text:
VFW awards honors to public servants at banquet
JANESVILLE—Veterans of Foreign Wars Kienow-Hilt Post 1621 and its ladies auxiliary honored public servants at an annual awards banquet Saturday night.
Awards were given to these Janesville residents:
Firefighter of the Year: Catherine Erdman, who joined the Janesville Fire Department in 2007. She is a driver/operator as well as a firefighter and emergency medical technician.
Erdman manages the department's Explorer Pot 555 and is committed to fire prevention education. She works on updates to the department's fire prevention education program and provides public information on fire safety.
Last year, Erdman traveled to Mexico as part of a mission trip to help train firefighters, and she recently helped raise money for childhood cancer research.
In addition to her fire and EMS education, Erdman has a bachelor's degree in Spanish, cultural and ethnic studies and a master's degree in international commerce and policy from Valparaiso University.
Paramedic of the Year: Joshua Uecker was hired by the Janesville Fire Department in 2006. He is a firefighter, paramedic, rescue diver, hazardous materials response team member and paramedic preceptor.
Uecker is involved in the department's EMS committee and is working to develop ways to improve efficiencies with reports. He was involved in researching and evaluating department staffing software. In addition, Uecker helped on the department's uniform committee to standardize the department uniform and expedite ordering.
Uecker is a certified fire officer, has training in technical rescue and an associate degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University.
Correctional Officer of the Year: Larry deLorimier was hired by the Rock County Sheriff's Office in 2008 when he also graduated from jail training at Blackhawk Technical College.
He has worked in all areas of the jail and is now assigned to the community corrections bureau. He supervises inmates in the Workender Program, taking inmate crews into the community to perform community service projects.
Deputy of the Year: Luke DuCharme, who was hired by the Rock County Sheriff's Office as a correctional officer in 2005 and graduated from�jail training at Blackhawk Technical College in 2006. He was promoted to deputy in 2007 and graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy that same year.
DuCharme is a team leader on the mobile field force team, which is trained in controlling large crowds or crowds that could erupt into a riot, and the assistant commander for the sheriff's office honor guard team. He also instructs other deputies and officers from other agencies on tactics to identify drug trafficking and illegal activity as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. DuCharme is a field-training officer for training recruit patrol deputies.
Police Officer of the Year:� Shane Punzel, who joined the Janesville Police Department in 1996 and works first shift patrol.
He is a member of the department SWAT team and is a firearms instructor.
Punzel is volunteers for additional assignments. When he's not answering patrol calls, he fills his shift by looking for wanted people or conducting follow-up investigations.
Lifetime membership in the VFW National Home for Children: VFW Post 1621 Commander Tom Heath, Janesville, and Cheryl Eber, Janesville, who is an auxiliary member. Eber helps with the bingo lunch, children's Christmas party, decorating the Post for the holidays, with raffles for the Cootie breakfast and decorating cookies for different holidays, homeless shelters, nursing homes and veterans.


text:
Coffee For Less carries a wide variety of select Disposable Bowls, Paper Bowls, and Plastic Bowls alongside our standard gourmet coffees, Keurig and Tassimo refills, and high-end hot beverage machines. Office Supplies like Bowls are delivered alongside your standard coffee, tea, or single serve K-Cup refills when you place your order at once, ensuring your home, office, or restaurant beverage service is stocked with Disposable Bowls, Paper Bowls, and Plastic Bowls whenever you are thirsty or need a little pick me up cup of coffee or tea.
(11 results)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rock County law enforcement fights heroin dealers
JANESVILLE--Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden recalls the first time in 2006 that law enforcement began seeing heroin overdoses.
"I remember calling a command-staff meeting because we had three overdoses in one weekend," he said. "That's when we rammed up our enforcement efforts ... It has been a battle ever since."
He called heroin a Rock County health crisis that will take the whole community to stop.
"Law enforcement cannot do this alone," Spoden said. "Our schools, our parents and the medical community have to work together to make a dent in this."
He encourages frank discussions with young people early.
"We have to engage in who they are spending time with and where they are going," Spoden said. "I would tell parents that it is much easier to intervene before children get addicted.� Once addicted, the physical pain of withdrawal itself makes it so difficult to break. I talked with one user who said his hair hurt at one point when he was trying to come down from heroin."
As a father, Spoden said the highly addictive drug that can be smoked, sniffed or injected directly into the bloodstream "scares the heck out of me."
"I have two boys, ages 15 and 19," he said. "I'm concerned for them. You think you have educated them. But at the same time, you have to be proactive and look for signs. Are your children becoming withdrawn? What kind of crowd are they with? What are they doing when they leave the house? Heroin users exist in their own secretive culture."
Law enforcement is fighting the drug by trying to make the distribution of heroin difficult, Spoden said. In 2012, the sheriff's office reported seizing 92.5 grams of heroin, enough for 925 doses. Last year, it took 65 grams off the street.
"We are trying to make it as hard as we can for dealers to come here and sell it," Spoden said. "We get funding from the federal government and use it to fight drug trafficking, primarily heroin."
He said the public needs to be warned about the dangers of heroin.
"The heroin you buy today may be more potent than the heroin you got last week," Spoden said. "That is what leads to overdoses. The latest trend in heroin is black tar, which is much more potent and much more dangerous."
Street heroin looks gray to dark brown or black and can have a tar-like consistency because dealers cut the drug with other substances, including Benadryl, sugar and quinine. The additives make it impossible for users to know the strength of a dose. That makes every hit a huge risk, law enforcement officers warn.
Once heroin was considered a big-city problem. Today, the opiate reaches into all counties of Wisconsin and across all social lines, from rich to poor. The numbers have risen so much that the Wisconsin Justice Department calls heroin use in the state an epidemic.
Locally, Rock County is committed to the fight, Spoden said.
"Are we winning the war?" he asked. "Right now, it is a draw. There's more we need to do in the areas of treatment and education. We will continue to focus on enforcement. Because of Rock County's location along the Interstate and because we are so close to Chicago, we are attractive to drug dealers.
"There are a lot of broken hearts in this county," Spoden said. "We can't keep losing our children to this poison."


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Wayne Alan Mayfield, Janesville, WI, (1957-2014)
January 18, 1957 - April 10, 2014
Wayne Alan Mayfield, age 57, of Janesville, died on Thursday, April 10, 2014, at Mercy Hospital & Trauma Center. He was born in Edgerton, on Jan. 18, 1957, the son of Ronald and Nancy Jane (Leikness) Mayfield, Sr. He graduated from Parker High School in 1976, and dearly loved his girls: Shadow and Shotzi, his cats, and Freddie, his bird. His animals were his life. He was an avid Packers fan, and enjoyed fishing, cooking, and crafting.
Wayne is survived by his seven siblings: Ronald (Carol) Mayfield of Hayward, Julie (Peter) Bagniewski of Janesville, Michael (Darla) Mayfield of Janesville, Kathryn (John) Ustick of Boise, ID, Peter Mayfield of Beloit, Robert L. Mayfield (Matt) of Janesville, and Richard Anderson, Jr. of Janesville; and 11 nieces and nephews: Jennifer (Jeremy) Ressler, T.J. Mayfield, Karen (Kelly) Crawford, Richard (Jen) Boehning, Kristin (Bill) Bagniewski, Michael Mayfield, Jr., Patty (Tyler) Schoff, Adam Bagniewski, Kimberly Mayfield, Bryan and Morgan Ustick; numerous great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, 2014, at SCHNEIDER APFEL SCHNEIDER & SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY. Interment will be in Oak Hill Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Sunday from 1 until 2 p.m. at SCHNEIDER APFEL SCHNEIDER & SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME. Lasting Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. For on-line condolences and registry: www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com
�Special Thank You to Mercy Special Care Unit and Mercy Hospice.


text:
Abuse suspects plead not guilty
ELKHORN A Lake Geneva couple accused of physically abusing their six adopted children pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
Still pending are motions filed earlier by their attorneys to dismiss most of the charges.
Martin and Kathleen O'Brien, both 49, Lake Geneva, appeared Wednesday in front of Walworth County Judge James Carlson.
Defense attorneys earlier filed a motion to dismiss most of the charges, saying:
-- Dates of the allegations are indefinite.
-- Several allegations joined into a single criminal count should be treated as separate offenses.
-- Some of the charges aren't specific as to whether Kathleen or Martin or both were involved.
The felony charges, which prosecutors say began in 2004, involve their adopted children�four of them from the former Soviet Union�who now range in ages from 13 to 19.
The felony charges include shooting pepper spray into a child's face, kneeing a child in the genitals and grabbing a child's ear with enough force to cause the ear to tear and bleed.
The O'Briens also are charged with multiple misdemeanors, including forcing the children to stand naked on the front porch and watch Kathleen and Martin O'Brien and their biological children eat dinner, forcing the children to kneel on rocks in a dog kennel for six or seven hours at a time and forcing one child to stand in the cold with no shoes or socks until his feet turned blue as punishment for stealing food.
Defense attorneys asked the judge to make decisions on the motion before the O'Briens entered pleas, but Assistant District Attorney Diane Donohoo requested time to file a written response.
Pamela Moorshead, defense attorney for Martin O'Brien, also requested a copy of the videotaped statements from the O'Brien children.
A motion hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 21. Both defendants are free on signature bonds.
Last updated: 4:36 pm Tuesday, August 27, 2013


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Death notices for May 12, 2014
Gazette staff
Monday, May 12, 2014
Dolores M. Langrehr, 83, Clinton, died Sunday at Select Specialty Hospital, Madison. Arrangements are pending with the Brian G. Mark Funeral Home, Clinton.
Todd Wayne Stevenson, 47, Gladstone, Mo., formerly of Janesville, died Saturday in Jefferson County, Kan. Arrangements are pending with Henke-Clarson Funeral Home, Janesville.


