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The largest Wall Street banks are mobilizing to fight a new policy by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that gives the regulator broader authority in overseas derivatives deals.
The policy, issued Nov. 14, negates a legal interpretation that banks have been using to keep some swaps trades off electronic platforms and away from CFTC rules enacted to make the market less opaque. The firms and their lawyers say the announcement, which the agency published as a "staff advisory," is written so broadly it could expose their overseas deals to even more U.S. regulation.
Within hours of its release, bank lobbyists met to discuss possible legal action against the agency and began contacting members of Congress, according to people involved in the pushback. The next day, CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler was getting letters from lawmakers saying he was upsetting the $693 trillion market by issuing policy with little consultation.
"These uncertainties are causing, and will continue to cause, disruptions in the OTC derivatives market," the top Republican senators on the banking and agriculture committees, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Thad Cochran of Mississippi, wrote to Gensler on Nov. 15.
The question of how to apply U.S. derivatives rules in foreign jurisdictions has been debated since the Dodd-Frank regulatory overhaul began to take shape. The biggest banks sometimes trade half their swaps with overseas clients. Gensler has fought to extend his agency's reach, pointing out that financial failures, including the collapse of American International Group Inc., often originate in overseas units.
Gensler defended the policy in New York today at an industry conference held by swap execution facilities (SEFs), the new platforms where most swaps are supposed to trade. He said the policy ensures equal treatment for market players.
"A U.S. swap dealer on the 32nd floor of a New York building and a foreign-based swap dealer on the 31st floor of the same building, have to follow the same rules when arranging, negotiating, or executing a swap," Gensler said. "One elevator bank, one set of rules."
The advisory has also reopened a rift between the CFTC and European regulators. In July, Gensler had reached an agreement with his counterparts to defer to foreign authorities when the CFTC finds their rules to be comparable—a deal seen as benefiting the largest banks.
Chantal Hughes, a spokeswoman for Michel Barnier, the European Union's financial services chief, said the EU is examining the new policy in light of the agreement.
'Raises Concerns'
"At first sight, it raises concerns because of its potential extra-territorial application and impact on liquidity fragmentation," Hughes said
The CFTC released its Nov. 14 advisory after Bloomberg News reported that banks were seeking to avoid Dodd-Frank rules by having brokers based in the U.S. arrange swap trades and book them in the banks' affiliates overseas, handling them privately instead of on electronic platforms. Banking lawyers told brokers such moves were permissible because of language in a footnote deep in an 84-page CFTC policy statement published in July.
Under the new advisory, traders based in the U.S. who arrange, negotiate, or execute a deal—even on behalf of an overseas affiliate—must comply with Dodd-Frank regulations.
The banks' main lobby group, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (Sifma), convened an emergency conference call after the CFTC distributed the document, according to three people with knowledge of the meeting. The group discussed whether the CFTC advisory was issued lawfully and whether it should be challenged in court, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.
Liz Pierce, a spokeswoman for Sifma, declined to comment.
Many of the banks' complaints focused on the CFTC's process for issuing the policy, which was drafted by staff members and hasn't been voted on by the commissioners.
The agency also declined the banks' request to say publicly when the policy would take effect, the people said. Agency staff told financial industry lawyers that Wall Street would be given time to adjust to the new rules.
Republican lawmakers slammed Gensler for setting regulation by fiat.
"We clearly have an agency chairman gone rogue," said Representative Scott Garrett, a New Jersey Republican, who called the move illegal. "Since when did it become acceptable for the chairman of the CFTC to change law and commission-approved guidance though an advisory opinion issued by staff at his discretion?"
'Changed Overnight'
Representative Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee that oversees the CFTC, called on the agency to immediately issue a public statement clarifying the rules so markets wouldn't be disrupted.
"Regulations [that] market participants thought were in place changed overnight without warning or consultation," he said in a statement.
Steve Adamske, CFTC spokesman, declined to comment about the lawmakers' statements.
The CFTC released a second document on Nov. 15 reinforcing the agency's message on the applicability of overseas rules. It tells trading platforms, including those based overseas, that if they allow anyone located in the U.S. to trade on their venues that they must register with the CFTC and fall under Dodd-Frank.
More than a dozen firms have registered swap execution facilities with the CFTC, including ICAP Plc, GFI Group Inc., Tradeweb Markets LLC, MarketAxess Holdings Inc., and Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News.


