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Update: Mapping the Progress of the Shared Multi-State Agenda
PSN on March 25, 2010 - 1:04pm
The Progressive States Network recognizes the value of a coordinated statewide campaign to advance progressive policies. To this end, PSN outlined a "Shared Agenda for 2010," a set of bills chosen by our network of legislators to encapsulate a basic progressive agenda that could move in multiple states this session. Many of these bills were chosen with partner organizations in mind, as strategic promotion and support could enhance and elevate work already at play in the states and build a more coordinated and comprehensive network of progressive advocates and policymakers.
Through strategic advocacy efforts at the state level, progressives can mobilize around core issues that embody our values and vision. Just as the right-wing uses targeted bill campaigns-- from anti-abortion bills to anti-taxation-- to establish their national political message, progressives can use more coordinated state policy work to project our values and vision to voters. In this Dispatch, we will explore the progress of our agenda by describing certain bills and the national reach of these initiatives.
This year's agenda includes the following issues. The links contain a wealth of resources, including model legislation, reports, and messaging, on each subject.
- Paid Sick Days
- Corporate Transparency in State Budgets
- Green Buildings
- Election Reforms to Help Drive Turnout
- Prescription Drug Reforms
- Foreclosure Reforms
By advancing these policies, state legislators are pursuing an agenda to define what it means to be a progressive by promoting the values of rewarding work, valuing families, increasing democracy, promoting justice and growing the economy.
The 2010 shared agenda complements PSN's existing long-term core issue programs of implementing recovery plans, promoting progressive revenue campaigns, supporting Smart Growth and Green Jobs and Broadband and Technology Investments, our Health Care for All campaign, Wage Standards and Workplace Freedom project, State Immigration Project and our commitment to Clean and Fair Elections.
Please let us know if there are additional bills in your state not tracked on the maps or in the text below by emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Table of Contents:
- Corporate Transparency in State Budgets
- Election Reforms to Help Drive Turnout
- Foreclosure and Predatory Lending Reforms
Paid Sick Days
Building on successful wins in approving paid sick days law at the city level in San Francisco, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., an increasing number of states have introduced paid sick days bills to make sure parents are not forced to choose between their job and staying home to take care of themselves or a sick loved one. Seventeen states in 2010 have introduced paid sick days legislation (click map at right) and a number of others not in session this year are planning to introduce it in 2011.
In Connecticut, where the House approved paid sick days last year, the General Assembly's Labor Committee has already approved a bill (SB 63) this year and it has even become a key issue being debated in the gubernatorial race. Hawaii (HB 1687), Massachusetts (SB 688/HB 1815), and Minnesota (HF 612) have moved bills out of initial committees, while Alaska (SB 86) and California (AB 1000) had successful committee approval last year, but haven't yet moved further in the current session. After spirited debate in committees, Maine (LD 1665) ran into tough business opposition and local groups are looking towards greater voter education to move the bill in the future.
Illinois (HB 3665), New York (A 3647/S 2666), North Carolina (HB 177/SB 534), Pennsylvania (HB 1830), and Vermont (H. 382) all introduced bills last year, which were carried over to this year's session. Alabama (HB 557), Arizona (HB 2741), Colorado (HB 1210), Iowa (SF 2337), and Rhode Island (H 7809) each introduced paid sick days bills for the first time this year.
To view a full map of paid sick days bills moving in the states, please click the map at above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Paid Sick Days campaign page.
Corporate Transparency in State Budgets
Dealing with the aftermath of the steepest economic contraction since the Great Depression, including declining tax revenues and massive fiscal gaps, states cannot afford to hand out enormous subsidies, wasteful tax credits or lavish contracts with little to show in return. In response, states across the country have embraced corporate transparency to assure taxpayers are getting value for their money.
2010 started positively with New Jersey's passage of S3153, which requires the Governor to include a tax expenditure report in the annual budget address. The bill's main sponsor, Sen. Barbara Buono commented, "This new law will make sure that when reviewing the State's annual budget, we have all the information we need to put together a complete profile of expenditures."
Lawmakers nationwide have introduced comprehensive reporting of subsidy allocation, contract distribution, tax expenditures, and corporate taxation trends similar to PSN's model legislation, including: Arizona Rep. Thomas Chabin (HB2325), Hawaii Sen. Les Ihara Jr. and Rep. Roy Takumi (SB2868/HB2750), and Vermont Rep. Suzi Wizowaty (H.748) and Rep. Floyd Nease (H.723).
A strong bill with significant momentum is Colorado Sen. Morgan Carroll and Rep. Sal Pace's HB1350, which requires any entity that receives public funds for the purpose of economic development to file an annual report to the Colorado economic development commission on jobs created, wages paid, and other important categories. If the state finds that a recipient of an economic incentive has not complied with requirements, it has the authority to recapture any public money expended on the economic incentive. Other strong initiatives include Alabama Rep. Patricia Todd's HB514, California Sen. Dean Florez's SB1086, Massachusetts Rep. Steve D'Amico's H333, and Washington Rep. Bob Hasegawa's HB2110.
To view a full map of corporate transparency bills moving in the states, please click the map above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Corporate Transparency in State Budgets campaign page.
Green Buildings
Given that buildings continue to be the source of disproportionate energy usage, green buildings legislation is critical to increasing energy efficiency across the country. These initiatives include greater performance and sustainability standards for state buildings, including schools, providing incentives for private investments in energy efficiency, and creating innovative loan programs like the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program.
State Buildings: Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear recently signed HB 240, mandating all new and renovated buildings for which the state government pays more than 50 percent of the total capital costs to be designed and constructed under new high-performance standards. In Ohio, HB 7 requires buildings using state capital moneys to adhere to sustainability standards. Similar bills have been introduced in Nebraska (LB 977), Missouri (HB 1667), West Virginia (HB 2948), New Hampshire (SB 409), New Jersey (AB 2222 and SB 452), Wisconsin (AB 843), and Alabama (SB 87) promoting energy efficient standards for state-owned buildings. In an attempt to maximize job creation as well as to conserve energy, Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema introduced HB 2356. Rhode Island lawmakers are pursuing similar goals with HB 7720, the Green Buildings and Job Creation Act. In Washington state, Rep. Hans Dunshee has introduced HB 2561, issuing bonds for capital improvements to public facilities that will generate energy savings and create jobs.
Green Schools: There has been a growing trend of green school legislation in 2010. In Hawaii, HB 2321 and SB 2613 require Hawaii's Department of Education to implement alternative energy designs for the construction or renovation of school buildings. Similar bills in Kentucky (SB 132) and New Jersey (SB 239) promote energy efficient designs in school buildings. In Missouri, HB 1922 provides grants for school districts that obtain LEED certification. By the same token, the Nebraska High Performance Schools Initiative Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Ken Haar and Heath Mello, provides grants to schools that seek infrastructural improvements that will save energy, improve the well-being of students and their academic performance, and create jobs.
Economic Incentives for Energy Efficient Construction and Renovation: Even as progressive legislators cope with massive budget cuts, they are finding innovative ways to promote energy efficiency construction and renovation while allowing tax credits, creating jobs, and providing other monetary incentives. In Iowa, Rep. Nathan Riechert has introduced HF 201, which allows a tax credit to apartment buildings and rental units that meet green building certification requirements. HB 445 in Pennsylvania offers a similar tax credit for high performance buildings.
Hawaii lawmakers are proposing an incentive program, HB 2557, based on bonuses for developers that construct green buildings. A bill in Colorado (HB 1332) creates a pilot program that awards grants to home-buyers who are selling current primary residents to purchase highly efficient new residences. Through weatherization legislation, certain states are trying to construct and rehabilitate residential structures for low-income families while creating job opportunities for the community. These types of bills have been introduced in Kentucky, through the introduction of HB408, and in Washington state, where SB 6468is ready for the Governor's signature.
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bills: More than 15 states have enacted PACE legislation, and this year, four states are pushing this agenda forward. As a champion of green energy, Hawaii is also considering two bills on property assessed clean energy. One of them is SB 2865, which would provide a bond to commercial and residential property owners to finance efficiency improvements and small renewable energy systems. Accompanying this bill is HB 2643, which seeks to deposit PACE bond proceeds into a clean energy bond loan revolving fund. Similarly, legislators in Missouri through HB 2178, HB 2298 and SB 1037, are aiming to create a property assessed clean energy local finance fund through the implementation of the property assessed clean energy program and the Clean Energy Development Board. In Michigan,HB 5640 creates the Property Assessed Clean Energy Act and in New Jersey the bipartisan introduction of AB 2500 also creates the Renewable Energy District Financing Act.
To view a full map of green buildings bills moving in the states, please click the map above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Green Buildings campaign page.
Election Reforms to Help Drive Turnout
The major election reforms PSN is promoting this session are new options for voting by mail and national popular vote.
Permanent absentee voting, sometimes called "no-excuse voting" allows registered voters to vote by mail without having provide an excuse to register for an absentee ballot before each election. Laws like these address voting barriers and will help drive voter turnout in states across the country - just in time for the coming 2010 and 2012 election years.
Currently six states -- California, Hawaii, Montana, Colorado, Washington, and New Jersey -- have permanent no excuse absentee voting while Oregon runs a mail-in vote statewide and Maine has a permanent absentee pilot program currently underway. Other states continue to upgrade existing absentee voting laws to ensure that they are permanent no-excuse; twenty-three states do not allow for no excuse absentee voting. PSN helped introduce legislation last year, and will continue to support bills carried over to this session. In addition to those bills carried over to this session in Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, PSN has helped introduce model legislation in five states, including New York S2868, introduced by Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Iowa HSB133, introduced by Rep. Mary Mascher, Rhode Island HB7418, introduced by Rep. Amy Rice, Maryland SB293, introduced by Senators Jamie Raskin and Joan Carter Conway, and Alaska HB277, introduced by Rep. Robert Buch.
National Popular Vote (NPV) is a campaign to make every vote count in presidential general elections through passing an interstate compact where states agree to apportion their presidential electors to the winner. The compact would become effective when a majority of electors are included under the agreement.
Passing NPV will help progressive causes, as an election system that fosters broad participation and high voter turnout is essential to bringing about progressive change for the simple reason that a majority of people, especially many not currently voting, support the goals that progressives are striving to achieve. NPV continues to gain steam, as 29 legislative chambers have passed the bill in 19 states. Currently Maryland, Washington, New Jersey, Hawaii and Illinois have passed NPV. A number of states not in session this year are also discussing campaigns for the 2011 session.
To view a full map of green buildings bills moving in the states, please click the map above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Election Reforms campaign page.
Prescription Drug Reforms
Both to address the burden of prescription drug costs for consumers and ease their own state budgets, states across the country are moving reforms to lower the cost and increase the quality of prescription drug decisions made by providers.
Regulatory Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers: One key goal is to increase state oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). The provisions in this model regulate PBMs by requiring transparency, a fiduciary relationship, and annual audits to insure that the full value of negotiated discounts, rebates, or other financial considerations are passed through. In 2010, legislators in Arizona (HB 2272) and Iowa (SB 20171) have introduced comprehensive PBM oversight (mirroring PSN model legislation), while 11 more states (Alaska, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wyoming) have bills moving in their states that contain some PBM provisions.
Expansion of 340B Program: Another key reform establishes commissions to explore ways of expanding the number of provider entities who could qualify under the 340B drug pricing program. As 340B prices are a dramatic 19% to 20% lower than the purchase price of prescription drugs through Medicaid, states stand to realize significant savings by moving segments of their Medicaid population, or others who receive prescription services from the state, to a 340B program. In 2010, Arizona (HB 2272) and Iowa (SB 2071) have introduced expansions of their 340B programs, while North Carolina is exploring the possibility of moving a bill once their session begins in May.
Prescriber Education Services and Drug Industry Gift Bans: In an effort to improve the quality of health care, another key policy is prescriber education services (also referred to as academic detailing) while also requiring drug companies to either disclose gifts to providers or ban them altogether. Comprehensive bills have been introduced in Arizona (HB 2705) and Iowa (SB 48), while companion bills containing some of the prescriber education language is moving in Minnesota (HB 1640 / SB 895). Colorado has a gift ban (SB 126) bill with related provisions.
To view a full map of prescription drug reform bills moving in the states, please click the map above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Prescription Drugs Reforms campaign page.
Foreclosure and Predatory Lending Reforms
Given the enormous foreclosure crisis across the nation, there has been a wide range of foreclosure reforms proposed across the country (see NCSL's partial list here). PSN has identified four key reforms for 2010, including promoting mediation before foreclosure, protecting tenants in the foreclosure process, holding buyers of foreclosed buildings accountable for maintaining them to prevent blight and potentially discourage additional foreclosures, and offering those who have been foreclosed on a chance to rent their old homes to stabilize communities.
Mediation: Highlights for action on mediation in 2010 include the Vermont House approving HB 590, a mandatory mediation program. Minnesota is debating its Homeowner-Lender Mediation Act (SF 2170 /H.F. 2613), a revised version of a bill passed last year to encourage mediation and vetoed by their governor. And Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown recently lobbied that legislature to push the HB 472 mediation bill, while Washington is debating SB 6648. Other mediation bills include California's A.B. 1588, Massachusetts' H.B. 1649, New York's A.B. 8236 and A.B. 8945, Ohio's S.B. 197/H.B. 306, Pennsylvania's H.B. 1042, Tennessee's H.B. 235, and Wisconsin's S.B. 255.
Maintenance of Property: In Ohio, a comprehensive bill to force buyers of foreclosed property to maintain them, HB 323, was recently reported out of committee and awaits a floor vote in the House. Other maintenance of property bills include Illinois' H.B. 1122, Massachusetts' H.B. 3890, Minnesota's H.F. 1698/H.F. 1887, New Jersey's A.B. 203, New York's A.B. 5358/A.B. 6161, and Oklahoma's SB 1360.
Tenant Protection: Bills protecting renters in foreclosed properties were also widely introduced across the country, including California's A.B. 603, Florida's H.B. 125, Illinois' H.B. 2483, Massachusetts' H.B. 3571 and H.B. 1232, Michigan's H.B. 4211, New York's A.B. 2703, Ohio's S.B. 13, Rhode Island's H.B. 7045, South Carolina's H.B. 3567, Tennessee's H.B. 369 and H.B. 1394, and Wisconsin's A.B. 107/S.B. 78.
Right to Rent: Facing some of the worst foreclosure crises in the country, Arizona legislators have proposed one of the most comprehensive plans, HB 2765, that includes not only mediation, tenant protection, and maintenance of property provisions, but it is one of the only states pioneering policy to give previous owners of foreclosed properties the opportunity to continue to live at their homes as renters. New Jersey introduced right-to-rent legislation (A.B. 1441) as well.
To view a full map of foreclosure reform bills moving in the states, please click the map above, or click here.
For model legislation, talking points, analysis of recent cases, ideas for messaging, a list of allies, and reports on the subject, please visit our Foreclosure Reforms campaign page.