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Evolutionists Show of Shutting Down the Debate
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
Evolutionists Show of Shutting Down the Debate
I have experience this in real life. And now I have experienced this on this forum.
JackBean has been the cause of this, twice. Although, he is not a board moderator, he has gotten 2 topics closed down, with him making the last comment.
Theories- Origin of Life about14351.htm and
The Implausible Engines of Evolution about22857.html
have been shut down. Look at them for yourself. JackBean finds a sorry excuse to get the debate shut down just because those who oppose him in debate wont answer him or because someone who he is debating has a differing opinion.
from Implausible Engines:
from Theories:
So it seems that the evolutionists are shutting down the debate. How gaul. What a show of bad character.
Why should this one man wield this power to shutdown debate just for one person? It should not be happening.
Again, JackBean is a registered user, not a board moderator, and he thus he does not have the permission to lock down a thread. Some board moderator who agrees with him is behind this.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
Re: Evolutionists Show of Shutting Down the Debate
I don't like to ridicule people, Tomm, but you creationists make it very difficult and really don't deserve anything more. I also pity you, though. Your parents must have been real Bible thumpers. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in the kind of world you live in. You're missing out on so much, and this is the only life you will ever have. Repent (open your mind), before it's too late. Your beliefs are shared by a tiny, tiny, tiny (very tiny) fraction of the world's population. Is this not evidence that you and your ilk might - just might - be mistaken?
You are the one who ignores facts, and you think I might be mistaken?
Yes, I and my parents are bible thumpers.
Missing out on what? What peace and joy do you have? What hope do you cling to? What kind of empty, fleshful life do you lead? You arent even true to yourself when you ignore facts. You know that this world could not have formed by evolution, and yet you cling to it.
Which is more believable: a disproven theory or a God who demonstrates His power?
I HAVE REPEATEDLY TOLD YOU TO POST YOUR EVIDENCE!! Since you claim there is some for evolution, and you are an evolutionist, post it. You should know better than be what substantiates proof for your theory. Lets debate facts, not insult and laugh at each other.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
And again, you are even doing it here.
Christians dont have a large population you say?
35% of Americans are Christians.
2.1 billion people in the world are Christians, the worlds largest religion. Thats 33%.
Christianity is the worlds largest religion actually.
I guess this means you are dumb and uneducated. But still, we can debate.
Get your facts straight before you make claims. We can conjecture on evolutions possibilities, but 33% is a solid known fact.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
Re: Evolutionists Show of Shutting Down the Debate
Tomm, what percentage of the world's population are creationists? Even the Catholic church, not that I endorse its other beliefs, accepts the reality of evolution. Do creationists outnumber Catholics? By the way, more than 35% of Americans are Christians, which is a shame.
I have no idea what percentage of the population is creationist.
Yet most scientists are evolutionists who ignore facts because it disproves their theory. You and evolutionist scientists are intentionally blind. Shame.
Tell you what, take your head, put it between your knees, and look in between your glutinous maximus and minimus, and look for evidence for evolution there. Maybe bacteria are evolving from your poop.
I would appreciate if debate could return to this thread. Does ANYONE want to debate facts here?
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
Re: Evolutionists Show of Shutting Down the Debate
As I and others have said, debate with ignorant people is futile and not worth our time.
Funny, because I'm not the person who spends his time trolling on Biology forums.
How interesting. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). "Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" (John 20:29).
Do you have some evidence to support your claim that we are not providing evidence?
On an unrelated note, I am wondering what is your age? I don't want to judge your knowledge too quickly.
1)I havent been on this forum this whole week, actually.
I enjoy hearing the other side. However, it seems that evolutionists really do ignore facts and establish a religious filibuster to avoid debate.
2)What are you trying to say?
3)What evidence do I have to show?
17. I turn 18 on Feb 9.
Knowledge is not determined by age, but how much you have studies in the time in which you have accumulated your age.
If you have evidence for evolution, could you please post a thread of some sort? Or could you do it here even. I would like to see what evidence there actually is.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
seems that the situation is probably going out of control, isn't it? As I said scottie, if you have problem with that I have locked the topics, go ahead and complain about that to honee_v, the main admin http://www.biology-online.org/siteinfo/about.php
So, I guess you don't like when someone is trying to kick your believes, don't you? So, you can argue about evolution, but when someone point out, how creationism is pointless, you want just facts and evidence, although you have not shown any, just fabuling with some probability near impossibility.
And one more thing, I have warned both of you, that I will lock the topic, if you won't respond, so don't blame me, that you cannot argue with facts.
Hey, I bet you cannot edit your post, can you?
Last edited by JackBean on Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: :-P
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
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text:
what causes enlarged small-groups to break up?
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
7 posts • Page 1 of 1
what causes enlarged small-groups to break up?
We humans lived millions of years as hunting-gathering groups of roughly thirty-five or so people-size. Spiker monkeys live in about twenty-five individual size groups. Other groups of social animals are genrally larger or smaller, but their group size is also unique to each of their species.
This is an important issue because we too evolved as small group primates. So it should have some bearing on what is happening to us in modern times. If not, why not? In what way might we have been seemingly sidestepping our genetic engineering?
In all such small group social animals, the groups break up when they exceed the optimal number for that particular species. The group size has little or nothing to do with the size of the territory or food supply. Rather than expanding in size to fill both the territory and food supply, the groups themselves multiply in number.
There has to be some evolved mechanism in us and other small group animals, one that causes this breakup phenomena. What is the mechanism? Is it genetic? How does it work? Is it working on us now?
civilization-overview (dot) com
I have researched,on my own, evolution for quite some time. I have not heard of a mechanism like this. although, i do know what you are asking. i have not heard of small groups breaking up because the optimum number has been breached. If you have a real world example, please elaborate. also, it is much more common, and it has been observed, that groups of animals will kick-out members when their group gets to large. Take the observed family of prairie dogs which became a hit TV show on animal planet. When outsiders tried to add to the group, they were chased off. Also, when a new litter was formed, they did not kill or desert 3 just because their number grew to 33 (30 is the hypothetical perfect number). Also, with wolves, they do not kill or desert pups unless the winter is harsh or the spring is not plentiful enough. Other than that, wolves do not diminish the numbers of their packs, but rather increase them as much as possible.
Also, in reference to humans previously traveling in small groups: we found it more advantageous to gather in large numbers for survival. Cities have proven more profitable for the human race. Also, gathering in certain a population size is not a adaptation, but a learned behavior. Adaptations all have to do with genetics, and this is simply group hierarchy and naturally ingrained instincts.
If you do know some real world, observed examples of your breakup phenomena, please elaborate or post a link in the reply.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
Re: what causes enlarged small-groups to break up?
Have you ever heard of a pack of wolves, meercats, spider monkeys, chimps, gorillas, howler monkeys, lions, elephants, etc. living in five hundred to thousand individual size groups or shall we say herds? All of them and a mass of other such small group animals live in groups in numbers per group that stays within a certain range. In most, there is an alpha male whom the group revolves around. There will be sub-alphas who support him but one of which will ultimately replace him. When the group gets behond its usual size, it begins to become difficult to keep together. There is more dissention. If the alpha is weak, females will leave with their offspring or another male becomes dominant. With some groups, its the head female that is dominant. A too large group encourages the sub-dominant male to split off with some of the females. Nothing can make the females, gays and children more uneasy and insecure than if the group is large enough that the dominant male has more females than he can control and hence the sub-dominant males increasingly and openly challenge him for them.
Animal behavioralists use a very different vocabualry than we do for human behavior. It is necessary to translate it. With us, we compensate and read adjust things by our ideology so we are bonded into a system in which males compete for status or dominance in their field. Their reward is not more women but one woman of higher status. And when our ideology divides or becomes divided, we tend to move back towards the primal, primate small group pattern of living innate to us. It is a stressful transition.
civilization-overview (dot) com
There is a simple rule: if something is a general rule, it would be observed. Divided ideologies have not lead to splits in civilization, nor any splits in small or medium size human populations. This has not been observed in humans.
However, I do understand that his has occurred in animal populations. Stresses in population in animal populations do exist.
Beyond the fact that this is existent, I would beg to differ that this is a evolutionary adaptation. Evolution is the development of genetics over time. Group hierarchy is not ingrained in the DNA or any genetic information. It is a matter of instincts and behavior.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
I have observed it in researching five separate civilizations over decades. Why others haven't also observed it is another subject. Certainly, historians have observed it in the civilization they happen to be writing about at the time.
The civilization that began in Sumer and spread up Mesopotamia and ended in Babylon became a veritable pool of ideologies imposed by their many assorted conquerors. The Roman world was divided into a vast number of polytheistic cults. Even the secular ideology that grew to substitute and bring some unity became split into such philosophical cults as epicureanism, skepticism, sophism, cynicism, etc. That in much the same way our modern day secular system has split into cults of animal liberatinists, vegetarianists, Earth liberationists, Ann Rand individualists, Von Mises Libertarians, Socialists, hate groups, and many others. What was a common way of thinking has divided into a world inwhich our government can no longer function well and where Europe set up a defective monetary system because they could not create a united one. As our civilization spread because of the once unity of our version of Western secularism, it has needed to unite a deeply divided world, one divided into Marxist, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu faiths as well as our grossly divided Christian faith.
I have made no claim that there has been genetic change. Society, not our biology, is all what is evolving now.
civilization-overview (dot) com
I dont see how a dynamic society can be counted an evolving one or part of the theory of evolution. Are you saying that this is a part or proof of the theory of evolution?
However, I do see your point. Considering that you were able to provide observed examples that were totally clear, I would say that your view is entirely valid. I will look into this myself. This seems to be an interesting find of your. The splits of society by differing ideologies. A very good find. A valid, interesting observation.
-facts, observed events, plausible explanations, and solid evidence
Re: what causes enlarged small-groups to break up?
This is an interesting question. I read some study about this topic (unfortunately I cannot recall the name of the author, but I will post it here if I do later), where they found out that the size of some region in the brain that is responsible for identifying other individuals and maintaining social relationships, is directly proportional in many mammalian species and their group size. So, in other words, when there start to be so many individuals in a group that the individuals are having a hard time managing their relationships with others, the group size upper limit is reached.
Anyway, as far as I remember, this applied to truly "social" mammals, such as apes, monkeys, wolves and such - species in which all individuals really "know" each other and function as a unit, not just hang around in large groups. And like with all things in the nature, nothing is simple and there are surely many other aspects that also affect the final outcome. Quite clearly, wildebeest living in herds of thousands of animals cannot have that much bigger social cortices in their brains that, say, lions do.
I will see if I can find more detailed information about this theory because, admittedly, what I just said is not very enlightening as such (:
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Enjoy products and services at special NAHB prices. Understand how your association does business – with decisions made at the grassroots and pushed up – through NAHB committees and councils.
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text:
Pujols finds his power with first spring homer
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
TEMPE, Ariz. -- In front of a packed Tempe Diablo Stadium crowd, most adorned in red and invested despite the soggy conditions, Angels first baseman Albert Pujols broke the ice on his Spring Training, going deep for the first time in 2013, but the Angels fell to the Rockies, 8-6, after a ninth-inning rally on Saturday.
Pujols, still relegated to designated hitter while recovering from offseason knee surgery, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his debut on Tuesday, then struck out on a checked swing in his first plate appearance against Rockies starter Juan Nicasio four days later.
His second time up, though, Pujols got a 2-0 sinker on the inside corner, swung out in front and skied a solo homer over the left-field fence in the bottom of the third.
Nicasio's outing finished after 3 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk to put his Cactus League ERA at 6.97 through 10 1/3 frames. The pitch to Pujols wasn't necessarily a bad pitch.
"He's an intelligent hitter," Nicasio noted. "I'm working with my changeup, feeling good with it, and I threw a lot of sliders," he said of his outing. "If I can get more of them on home plate, it'll be better."
Jason Vargas, making his second spring start for the Angels, was charged with four runs on eight hits in a three-inning, 39-pitch outing.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado, the Rockies' No. 2-ranked prospect by MLB.com, hit a two-run double in the second and right fielder Kent Matthes brought him home with a sacrifice fly to give the Rockies the early 3-0 lead. The Angels tied it up with three runs in the bottom half, with a two-run triple by Peter Bourjos and an RBI single by Chris Iannetta, on a chopper that sailed over a drawn-in infield.
Troy Tulowitzki then regained the Rockies' lead in the fourth, on a solo homer that was his first of the spring and his second extra-base hit of the afternoon.
"I think there's a big difference between results and really executing like you want to," Vargas said. "There was some good things that came out of today, even though they put some runs on the board. I threw the changeup better."
Mike Trout went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a walk and Josh Hamilton went 0-for-3 with a strikeout for an Angels team that had every regular in the lineup except Dominican shortstop Erick Aybar, who's participating in the World Baseball Classic. Pujols grounded into a 5-2-3 double play with the bases loaded in his third and final plate appearance.
Angels relievers Scott Downs and Kevin Jepsen each threw a scoreless frame, and Josh Outman -- competing for a spot in the Rockies' bullpen -- contributed two scoreless innings, walking two batters.
The Rockies broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh on an RBI single by Corey Dickerson, but the Angels took their first lead in the bottom half on a two-run homer by Kole Calhoun, who's fighting for a bench spot.
In the top of the ninth, the Rockies scored three off the Angels' Ryan Brasier with four singles, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.
Up next for Angels: Tommy Hanson will make his second start of the spring on Sunday, when the Angels travel to Surprise, Ariz., to take on the Royals at 1:05 p.m. PT. Hanson, who will be opposed by righty Luke Hochevar, gave up a run on three hits in his previous two-inning stint. Trout, Hamilton and Vernon Wells could all play on Sunday. Manager Mike Scioscia is expected to return after spending Saturday in Philadelphia dealing with a death in the family.
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
aicwl is an Ada library that is intended for designing high-quality industrial control widgets for Ada applications. The widgets are composed of transparent layers drawn by cairo. The widgets are fully scalable graphics. A time controlled refresh policy is supported for real-time and heavy-duty applications. The library supports caching graphical operations and stream I/O for serialization and deserialization. Ready-to-use gauge and meter widgets are provided as samples as well as an editor widget for WYSIWYG design of complex dashboards. The software is based on GtkAda and cairoada, the Ada bindings to GTK+ and cairo.
Fuzzy machine learning framework is a library and a GUI front-end for machine learning using intuitionistic fuzzy data. The approach is based on the intuitionistic fuzzy sets and the possibility theory. Further characteristics are fuzzy features and classes; numeric, enumeration features and features based on linguistic variables; user-defined features; derived and evaluated features; classifiers as features for building hierarchical systems; automatic refinement in case of dependent features; incremental learning; fuzzy control language support; object-oriented software design with extensible objects and automatic garbage collection; generic data base support through ODBC; text I/O and HTML output; an advanced graphical user interface based on GTK+; and examples of use.