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Martha Bailey
VP, finance & corporate controller
Bailey implemented global standard accounting policies at the $2.7 billion provider of tools, equipment and engineering services, benefiting its P&L, and provided acquisition and integration support for a $380 million transaction. Earlier, she served as controller for the company's metalworking solutions and services group. Prior to joining Kennametal in 2005, Bailey worked at Deloitte & Touche. She has a B.S. in business administration from Duquesne University.
See Part II of the 2012 30 Under 40 Slideshow here and Part III here.
For the complete 2012 30 Under 40 list, see Ascending the Corporate Ladder. For last year's list, see Ready to Take Charge.
David Calabria
Assistant treasurer & VP
Avis Budget Group
Calabria led the creation and implementation of an international treasury clearinghouse that allows the $7 billion car rental company to move cash in a tax-efficient manner among its overseas units. He's also instrumental in securing financing for the company's fleet in various countries. Prior to joining Avis, he worked at JPMorgan Chase and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Calabria has a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
Hui-Chien Chang
Director of portfolio management
Chang has led many projects related to Google's rapidly growing investment program, including a project to hedge the FX risk associated with holdings of sovereign securities and the implementation of several portfolio management systems. She has a B.A. in statistics from Fu-Jen University in Taiwan, an M.S. in statistics and operational research from NYU Stern School of Business and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington.
Christopher Chapman
VP, global finance
As vice president of global finance for the $2.8 billion maker of banking and security systems, Chapman has financial oversight of Diebold's global operations, its global supply chain and global financial planning and analysis. Since joining Diebold in 1996, he has served in various finance positions, including controller for international operations. Chapman has a B.S.B.A. in finance and an M.B.A. in international business from the University of Akron
Jonathan Cowan
National manager, rate desk & derivatives
Toyota Financial Services
Cowan manages Toyota Financial's structured finance program and a portfolio of more than $90 billion in derivatives it uses to hedge interest-rate and currency risk. He successfully implemented a new collateral program that reduced Toyota Financial's counterparty credit risk by more than $1.3 billion. Cowan has a B.S. in economics and computer science from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the USC Marshall School of Business.
Andrew Finkelstein
Executive director of finance, services division
Finkelstein led the benchmarking and conversion to support a new "line of business" model within Dell's $8.3 billion services division. He joined Dell in 2009 when it acquired Perot Systems, and was involved in integrating that acquisition. He had worked at Perot Systems for nine years. Finkelstein has a B.S. in economics and finance from the University of Texas and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University.
Jeffrey Hackman
Chief accounting officer & VP
Hackman joined Kforce, a $1 billion staffing firm, in 2007, and served as its SEC reporting director before being named to his current position in 2009. He has been actively involved in several of the company's acquisitions and divestitures. Earlier, Hackman worked at Grant Thornton and Arthur Andersen. He has a B.S. in accounting and an master's of accountancy from the University of South Florida.
Tahreem Kampton
Senior director, FX, commodities & global cash management
At $73.7 billion Microsoft, Kampton leads treasury's efforts to steward the company's roughly $70 billion in investment assets and hedge financial risks for its overseas revenue of about $20 billion. Since joining Microsoft in 1999, Kampton has taken on tasks such as managing the equity portfolio and developing and implementing dilution management strategies. He has a B.S. in finance from Penn State.
David Kennedy
Executive director, mergers & acquisitions finance
Kennedy leads $62.1 billion Dell's finance integration and work stream efforts for mergers and acquisitions. He has led the financial integration of six acquisitions for the company, while also managing Dell's IT finance portfolio. In his 14 years at Dell, he has also headed finance for the global consumer finances unit. Kennedy has a bachelor's in business studies from the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Alfred Kibe
Director, capital planning & pensions funding
General Motors
Kibe led negotiations on the automaker's recent $26 billion pension risk transfer to Prudential Insurance, an effort that involved a team of 50. Earlier, as manager for auto finance, he developed GM's auto finance strategy. Kibe joined GM's treasurer's office in 2005. He has a B.S. in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Nairobi and an M.B.A. from Wharton.