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The national news media want gun control legislation.
Consider the previous sentence a moment. The national news media — not Congress — want gun control legislation. Congress has been avoiding just such legislation for a generation.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien verbally accosted one of her guests last Saturday morning — a guest she referred to as a friend — because the woman wouldn't join her call demanding gun control legislation after last week's school massacre in Newtown, Conn.
For the one person who doesn't use a gun responsibly, there are hundreds, even thousands, who do. So the answer is to take guns from the thousands because of the one. That is counter to the Constitution and not just the Second Amendment.
Children in America are killed every day through neglect and physical and sexual abuse by family members. They are eating themselves to death because parents can't say no to sweets and high-fat diets.
Is the answer to forcibly neuter ingrates so they can't be parents to children they will likely abuse or to revoke parental rights of those who feed their children junk food?
Well, no, because that would infringe on the most basic of freedoms. Defending oneself is a most basic freedom.
Well, gee, Nerissa, don't you care that all those children were killed? Yes, I do. I just spent the past 3 1/2 months with 200 young people in a college classroom. There were another 200 for whom I was their academic adviser. I feared one was going to harm herself when she showed up in my office late one afternoon with a look of desperation on her face, unable to see past her circumstances.
One of my students died in the Shepherd University shootings.
America has been a paradox from its founding. The Constitution walks a most fine line between balancing the rights of the many against the rights of the few or the one. The Bill of Rights protects the rights of the one while the rest of the Constitution provides for the general welfare of the many.
Consider the context of the Bill of Rights. Anyone deemed a threat to the throne could have his or her house invaded and occupied by the British army. Soldiers took what they wanted, including the homeowners' weapons that could be used against them.
The basis of the Second Amendment was to allow arming of private residents to protect their homes and property from invaders. It also provided for a citizen army. That was the function of the Minutemen although they predated the U.S. Constitution.
Passing gun control legislation to stop gun deaths is like trying to put out a forest fire by urinating on it. To really accomplish gun control, the government would have to take every gun from every law-abiding citizen. Then, only the outlaws and the government would have weapons. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between those groups.
How successful has mass weapon collection been? Look at the Civil War. When the South surrendered, Confederates were required to stack their arms and sign an oath that they'd never take up guns against the Union again. That didn't last very long because Southerners got guns and some used them to unabashedly oppress and kill black people for another 100 years.
Well, the U.S. government wouldn't turn its guns on its own people. In the Battle of Blair Mountain during West Virginia's mine wars, the U.S. government called out the military. President Harding was about 2 seconds away from ordering Gen. Billy Mitchell to bomb striking miners with war planes.
In Arab Spring countries, citizens have revolted against dictators and tyrants, but they can't seal the deal because they don't have weapons to fight the armies sent by the tyrants and dictators.
Knee-jerk legislation rarely serves the Constitution or the people. The Patriot Act didn't do one thing for law enforcement than what was already available within the Constitution. The one tangible is it forced the CIA, FBI and other federal and state agencies to share information, something they should have been doing anyway save for turf wars. While some information is being shared, the CIA and FBI are by no means sitting around a table, holding hands and singing "Kumbaya."
Instead, the Patriot Act allowed for warrantless searches, sneak and peek surveillance and even compiling records on what patrons at local libraries are reading. Multiple special investigations — internal and external — show law enforcement agencies have repeatedly violated people's constitutional rights with impunity.
The national news media need to shut their yaps. And Congress needs to get the country off the fiscal cliff, not put it on a civil rights cliff.
— Young is a Register-Herald columnist. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
© 2012 by Nerissa Young

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While the news that you or a loved one has kidney disease can be shocking, for over 26 million Americans, it is a reality. After the initial diagnosis, patients and families usually have a myriad of questions about treatment options. This book is designed not only to answer these questions, but also to provide the up-to-date information you need to cope with this potentially devastating problem.
Read more about this book...
Apex Magazine is our Hugo Award-nominated genre zine. We publish monthly, on the first Tuesday.
Maze by J.M. McDermott
From every corner of time and space, sometimes people go missing without a trace. They never come back.
©2013 Apex Publications