text:
Chicago Women's Park and Gardens
1801 S. Indiana Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60616
(312) 328-0821
Fee: Free
Age Range: Any
Toddlers, Tunes and Turtles, now in its eighth year, is an outdoor nature program where families can enjoy the park together. We provide animal experts that bring a variety of live animals like frogs, snakes, birds, and of course, turtles. We also have musicians come and sing family friendly music to eager crowds. There are instruments for the kids to play with, puzzles, books, blocks, fishing and more!


text:
Girls track and field: Hurdlers pace Parker
Janesville Parker hurdlers took three of the top four spots in both of their events to help the Vikings girls team take second place at their home invite Friday.
Verona took the title in the three-team event, scoring 233 points. Parker scored 214, and Waukesha West had 184.
"This is a meet we've been trying to build up, but they've had bad weather for the meet the past couple years," first-year Parker coach Kristin Collins said. "We're committed to building it back up to what it used to be."
The weather coopereated Friday, and the Vikings took advantage in several events.
Sophomore Bree Porter won the 100-meter hurdles in 17.38 seconds and was second in the 300 event. Sophomore Kaitlyn Foster won the 300 (52.61) and took fourth in the 100. Junior Chanel Eichelberger was third in the 100 and fourth in the 300.
"Our hurdlers had a great night," Collins said. "They've been working their tales off."
Brecklyn Skaleski took the triple jump with a distance of 33 feet 6.5 inches, and she took third in the high jump.
Senior Claire Fox won the discus.
Parker hosts Verona again Tuesday in Big Eight competition.
100—Jones (V), 13.33; Ayers (P), 13.46; Kerrigan (V), 13.47.
200—Mitchell (V), 27.82; Richardson (V), 28.05; Rogers (P), 28.41.
400—Miller (V), 1:04.47; Horan (WW), 1:04.52; Rogers (P), 1:05.62.
800—Hanson (WW), 2:30.09; Bur (WW), 2:30.42; Slaback (P), 2:36.27.
1600—Hanson (WW), 5:41.33; Bur (WW), 5:41.28; Slaback (P), 5:46.28.
3200—Elangovan (WW), 12:35.57; Maria Gesior (WW), 12:52.34; Jessie Stamn (WW), 13:00.90.
100 hurdles—Porter (P), 17.38; Christoffel (V), 17.57; Eichelberger (P), 18.66.
300 hurdles—Foster (P), 52.61; Porter (P), 53.12; Hei (V), 54.30.
400 relay—Verona, 53.2; Waukesha West, 54.45; Parker, 54.55.
800 relay—Verona, 1:50.2; Parker, 1:56.57; Waukesha West, 1:57.83.
1600 relay—Waukesha West, 4:20.46; Verona, 4:24.51; Parker, 4:34.78.
3200 relay—Waukesha West, 10:40.24; Verona, 11:19.68.
High jump—Olson (V), 4-8; Lease (V), 4-8; Skaleski (P) 4-6.
Long jump—Heinzen (V), 15-1; Christoffel (V), 14-10.25; Samz (V), 14-9.5.
Triple jump—Skaleski (P), 33-6.5; Christoffel (V), 30-8; Gaillard (V), 29-9.25.
Discus—Fox (P), 103-10; Matsushima (V) 96-4; Jacobi (WW), 90-9.
Shot put—Jacobi (WW), 35-5.25; Meglic (P), 32-5.75; Matsushima (V), 30-11.5.
Pole vault—Rainiero (P) 8-6; Stamn (WW), 8-0; Duncan (WW), 8-0.
Last updated: 11:19 pm Friday, April 25, 2014