subset: commoncrawl


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Money-market mutual funds can cope with a short-term default in U.S. Treasuries as long as it doesn't trigger the kind of investor run that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in 2008, according to Fitch Ratings.
The funds have reduced their holdings of Treasuries that would be most immediately affected by the failure of the U.S. to extend its borrowing capacity, and have high levels of short-term liquidity, the ratings company said today in a report and in an interview. Fund managers wouldn't be forced to sell Treasuries in the event of a default and would be free to continue buying non-defaulted Treasuries, said Roger Merritt, managing director of fund and asset management at Fitch.
"Mark-to-market declines on U.S. government exposures are probably manageable assuming any default is short-lived and absent significant redemption activity," according to the report, which Merritt wrote with two colleagues.
Money-market funds give millions of households, companies and other institutions a safe parking spot for cash and channel $2.5 trillion to issuers of short-term debt including the U.S. government, financial institutions and companies. A run on funds that hold corporate debt after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 helped freeze global credit markets.
U.S. money funds held about $475 billion in Treasury securities as of Aug. 31, and an additional $156 billion in repurchase agreements collateralized by Treasuries, according to research firm Crane Data LLC in Westborough, Massachusetts. Crane Data estimates that about $74 billion in Treasuries held by money funds matures from Oct. 24 to Nov. 15.
Assets in U.S. money funds declined by $9.4 billion, or about 0.4 percent, in the seven days through yesterday as clients pulled money, according to data compiled by research firm iMoneyNet, also based in Westborough. Institutional funds that focus almost exclusively on debt backed by the U.S. government dropped $14.4 billion, or 2 percent of assets.
Money-fund assets can be influenced not only by market conditions but also by corporate deadlines, such as those for making payroll or paying taxes.
Republican lawmakers in Washington have refused to approve new funding for the U.S. government, triggering a partial shutdown of operations since Oct. 1. They have also vowed not to approve an increase in the government's debt limit unless President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party agree to change the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, known as Obamacare. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew has said "extraordinary measures" to avoid breaching the debt limit will be exhausted no later than Oct. 17.
Paul Schott Stevens, president of the Investment Company Institute, a Washington-based trade group representing mutual fund companies, urged Congress to resolve the standoff before a default in the text of testimony he plans to deliver tomorrow to the Senate Banking Committee.
"Once Treasury has exercised the option to delay payments, investors will learn a lesson that cannot and will not be unlearned -- even after all missed or delayed payments have been made good," Stevens said. "That lesson is simple: Treasury securities are no longer as good as cash."
Stevens said funds regulated by the Investment Company Act of 1940 hold $1.7 trillion in securities issued by the Treasury and U.S. government agencies.
Most fund managers, Fitch's Merritt said, have been working to boost the level of assets that can be quickly turned into cash and handed back to clients who wish to withdraw. Fitch-rated funds that are eligible to purchase corporate debt held an average 26 percent in assets maturing in one week or sooner, excluding Treasuries, the firm said.
Managers are also moving out of Treasuries most susceptible to a default, Merritt said.
"We have avoided maturities in the time period toward the end of October," Nancy Prior, head of money funds at Boston-based Fidelity Investments, said in an interview. Fidelity is the largest manager of U.S. money funds with $427 billion in assets as of Aug. 31, according to Crane Data.
Bill Gross, who runs the world's biggest bond fund at Newport Beach, California-based Pacific Investment Management Co., said he is doing the opposite of Fidelity.
"Fidelity sells, Pimco buys," Gross said today in a television interview on CNBC.
Pimco doesn't believe the Treasury will default, he said.
Money-fund managers would be the most compelled among owners of Treasuries to sell in the event of a default, according to two-thirds of respondents to a survey conducted Oct. 7 to Oct. 9 by Citigroup Inc. About 40 percent said they expect central banks, money managers and insurance companies to face pressure to sell.
In yesterday's trading, Treasuries fell and rates surged on bills maturing on the Oct. 17 deadline projected for when the U.S. reaches its borrowing capacity as investors avoided the securities with the risk of default rising.
Bloomberg News