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Christmas Customs in Greece
Winter Solstice in Greece
The "other" winter holiday in Greece hearkens back to its ancient roots.
Christmas in Antiparos
Catch a glimpse of the charming Christmas procession on the small Greek island of Antiparos, just across the channel from Paros.
Holiday Specials at the Hotel Intercontinental, Athens
The Athens Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel is offering a great variety of special holiday season getaways and meals - including a 5am "Hangover" breakfast.
Christmas in Greece - Christmas Customs in Greece
Christmas in Greece - Greece Christmas customs, traditions, Greek Christmas carols, foods, where to spend Christmas in Greece
New Year's in Athens, Greece
New Year's Eve in Athens, Greece provides a trio of free concerts, big crowds, and, since it's Greece, lots and lots of fireworks.
Christmas in Athens, Greece
See the wonderful celebration of Christmas and New Year's in Athens, Greece, courtesy of the Athens Mayor's Office.
Greek Christmas Ornaments
Make your Christmas a Greek Christmas with these fun ornaments and Christmas decorations available online.
When is Christmas in Greece and how is it celebrated?
Christmas in Greece - a look at the colorful Greek Christmas customs, traditions, and beliefs.
These winter goblins are said to be active during the period between Christmas and Epiphany.
Christmas in Athens, Greece - Celebrations in Athens, Greece
Christmas in Athens promises to be better than ever with a rich program of free public events, Christmas decorations, and much more.
Christmas in Greece - Was Santa Greek? Greece for Visitors
Christmas in Greece - Was Santa Greek? Read the tale of St. Nikolaos and decide if this Christmas legend is based on the ancient Greek saint.
Send a Greek Orthodox St. Nicholas Day or Christmas Card
Send a Greek Orthodox electronic greeting card for Christmas, St. Nicholas Day, and other winter feasts and holidays.
Greek Christmas Customs
Explore the tales of Christmas as celebrated in Greece, from kalendas to recipes and tales of mischievous spirits.
Greek Christmas Greetings
What to say in Greece for the holidays.
Greek Christmas Customs - Basil
A look at this special herb and its significance in the Greek holiday season.
New Year's Day in Greece
How Greece celebrates New Year's Day
Athens Gets Shorted on Christmas Tree
Abandoning a competition for "Europe's Tallest Christmas Tree", Athens is finding other ways of marking the holiday.
A Christmas Photo Album of Greece
Great photos of Athens adorned for the holidays. The surprising winter secret? Now you get to see Athens with green grass, not weeds.
Christmas in Greece?
Take a look at a Christmas-card perfect shot of Athens in snow, and consider a trip to Greece in the cool season. From Matt Barrett.
Christmas in Sfakia, Crete
Sfakia Christmas and New Year's customs include delicious food.
Greek and Cretan Christmas Customs
Excellent page on Christmas customs, including more on the killankatzoroi, and why you may smell burning shoes at Christmastime.
Matt's Christmas Diary
A day-by-day account of a Christmastime trip to Athens - from persuading his daughter they might see Santa from the plane to a "miraculous" trip-extending punctured eardrum.
Melomacarona Cookies
Here's a recipe for this traditional Greek Christmas treat.
Christmas in Athens Greece
Christmas in Athens is filled with music, courtesy of the City of Athens and its extensive free music program for the holidays.
Kalandas - The Christmas Carols of Greece
What is a Kalanda? What are Kalandas? What are Greek Christmas Carols like?
Share Your Greek Christmas Story - Tell Us About Your Greek Christmas
Have a great Greek Christmas memory or story to share? Whether it happened in Greece at Christmas or in any Greektown or other location around the world, let's hear about it.


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Former Jacksonville College Jaguar Malik Smith proclaimed via his Twitter account Wednesday that he has decided to transfer from Florida International University to the University of Minnesota.
Smith plans on following his coach at FIU (Richard Pitino) to Minnesota as Pitino took the job with the Golden Gophers earlier this spring.
Smith was Pitino's star player at FIU last season where he averaged 14.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
He established a new record record at FIU by draining 96 three-point shots last year.
"I think Malik (Smith) is as pure of shooter as you will find," JC head coach Jody Bailey said.
Smith will have one year of eligibility left and is expected to be able to play in the upcoming season due to academic deficiencies at FIU that have made that program ineligible for post season play in 2013-14.
Smith said last month when he made the decision to transfer that his close relationship with Pitino had played a major role in Smith being able to improve his overall work ethic.
Smith, who is from Boston, Mass., was an All-Region XIV selection and an All-Conference choice at JC his sophomore year. He averaged 15 ppg. That year and shot 36-percent from the field and 34-percent from beyond the arc.
"We've know all along that Malik was a special player," Bailey said. "He went to Florida International and improved his game tremendously under Coach Pitino and we are thrilled that he (Smith) has received an opportunity to move on to Minnesota."