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County bracing for changes to state, federal health care rules
JANESVILLE—Rock County's Economic Support Division is bracing for an onslaught of phone calls regarding changes to BadgerCare and the requirements of the Affordable Health Care Act.
Background: As of Oct. 1, an estimated 400,000 Wisconsin residents will face an individual mandate to buy health insurance as part of the federal Affordable Health Care Act.
At the same time, almost 200,000 statewide will move on to or off of BadgerCare because of changes in state law.
Earlier this year, the state estimated Rock County will have to process at least 4,900 inquiries between October and the end of December.
In the next two years, the state estimates�the numbers each year could be as high as 5,500 new BadgerCare applications and renewals in Rock County and 8,800 marketplace inquiries.
Preparation: The county has hired and trained 14 additional economic support staff to deal with the additional calls, said Karla Haigh, economic support division manager. Three more will be hired to help with walk-ins at the job center, where the economic support division is located.
The department already has seen an increase in calls because of the changes, Haigh said.
Challenges: Economic support staff routinely enroll clients on BadgerCare. This fall, however, they will deal with people who have received letters telling them they are no longer eligible and have to find subsidized coverage in the open marketplace.�
Economic support staff are not trained or certified "navigators" for the health care marketplace: They can lead clients to the marketplace, but they can't help them choose.
Each part of the state is handling the health care changes differently, and that adds to the confusion, said Phil Boutwell, deputy director of human services.
For example, the state runs the economic support system in Milwaukee County, and officials there might handle people looking for help with the health care marketplace differently, Boutwell said.
To apply for insurance through the marketplace, individuals can go to HealthCare.gov.� The site offers a step-by-step process to apply. Prices for different plans will be available Oct. 1.
What's next: Boutwell and Haigh on Thursday will give the Rock County Board an outline of their department's plan for handling changes to BadgerCare and the start of the Affordable Health Care Act.


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Cities lose ability to regulate cellphone towers
JANESVILLE—With their bullets taken away, city officials are concerned the community could become a Wild West of cellular telephone towers.
A recent change in state law prohibits communities from regulating most aspects of phone tower installations.
The new law prohibits governments from denying cellphone tower permits solely for aesthetic reasons, limiting their size to less than 200 feet or requiring that towers be placed on public property.
Janesville has controlled the placement of cellphone towers by requiring a conditional use permit for anything more than 30 feet, said Gale Price, Janesville's manager of building and development services.
"We had every bit of authority to control the aesthetics and location of the towers," he said.
The city—and other municipalities around the state—lost that authority when the law was changed as part of the state's recent budget bill.
"We thought we were doing a good job of meeting the needs of the cellphone networks without overwhelming the community with towers on every corner," Price said. "We tried to limit them and co-locate them where we could."
Proponents said the change will speed up the placement of equipment needed to keep up with growth of cellular phone service and wireless broadband.
Previously, they argued, it could take years of back-and-forth with municipalities to get permission for construction.
While some communities had a simple permit process, others placed moratoriums on wireless towers that resulted in lengthy delays in improving service, AT&T spokesman Jim Greer told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The regulatory patchwork was one reason some areas of the state don't have good wireless coverage, Greer told the newspaper.
The service providers also complained local governments required them to put antennas on water towers and other public property and then charged them thousands of dollars a month to lease the space.
Janesville had no such mandate, and the city did not collect lease fees from providers.
"There are communities that restricted them to public property and then collected that revenue stream," said Jay Winzenz, Janesville's acting city manager. "We didn't do that."
Winzenz and Price said the new law hamstrings the community.
"It's unfortunate, but it's the state's mindset at this point," Price said.
Neither Winzenz nor Price has heard any complaints about new cellphone tower sitings.
But the new law is only 6 weeks old, they said.
"I think it's just a matter of time," Price said. "When these leases run out, there will be an opportunity for the phone companies to look for the best deals and new locations, and we won't have any control over that."
Barry Orton, a telecommunications professor at UW-Madison, said that unless a wireless company wants to put a tower in the middle of the street, there's not much a municipality could do about it.
"This was a bill that was written by AT&T and the other cellular providers," he told the Milwaukee newspaper. "As a result, we are going to see a lot more cell towers in places we wouldn't have seen them otherwise.
"It's going to be visual pollution that we have to live with."
Last updated: 11:33 am Friday, August 16, 2013


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DuWayne Frederick "Wayne" Romack, Edgerton, WI (1941-2013)
June 5, 1941 - November 2, 2013
DuWayne F. "Wayne" Romack, 72, of Edgerton, passed away late on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, at Mercy Hospital in Janesville. Wayne was born June 5, 1941, in South Beloit, to the late Kenneth and Ruth Marie (Lay) Romack. He served his country by enlisting in the Marines and was also a member of the Army Reserves. On Nov. 28, 1964, Wayne married Jean Kallner. He drove truck for Farm & Fleet until his retirement. After retiring from Farm & Fleet, he and Jean bought a bar in Rio, WI, called the Packer Inn and ran it from 1996 through 1997. He had been working part time recently for Cox Auto in Edgerton. Wayne loved to ride his motorcycle, traveling the country with Jean. He loved to fish and hunt in his younger years, used to be the best dancer in town, loved the Packers and cherished his time spoiling his Grandbabies.
Wayne is survived by his loving wife, Jean Romack of Edgerton, WI; three children: Stacy (Spencer) DeRemer of Edgerton, and their child, Brittany Schwartzlow and her child, Tavyn, Toby (Sarah) Romack of Edgerton, and their children, Kylee Burdick and Gus Romack, Kenneth (Deena) Romack of Rio, and their children: Brooklyn, Emma, Luke, and Lexi; siblings: Richard (Hazel) Romack of Janesville, WI, Alice (Richard) Lintvedt of Edgerton, Connie (James) Cox of Lodi, Jo Atkinson of Whitewater; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Don Romack; and a sister, Dorothy Romack.
Memorial services will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, at the ALBRECHT FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATION SERVICES, EDGERTON. Military Rites will be performed at the FUNERAL HOME by the Edgerton Honor Guard. Visitation will be held on Saturday at the FUNERAL HOME from 9:30 a.m. until the start of the service.
Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Edgerton
1004 S. Main St., 608-884-6010


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Delavan man suspected in oxycondone robberies appears in federal court
staff, Gazette
Thursday, April 25, 2013
MADISON A Delavan man was in federal court Wednesday, charged with a string of robberies at pharmacies around Wisconsin to steal the prescription painkiller oxycodone, according to a story in the Wisconsin State Journal.
Tony D. Taylor, 35, is suspected of nine robberies taking place between Jan. 10 and March 29 in Madison, Fitchburg, Waunakee, Monona and Verona.
If convicted, he could receive a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count
Taylor was arrested April 9 in DeForest.
Madison police believe he�s a suspect in more than 20 incidents from Illinois to Nebraska.
Read the complete story HERE.
Last updated: 9:57 am Tuesday, July 9, 2013


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Apartment Rosablanche C21
1997 Siviez, Switzerland –
|Room Type
|× 6
One-Bedroom Apartment
Interhome is a vacation rental provider founded in 1965. We are an International entity with its head office located in Switzerland. With more than 33.000 vacation homes and apartments in more than 30 countries to choose from, you will find the perfect getaway that best fits your expectations and your budget. Interhome is highly dedicated to making your vacation an unforgettably pleasant experience, through an efficient and secure booking process, reliable key handover, and assistance during your stay. We are available for any enquiries 24/7.
Area Info –
Closest Landmarks
- Novelli 0.1 miles
- Tortin 0.1 miles
- Siviez 0.1 miles
- Plan du Fou 1.5 miles
- Chassoure 1.6 miles
- Greppon Blanc 3 2 miles
- Les Fontaines 2 miles
- Mont Fort 2.1 miles
- Lac des Vaux 3 3 miles
- Lac des Vaux 1 3.1 miles
Most Popular Landmarks
- Ski Lift Veysonnaz - Thyon 4.4 miles
- Ski Lift Le Rouge 4.7 miles
- Ski Lift Verbier - Les Ruinettes 4.9 miles
- Ski Lift Le Moulins 5 miles
- Ski Lift Le Revers 5.9 miles
- Sion 7.4 miles
- Crans-sur-Sierre 13.9 miles
Natural Beauty
- Ski lift 0 miles
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Facilities of Apartment Rosablanche C21
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Pets are allowed on request. Charges may apply.
- Cycling
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Free! WiFi is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge.
Public parking is available on site (reservation is not possible) and charges apply.
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Children and Extra Beds
All children are welcome.
One child under 2 years stays free of charge when using existing beds.
There is no capacity for cribs in the room.
Pets are allowed on request. Charges may apply.
Apartment Rosablanche C21 accepts these cards and reserves the right to temporarily hold an amount prior to arrival.
Please inform Apartment Rosablanche C21 of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details provided in your confirmation.
Please note that the full amount of the reservation is due before arrival. Interhome will send a confirmation with detailed payment information. After full payment is taken, the property's details, including the address and where to pick up the keys, will be sent to you by email.
A damage deposit of CHF 300 is required upon arrival – that's about 302.47USD. This deposit is fully refundable at check-out as long as there's been no damage to the property.