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Don Pardo
Lucky Number 6
Don Pardo is a male celebrity.
He was born on Friday February 22nd 1918, in Westfield, Massachusetts, USA,.
With a Personal Lucky Number 6, Don Pardo will find his luck from the 6 strongest when the issue at hand concerns nurturing and the home.
6 is not a particularly strong number when dealing with finances. However it is very strong when the issue is true, romantic love.
You and Don
About Don's Lucky number
Don Pardo's Personal Lucky Number does not change. This number will be lucky for him during his entire life.
Don's luck derived from this number will be strongest when he is addressing events and issues related to the general meaning of the number.
Read more about our numerological interpretation of Don Pardo's lucky
Other celebrities with lucky number 6 as Don Pardo
An American reality television personality, actress, socialite, businesswoman, model and singer who has grown in recent years an influential online and social media presence, including tens of millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram
A New York City-based American sportswear fashion designer who is the honorary chairman and chief creative officer for his company that sells women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, footwear and fragrance
An American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor, who is called the King of Pop, and his contributions to music, dance and fashion, along with his publicized life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades
An American singer, songwriter, and actress who is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, and her achievements include twelve Guinness World Records, three Brit Awards, and six Grammy Awards
An English Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, Author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge
An Indian film actor, producer and television personality who has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular and commercially successful actors of Hindi cinema
An American comedian, a writer, a producer, an actor, a media critic, and a television host who has won 9 Primetime Emmy-, two Grammy-, and two Peabody Awards, and was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2006 and 2012
An American professional basketball player for the NBA's Golden State Warriors who became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90
An American actress, best known as Sarah Altman - Jodie Foster's daughter in the thriller Panic Room, Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series, Melinda Sordino in Speak, Maddy in Catch That Kid, Lisa in Zathura, and Tracy Tatro in Into The Wild


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Reynolds American Inc. and Noble Energy Inc. have joined a growing number of companies disclosing their contributions to trade associations and other nonprofit groups that legally can keep their donors from public view.
A study to be released today reports that 84 of the 195 largest corporations in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index have agreed to reveal their contributions to trade associations, an increase from 70 companies a year earlier. In addition, 51 companies, up from 31, have said they would disclose donations to other nonprofits.
Even as some groups fight efforts to make their donors public, companies are coming forward on their own, according to the report by the Center for Political Accountability and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School's Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research.
"Companies say this is just good governance," said Bruce Freed, president of the Washington-based accountability center, which encourages companies to disclose their political spending.
A spokeswoman for Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Reynolds, Jane Seccombe, said the company's disclosure policy evolved from discussions with a shareholder she declined to identify. The shareholder wanted "greater transparency," she said.
Noble Energy is committed to doing "business with integrity and transparency and applies this commitment to its stakeholder interactions and public disclosures," Arnold Johnson, the Houston-based company's general counsel, said in an e-mailed statement.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering whether to move ahead on a proposed rule requiring all publicly traded corporations to reveal their political spending.
Spending by trade and other nonprofit groups on campaigns has increased since the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in January 2010 removed limits on independent corporate and union spending.
Such expenditures grew to $311 million in 2012 -- 85 percent on behalf of Republicans -- from $69 million in 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group that tracks campaign expenditures.
Senate Republicans have blocked legislation requiring all groups spending money on campaigns to identify their donors. The Federal Election Commission, which has three Democratic and three Republican members, has deadlocked along party lines on whether to consider requiring such disclosure.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest U.S. business lobby, also opposes rules that would force it to disclose contributors.
"The idea here is to bring these companies' political spending -- which is free speech -- out into the open so they can be targeted for harassment and boycotts," Chamber President Tom Donohue said in a Sept. 10 speech in Stamford, Connecticut.
Donohue has been joined by National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons and Business Roundtable President John Engler in urging companies to resist pressure to disclose their contributions.
"The ultimate plan" by advocates of greater disclosure, the three said in an April letter, is "to intimidate companies into withdrawing from political engagement."
Because of voluntary corporate disclosures and filings by nonprofits with the Internal Revenue Service, more of the chamber's donors are being publicly identified. They include Noble Energy, which gave $82,500 last year, and Reynolds American, which contributed $45,000, according to information posted on both companies' websites.
Donating $3 million to the chamber, Internal Revenue Service filings show, was Arlington, Virginia-based Freedom Partners, a nonprofit linked to billionaire energy executives Charles and David Koch.
The chamber spent $35.7 million on the 2012 elections primarily in support of Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Freedom Partners' president, Marc Short, has been the Kochs' Washington liaison, according to the center. Board members include Richard Fink, executive vice president of Wichita, Kansas-based Koch Industries Inc., and Kevin Gentry, a vice president of Koch's lobbying arm, according to Freedom Partners' website.
The group also gave $1.2 million to the National Association of Manufacturers and $2.5 million to the National Federation of Independent Business, a trade group representing small businesses.
"If there is outside support that is aligned with the positions that we already have, those positions that our members have approved, then we will take advantage of that," said Jean Card, NFIB's vice president of media and communications.
Freedom Partners contributed $32 million to another Koch- linked group, Americans for Prosperity, which is running ads against President Barack Obama's health-care law. AFP, which received $50,000 from Reynolds American, spent $36.4 million on behalf of Republicans in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Freed of the Center for Political Accountability said disclosure may keep companies from funding nonprofits whose political activities could anger consumers. Target Corp. faced a boycott by gay-rights groups in 2010 after donating $150,000 to a business group backing a gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota who opposed same-sex marriage.
"Target was viewed by companies as a reason for them to adopt serious disclosure and accountability policies," Freed said. Companies can say, "we'd like to give but it's going to be disclosed. That's a reason that they're not going to give."
Bloomberg News