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For the fourth straight day, metro-east schools were closed Thursday; students lost more instruction time; and working parents were left scrambling to find childcare.
Superintendent Todd Koehl said O'Fallon District 90 schools were forced to close again Thursday due to safety issues.
"The side streets for some folks are really impassable," he said.
Superintendent Matt Klosterman said Belleville District 118 schools closed due to the conditions of the side roads and the lack of access to bus stops and sidewalks for students who walk.
"We were very concerned about a lack of a safe place for those kids to maneuver around," he said.
Belleville District 201 Superintendent Jeff Dosier concurred: "We felt the conditions getting to and from bus stops and waiting at bus stops would have been dangerous."
Belle Valley School District 119 Superintendent Louis Obernuefemann said Belle Valley was closed "strictly for student safety."
Several districts have called off school for Friday including Belleville District 118, Belleville District 201, Central District 104, East St. Louis District 189, O'Fallon District 203, Shiloh District 85, Collinsville School District 10, Edwardsville School District 7 and Triad School District 2.
Right call?
A majority of parents and others who commented on the Belleville News-Democrat's Facebook page agreed with district officials who called off school Thursday.
Nichole Bernreuter said, "The neighborhood roads are horrible and have been since the first snowfall. There has to be a better system in place to handle clearing the roads."
Parent Beth Burford Van Horn, who has children at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Belleville, said busses would not be able to safely navigate her neighborhood.
Jennifer Lair Snyder said she's glad officials canceled school. "My kids and others drive to school and I would rather them cancel and have to make up than have an accident," she said.
Parent Jennifer Ritchie also said she's pleased schools were closed. She has a student at Belleville East and one at Central Junior High in Belleville.
"I am pleased that they are taking the safety of my kids so serious," she said. "There is no way I would allow my kids to walk on our street."
Parent Yumeka Rodgers, whose daughter attends school in District 201, agreed schools should be closed.
"The school district is doing the necessary thing and putting our children safety first," she said. "The streets in which the busses travel are horrible and I would hate for my child or any child for that matter to be hurt."
Parent Beth Gagen said closures were "for the best." She has a student at Jefferson Elementary School in Belleville and one at Althoff Catholic High School.
"As much as they need to go back, the roads are awful," Gagen said.
State testing
With state standardized testing just two months away, superintendents are dealing with the loss of instruction time.
"We are concerned about it," Klosterman said. "There's a lot of curriculum to cover and our staff want kids to be as prepared as possible."
"It's always a concern," Obernuefemann said, "but you do the best with what you're handed."
Koehl said, "What we are really losing is instructional time for our curriculum."
The Illinois Standards Achievement Test is scheduled to be administered March 3-13 to third-through eighth-graders in reading and math and fourth- and seventh-graders in science.
Sophomores in high school will take the Prairie State Achievement Examination in April.
Losing four days of teaching is not ideal, Dosier said, but the safety of students is paramount.
Illinois State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch and the Illinois State Board of Education could make adjustments to the testing schedule. An official with the ISBE could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Emergency days
Every school district in Illinois is required to schedule at least five emergency days, which may be used at the discretion of the district, according to Susan Sarfaty, St. Clair County Regional Superintendent of Schools.
Many metro-east districts have used all five emergency days.
"If we go anything pass this point, they will be Act of God days," Obernuefemann said.
If weather emergencies force more closures after a district uses all of its emergency days, Sarfaty said the district must request approval for an Act of God day or modify their calendar to schedule additional days at the end of the school year.
An Act of God day must be approved by the regional superintendent and the state superintendent of education.
"I would not be surprised if we have Act of God days this year," Sarfaty said. "We haven't had Act of God days for three years."
If an Act of God day is approved, Sarfaty said school districts do not have to make up that day and do not lose general state aid for that day.
Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 618-239-2562 or email@example.com.
Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 618-239-2562 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Cashman for a day, fool for a lifetimeBy
The Boss has spoken, and Cashman and Torre are safe for the time being. This may be upsetting to some, but it's a relief for others. The Yankees head to Texas in tact, in search of a few wins (with Phil Hughes's' first as a collateral gain).
This doesn't mean, however, that there won't be any shakeups. There are a few roster moves that could be made over the next few weeks that will completely alter the team's game plan headed into the season. But that's the beautify of baseball: the season is long, so if your initial plan fails, there's still time to tinker with it and create something that works. And when you have a bank account like the Yanks, changing courses becomes that much easier.
Before any moves are made, questions must be asked. Is this person going to work out? Are we dealing with too small a sample size to make a decision? If we don't unload this person now, what are the possible ramifications down the road? And on and on. We're all pretty familiar with the team's shortcomings right now, so let's get down to it.
Mike Myers
Most want him DFA'd, and I can't disagree. Myers's job is to get out tough lefties, but he's been more of a mop up man this year — and there's been tons of mopping to do. And, when he has been summoned to get a lefty out, he hasn't been at the top of his game (though an Ortiz double and the Crawford slam are the only ones standing out in my mind).
There is little reason to carry Myers on the roster. Even though the numbers say he's been better against righties this year, once again we're faced with a tiny sample size. If he returns to his career norms, he'll lose value as a mop-up man. And merely having a LOOGY on staff is a questionable practice, especially for a contenting team like the Yanks.
The solution: DFA him and call up Chris Britton. He'll be able to work in higher leverage situations than Myers without giving the entire Stadium a heart attack. Britton handled his own in the AL East last year. He's only pitched seven innings this year, and could definitely use the work. This is an easy to execute and smart move. In the words of California's governor: Do it! Do it now!
Doug Mientkiewicz
Just when you're ready to take your berating of Minky to the next level, he goes and hits a home run. That makes some people forget his shortcomings, but not us at RAB. When we see a line of .154/.241/.288, we don't say "well, he hit a home run on Sunday." We say, "eff the small sample size; how the hell is this guy on the team?" At the time and through right now, this was the worst move of the off-season. But there is still time to correct it.
What really irks me is the argument that the Yanks "have enough offense that they can have Minky in there." This would be true if he was league average. But right now? Hell no. It's like having the pitcher bat. So, basically, the Yanks are flushing away an advantage employed by every other team in the AL. You only have 27 outs per game, and Doug is eating way too many of them. Good thing that outs have no nutritional value.
The solution: Carrying three first basemen is kinda dumb, but when one is a mediocre glove and another is a terrible glove, you have to have a fielder in there somewhere. Either DFA Minky and reconfigure the first base situation, or start Phelps and let Minky come in as a defensive replacement. Then again, that leads to situations where Phelps bat may be needed later in the game, and…ah, eff it. Y'all know where I'm going with this.
Luis Vizcaino
He's walking a ton of guys, which is never a good thing. He can probably right that ship, which would be nice, but there are further concerns with Viz.
Just check out his career numbers. Take particular notice to his numbers in the NL and his one season with Chicago. Yeah, his ERA was low in that season, but his strikeouts are abominably low. His strikeouts to walk stunk, too, which reeks of fluke. He just might not be cut out for the American League.
The solution: Plenty of NL teams need bullpen help (helooooo Phillies). Dish him. Hell, maybe we can snag a league-average first basemen out of the deal, or a backup catcher at the very least.
What to do with his bullpen spot? You can either have Colter Bean hold down the fort until something else comes along, or you can solve the mop-up man problem created by DFAing Myers by calling up Matt DeSalvo. Stick him in the bullpen and let him work multiple innings when needed. He can also spot start, which should help with this fragile rotation. Obviously, I like the latter one better.
Bobby Abreu
Some may think I'm overreacting to a slump, but I think it goes beyond that. Even when Bobby was hitting well earlier in the season, his demeanor at the plate had me concerned. He was (and is) swinging at a lot more pitches than the guy we acquired last July (4.48 pitches per PA last year, 4.08 this year). On top of that, his swing looks very lazy, like he's taking a nonviolent approach to baseball this season.
Problem is, he's owed $15 million this year with a $16 mil player option for 2008. If he's going anywhere (and there's no way Cashman trades a name like Abreu mid-season), the receiving team will have to pick up that option, lest Bobby declines his no trade clause. That's a tough spot there.
The solution: 1) Get him Jobu and some rum. 2) Failing that, you simply have to explore trade options. I'm not saying trade him for pennies on the dollar, but if you can get anything of value, it makes sense. To get around the money issue, Cashman could take Steinbrenner up on his offer to help in any way possible. The more of Abreu's salary you pay, the more you get in return.
Unfortunately, this plan works a lot better with a 2006 version of Melky. Since we're stuck with a flailing, lost Melky, it actually makes Abreu more valuable. Senor Hustle had better start taking pitches and hitting balls into the gaps. Either that, or get someone to make a sex tape with his girlfriend.
Everything else I'm either content with, or think change is far too impractical. I won't call for an overhaul of the rotation, because it won't look too bad as of this week: Wang – Pettitte – Mussina – Hughes – Igawa. And then there's the possibility of Clemens, though that doesn't seem likely given the way the team looks now. There is always the possibility that we see Ian Kennedy in August, a la John Lackey for the Angels in 2002.
The bullpen, given the aforementioned moves and the starters actually going six or seven innings, should be fine. And then you have possibilities for later in the season, like Chase Wright being the second lefty or Mike's boy David Robertson getting a shot. Hell, even Robetson's teammate, Jon Hovis, is looking dominant in the lower levels. They may not be up until later on, and they might not make a significant impact, but they're things to think about.
See, that wasn't so bad. Just some jettisoning of your not-so-favorite players in order to benefit the team. Yeah, some of them aren't very plausible (Abreu), but some of them are downright necessary (Myers and Mink). I guess we'll see what the real-life Yankees will do. Goddammit — it had better be something.
16 Comments»
I agree with you Joseph that Yankees should released Myers. He's garbage, I would say place Igawa's on the bullpen as lefty specialist and called Matt Desalvo.
From watching Abreu, The only problem I see with him, He tries to pull too much. Opposing pitcher keeps pitching him away. He needs to learn how to hit the opposite way.
Doest Igawa walk way too many guys to be an effective reliever?
trading abreu is crazy. he will be fine and drive in tons of runs. We cant cut and run on a guy just because he has been in a slump for two weeks!
April 2-19 (14 games): 20/58, 7 BB
April 20-30(9 games): 3/33, 9 BB
Coincidence that Arod and Abreu cooled off at the same time, or a string of better pitching performances? Abreu is like Giambi: even when he's not hitting he gets on base (and a 12/42 slump if better than Minky or Melky's seasons).
Joe, I know it's easy to dislike Abreu for his nonchalance (offensively and defensively), especially when everyone across YankeeLand is calling for his head, but please don't drink the Cool-Aid.
Trade Abreu? Are you nuts? How about practicing what you preach about small sample size? His career numbers are .301/.411/.503. And you want to trade him because of a two week slump? You've lost a lot of credibility with that suggestion.
Joel Sherman Today's Article on Yankees
5. Let teams know Kyle Farnsworth and/or Mike Myers are available: The Yankee 'pen is needed too much to have one reliever (Farnsworth) who can work one inning every other day, and another (Myers) who is a lefty specialist having trouble retiring lefties (.851 OPS). In the trade market, relief pitching has been overvalued, and perhaps this is a way for the Yanks to, at the least, upgrade at first base (Doug Mientkiewicz) or backup catcher (Wil Nieves) or utility infielder (Miguel Cairo), places where they are insufficient right now.
Editor's Note: If you insist on copy-and-paste jobs even after we've asked you to stop, could you at least use the TinyURL function?
No to trading Abreu. I'm fine with DFAing Myers and ManCaveItch.
Do you think they should consider promoting Whelan to AAA, and possibly give him a chance in the bullpen if he handles Scranton? He's looked pretty dominant in Trenton so far, and maybe he could help the team out this year.
Doug will come around, remember it just turned into may, no way that the yankees will finish off with a losing record. Doug hasnt be great but he hasn't been awful and you can look at his history, he's no superstar at the plate. And considering that this is his first time playing consistent games since 2003 we'll have to deal with the fact that he has to adjust to being in every single day. and not to mention if he can come around and do what he did in 2003 then he'd be a pretty good 9man because he'll get on base enough to see damon or jeter get him in.
why not trade abreu to texas for sammy and prospects, fuck it thats my "never gonna happen" fling
Bobby Abreu strikes me as the kind of guy that would refer to himself in the 3rd person. "Bobby knows Bobby's struggling at the plate, so Bobby tried to lay down a sac bunt to help the team." And yeah, if my fiancee went on a reality show and banged a castmate, I know I'd hit a lot more than just baseballs with a bat.
There's a lot of dead weight on this team; players making mad money but not performing. And when those high paid guys get hurt, we're throwing the Chase Wright's and Colter Bean's of the world out there versus the Red Sox.
Since bullpen help is so scarce these days, don't you think someone would give up even a PTBNL for Myers?
Oh, and the quote from the guy who sponsors Vizcaino's B-R.com page slays me…
It's possible that Damon's assorted injuries, particularly his back, could be a lingering problem as well.
Right now, the OF is beyond awful.
Yea that may be so but I go to school down in wilkes-barre and I have to say that prospects down here now are good but not awesome, why not trade abreau for some prospects. bobby should step up or step out


text:
The Bad News: It's A Ham-demic, Fired Twice and Knife-Wielding Crazy Lady Blog Home Caption Challenge: Barack Obama Attends to Some Business
Comedy Central's 100 Best Obama Moments: 30-21
30. Chocolate News: Giving It Up
29. Obama's Grit-off Challenge
28. Stem Sell
27. Clinton vs. Obama: Philadelphia debate review
26. Carlos Mencia on Barack Obama
25. Democratic Pot Shots
24. The one person we must thank every day for his amazing sacrifice
23. Obama wins South Carolina
22. Obama Copycattery
21. Clusterf#@k to the Poor House: Prime-Ribbing
Tags: Barack Obama, Carlos Mencia, Chocolate News, David Alan Grier, Hillary Clinton, Jon Stewart, Mind of Mencia, South Park, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, White House
About Us
Comedy Central's Indecision is the network's digital hub for news, politics and other jokes: we're here, we're everywhere. We're not affiliated with any television show. We're affiliated with ourselves.


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By Libby Cluett | firstname.lastname@example.com
To sauce up its claim as having "the Spiciest Festival Around" this weekend, Clark Gardens Botanical Park will add extra zing Saturday night by bringing the band Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes to sizzle its stage.
"This year we wanted to blow out all the stops and offer entertainment that would be a real crowd pleaser," said Garden Director Carol Clark Montgomery of the female band that has played at two Texas governor's inaugurations and at Dallas Cowboys pre- and post-game events.
Donning beehive hairdos and satin leopard print dresses, Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes' three dazzling female singers play music from the '50s to the '80s.
"With a name like Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes it was a perfect fit for the festival," Montgomery said. "Fall is an amazing time to enjoy the gardens and what better way than to experience the beauty of the gardens with great, fun, energetic music to rock the night away."
Read the full story in the Index's eEdition. Log in, subscribe or sign up for a one-week free trial here.


text: A continuation to this thread, where I ask for your favorite super villains from the Marvel Universe. While DC has some of the greatest villains of all time such as Lex Luthor and the Joker, but Marvel has its own fair share of great villains from the Red Skull (Nein!) to Dr. Octogonapus (BLARGH!) to Mag f'n neto (Welcome to Die!). That aside, who are your favorite Marvel Villains? Mines are Dr. Doom, Magneto, Dr. Octopus, Venom, M.O.D.O.K, Dormmamu, and Shuma Gorath.