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Parque Shopping Belém 5.9
Parque Shopping Belém apk info
Category: Lifestyle
Publish Date: August 02, 2017
Latest Version: 5.9
Average Rating: 3.8
Price: Free
Requirements: 4.0.3 and up
Downloads: 1,000 - 5,000
Daily Active Users (DAU): 18+
Monthly Active Users (MAU): 135+
Official Website: http://www.mobits.com.br
Email: email@example.com
Top 5 User Reviews
Parque Shopping Belém wiki
Parque Shopping Belém has been downloaded by 1,000 - 5,000 people available all over the world, anyone can be easily downloaded from the wikinsta store. You could visit their official website http://www.mobits.com.br to know more about the app or you can mail to email@example.com them if you have any query regarding the app. This is the top famous app available in Lifestyle category. Average rating of the app is 3.8 which is a great indication of people trust and use the app frequently. To download the app you must have your android version 4.0.3 and up. The price of the app is 0. According to, the public data average daily active user (DAU) of the app is 18. With Monthly active users (MAU) of 135. The latest version of the app is which currently installed in 60% of the users, last version 5.9 was published on June 16, 2017, midnight.
About the appFique por dentro de todas as novidades do Parque Shopping Belém.No aplicativo você encontra:- Programação do Cinema;- Informações sobre Eventos e Promoções do Shopping;- Guia de Lojas e Restaurantes;- Novidades;- Sua Lista de Desejos;- Todos os serviços oferecidos pelo Shopping;- Acesso direto as Redes Sociais do Shopping.
What's New
How to Download Parque Shopping Belém
There are numerous way to download the Parque Shopping Belém app
- 1. You can download Parque Shopping Belém app from your mobile. Click on the play store icon after that search the name of the app Parque Shopping Belém then click on the official app and finally you can found the install button.
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- 5.You can download the app fromhttp://www.mobits.com.brofficial site alsoyou can mail them to firstname.lastname@example.com ask for the app link. Or,you can go to their official website and get the app link through SMS. Most of the site already have SMS service to download the app.


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Our Views: To improve health, Rock County must focus on bad habits, poverty
Rising health costs under President Obama's Affordable Care Act are a hot topic.
Workers see premiums and other out-of-pocket costs rise as employer health plans add new requirements and help pay for the previously uninsured and those in poverty or in poor health who are signing up for Obamacare. Retirees howl about more possible hits to Medicare Advantage plans to likewise offset Obamacare costs. Many low-wage workers complain Obamacare premiums are too expensive. All are legitimate concerns.
When it comes to health costs, however, many Rock County residents are their own worst enemies.
We eat too much and too many of the wrong things. We exercise little. Many of us drink too much or use tobacco. Many young people engage in unprotected sex, spreading diseases and leading to teenage pregnancies that risk premature births.
These bad habits are reflected in new annual rankings from the UW Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Rock County again finished a pitiful 62nd out of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
It was good to read that we trimmed our percentage of adult smokers, reduced our rate of obesity and improved physical inactivity. However, we moved only a point or two—not enough to halt the parade to doctors' offices.
As county health officer Karen Cain suggests, to really improve overall health, we need to fight poverty and boost education. Ozaukee County, ranked No. 1 in health, is Wisconsin's wealthiest county. Generally speaking, Cain noted, counties with the highest socioeconomic rankings have the best health scores.
"The more educated people are, the more their overall health is better," Cain told Gazette reporter Gina Duwe in a March 28 story.
Cain isn't suggesting poor people are too ignorant for their own health. Instead, she sees good jobs as paths to affording optimum health care.
"If you have a good economy, people are more likely to have health insurance, are more likely to seek care and are more likely to know how to improve their health," she said Friday.
It's worth noting that Rock County ranks close to the middle in median household income and that joblessness here, though still high, fell in the past year. Still, abject poverty plagues pockets of the county, and the percentage of kids living in poverty rose. On average, one of every four kids you see walking to school lives in poverty.
Officials see ways to improve the county's health ranking. Since July 2012, they've been using a $450,000 federal grant to boost physical activity in gym and regular classrooms, to buy a cafeteria salad bar and start a school garden in Edgerton, to increase access to local produce, to educate kids about the dangers of candy-flavored cigarettes and to encourage more apartment complexes to go smoke free.
Unfortunately, the grant runs out in September.
Hospitals and the county health department also are teaming up to complete a community health needs assessment. Federal law requires one every three years. Besides the bad lifestyle choices noted above, the last report also found we don't use enough preventive health screenings, lack sufficient treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues and have woefully inadequate dental health.
Hospitals and health officials will use assessment data to better focus future programming. Meanwhile, municipal and school officials should keep in mind how boosting education and incomes can help us stay healthier. Each of us also should consider how halting our bad habits might save us health care dollars.
Cain says Rock County is blessed with a trail system for exercise and opportunities to buy healthy foods at farmers markets and groceries.
She added: "It's not impossible to change our personal habits to improve our health."


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Whitewater teen pleads not guilty to sexual assaults at Christian school
ELKHORN A Whitewater teen pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he sexually assaulted three young children multiple times, one of them at a small school he used to attend.
Samuel Shelton, 18, of W7725 Kettle Moraine Drive, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Walworth County Court on three charges of repeated sexual assault of a child.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a young girl at the Kettle Moraine Baptist Academy, according to court documents filed in February.
The assaults happened multiple times each week between spring 2012 and January 2013, according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors this week added two more counts of repeated sexual assault of young children.
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Grube declined to say if those children were related to Kettle Moraine Baptist Academy.
The academy is a Christian elementary, middle and high school founded in 1993 by the Kettle Moraine Baptist Church, 505 S. Wisconsin St., Whitewater, according to its website.
Shelton was one of the school's 35 students, Administrator John Swaffer said. When the alleged assaults came to light, Swaffer said, Shelton's parents took him out of the school.
Swaffer said staff members told law enforcement about the assaults as soon as they became aware of them.
"It was our duty as school officials to report what came to our knowledge," Swaffer said.
Asked if school administration had informed parents of the allegations against Shelton, Swaffer said: "Necessary information was given to our family and our church body � so that folks would be aware of what they needed to."
Although his competency was not raised as an issue at Wednesday's hearing, a court record indicates Shelton has "significant mental disabilities."
Shelton's address in court records matches that of Camp Joy, a Baptist youth camp on the northeast shore of Whitewater Lake.
One condition of Shelton's bond, set in January, was that he not have any contact with Camp Joy.
Camp Director Scott Hatchett said Shelton did not work at Camp Joy, but he declined to say what Shelton's relationship is with the camp.
"He does not live here, and he had not been employed here," Hatchett said.
Swaffer said that while laws classify some offenses as worse than others, "God's word tells us that all of our sins are just as condemning before His presence."
The important message, Swaffer said, is that "sin can be forgiven through Christ. There's a peace that comes through that."
Shelton was scheduled to be back in court May 30.
Last updated: 10:24 am Tuesday, July 2, 2013


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Parker girls cruise to victory in holiday tournament
Gazette staff
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Paige Smith scored 18 points to help Janesville Parker breeze past Oconomowoc 59-40 in the JustAgame Shootout at Wisconsin Dells on Thursday afternoon.
Smith scored eight of her points in the second quarter when the Vikings built a 32-18 halftime lead.
Parker increased the lead to 51-28 going into the final quarter.
Kathryn Dubanowich added 12 points in the victory. Ten Vikings contributed points in the win, including junior guard Morgan McCulloch, who returned for her first game coming off knee surgery. McCulloch hit a 3-pointer.
The Vikings (5-2) conclude the tournament with a game against Monona Grove at 3 p.m. today.