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Canvas Cabin (CC2Z)
|Base Rate *
|Click here to view the activities rates
* The Base Rate amount is charged for any number of guests occupying a unit not exceeding the base number for that activity type (in this case 0)}. Any additional Adults and Children exceeding the base capacity are charged in addition to the base rate amount per persons up to the amount of beds or guests allowed in the unit.
- 2 single beds
- Access through Sendelingsdrif
- Braai facilities available
- Gas stove (no oven)
- Guests to provide own drinking water and fire wood
- No smoking
- Ramp
- Solar power, no plug points
- Solar powered fridge and geyser
- Universal accessible shower
- Utensils
- Wc
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After a once-off registration, you can: Book New Reservations, Review Existing Reservations (amend or cancel, download PDF letters, pay outstanding amounts), Update Your Profile, etc.
Book & Pay Directly Online or Contact Reservations


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Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N. Central Park Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60624
(773) 638-1766
Fee: $5 suggested donation
On the menu for this evening of sipping and sampling are soups inspired by delicious plants such as the Cinnamon Tree, the Lime Tree, the Chocolate Tree, and more. Soup stations will be located throughout the Conservatory, with soup sharing and sampling by Chicago restaurants and cooks, including West Town Tavern, City Provisions, Mana Food Bar, Lula Café, and more. A special "hailstone" soup station will highlight the Conservatory's roof reconstruction project. Live Middle Eastern music will entertain guests at soup tables in Horticulture Hall and the Jensen Room. Bring your own tea cup for tasting this evening's samples, or borrow one of ours.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is proud to partner with Soup & Bread, a seasonal community meal and hunger-relief fundraiser based at Chicago's Hideout. The 2013 Soup & Bread season starts January 2, 2013; for more info see the Soup & Bread website.
The following Chefs are scheduled to participate with soups inspired by Conservatory ingredients:


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Death notices for Feb. 16, 2014
Lucille B. Bateman, 68, Janesville, died Saturday at home. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at St. William Catholic Church, Janesville. Visitation will be from noon Friday until the time of services at the church. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, is assisting the family.
Bernice A. Hopkins, 96, Clinton, died Friday at Alden Meadow Park, Clinton. Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday at St. Stephen's Catholic Church, Clinton, and from 10-10:45 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
Helen A. Marek, 94, Milton, died Thursday at Rock Haven Nursing Home, Janesville. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Albrecht Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Milton. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. Thursday until the time of services at the funeral home.
Gerald G. Mink, 78, Monona, died Thursday at St. Mary's Hospital, Madison. Services will be at noon Monday at Gunderson West Funeral Home and Cremation Care, Middleton. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. Monday until the time of services at the funeral home.
Joel A. Pipitone, 87, Beloit, died Thursday at home. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at Daley Murphy Wisch and Associates Funeral Home and Crematorium, Beloit, and from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Beloit.
Raymond L. Watson, 70, Elkhorn, died Saturday at Lakeview Specialty Hospital, Waterford. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Toynton Funeral Home, Walworth. Visitation will be from 4-9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.


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Yesterday the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) proposed a new auditing standard that would retain the pass/fail model auditors currently use in reporting on corporate financial statements, but would require auditors to provide additional information as well. The proposed standard would require the auditor to:
- communicate "critical audit matters" that he/she deems relevant;
- include in auditor's reports information about the auditor's independence, tenure, and evaluation of "other information" outside the financial statements; and
- enhance language currently in auditor's reports that relates to the auditor's responsibility for fraud and notes in the financial statements.
The "other information" that auditors would be required to consider includes select financial data, management discussions, and analysis. Auditors would have to undertake certain procedures in the event that they find a material discrepancy between a company's audited financial statements and this other information.
"The goal of these proposed standards and amendments is to significantly improve the current auditor reporting model by requiring the auditor to communicate specific information about each audit based on audit procedures performed," says Martin F. Baumann, chief auditor and director of professional standards for the PCAOB. "Communicating critical audit matters in the auditor's report will make the report more informative, thereby increasing its relevance and usefulness to investors and other financial statement users."
The proposed standard is open for public comment until December 11, 2013.