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By Nathan Hutchinson
Register Sports Editor
Ken-Jah Bosley didn't expect the Crimsons to kick the ball to him.
But, shockingly, they did.
"I was surprised," the Madison Central senior said. "They kicked to me (early in the game), then they didn't kick to me again. So, I figured I wouldn't get another chance."
He got one last chance and delivered the playoff that would help the Indians win their first playoff game in four years.
Bosley returned a kickoff 88 yards early in the fourth quarter and Madison Central went on to pick up a 40-21 win over DuPont Manual Friday in Richmond. The Indians scored the final 13 points of the game as they held off a second-half comeback from the Crimsons.
With the win, Central advances to the second round of the Class 6A Playoffs and will face defending state champion Trinity next week in Louisville.
"I knew I had to make a big play for the team," Bosley said. "I didn't want the memory of last week to come back after we lost such a big lead. The second half, they just out-performed us and I knew I had to make a big play and I'm glad I did."
After letting a 23-point second-half lead slip away last week at home in an overtime loss to Knox Central, the Indians raced out to a big lead over Manual. But, once again, a seemingly comfortable advantage slowly started to slip away.
Back-to-back touchdowns by the Crimsons — a 47-yard fumble return for a TD by K.J. Beauchamp and an 11-yard TD catch by Matthew Cissell with 8:37 left in the fourth quarter — cut a 20-point lead to just 27-21.
Following Cissell's touchdown, Bosley got his hands on the ensuing kickoff return and blasted through the left side, eventually running over the Manual kicker on his way to the end zone.
"I wanted to juke, but my momentum had me going forward so all I knew was to stiff-arm him," Bosley said. "Luckily, it was good enough to get him to the ground."
Bosley finished with 253 all-purpose yards — 16 rushing, 94 receiving, 99 on kick returns and 44 punt returns. The senior also had two touchdowns (one receiving).
"He's Ken-Jah Bosley," Central coach Bert Browne said. "I'm baffled as to why he doesn't have a Division I offer, because he is great."
Central's offense wasn't great, but it was good enough.
The Indians finished with 285 yards, highlighted by 111 yards rushing from senior Dominique Hawkins, and had two turnovers.
Central's defense was stellar. The Indians forced four turnovers and limited a team that had averaged 230 yards a game rushing to just 181 yards on the ground and just 240 total yards.
"Stop the run," Central senior Brandon Parks said. "That's what defensive coordinator (David) Brumley always teaches us."
Parks and the defense provided the first big play of the game.
Just 48 seconds in to the game, the senior defensive lineman picked up a fumble and went 43 yards untouched for a touchdown that gave Central a quick 7-0 lead.
"I got a heck of a hit on the quarterback and the ball popped out," Parks said. "The first thing in my mind was get it and run."
Manual pulled even just more than two minutes later when Chris Miele caught a 25-yard pass from Mason Motley.
Hawkins put the Indians back in front with 5:24 left in the first quarter. The senior came around the right side and got loose for a 57-yard TD run.
The Indians stretched their lead to 21-7 just before the half when tight end Sam Jones caught a 26-yard TD pass. A Manual defender tipped the ball and Jones juggled it before securing the catch and fighting off a couple of defenders to get into the end zone.
The lead jumped to 27-7 when Bosley caught a 26-yard catch from Hunnter Stocker in the third quarter.
Then the Crimson started to battle back.
"It worried me," Browne said. "We were up six and I was worried, but our defense had played pretty dang well. We got the job done on defense. On offense, we did what we needed to do."
Bosley's kickoff return and a 1-yard TD run by senior Jamez Chenault with 3:39 left in the fourth ended Manual's rally.
"I'm just happy we got a win," Bosley said. "We made history."
The Indians hadn't won a playoff game since a first-round victory over Bullitt Central in 2008.
"It's been a lot of work by our coaching staff and our players," Browne said.


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Central America
Tropical rainforests
This reptile is green with a crest or fin on the back of the head. They have long tails and long limbs and range in size from 12 - 25.5 inches. The crest or fin on the back of the head and the flaps of skin on the underside of the hind feet allow them to run on the water's surface.
Dietary Classification: Insectivorous
Diet in Zoo: Crickets
Diet in Wild: Mainly insects
When frightened, basilisks can take a running start on land and sprint across the water's surface. These lizards can cover up to 32 feet before they dive in and start swimming or sink to the bottom to hide. This ability has given the basilisk the nickname 'Jesus Lizard', especially in the Latin American countries in which they are native.
The green basilisk is not listed on IUCN as Threatened.


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Sao Paulo's OwnIllustration // Sunday, 05 Jun 2011
Bruno Borges is a cosmically driven illustrator and designer in Sao Paulo Brazil.
Openings, closing, and ongoing
Every image in one place
Full magazine features from Juxtapoz
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The best of the best chosen by you!
Current Issue
On sale now at newsstands or on screenJuxtapoz is proud to announce a very special August 2014 issue, featuring one of our all-time favorite musicians, creatives, and all around artistic personas, Madlib. For years, we have followed Madlib's eclectic career, from Quasimoto, Madvillain, Jaylib, Yesterday's New Quintet, the Beat Konducta series, and everything in between. One common thread has always been the unique and artistically-driven alter egos that Madlib has given to the world, and in this issue, we talk to the musician about his world of music and art.


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Millions of California's workers who immigrated to the U.S. illegally could receive provisional status to remain living and working in the state if a new bipartisan effort at immigration reform is accepted.
The compromise plan was announced Monday by a group of eight U.S. senators and immediately generated headlines for its forgiveness of undocumented workers who do not have criminal records and the new crackdowns that would be implemented, CNN Politics reported.
Border controls would be tightened—including the use of drones to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border—and there would be more effort to prevent the hiring of undocumented workers.
The senators, in their proposal, said they aim "to secure the border, modernize and streamline our current legal immigration system, while creating a tough but fair legalization process for individuals who are currently here."
There were about 11.2 million undocumented immigrants in the US in 2010, 2.55 million of them in California, according to a Pew Research Hispanic report sourced by ABC News 10.
Conservative leaders have said they are trying to create a modern immigration system, as well as woo back Latino voters.
California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, expressed support for the immigration overhaul, which was proposed by a group of four Democrats and four Republicans.
"The comprehensive framework outlined today by the bipartisan Senate working group is a major step forward in the effort to reform our broken immigration system," ABC News 10 quoted Feinstein as saying.
The new plan could be a boon to Bay Area businesses—especially tech companies looking to hire scientists and engineer—though some are questioning if foreign graduates with advanced degrees in fields like science and math should be given preference for green cards.
The reforms may help California farming communities, which wrestled with labor shortages in 2012.
"Farmers struggle to hire enough domestic employees, so they rely on foreign employees willing to harvest America's food," California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger said. "Many of the people who tend to the food we eat are not properly documented. Reform of immigration laws should secure our borders and allow immigrants who are contributing to our communities to work in farming."
The immigration reform package must first pass the Senate, then be considered by the House.
President Barack Obama is expected to unveil his immigration plan Tuesday in Las Vegas.
What are your thoughts? Is this a positive step toward fixing the US immigration system?


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It appears Contra Costa County officials will have to sift through more than 100,000 uncounted ballots before they can certify Tuesday's election.
County Clerk Steve Weir reported late Thursday that his election office had received 82,271 vote-by-mail ballots since Saturday afternoon as well as 23,692 provisional ballots. That's 105,963 ballots that were not counted as of Tuesday night.
Weir said there were more vote-by-mail ballots turned in at the polls than they expected. This is also the highest total ever for provisional ballots in Contra Costa County.
The ballots may not all be counted until the middle of next week.
That could leave several elections in doubt until then.
One of them is Measure D, the $260 million school bond in the San Ramon Valley. Right now, the measure has 55.19 percent of the vote with 55 percent needed for passage.
It's not known how many uncounted ballots are from Alamo, Danville and San Ramon.
The voter turnout right now for Contra Costa County is 60 percent. The late ballots are expected to raise that to 80 percent.
The county has until Dec. 4 under state law to certify the election.