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The Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Justice Department have finally released a long-awaited guide to the controversial Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), but the volume has landed with a dull thud in corporate America's legal departments and risk management offices.
The 120-page guide offers interpretations and clarifications of various aspects of the law, including real-life examples of cases (with company names deleted) in which the SEC or the Justice Department prosecuted a company for violating the act or decided some company action was not a violation or didn't warrant bringing a case.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been lobbying Congress to amend the act to protect companies from prosecution, for example by prosecuting only cases involving substantial bribes or long histories of bribery, expressed mild approval. Lisa A. Rickard, president of the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform, at right, calls the guide "an important step forward in an ongoing process of providing much-needed clarity and certainty" a not-so-veiled hint that the organization plans to continue its lobbying to change the law.
"They really haven't solved the problem with this guide," says John Carney, a partner at BakerHostetler who specializes in FCPA law and was a federal prosecutor for 15 years. "That will have to be done by Congress."
The FCPA was passed in 1977 during the era of post-Watergate reforms, but the SEC has ramped up enforcement in recent years, even setting up a special FCPA unit in 2010. In 2011 that unit brought 20 cases, up 25% from the year before, and it has brought 15 so far in 2012, including a bribery case against Pfizer, which agreed to pay a $45 million settlement.
Critics hoped the guidance would provide some kind of "safe harbor," under which companies that established a strong anti-bribery culture and set of rules that were rigorously enforced would be free of liability for bribery activity by their employees and executives. Critics also hoped the guidance would establish some minimum level of "facilitation payments," or bribes, below which the SEC and Justice Department would not prosecute. They got neither. Nor has guidance cleared up the ambiguity about important issues such as who is a foreign official, and what constitutes a bribe.
The definitions of these terms might seem obvious, but in many countries, such as China, Japan and Korea, for example, giving gifts to counterparties in business and government is a long-established cultural tradition. Such gifts, like a bottle of cognac to another executive in a business deal, are often not perceived locally as bribes, but as an expected tokens that cement a relationship. Meanwhile many developing countries, and even some developed ones, have state-owned or partially state-owned enterprises, such as the U.S. Postal Service and Army Corps of Engineers. Are the executives and employees of those enterprises government officials? The answers to these questions can be the difference between prosecution or no prosecution under the FCPA, which bars bribes to "foreign officials."
The FCPA defines a foreign official as "any officer or employee of a foreign government or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any such government or department, agency, or instrumentality, or for or on behalf of any such public international organization."
By way of clarification, the guidance adds: "The term 'instrumentality' is broad and can include state-owned or state-controlled entities. Whether a particular entity constitutes an 'instrumentality' under the FCPA requires a fact-specific analysis of an entity's ownership, control, status, and function." It goes on to list 11 issues to consider in determining whether a state enterprise is a government instrumentality, such as the degree of state ownership and whether it has "official or governmental functions."
Similarly, the guide quotes the FCPA as defining a bribe as any payment made to a foreign official "in order to assist...in obtaining or retaining business for or with or directing business to, any person." The guide notes that this payment must be made "with corrupt intent," and adds that to be a bribe, a gift to an official must have been made "willfully," which it defines as "voluntarily" and "with a bad purpose."
If all this leaves you scratching your head, you aren't alone.
"The guide makes it clear that the FCPA statute is all about intent," says Michelle Shapiro, a partner at SNR Denton with substantial FCPA experience, who's pictured above. "It's nice to know they're doing that instead of just looking at the fact that a gift was given to an official, but it still leaves a lot of grey areas."
Says a corporate attorney with a background in FPCA enforcement, speaking on background, "Any hope that there'd be a watering down of the FPCA in this guidance is gone."
BakerHostetler's Carney says one thing the guide does do, by stressing the importance of companies having strong compliance rules about bribing of foreign officials, is "give more strength to corporate compliance officials."
Bill Pollard, a partner in the FCPA consulting practice of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, adds, "Companies have their anti-corruption New Year's resolutions cut out for them." Pollard says the new guidance shows the SEC and Justice Department "expect companies to take a risk-based approach to employing technology to support their FCPA programs."
See the full guide here. For more coverage of this issue, see Many Firms Loath to Report Bribery, Wal-Mart Said Subject of U.S. Probe and Hunting Foreign Bribes.


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Journal Abstracts
Unlimited access to full-length articles is included with membership. Click memberships to become a member.
The current study sought to establish the psychometric properties of the Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS) in early pregnancy to determine the potential clinical usefulness of the sub-scales that comprise this measure. The CWS was administered to 129 women during early pregnancy at the antenatal booking clinic. Factor analysis revealed support for the socio-medical, health, socio-economic and relationships subscale domains. The CWS sub-scales were observed to assess dimensions distinct to those of anxiety and depression.
This article examines the genesis of sexual preference. Since human beings as a species are unique in that they have a sexual orientation toward their own gender (homosexuality) as well as the opposite sex (heterosexuality), how or where this preference begins is of interest. This paper examines the research and focuses on how and why some fetuses lack male hormones at the end of pregnancy, which along with stress responses may trigger a high level of activity in the mother's adrenal glands impacting the developing child's later sexual orientation.
This article identifies an issue within the discipline of prenatal and perinatal (PPN) psychology, namely that the field currently consists of individual practitioners' modalities without empirical validation around treatment efficacy. The goal undertaken was to integrate the PPN literature related to adult psychotherapy into a coherent and practical model to serve as a guide for students and professionals that could also be empirically tested.
The emerging science of pre and perinatal psychology and developmental neuroscience suggests newborns are conscious and capable of feeling and establishing memory at birth. The science points to the potential for imprinting traumatic events at birth which may then become the foundation for future mal adaptive behavior patterns and mental illness. Pre and perinatal thought leaders are calling for new models of obstetric and neonatal care that acknowledge the consciousness and suffering of babies at the time of the trauma.
New Mothers' Experiences of Agency During Prenatal and Delivery Care: Clinical Practice, Communication and EmbodimentAbstract:
Health research suggests that personal agency plays a key role in health experiences. In this qualitative analysis of the experiences of 40 recent mothers accessing healthcare services from physicians and midwives, we found that agency is linked to democratic relationships that support women's access to and discussion of relevant health information. While most participants wanted to participate more actively in their care, problematic physician-patient communication hampered their ability to exercise personal agency.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the possession rate of fetal/infant memory in the womb and/or at birth and to validate its characteristic. A total of 1620 answered questionnaires of the 3601 distributed were returned, giving an overall recovery rate of 45.0%. The possession rates of womb and birth memory were 33.0% and 20.7%, respectively. Parents, too, responded with regard to their own memory from birth, and 1.1% appeared possessing such memory.
Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, threatening the health of millions of Americans. President Clinton has been a major supporter of addressing the problem of obesity, especially in children. To date this condition has been challenging to both understand its origins and to treat. This article reviews the pre- and perinatal literature and related medical literature and suggests that intrauterine undernutrition (famine-like) conditions during the first trimester shows a promising area for further research to explore childhood and adult obesity.
Health from a pre- and perinatal (primal period) perspective has been mostly a theoretical construct. However, in the last 20 years, published studies have confirmed the effects of environmental factors occurring pre- and perinatally and the development of a number of diseases. These indicators point to the fact that we should continue exploring links between the date of birth (or the date of conception) and a great variety of human health conditions, such as, diseases, abnormalities, personality traits, as well as states of health.
The Neurological Impact of Preterm and Very Preterm Birth and Influence of IVF Pregnancies on Developmental Outcomes: A Literature Review and Case StudyAbstract:
This article explores the influence on brain development, as well as the neurological and behavioral outcomes, of the preterm and very preterm infant. It also briefly covers the influence of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), multiple births, gestational age, and birth weight on development as well as giving a more in depth review of literature that evaluates the impact of preterm birth and very preterm birth on brain development and neurological and behavioral outcomes.
KEY WORDS: Doula, postpartum care, breastfeeding, parenting.


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Diabetes and Endocrinology
Pediatric Endocrinology and DiabetesThe Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes evaluates and treats infants, children and adolescents with endocrine and metabolic disorders that may result in developmental abnormalities, such as short or tall stature, slow or accelerated growth, early or delayed puberty, thyroid problems, obesity, bone and mineral disorders, diabetes and hypoglycemia.
The center administers the New York State Congenital Hypothyroidism Screening Program which is designed to identify newborns with decreased thyroid function so that early intervention can prevent mental retardation.
The Joslin Diabetes Center is a New York State Center of Excellence that treats children of all ages.
Contact Information
Joslin Diabetes Center Maps and Directions
Address: 3229 East Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13214
Phone: 315 464-5726
Fax: 315 464-2510
Website: Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Insurance Info: Pediatric Service Group, LLP
Address: 3229 East Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13214
Phone: 315 464-5726
Fax: 315 464-2510
Website: Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Insurance Info: Pediatric Service Group, LLP
Conditions Treated
- Diabetes [sugar]
- Disorders of puberty [pubertal delay]
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Lipid disorders [high cholesterol]
- Menstrual disorders [irregular periods]
- Osteoporosis [osteopenia, low bone density, bone health]
- Pituitary disorders
- Short stature
- Thyroid disease [hypothyroidism, Graves disease, nodules]
Clinical Services Provided
- Childhood Osteoporosis Evaluation and Bone Densitometry Services
- Healthy Lifestyle Program
- New York State Congenital Hypothyroidism Center of Excellence
- New York State Diabetes Center of Excellence
Healthcare Providers
- Roberto E Izquierdo, MD, Section Chief
- Sheri L Albro, NP
- Aditi Khokhar, MBBS
- Khuyet TN Le, PA
- Barbara A Lindenmayer, NP
- Lauren E Lipeski, MD
- Irene Sills, MD
- Susan E Stred, MD