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Emporia event encourages youths to get active and playSeptember 14, 2011
Emporia's Jones Park will be the site of a Worldwide Day of Play event on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Worldwide Day of Play was created by the Nickelodeon television network eight years ago. Nickelodeon will go completely "dark" for three hours, "turning off programming to encourage kids to get up, get out
and go play!" This year, for the first time, First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign and the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition are bringing the event to Washington, D.C.
In Emporia, Kristin Gilmore, a graduate student in ESU's Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, is organizing an event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Jones Park pavilion by the baseball backstops.
The free event will be a field day in which people can come and go. Activities include games for all ages such as washers, Kuub, horseshoes and ladder golf; wellness walks through the park; disc golf and free fishing lessons at the pond. In addition, local instructor Amy Hayden will teach an hour of Zumba beginning at noon.
Every hour will bring drawings for prizes. Participating in the activities increases the chances of winning.
"I want people to have fun, educate themselves from the different vendors and leave the event with a sense of pride that they participated in a nationwide event to promote active, healthy lifestyles," said Gilmore.
Check out our students' achievements and accomplishments on Emporia State's meritpages.com site


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- Admissions
- Academics
- Research
- University Life
- Alumni
- About
Timothy App: The Aesthetics of Precision: Forty-Five Years
April 6 through May 26, 2013
Timothy App's signature style of geometric abstraction reveals a concise and considered understanding of the nature of painting, visual tension, and persistence. The exhibition brings together various aspects of the artist's evolution and growth into one of the regions most important living abstract painters.
Admission is free.
Timothy App
Portalis, 2011
Acrylic on canvas
72 x 72 inches


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Whitewater teen sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting girl
ELKHORN�— Lee Shelton looked at Walworth County Judge David Reddy with tears in his eyes.
He told the judge he has held his 19-year-old son, Samuel, as the teen cried about the crimes he committed and how he wants to change.
"I want to do right, Daddy," Shelton remembers his son telling him.
Samuel Shelton, 19, of W6150 Kettle Moraine Drive, Whitewater, is one of three men connected to Whitewater's Kettle Moraine Baptist Church who were charged and convicted in a little more than a year of sexually assaulting young girls and boys.
Shelton was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years extended supervision. He will spend the rest of his life on the sex offender registry.
Shelton was charged in 2013 with three counts of repeated sexual assault of a child. He pleaded guilty to one of the felony charges as part of an agreement that saw the other two counts dismissed but read in.
Between summer of 2010 and winter of 2013, Shelton had sexual relationships with four girls, all of them 13 or younger, attorneys said Monday. He met the children through the Kettle Moraine Baptist Church or his family was friends with the girls' families, attorneys said.
Shelton is the last of three men connected to�Kettle Moraine Baptist Church sentenced for sexually assaulting children.
Dennis Rintala, 53, sexually assaulted two young boys he met through the church, from the winter of 2011 through the summer of 2012, according to court documents. Both boys were younger than 13.
On Dec. 10, 2012, Rintala pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Court to one count of repeated sexual assault of a child. He was sentenced by judges in Walworth and Jefferson counties to a total of 20 years in prison.
Matthew Vander Pluym, 19, pleaded guilty in March 2013 to one count of first-degree child sexual assault for touching a preteen girl he knew, court records show. Vander Pluym was given a stayed jail sentence and five years probation.
Shelton told authorities he assaulted one of the four girls "about two times a week" at the Kettle Moraine Baptist Academy, a small religious elementary, middle and high school run out of the church.
Shelton also assaulted the girls at their homes, his home and at Camp Joy, a Baptist youth camp where Rintala worked, attorneys said.
One victim told authorities she was "messed up by (Shelton's) charm" at Camp Joy in 2010.
Phillip Yowell, Anchor Bible Church pastor, said he has had private counseling sessions with Shelton in the past year and Shelton has regularly attended Bible study at the church.
When Yowell began working with Shelton, he assumed Shelton's remorse and regret for his actions would "eventually wear off," but Shelton has been "even more responsive and grown in maturity," he said.
He said the prison sentence requested by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Grube would not help with the "restoration" Shelton could experience by staying in the community and receiving support from the community members, his family, and church.
Shelton's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Travis Schwantes, requested a stayed prison sentence, 12 months jail, life on the sex offender registry, and 10 years probation.
"That's accountability. That's punishment," Schwantes said.
With the rules and regulations of probation, Shelton would live a life "nothing like his life has been," Schwantes said.
Grube countered with excerpts from letters written by parents describing Shelton as a "cunning, manipulative liar" who "deceived us into thinking our children were safe" with him.
One mother said the impact on her daughter is not yet apparent.
"The toll will continue to play out for our daughter in the years and years to come," she said.
Before Reddy made his decision, Shelton apologized to the families for what he did.
"I know what I did was wrong. … I'm ready to face the consequences, whatever they be," Shelton said.
Last updated: 3:50 pm Monday, February 17, 2014