text:
Quick Stats
PO Box 874906
Tempe, AZ 85287
Business School Overview
U.S. News Rankings
|Ranking score and category
#18 in Part-time MBA
#3 in Supply Chain / Logistics
Business School Overview
The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University offers these departments and concentrations: accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, general management, health care administration, international business, leadership, marketing, management information systems, real estate, supply chain management/logistics, tax, and technology. Its tuition is full-time: $23,300 per year (in-state); full-time: $39,150 per year (out-of-state); part-time: $30,082 per year (in-state); part-time: $30,082 per year (out-of-state); executive: $38,482 per year (in-state); and executive: $38,482 per year (out-of-state). At graduation, 72.3 percent of graduates of the full-time program are employed.
The W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the largest business schools in the country with roughly 300 faculty and 1,800 graduate students. Students have four options for earning an M.B.A. on a full-time or part-time schedule, including evening, executive, and online M.B.A. programs. The school also offers a Ph.D. program as well as specialized graduate degrees in Accountancy, Taxation, Agribusiness, Information Management, and Real Estate Development. The Master of Real Estate Development degree is an accelerated 30-week program focused on training professionals in the practices of real estate. In contrast, most other real estate development programs are offered in one or two year formats.
Although the school is large, most full-time M.B.A. courses have fewer than 45 students in order to promote an interactive discussion of topics. During students' first term on campus, they are required to write an Individual Development Plan, which is a plan to develop qualities as a leader. It is referred to throughout the first and second year and summer internship for updates and analysis. Joint degrees are offered in conjunction with the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and the School of Architecture, as well as in conjunction with the Master of Accountancy and Master of Science in Information Management programs.
Being one of the largest business schools in the country means having a large alumni base, and the W.P. Carey School of Business has more than 60,000 graduates working around the world. Notable alumni include Kevin Hanigan, president and chief operating officer of Guaranty Financial Group; Martin Quintana, chief operating officer of nonprofit community development corporation Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.; and Larry Seay, chief financial officer and vice president of finance for real estate development company Meritage Homes Corp.
|Application deadline (U.S. residents)
|June 30
|Application deadline (international students)
|April 1
|Applicants (full-time)
|Applicants (part-time)
Student Body
|Enrollment (full-time)
|Gender distribution (full-time)
full-time: $23,300 per year (in-state)
|Required fees (full-time)
|$518 per year
|Required fees (part-time)
|$518 per year
|Required fees (executive degree program)
|$518 per year
|Average base salary
|Full-time graduates employed at graduation
* Business School Overview details based on 2013 data


text:
DOGS: Short-Legged English Jack Russel Terrier Puppies. Born June 16th. 3 Males available. Tri-color. Short tails. Wormed. Puppy shots. Cute. Curious. Fun. Videos available via text or email.More info Email a friend
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DOGS: Registered Olde English Bulldogge pups. 1 male 1 female. Health guarantee, vaccinates/wormed, pedigree, microchipped. Ready 8/4. www.legendarybulldog.com or call/text 208-230-3517. Delivery possible.More info Email a friend
DOGS: MINI AUSSIES Quality Miniature Australian Shepherds. Genetic testing, health guarantee, and lots of socialization. We are a small show breeder who focuses our stock on quality pedigrees, great temperaments, and sound structure. Versatile in obedience...More info Email a friend
CATS: One black, short hair cat, free to good home. Excellent mouser.More info Email a friend
DOGS: 1. Female and 1. Male. Born 5-3-14 Super cute. Have had 2 sets of shots and de wormed. See online ad for pictures.More info Email a friend
DOGS: Bull Terrier Puppies Looking to find these puppies a loving home. Pups were born 3/11/14; they are ready to go, All dewormed & UtD on vaccines. 1 male $900 & 2 females $1050 each. Both Parents are full breed & on Site; Text or leave message for more Info...More info Email a friend
DOGS: 1 female left. 6 weeks old. Vet check, 1st shot and worming complete. Both parents on site. $1800.00.More info Email a friend


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|You are replying to: My Grill Exploded for the Third Time
Topic Title: My Grill Exploded for the Third Time
Created on September 3, 2013 at 12:02 PM
James Farmer
I bought my Apex grill earlier this year after the dealer couldn't fix a Wrangler I bought trying to save money. The Wrangler would not light period. The dealer took it back because he couldn't get to light either. I then bit the bullet and purchased the Apex. I am finding the Apex hard to light and have had several small explosions in the process. I am becoming scared to light my grill. The wife is really giving me a hard time about my $1000.00 grill that won't sear a stake and now doesn't light. Any ideas???
Tom Kirkman
It defies the odds that you have had two grills that are hard to light. I have had 6 Hollands and they all light on the first stroke of the ignitor.
Make sure your ignitor is throwing a spark. You can do this without turning the gas on. On rare occasions, I have heard of folks having an ignitor that has the two ends a bit too far apart. Bending them closer has rectified the problem.
Surely a call to Holland is in order. I think they could walk you through this over the phone.
One thing is for certain, if you have gas coming out of the burner orifice and you introduce a spark, it's going to light.
Tom Kirkman
BTW, searing (burning) a steak is something you'll get over once you try steak on the Holland. Much better without the acrid char on the outside.
I found out the hard way (only did it once) that if you have trouble lighting the grill and you shut the lid and light terrible things happen
I fixed my neighbors APEX with a similar issue. Take out the oriface and see if you can see light through the hole? If not run a twisty tie wire through it. That fixed his problem.
Jamison's Service Manager
Hello I am the Service Manager for Jamison's Sales and Rental in Shelbyville Kentucky. I deal with all Holland Grill assembly and service here at our store.
I am sorry that you are having difficulties with your grill. Propane can be an intimidating gas to deal with especially if there is a build up of gas. The most important tip I can give you is to open the grill lid before you turn on the propane tank. The lid must be open when you ignite the grill. Otherwise the propane will accumulate in the cooking area and when the grill is ignited while the lid is closed it will create a combustion.
Are you cooking with propane or natural gas? This is an important factor to consider as the grill will require different orifices for the type of gas you use.
Also another important factor is to adjust the air shutter so that only a small yellow tip is on the flame. You want more blue flame than yellow.