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Embezzlement from Janesville business leads to five-year prison term
JANESVILLE—Feeling the need to "send a message" that large-scale business theft will not be punished lightly, a Rock County judge sentenced a Beloit woman to five years in prison for embezzling from a Janesville company Friday afternoon.
Prosecutors were not seeking prison time for 42-year-old Connie L. Corcoran, who pleaded guilty in March to stealing more than $240,000 from Janesville Brick and Tile in the years she worked there.
Assistant District Attorney Mason Braunschweig and defense attorney Lane Fitzgerald made a joint recommendation that Corcoran receive probation.
Corcoran had no significant criminal history and could be effectively treated without being incarcerated, Braunschweig said.
A pre-sentence investigation showed Corcoran's risk to re-offend was "the lowest that I've ever seen of any client I've ever represented," Fitzgerald said.
Citing the length of time that Corcoran stole from the business and the amount of money she took, Judge Richard Werner handed down a 10-year sentence—five years in prison and five of extended supervision.
"You stole a substantial amount of money from your employer over five years," Werner told Corcoran. "It wasn't a one-time, grab-and-go; it was an ongoing crime."
He did not want Corcoran or others thinking they could commit long-running crimes against businesses "and not go to prison," Werner said.
Corcoran pleaded guilty in March to three felony counts: two of theft in a business setting of more than $10,000 and one of credit card fraud, valued between $2,500 and $5,000, court records show.
While working as an office manager for Janesville Brick and Tile, Corcoran would have company officials sign blank checks for her—purportedly so she could have them on hand when vendors needed payments, according to a criminal complaint.
Corcoran, however, used 105 of those checks for herself.
She embezzled $240,315 from Janesville Brick and Tile in the process, authorities said, while also charging personal items to a company credit card.
Corcoran used the checks and credit card to buy a lawn mower, dental care, event tickets and a television, among other items, authorities said.
As part of the plea agreement, two other charges of theft in a business setting of more than $10,000 were dismissed but read into the record.
The thefts badly hurt the company, owner Doug Kelly said in a prepared statement at Friday's hearing.
"Along with our money, she stole our reputation, our pride and our accomplishments," Kelly said. "Today, I feel like the fool of the year for every year this person was in our employ."
Janesville Brick and Tile ran into financial trouble, and Kelly had to take out a mortgage on his home to keep it afloat, he said.
"It's just fortunate that business survived," Werner said.
Although she has paid some of the money back, Corcoran still owes the business nearly $200,000, prosecutors said, plus additional costs from loans the business still has.
Another Janesville Brick and Tile employee, Michelle M. Buggs, has also been charged with embezzlement in a similar case.
Like Corcoran, police say, Buggs forged a number of checks for herself, eventually stealing more than $50,000 from Janesville Brick and Tile, according to a criminal complaint.
Buggs was scheduled for a trial next week on two charges of theft in a business setting of more than $10,000, but the trial has been pushed back until October.


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Newport suburb profile
Access a Newport suburb profile with suburb map, boundaries, population, demographics, history and features of interest in an accurate, easy to use website.
Did you mean...
A comprehensive suburb profile for Newport can be found in an online community profile compiled by .id the population experts and funded by the local council. These websites are designed to tell the story of the local community using detailed Census data and other information. What are the characteristics of the people who live in a place, how are they changing and how do they compare to other areas?
The information presented is the most recent available – largely based on the 2011 Census and updated regularly when the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases updated figures.
They are designed to inform community groups, investors, business, students and the general public by presenting the profile in simple, clear tables and charts with concise factual commentary.
The Newport suburb profile includes an accurate suburb map, explanation of the suburb boundaries, latest population figures, detailed demographic information and housing consumption, as well as written commentary about the history of Newport and how it is changing.


