timbers on the banks of the Missouri River. The grief of Thomas and Sarah was almost unbearable, but with their faith in the Lord and comfort given them by an angel of mercy, Jane Treharne, who afterwards became Mrs. Edward Ashton, they were able to pass through the terrible ordeal. The Cholera raged from New Orleans to Council Bluffs. In spite of all the trials they had, they turned their faces westward, undaunted. When they reached Council Bluffs, they were happy beyond words to get off the boat and their legs shook from the effects of the Cholera and they were so weak that they could scarcely walk down the gang plank. They left Wales in Feb. 1849 and arrived in Utah, the "land of promise" October 28, 1849.[p.9]
BY RIVER: "Constitution" up Mississippi to St. Louis. Steamer "Highland Mary" to Council Bluffs.
Welsh Saints Information: 1849
On the "Highland Mary" Cholera broke out. 249 began journey, 29 abandoned beliefs, 67 died, 163 reached Council Bluffs.
BY LAND: 1852 William Morgan Company
Departure: 22-28 June 1852
Arrival in Salt Lake Valley: 25-30 September 1852
Davies, William Rees (46), Davies, Rachel (49), Daughter Williams, Elizabeth David [Davis] (21), Elizabeth's son Williams, Rees Jones, Jr. (1), Elizabeth's husband Williams, Rees Jones, Sr. (23).
[missing information for the sons of William and Rachel Davies. Years: 1849-1852
John Rees Davies (age 22-25)
*James George Davies/Davis (age 17-20)]
Pioneer Information:
He [William Reese Davies] is referred to as "Bishop" in the Bowen journal.
Captain of 50 William Morgan, Counselors were William Rees Davies and William's son in-law Rees Jones Williams Sr.
Company Information:
50 wagons were in the company when it began its journey.
Read Trail Excerpt:
Bear River, 80 miles from Salt Lake City,
20 September 1852.
Dear Brothers Phillips and Davis —
According to my promise, I now take the opportunity of writing to you for the second time on this journey. We have had a comfortable journey all the way so far, and the weather has been unusually moderate with but little rain and no storms; and even though we crossed one mountain which was 7,700 feet above sea level, we saw not so much as one day of snow on our way. We did see a lot of black clouds rising with the wind, and we heard distant thunder as if the whole heavens above were gathering their forces to sweep us away; but they dared not harm us, because of that One Who has all authority, and who calls the stars by their names, and He whose command the winds obey. He parted them as if by His hand (i.e., the clouds) until they went past us on every side with us in the middle without our feeling their effects. And not just once or twice did this happen.
We are all well at present, and we had but little sickness on our journey. Four have died, i.e., William Dafydd [David], from Llanelli, and Thomas, his son. Also William, son of Sister [Martha] Howells from Aberdare, who fell under his mother's wagon wheel which went over his chest. We administered to him through the ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ, according to the scriptures, and the next night he was strolling around the camp. He fell sick again in a day or two, and Bro. Taylor and myself administered to him again, but he died in spite of everything and everyone. The other who died was Jennet, the daughter of Thomas and Anne Morris, from cancer. You shall have more of the account of our journey when we reach the Valley.
Last night we were in our camp on the bank of Sulphur Creek, two miles from here. We heard in the morning that our dear brother, Capt. D. Jones, was camped by the Bear River. It was not long, as you shall learn, after hearing the news, before the word "pack up and pick up" came out; and I know that nowhere on the journey was there a quicker response to any call. His name had lit a flame of love in the breast of everyone toward him so that nothing else could be heard through the camp but "Bro. Jones," and "let us go to meet him." It wasn't long before the wheels were turning. After traveling close to a mile, we saw a man of small stature walking quickly to meet us. We did not know who it was; but as we drew nearer to each other, to our joy who would it be but our dear Bro. Jones and his customary cheery smile. It is easier to imagine than to describe our meeting. After shaking hands, embracing, weeping and kissing, we went to the bank of the river where he had left his horse, having traveled from twenty to thirty miles during the night ahead of his company in order to meet us. We decided to spend a day in his friendship, to converse with each other about things pertaining to the kingdom of our God. Oh, brethren, how sweet the words poured over his lips. It is true that every word from his mouth was sweet earlier in Whales [Wales], but they were a thousand times sweeter here on the desolate mountains of America, between eight and nine thousand miles from Wales.
I must end this letter, for the camp is getting near, and Brothers Jeremy and Daniels are coming. Who can hold a pen when faithful brethren with whom I traveled thousands of miles in the bonds of love are getting near? Not I. There, the brothers and sisters are running; I cannot restrain myself any longer. Behold, everyone is coming back to the camp with his heart full of joy in full proof of the truthfulness of the words "how lovely is the dwelling of brothers together." We spent the rest of the day in brotherly love, at times singing, other times testifying of our determinations, listening to the teaching of the three brethren, until the day went past, and, if truth be told, until twelve o'clock at night also. And though the midst of the green willows we met, the Spirit of God was among us. We all took our leave so that each could fulfill his calling in full confidence that we would meet again in Zion. The camp is getting underway. Farewell for now, dear Brothers Phillips and Davis.
I am your brother in the bonds of the Gospel,
W. Morgan.
Other Sources see: Rachel Morris Davies, "Pioneer Women of
Faith and Fortitude" p.766-767
See: The family of Joseph Henry Pollock, Jr. and Alice Mae Davis, p.79-80
Kirt DeMar WOOD - Laura Elizabeth PARKER pedigree.