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Badgers need to get in groove after losing 2 of last 3. Loss today at PennState would make Wisconsin 7-5 headed to Indy
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By Brian Graves, News Editor
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 —
The city of Albemarle needs to focus on economic growth.
That was the concensus of the 13 candidates who appear on Albemarle's municipal election ballot during the primary.
Candidates were given the opportunity to express their thoughts on the matter at a forum sponsored by the Concerned Citizens of South Albemarle Thursday night at the E.E. Waddell Community Center.
An audience of about 30 attended to hear the candidates comment on what they perceive as the major concerns of the city.
There were no heated exchanges and the candidates showed good humor with each other before, during and after the nearly three-hour session.
Each candidate was allowed to give a two-minute opening statement, which was used by all the participants to tell about their life experiences.
The following is a condensed version of the comments each candidate made and are placed in the order which the candidates addressed the forum.
These excerpts focus on the major point in each candidate's remarks. Every candidate did not use the same amount of time or verbiage to make their major point and the effort not to take any of the comments out of context causes some candidates' space here to be longer or shorter than the others.
Mayoral Candidates
Chris Bramlett (R)
"It's not the will to win that matters, it's the will to prepare to win that matters. Albemarle must prepare to win.
"We must take the steps necessary to make us competitive with our neighbors that are proven planners in the economic development game.
"Because we don't have the advantage of location those neighbors have, we're going to have to work harder than they do just to approach a level playing field.
"We have a reputation that must be reversed. In the economic development world Albemarle and Stanly County are not perceived to be business-friendly.
"In Albemarle and Stanly County, if you were asked about getting 1,000 feet of sewer line, you would argue and argue the point until that business owner would probably pack up and head someplace where they are appreciated.
"There is too much acrimony and animosity between Albemarle and Stanly County. I promise you if I'm elected that war is over and we will participate with the county and nine other municipalities in projects I expect to be mutually beneficial."
Ronnie Michael (D)
"Jobs, jobs, jobs.
"We have lagged behind in jobs. I, myself, and the entire city council have made economic development a priority.
"We are not just talking the talk, we are taking action.
"This year, we appointed an economic development task force to look at the policies and make recommendations to improve.
"A few months ago, this task force presented their findings and we're addressing their recommendations.
"I will work to address the goals and am committed to working on the long term.
"Short term, we need to address the branding and the image of our city and assigning a public information officer to market the city.
"Another goal recommended was to fund another person to work with the county on economic development.
"Discussion has taken place on this and we're still hopeful this can happen.
"We have to work on our relationship with other elected officials. Cooperation is the key to success. If elected, it is my intention to reach out to all the municipalities and the county to improve our relations. We must be willing to work together if we are to improve the quality of life and attract more jobs to our area.
"The city does have a few vacant buildings but very little land. More industrial property is needed and we must look to develop more options for new and expanded employers."
David Morgan (D)
"Without doubt, jobs and economic development are the issues we have to tackle in Albemarle.
"I was one of the 15 people appointed last September by the mayor and city council to serve on the city's economic development task force. I'm not sure if I still serve or if it's been abandoned.
"The last communication I got was May 10 and that was just a reminder the city task force's recommendations would be presented to the county commissioners.
"See if you think economic development has been addressed.
"The mayor and city council started talking about the economic development task force over a year ago. They decided to take applications through July 2012.
"In September 2012, the interested applicants had to appear before the mayor and city council to explain why they wanted to serve.
"After the mayor and city council decided who they wanted to appoint, the task force met once a month in November, December and January.
"On Jan. 28, this task force presented its recommendations to the mayor and city council. At that meeting, the mayor and city manager agreed to meet with the chairman of the county commission, chairman of the Stanly County Economic Committee, county manager and EDC director.
"After about a month or so, I called up the task force facilitator to find out what happened and she advised me she was no longer under contract with the city or the task force.
"In April, the facilitator is brought back for a follow-up meeting with the task force, mayor and city council about the joint meeting.
"It was decided the Albemarle economic task force's recommendations would be presented by the EDC task force chairman to the Stanly County commissioners at their regular meeting on May 20.
"It's now Aug. 29 and three months since recommendations were presented to county commission and six months since they were presented to the mayor and city council.
"It's been two years since I campaigned on the need for action on jobs and economic development and over a year since the mayor and city council started talking about the need for the task force.
"I don't think it's timely leadership for our city. I can promise you the lack of follow-up and follow-through will have no place in the city (with me) as mayor.
Joe Speight (R)
"One of the things that I think has been overlooked, I'm not talking about education in the school system. I'm talking about education of our citizens.
"We, as citizens, need to know what's going on. A lot of things happen and have been done that we're not aware of.
"There are 10,000 registered voters in Albemarle. They're not here to see what my counterparts have to say or what I have to say. Why not?
"One point eight percent of the population voted in the last election to choose our leaders.
"One of the things we have to do in Albemarle is get rid of the apathy and get people involved.
"All these programs we've talked about and all these programs started by the present council need the support of the citizens to be successful.
"We're not promoting Albemarle. Tell me one place in downtown Albemarle where you can buy a T-shirt that says 'Albemarle' or any other of the amenities we have in and around.
"Go to Myrtle Beach and find a place that doesn't have a T-shirt that says 'Myrtle Beach' on it.
"The thing we have to do is show Albemarle is open for business. We've got to use common sense in what we do.
"For example, when Donut Dinette got their final inspection for a certificate of occupancy the sign out front was two inches higher than the roof.
"He didn't get the certificate. That sign has only been there for 30 years and I don't now how many airplanes have crashed because of its extraordinary height.
"He had to wait two weeks to get his sign lowered two inches.
"It could have been grandfathered in, or an exception made, or give him six months to get it situated.
"Common sense is what we need. There have been numerous instances where there have been great hurdles put in front of someone wanting to open a business and they wound up not opening their business."
City Council Candidates
Jack Bell (D-District 2)
"I feel we must address the dilapidated houses in Albemarle. In addition to being dangerous and an eyesore, the houses hey put both our citizens and our law enforcement officers at an unnecessary risk.
"We need to make Albemarle a strong and vibrant community for a place to invite new businesses.
"We have so much to offer employers to bring them into our city.
"We need to revitalize our downtown. Empty store fronts do not attract customers or businesses. The vitality of the downtown is a direct reflection of the health and vitality of our city.
"We need to create a downtown that is a destination place where people shop, eat, visit with friends and live.
"We have buildings with beautiful architecture sitting empty. We need to find ways to attract businesses and customers.
"We need to support the Economic Development Commission and its efforts to improve Stanly County. But we also need to look at options for recruiting businesses for the city of Albemarle.
"We need to address parking and signage in downtown to let people know what is available."
Ed Underwood (R-District 2)
"I think we need to do something about our sign ordinances. There are too many people wanting to come into Albemarle and back out because of the sign ordinance.
"We need jobs but we all know that. We need to work on the store fronts.
Martha Hughes (R-At Large)
"When people think of a city of Albemarle, they think of a small, peaceful, close-knit town — a town that is immune to the problems of larger cities.
"However, Albemarle has been changing with the times and many of these changes are not positive.
"Cities like Albemarle are prone to a higher rate of drug abuse. It's hard to believe our police department has shut down three meth labs in the last month.
"We must pro-actively address the problem through education, prevention, treatment and follow up.
"As a city, this problem is something we cannot ignore.
"We have a need for consistency in planning and development.
"There are significant inconsistencies in the way property owners maintain their property. Not everyone follows the rules.
"It would be most beneficial for all businesses if our city would develop a unified development ordinance.
"Whether than having separate ordinances affecting important issues such as land use, property subdivision, flood protection and natural environment protection, all of these would be consolidated into one document.
"This would ensure those interested in developing within our city would have a plan carried out in a manner that is consistant with the character of our city.
"The recommendations of the economic task force are still relevant to our growth. They are: Undertaking a branding and marketing exercise to determine the city's official image; fund a position with the Stanly County Economic Development Commission; fund an economic development position within the city; and support a position for the Stanly County EDC to support existing businesses.
"We have studies in 2004 and 2013 and yet we have not witnessed any progress on job creation. These are the items professionals have told us we need to do. Let's work together and get these programs moving forward.
"I also feel strongly we need to continue our efforts toward creating a working relationship with the Stanly County Economic Development Commission. We can work smarter together to achieve greater job opportunities for our community."
George "Eddy" McDaniel (D-At Large)
"Economic development is the top issue facing the city.
"It's already been addressed in a number of ways and addressed part ways by the current mayor and council.
"It's just the point that it needs to move and people are tired of talking about it. Let's move on to some action.
"If we can't do it in cooperation with the county economic development or someone else, let's do it ourselves.
"We can initiate the action and move forward.
"We can put together an economic committee that would send routine reports to the mayor and from that point we can move forward.
"You can't do anything if you don't do something, You've got to move forward.
"Planning needs to be done and put the plan out there. It's not set in stone. You can adjust it, but you have to have a place to start.
"We need to have involvement in education working with the school system,
"It used to be in schools you had the opportunities to go into a profession, whether it be an auto mechanic or carpenter, electrician or plummers. There is always going to be a need for that type of occupation.
"Let's work to put that back in there and get the kids that aren't going to college — give an avenue for them and let them go for that.
"We'll work on providing the jobs for them when they get out of school.
"We need, as a community, mayor and council, to work through that process to see if we can't get that in place."
Judy Holcomb (D-At Large)
"It sounds like we haven't done anything on city council. But I'm here to tell you we all work together and have worked diligently to make this city what it is.
"We don't discriminate which section of town we are on. We pave every road in the city, where there are sidewalks, where there are walking trails.
"Right now, we have an agreement with Concord and Kannapolis to sell them some water. That's going to bring in about $1.2 million a year at a minimum.
"If you just look around our city you can see the excellent job of the police. We have good working conditions for them.
"We have a new city hall. We have the Market Station. And I know there are a lot of empty places right now.
"It's very difficult when you have a business and the economy the way it is.
"Unless you've had a business, you're not going to realize what you're going to have to go through every day just to keep their doors open.
"We just have to all work together. We had an opportunity in Badin to have 350 jobs but that went astray because of some problems people had.
"I am a supporter of any industry that wants to relocate in Albemarle. I will work and stand up for them. I will always be willing to give incentives to small businesses and keep our current businesses.
"We're a beautiful city and we've got a lot going for us."
Jack Neel (D-District 4)
"Obviously, the thing we need to do is try to develop some kind of economy for industry.
"We are working on that as the task force committee recommended.
"The fact of the matter is it's in the county's hands right now. The committee has been before them and gave them suggestions.
"We authorized them to offer money to the county for the economic development board and they have turned it down so far.
"They just don't want us to be involved in economic development apparently,
"But we have to keep on working on that. In government, it takes a while to do things. We can't do just anything you want to. Cities just do what the (state) legislature has permitted them to do.
"The main thing they need at Prime Power Park is sewer. The county doesn't have any facilities to bring sewer from that park into the city. We're going to have to do that.
"But if we build sewer lines out to that park then houses and industries build up around there because of that sewer line, because of the legislature we can't annex them.
"We have offered to the county money for more people working for economic development. We wanted to ask to have a member on the board, but they blocked the whole thing.
"It's just the thing you have to work with for a while."
Chris Whitley (R-District 4)
"Most of our (economic) problems have to do with location. We're one of those places you have to be coming here to get here.
"We need to continue to improve working with other interested parties.
"Large industries look for natural resources, recreational resources and infrastructure and workforce. Those go a long way to offset location.
"We need to work with the existing businesses that are here.
"We need to talk with small companies and existing industries and find out what they like about doing business here and what they don't like about it.
"We need to see if are things the city has control over and do something about helping them operate more efficiently or allow them to allow expand and hopefully hire new people.
"Government should be in the business of creating an environment to make it possible for private sectors to create jobs.
"It's also about the product we're selling. The product is Albemarle. What's the first impression they have?
"I'm strongly in favor of having recycling available for every citizen. I was very concerned when it was discontinued.
"I can't help but think most of the costs would be offset by reducing the amount of waste disposal.
"The downtown area is the town's seat and it should be a showcase. It should be a vibrant part of the city."
Joe Canupp (D-District 2)
"I'm going to keep my comments brief because I just found out the questions yesterday.
"It's about downtown revitalization. That's were the city of Albemarle's new businesses are.
"I'm a Democratic candidate for city council, Distict 2.
"Downtown Albemarle is beautiful and those empty spaces. Downtown revitalization is what I'm talking about.
"It creates jobs and things like that."
Roosevelt "Chuck" Horne (D-At Large)
"Number one on my priority list is jobs. I will attempt to try and create jobs with sustainable results such as green jobs that are environmentally friendly.
"We need to bring about incentives to bring about and locate green industries and resources into our city and county.
"Now is the time for us to stop turning jobs away and bring jobs in. This is how we help our economy to grow.
"We need to bring our educated and brilliant youth back into the community.
"I will try to have incentives for our bright and skillful minds to migrate back to our town and community.
"We need to develop incentives to retain our young minds in our communities.
"We need to inform, educate and train a youth workforce and mindset for our community.
"Our youth should be at the top of our priority list.
"Crime and the safety of the citizens of Albemarle is another issue.
"Not only do we have abandoned houses, we have houses that have been burned up. We have houses that are falling in. Constantly, they say we have to contact the owners and years and years go by.
"We need to set a time limit on contacting owners and if we can't contact within that time limit or they don't respond within that time limit, then we as a council need to do something about it.
"We need to either tear them down and charge it (to the owners) or do whatever we need to do to enhance the safety of our communities.
"No citizen of Albemarle should be afraid to walk the streets of Albemarle or sit on their porch at any time.
"I would like to see increased funding for our law enforcement. More patrolman throughout our neighborhoods. Law enforcement should be seen not just when there's an issue, but as a friend to all citizens.
"We need to let more businesses operate within the city of Albemarle then we could purchase more goods within the city bringing more revenue to the city of Albemarle.
"We need jobs with benefits and not just hourly wages."
Early voting has started, but the official primary date is Sept. 10.
To submit story ideas, contact Brian Graves at (704) 982-2121 or email@example.com.