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Global Environmental Change
Discussion of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how these properties are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment
Moderator: BioTeam
Government's Disaster Preparedness Re "Ondoy"
Ondoy one of the most disaster typhoon that happened in the Philippines. Killed almost thousands of people from the different parts of our country . Cainta, Rizal, Pateros, Taguig, Marikina and other parts that are involved. It happened just a few days with a floods like a monster that could never forget. One of the happenings this year 2009, that cause different kinds of phobias to everyone. Is it an act of man? or an act of God?.
Many changes that already happened, so many things that we could do. Some people cares about it , but others don't. Ondoy.......No one prepared for this, even the government itself. September 28,2009, happened in a shocking way. Others says that it is the scariest typhoon that happened and experience them a different disaster that cause from our nature.Even the Government don't prepare for this. They couldn't even save their people from the time it happened.
In my opinion, it is not an act of God, it is all about people who don't care for our nature. Different kinds of activities of man that could make our world end. From the different kinds of pollutants that pollutes our land, water and air,our environment...
Kaingin/Deforestation, Dynamite fishing,throwing wastes/garbage's to anywhere and rivers, and even oil spills from factories CFC's and others that causes this kind of fortuitous events not only in the Philippines but in the whole world, our EARTH...
Are we going to stop this and save the world?, or are we going to wait for the end of the world?
an essay for earth
Today, the whole world is facing a problem. A problem caused by ignorance and concern. A problem that if not solve sooner can cause lots of damages. This problem is about environmental concerns. There are lots of reasons why this kind of problem arises. And, I think its better that I just have to express my insights regarding this issue.
We are now at the time of globalization. During this kind of time, life run so fast, that everything happens in just in a snap of a finger. And when you can't jive on this kind of life, surely, you will be lost. And because of this, people need to think of something that can help to jive on this kind of life easily. Now, there are lots of establishment built (factory, hotel, restaurant, mall, schools, etc); the rising number of vehicles is also very noticeable; and the inventions of some things that are not important.
Yes, those things help a lot not just on man's daily living and the economy of each country as well. But is it right that we only focus on the economic benefit of those and disregard their harmful effect to the environment?
For me, whatever the good effects of industrialization, we should not also forget that without the richness of our Mother Earth, industrialization is not possible.
Most of us are aware about the recent issues regarding the environment. We know the negative effects of industrialization. It's very disgusting that they trimming down the forests and turn them to commercial areas; the city is now very polluted due to cars' emission of harmful gases; and also the improper disposal of hazardous wastes.
As for now, we are slowly experiencing the possible effects of what we have done to our environment. Just recently, Philippines had experience its most destroying calamity in its history. Many have died because of the flashflood brought by heavy rainfall of typhoon Ondoy. Maybe in a matter of time we will experience more: super typhoon, hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, hailstorm, pandemic, landslide, wildfire, and etc.
When these thoughts come on my mind, I feel the fear and the guilt. Fear, that for the next few years, would I still live in a balance environment? Guilt for I have know that I contributed to the untoward changes in our environment.
I know it's never too late to show our concern on environment. Even in simple manner, I know, each of us can help rebuilt this earth.
It's never too late to change and save the earth from devastation and save ourselves from further damage.
It's never too late. Never. All we have to do is start moving……. Now….
Maybe a proper flood would be in order.
Or, like M. J. Keenan put it:
"Learn to swim.
Cuz I'm
praying for rain
And I'm praying for tidal
I wanna see the ground give way.
I wanna watch it all go down.
I can't imagine why
you wouldn't
Welcome any change,
my friend."
Ecological Disturbance
Man, more than any organism in this world, makes use of his environment in which he lives. But sometimes, it appears to be that man does not give back as much as he takes from his environment. For most animals,there would be a natural "check and balance" system operates in the environment to keep them from completely killing other species of animals and plants as well. But there is no natural check on man, we have been using up all the resources rapidly, as if they were unlimited. But this is not so,there were resources that can be replaced or used again within a short period of time such as trees and water.Furthermore, most animals and plants are also replaceable,because they can reproduce themselves, that is, unless man understands, respects and supplies the needs of these animals and plants. Although there were resources that can be renewed, there were also non-renewable resources such as top soil, minerals and fuels. These kind of resources takes several hundreds of years to take before the renewal or most of the times there were conditions where these resources will never be suitable for them to form again.
When the time where all resources have gone, this is also the time where a man changes an area to live, not just to live in, but also to meet his own needs. He as a man, influences the lives of plants and other animals that live in the area that he chosen to be his new source of needs.
As civilization has grown , so has, industry and this has introduced more and more harmful wastes which can affect the environment where everyone live. As a result, harmful wastes or pollutions as a simple term,our environment will be less fit for living in.
Man is actually the only animal that has even a tiny bit of consideration in what comes to his environment. Take any other animal, and they will consume all the resources they possibly can and overpopulate as much as they can. If you take away other the things that limit animal densities, such as predation or diseases, animals will happily utterly annihilate their environment by multiplying so much that there's no resource left for them to devour. Humans, on the otehr hand, are nice and fluffy, since they at least sometimes think about overpopulation or over-use of resources and such stuff!
If you put sheep on a pasture or rabbits to some fertile land and there is no control on them (humans or predators), they'll procreate and eat every bit of grass and vegetation and die of famine, and chances are that before doing so they cause permanent damage to their surroundings.
Of course, humans with their technology have unparalled capability of causing environmental destruction and as such are more dangerous than rabbits, but if you go the the bottom of the things, humans are the only ones that care about their environment and try actively limit their use of resources ;)
The effects of Ocean Dumping to Water Pollution
There are a number of reaons why the bodies of water should not be used as sewers. One is that human excrement carries potential hazardous microorganisms into these waters. Disease like cholera, dysentery typhoid fever, poliomyelitis and hepatitis are easily picked up and spread when people use the polluted water.
Another reason is the abundance of organic materials in polluted water. Numerous bacteria are taken in by fish and wildlife that live near this body of water. These bacteria utilize the oxygen that is dissolved in water. Aquatic animals get suffocated due to lack of oxygen.
Some aquatic organism in polluted water store concentrated hazardous chemical substances in their bodies. Oysters, clams and other mollusks are often used as man's food. These aquatic animals are also found to contain radioactive water materials within their bodies.
The chemical pollutants in water are difficult to remove and cannot be purified in ordinary disposal plants. Some pollutants like detergent cannot be utilized for irrigation and agricultural purposes.
Another effect is the lost value of the water in the surrounding shores. People usually dump all sorts of things into the sea, garbage, tons of concrete, junks, etc. Many developed cities dump sewage into the ocean. Even radioactive wastes are emptied into the sea in some places.
The ocean cannot hold all these things without damaging the life in the sea. As a population increases people need more products from the sea to survive. If we want to harvest more fish then we have to take care of them.
Ocean pollution is threatening more human lives as well affecting the aquatic organisms of the environment. This catastrophe is generally a human-made problem. Ocean pollution reduces the amount of fresh water that is available for drinking, and activities like fishing and swimming. Waste, not only from the sewage system of homes, but also from farms, including animal wastes, fertilizers and pesticides, drain off into nearby bodies of water.
Global Environmental Change
[b] Global environmental change is among the most severe challenges facing the mankind today.The unprecedented change in our global environment is currently a major concern to scientists and environment managers. Over the recent decades,changes in the earth system due to population pressure as well as growth in per capita resource exploitation have been alarming. These growing impacts of human activities on the earth and atmosphere at all scales encourage Crutzen and Stoermer (2000) to assign a term 'anthropocene' and suggest the advent of a new geological epoch.
In general, land resources are being used unsustainably and land-use and land-cover changes cause cascading effects on the local as well as global ecology.Food production has increase mainly through intensification of resources.Increased load of nitrogen from fertilizers is ultimately discharged to the water resources. Exceeding its capacity to absorb nutrients, the coastal water supports the growth of algae, which very often are harmful and cause serious concerns to human health. Coastal fisheries are under threat from pollution, overfishing, and habitat degradation. Two major concerns associated with biodiversity --loss of species and the introduction of aliens species, particularly pests and pathogens--have created serious concerns. Carbon emissions have increased to an extent that has overloaded sink capacity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Freshwater pollution and shortages are experienced in most parts of the world.
Human population and global economy have been growing rapidly. These two factors have increased resource consumption significantly. While much of the environmental degradation in the developing countries is on account of poverty and population pressures, that in the developed world due to increase in per capita resource consumption. However, many studies point out that although much of the accelerating economic activity and energy consumption have occurred in the developed countries, that developing world is beginning to play a larger role in the global economy and hence is having increasing impacts on resources and environment.
Environmental Changes!
The great impact of climate change on our environment is the hardest problem that we are facing right now in our generation! Undeniably, unpredictable weather condition is one of those changes.
With regards to this topic, I'm always reminded of the song entitled, "What A Wonderful World". It's just very disappointing and sad at the same time that our planet Earth would have to suffer this burden and also, humans who are responsible for this!
According to an article, the Earth's climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle,which is true indeed. What the world is more worried about is that the changes that are occurring today have been speeded up because of man's activities. The causes of climate change are due to natural causes and those that are created by man.
There are many causes to mention and I'll just mention the most common of those created by man.Climate changes caused by human activities, most importantly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and deforestation, are super imposed on. This is very alarming and we must be responsible for this.
To reduce the risk of large changes in future climate,all I have to say is that countries around the world should implement policies to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.
Please, let us all help our Mother Earth to stand up and recover. It's for the sake of all human being.
Let's Save A Little For Them!
"I am afraid that time will come , there will nothing left for the next generations."
It is really hard to think on how we can save mother earth but God gave us the power of wisdom so we can think wisely and act bravely. We are the one who start this problem so we are all liable to its effect. Let's start moving and acting, its not too late.
The effects of "Global Warming" is already felt by every organisms all over the globe. There is already a very high flood,as high as two-story building. There is heavy rain equivalent to a onemonth rainfall. Ice caps in north and south poles are already melting and extinctions might happen on this place because this places whre polar species lived and survive, this is their habitat. Do you feel a little bit of sympathy for them?
What will happen to my children and their children if the ozone layer is already depleted? what if their is a super Typhoon that only those with high establishments can survive in the killer flood? what if there is no more trees in mountain that prevents from landslide especially in mountainuos regions like Baguio City? what if all fishes will die because we continue to pollute oceans and rivers?
I am not thinking if what will happen to me, I am much concerned to the future man, woman and animals. What kind of world are they going to live for? If we already totally abused the things that we do not actually own. We should nit assume that this world is only for us, their still a lot who want to enjoy the pleasure that we have enjoyed.
We should not be selfish, let's save a little for them!!!
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Ever since Sergio Marchionne snuck in to see the "The Graduate" as an underage teen in the 1960s, he's had a soft spot for Alfa Romeo, the maker of the Spider Duetto convertible Dustin Hoffman's character drove in the film.
Four decades later, Marchionne is the chief executive officer of Alfa Romeo's parent Fiat SpA and wants to return the struggling brand to its former glory. To pull it off, he needs cash from Fiat-controlled Chrysler Group LLC. The problem is that he hasn't found a way to get it, as a union trust that owns the remaining shares of Chrysler holds out for at least $1 billion more than the CEO wants to pay.
Unlocking Chrysler's $12 billion piggy bank is about more than just refreshing Alfa Romeo and fulfilling the dreams of a "young idiot," as Marchionne, 61, called himself as a teenager in Canada. Fiat's ability to recover from losses in Europe depends on combining with Chrysler and accessing the American company's resources to fund long-delayed new vehicles and stop a downward spiral in its home region.
"Marchionne is facing the most difficult moment since Fiat took over Chrysler," said Giuseppe Berta, a professor at Bocconi University in Milan. "He's in a hurry to complete the merger as soon as possible to invest in new models in Europe."
Production Delay
Alfa Romeo has long been a cornerstone of Marchionne's strategy for Fiat. The plan is to transform the 103-year-old Italian carmaker, which currently sells only two hatchbacks and a small sports car, into a global upscale brand to spin off profits similar to the way Audi does for Volkswagen.
The effort has failed to make much progress as Marchionne put spending at Fiat on hold to conserve cash amid Europe's six-year slump and focused instead on turning around Chrysler after rescuing the manufacturer from bankruptcy in 2009.
Fiat will likely delay two new Alfa Romeo models that were planned for next year to 2015, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. The Italian carmaker may finalize plans by the first quarter of 2014 to build new Alfa Romeos at the Cassino factory in southern Italy, the people said. A Fiat representative declined to comment.
The lack of investment has caught up with Fiat. Burdened by struggles in Europe, the Turin, Italy-based company posted a loss of 482 million euros ($653 million) in the first half, excluding Chrysler. The group, including Alfa Romeo and the namesake brand, sold fewer cars in its home region last month than both the luxury Audi and BMW brands, even though Fiat is a mass-market manufacturer.
"Marchionne does things well at Chrysler and badly at Fiat," Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech told Bloomberg News during an event in Vienna this month. Based on its current performance, Fiat "isn't capable of surviving" on its own, said the executive, who has publicly sparred with Marchionne and has expressed interest in taking over Alfa Romeo in the past. Fiat declined to comment on Piech's remarks.
The company, which reports third-quarter earnings and plans to give an update on targets on Oct. 30, is expected to report 2013 operating profit of 3.81 billion euros, according to estimates of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That would miss Fiat's forecast of 4 billion euros to 4.5 billion euros.
The carmaker's struggles in Europe have hit plans for Alfa Romeo. Last year, Marchionne scaled back a mid-term sales target for the brand by 40 percent. Fiat now forecasts sales of 300,000 Alfa Romeo cars by 2016, compared with a 2010 forecast for 500,000 autos by 2014.
The brand is due to miss even the lowered goal by 36 percent. IHS Automotive estimates that Alfa Romeo will deliver 81,000 vehicles next year and 192,000 in 2016. Audi, VW's biggest profit contributor, sold 1.18 million cars in the first nine months of this year.
"If Marchionne really wants to relaunch Alfa Romeo, he needs Chrysler's cash," said Bocconi's Berta, who was the former director of Fiat's archives. "The carmaker has to invest billions of euros in the brand, as VW did with Audi."
Fiat intends to boost total investment by at least 1 billion euros next year, to as much as 9.5 billion euros. The higher spending is part of the development of about 19 new models in Europe in the next three years, including eight Alfa Romeos. That would be tough for the Italian company to finance without help from Chrysler.
"Fiat needs to generate cash to invest in new models and be competitive, but the cash flow they're generating is not enough," said Falk Frey, a Frankfurt-based analyst at Moody's.
Cash Burn
Fiat is due to burn through about 1.3 billion euros in cash this year, according to estimates from analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein. Chrysler targets adding $1 billion to its coffers.
Pooling cash with Chrysler would boost Fiat's financing potential and is a key driver behind Marchionne's push to buy the remaining 41.5 percent stake from a United Auto Workers' retiree health-care trust. The union fund is requiring Chrysler to prepare for an initial public offering as it feuds with Fiat over the stake's valuation.
The lure of Chrysler's cash could lead Fiat to pay a price that requires it to sell new shares to fund the deal, Barclays analysts including Kristina Church said today in a report.
Even if the two sides agree on a deal and avoid an IPO, Fiat wouldn't have full access to Chrysler's cash because of covenants on some of the American carmaker's debt, which restrict use of the company's funds. Chrysler Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer said in July that buying back the debt wouldn't make sense before 2015 at the earliest.
Still, Alfa Romeo isn't totally at a standstill. The brand has started taking orders for the 4C sports car, which will hit U.S. showrooms as soon as April next year, as part of a plan to return to North America after an absence of almost 20 years.
Alfa Romeo will also make a modern version of the roadster that Dustin Hoffman's wayward graduate drove in the 1967 film. The car will be built in cooperation with Mazda Motor Corp. and hit showrooms in 2015. Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester sees cause for optimism.
"I can just tell you that I expect demand for the 4C to exceed planned production," Wester, who is also in charge of Maserati's plan to boost sales eightfold by 2015, said in Milan this week, declining to elaborate on the brand's broader plans.