text:
BENEFITING: Feed The Children, Inc.
EVENT: Team Feed the Children- RNR New Orleans Marathon & 1/2
On January 25, 2015 Team Feed the Children will hit the streets of NOLA for the 2015 Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & 1/2. I have joined the Team because I want to support their mission and help ensure that no child goes to be hungry. Join me in support by making a donation.
It takes the power of many to end childhood hunger. Join a Team taking steps towards an important finish line. Feed the Children is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials. It is our goal to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry. Join the effort by going the distance with Team Feed the Children.
I'm truly excited to be a part of this team, and hope you'll support me, so that I can finish the race and achieve my goal of raising $1,00 for this great organization. Donations to Feed the Children are 100% tax-deductable.
Members of Team Feed the Children will train and fundraise as a group to stop childhood hunger. Every step we take and every dollar you help me raise WILL change a life.
Thank you for your support!
The Team: $6,074 TOTAL RAISED SO FAR
Donor Comments
Chris Fields
Children are the most important commodities in America 4 years ago
Rich Cason
4 years ago


text:
All In The Family... Life in Christian County, Kentucky...
The Hopkinsville High School Baccalaureate was held last Sunday night, May 13. Here are a few photos taken before the event.
|Our senior, Isaac
|Before the event
This should be a carefree, joyful week for Isaac, but sadly enough, someone stole his Ipod out of his backpack at school today. He's pretty sick about it. We have offered a reward, but we're not very hopeful. Isaac's name and phone number are engraved on the Ipod, so maybe that will at least deprive the thief of some of the joy of showing it off.


text:
2012 Casper Parade Day Route
It's time once again for the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo and anyone who's ever been in Casper on Tuesday (July 10th this year) during the fair knows that is "Parade Day!" The one day a year when everyone in town crowds into Downtown Casper for a spectacle of unmatched proportions… Well, for Casper anyway.
So, now that you moms and dads have that shiny new bottle of sunscreen and you kids have picked out the perfect grocery sack for candy collection, you're all probably wondering the same thing, "Where can we set up shop?"
With that in mind, I am glad to present to you the 2012 Casper Parade Route.
So, now the only question is, "Where's the shade?"


text:
How does CLUnit compare with XPTEST?
I tried using CLUnit for a little project recently, and played only a bit with XPTEST too. Here are my impressions:
- In CLUnit, a test has a description and a category. Not a name. Or, sometimes the description is called its name instead. It turns out that you either have to give tests a very short description, or forget about (run-named-test), unless you want to type stuff like (run-named-test "Test whether foo-frobnicate works on Sunday afternoons when your cat stomped over your keyboard").
- Both are not as polished as other xUnit frameworks. For example, both do not show anything green if you've been a nice guy (nor anything similar that would work without a GUI toolkit). Nor do they have all those convenient macros/functions to say whether a test failed or succeeded: CLUnit by default wants the output of a test function to be t (or eq[[ua]l[p]]) a given value), in XPTEST you have to call a function called FAILURE to indicate failure (or signal a TEST-FAILURE condition, or pass something false to TEST-ASSERT). Something like assert-equal, assert-not-equal, assert-condition etc. is missing.
- XPTEST seems to be a little more like other xUnits. It is based on fixture classes, setup and teardown methods etc.
I am a little disappointed with CLUnit actually, and will look at XPTEST. It looks better, but then, I haven't used it in practice.
[Dunno who wrote the above --- rpg]
Comparison with RT
I have been using the venerable RT framework for testing a large program. It is simple, and seems to be very reliable.
On the other hand, I don't know how scalable it is. For a small system, you can define a bunch of tests, and then you call (DO-TESTS). That's fine. But I'm not sure how one should progress given a larger system, with multiple modules. In this case, I think one would like to have a framework that would permit one to group tests into "families" or modules, and only run the tests for a specific family.
I believe that some of these test frameworks provide this facility, but there are a bewildering number of them. I'm going to try to find a framework that will give me this test-grouping capability without causing too much upset when migrating from RT.
Quick follow-up: Seems like there's a modified version of RT that permits one to attach "notes" to entries (tests). Notes can contain disabling info. So it's possible to do a simple version of what I want using the latest version of RT, I think. On the other hand, the notes framework seems like a general-purpose, low-level tool to do the test grouping, and doesn't seem terribly well integrated into RT (not mentioned in docs, nor is it exercised in RT's self-test suite). Maybe it would be better to get a tool that does just this thing, and does it in a way that's integrated into the framework tightly.
Robert Goldman [rpg --- not that rpg]