text:
Staff Writer
Cydney Baron
In the light of recent tornado devastation, many Oklahomans are re-evaluating their emergency safety plans.
Mayes County Emergency Management will move their offices into the new Pryor City Hall. The office will be EF5 certified. Being EF5 certified means that the room has met the Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements, part of which means being soundly constructed and able to withstand up to 200-mph winds. An EF5 tornado is the highest on the scale.
Mayor Jimmy Tramel said this is not a place which is open to the public, however. In the past people have gone to the PYO building for shelter, though it is not a certified-safe structure. MCEM stresses that the PYO should be a last resort not a first choice, though they will continue to open the building even after their office has re-located.
The city of Pryor has no designated community safe room and Tramel encourages citizens to plan ahead to find a safe place close to home.
"We don't want to encourage people to drive across town to get in the city hall building. It's not that we don't want them," said Tramel. "If everyone is trying to drive over, the traffic is going to get backed up and waste precious minutes. Also, in the chaos of the moment people will be too panicked to drive safely. We don't want to see driving accidents."
Tramel said there are limitations on space and city codes on the number of people that a building can safely house. Other city safe rooms have run into problems, and eventually had to close, because of people trying to bring pets into the community shelter.
"The tornado damage is such a tragedy, it really is," said Tramel. "Unfortunately, as a city we can't account for absolutely everything. We can make sure that people have the knowledge and resources to prepare or themselves and their families."
The city website features some emergency instructions and information about the outdoor warning sirens.
MCEM has a tornado shelter registry, which has been in place for three years, that shows the location of tornado shelters in a given area.
This way, if a tornado does come through Pryor, city workers and firefighters can come by and check a home to make sure a resident is not trapped inside your safe room under debris. MCEM encourages citizens to call or e-mail them with your name and address if you have a storm shelter to make sure their registry is up to date.
Both the existing Rogers State University Pryor Campus and the new campus being built in the MidAmerica Industrial Park area contain interior windowless spaces where people can shelter in case of severe storms.
RSU Public Relations Director David Hamby provided an excerpt of the current severe weather procedure for the Pryor campus which will later be revised for the new facility.
"The weather will be monitored by the director, campus police and area wardens. The city of Pryor maintains a city-wide outdoor defense warning siren that will be sounded in the even of a tornado warning.
Designated safe areas are located in the restroom vestibules at each end of the building. If the siren is sounded, immediately proceed to the designated areas at each end of the building," the procedure explains.
RSU students and faculty are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the emergency plan which is available on the school website and posted within the building. Part of the plan includes being familiar with the building layout, knowing the location of fire alarms and fire extinguishers and knowing where the exits are.
The plan outlined on the website lists emergency contact information that could be printed and carried in a backpack or purse in case of emergency.
Pryor Public School Superintendent Don Raleigh has kept emergency preparedness in mind during the construction and renovation of school buildings.
Raleigh said that per state law, each school follows tornado protocol, including routine tornado drills. This helps students understand what the procedure will be in the event of an emergency. He said each teacher is also equipped with a tool kit that
provides emergency resources.
"Every time we build, whether it is new construction or renovation, we use the highest quality material possible," Raleigh said of the concrete block construction.
"Since we are starting from scratch at Roosevelt we were able to include two built-in safe rooms," said Raleigh.
The other schools follow the same rules as homes, moving students to interior rooms with no windows. For the most part, this means the restrooms.
There are a lot of variables when dealing with students, Raleigh said.
"We have a master enrollment and attendance tracking system that is internet based. However, kids move around within the building or are transitioning from the playground. There are too many variables to be completely certain what will happen despite having a plan in place," said Raleigh.
"Our hearts go out to the people of Moore. This is as bad a situation as you can imagine," said Raleigh. "It's an unbelievably tough situation."
Chouteau residents are encouraged first and foremost to have a plan in place for the family, said Chouteau Fire Chief Ted Key.
"When it comes time to take cover, people are encouraged to go to either the Early Childhood Center or Mazie School," said Key. "The cafeteria of the Early Childhood Center is a certified shelter and Mazie School has a built-in safe room as well."
The students and teachers are all aware of the tornado safety plan, like Pryor's. They have routine drills to familiarize students with the concept of taking cover in an interior room away from windows. The hope with these drills is that the students will have a better understanding of what is happening and hopefully will be less panicked should they ever have to take cover. MCEM says all Pryor schools also have a weather radio in the buildling.
Adair Public Schools have a similar plan in place.
"Unfortunately we have primarily metal buildings, but we go above and beyond to make sure our staff and students are trained on emergency procedure," said Adair School Superintendent Tom Linihan.
"We do drills regularly, every semester and there are poster-sized diagrams in every classroom showing students were their safe location is," said Linihan. "Kids are taught to face the wall and get down on their knees, then cover their head as much as they can."
He said that in the wake of disaster, as in disaster preparation, communication is key. He said there is no guaranteed system to ensure all students will be accounted for, but that communication between students and teachers and between teachers and administration is crucial.
MCEM encourages everyone to form an emergency plan for their household and to review and practice the plan with all members of the family and to work with their neighbors to make sure everyone is taken care of.


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On the "Return" of the Euphrosynos Café
I was given ownership of the Euphrosynos Café, a Traditional Orthodox website featuring a forum and Orthodox resources [site history], in November 2008, when its founder Nicholas Stanosheck, a former deacon in the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, could no longer support it. He had hopes that I would be able to revitalize it quickly, and restore it to its former glory. I had recently been ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos, and Nicholas thought a True Orthodox clergyman would be well-suited to the task of breathing new life in to the site.
At the time, I told him that I doubted I could do much with the site, due to time constraints on my end. For starters, I am a missionary priest, attempting to establish missions in North Carolina and surrounding areas. At present, I serve two missions in North Carolina (Raleigh and Greenville) regularly, and a mission in Charlottesville, Virginia 3-4 times a year. I have pastoral care over families who live far from a parish as well. I am the Director of Internet Ministries of the Holy Metropolis G.O.C. of America, and manage numerous parish websites.
Welcome to the Saint Euphrosynos Café
Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:00
Welcome to the Euphrosynos Café, a site established to provide Traditional Orthodox Christians and Inquirers with materials to enrich their spiritual life, learn about Orthodox doctrines, find local Churches and Missions, and fellowship with one another.
The Euphrosynos Café started out as the ROCOR Café back in 2001. The concept, brainstormed by a catechumen named Nicholas and a tonsured Reader going by the name Cyril, was a safe place where members of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA/ROCOR) could be safe from the attacks of "World Orthodoxy" so prominent on other Orthodox Christian web sites. It was also created to be a place where all Orthodox Traditionalists could safely discuss True Orthodoxy without being vilified, while presenting a directory of traditional Orthodox links in its portal in addition to books of the month for adults and children, etc.
Initially, the site was comprised of mostly members of the ROCOR, but in time it gained a noticeable Greek presence from members of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians (GOC), thus broadening the forum's composition. New posters from the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) and those members of ROCOR who did not accept the election of Metropolitan Laurus in 2001 also joined. We have even been blessed by having priests contribute from several Traditional Orthodox jurisdictions. A number of clergy and laity belonging to Ecumenist and New Calendarist jurisdictions have also joined to better acquaint themselves with Traditional Orthodox doctrine and praxis.
In early 2003, the ROCOR under Metropolitan Laurus decided that the ROCOR name was its protected trademark, and began to assert that our site did not have a right to use the name ROCOR Café. Out of respect for their wishes, a vote was held for a new name, and the winner was the one submitted by another Nicholas, a Reader in the Synod in Resistance under Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili. The new name was the Euphrosynos Café, named after Saint Euphrosynos the Cook. The name change was providential, insofar as ROCOR's move towards communion with the Moscow Patriarchate prompted concerned individuals to seek refuge in other Orthodox jurisdictions, and the Café was now poised to be a pan-Orthodox place for them to congregate.
Eventually, a popular poster, Ioannis, an English and Greek-speaking member of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians (GOC) under Metropolitan Pavlos, joined the Café's ever changing moderatorial team, and eventually became the co-administrator and main developer. Together, in 2004 and 2005, the recently ordained Father Deacon Nicholas and Ioannis rebuilt the entire site from the ground up, upgrading and increasing its many features.
During 2007, many major changes came to the site. First, due to some polemical issues in the ROAC of America, Ioannis became the legal owner of the site. Then, two moderators, Father Siluan, a Russian and Spanish-speaking priest of the Latin American mission of the ROAC, and Father Mark, a Matthewite priest from Canada, were elevated to become full administrators of the site. Next Juvenaly, a popular poster, created a TOC map application for the Café. Finally, Father Nicholas retired from the diaconate. In conjunction with this, he and Ioannis turned control of the Café over to Father Anastasios Hudson, a priest of the GOC under Metropolitan Pavlos.
In March 2010, the Café was reorganized and its design slightly updated. Day-to-day administration of the Café was turned over to Jonathan Gress, a layman in the GOC who attends St. Markella's Cathedral in Astoria, New York. Jonathan will work closely with Fr. Anastasios, who will continue to own and manage the development of the site.
We try to be a lightly-moderated place where personal attacks are non-existent and where we can learn from one another in a true, loving, traditional Orthodox Catholic Christian experience. Welcome to The Saint Euphrosynos Café and may it allow us all to help one another to become better true-confessing Orthodox Christians.


text:
Hinda Chalew's Blog
Deciphering Social Networks - April 2010 Marketing Blog
One of our sales people said to me, "why would anyone want to do Foursquare, I understand it, but why would I do it?" If you don't know what Foursquare is www.foursquare.com, it is a micro-blogging site, much like Twitter but with a Farmville type of twist. Excuse me if you don't know what Farmville is it is a Facebook game. Anyway, with Foursquare you can tell... More
I can't help myself, I need to comment on the iPad
Unless you are living in a cave you know the iPad will be available to consumers tomorrow. I have read with much interest all of the commentary about Apple's latest device. I have read: "it is too expensive," "I already have a computer, a mobile phone and a blackberry, I already have too many devices to plug in." Even Guy Kawasaski in an interview in today's... More


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