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Join us in Vermont year round as we celebrate and share the joy of Vermont Maple with friends, family and visitors at one of our many Maple fairs, festivals and events.
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January 2014
The Vermont Farm Show grew out of the Old Vermont Dairymen's Association and Maple Sugar Makers' Association meeting which had been held for numerous years. In 1930 these meetings were held at the Memorial Auditorium which was only a few years old at the time. In 1932 Orlando Martin asked the Director of the Department of Agriculture if there was any possible way to put an educational exhibit and product competition in the basement of the Auditorium. That first exhibit was a huge success and so began the Vermont Farm Show.
During its first 80 years, the Show has undergone many changes which reflect the diversity of Vermont agriculture. The addition of exhibitors in the outdoor ice rink in 1984 was only one of many physical challenges as the Show grew larger and more diverse. Another significant change occurred in 2012 when we moved the location from Barre to the Champlain Valley Exposition grounds in Essex Junction.
Visit www.vtfarmshow.com for more information!


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Classmates regret bullying of student decades ago
JANESVILLE--When 55-year-old Robert Krueger had a heart attack last fall, high school classmates he had not heard from in years sent him handmade get-well cards.
Some came to the hospital to offer encouragement. Others wrote warm wishes online.
"Classmates rallied on Facebook to send him wonderful messages of love and support," said classmate Bonnie Kanter-Braem. "Some even asked for forgiveness."
The Janesville man, who graduated with the Parker High School Class of 1977, was bullied as a child. But at the end of his life, the same classmates who once witnessed the bullying or took part in it, rallied behind him.
They knew what had happened to Robert was wrong and wanted him to know they cared.
In the end, Robert did not seem to hold a grudge.
"He taught everyone a lesson about being bullied," said classmate Karla Brikowski. "He had to have a big heart because he still talked to a lot of people who were mean to him."
Years ago, she witnessed how young Robert was the target of cruel jokes, which began in grade school.
"He wasn't like all the other kids," Brikowski said. "He was a very quiet child who didn't wear the nicest clothes and who didn't have the luxuries that other people had. We all got new shoes and new winter coats, but he never got anything new."
She said young Robert was good in math and electronics, but not so good with conversation. Later in life the words came more easily, and he enjoyed letting others know what was on his mind.
"I want people to remember Robert as a kind and gentle man who would give you the shirt off his back," Brikowski said. "He was taunted in school, and everyone regretted it."
After graduation, Brikowski did not see Robert for years. In 1989, she went to work at Seneca Foods, where Robert was a faithful employee for 34 years.
When he got sick, the response on Facebook overwhelmed her.
"I thought maybe a couple of people would send their thoughts and prayers," she said. "But so many former classmates sent messages."
They also reflected on their youth.
Back then, people did not talk about bullying.
"The word was not part of our vocabulary," Kanter-Braem said. "Bullying was not addressed as it is today. Today students are called out on it. As teachers, if we see it going on, we are supposed to intervene. But our teachers never did."
Kanter-Braem teaches advanced placement psychology at Parker High School.
"I've always regretted that I did not step in when I saw Robert mistreated," she said. "I wish I had had the guts to stand up and tell other people not to pick on him."
Back then, adults did not encourage students to speak up as they do today.
"Our students are taught from grade school that bullying—whether face-to-face or cyber bullying—will not be tolerated," she said.
A teacher for 32 years, Kanter-Braem has thought about Robert when she has seen children being bullied.
"I've tried to take some of those kids under my wing," she said. "They are the ones who need our help. Rather than make fun of those who do not have the advantages that we take for granted, we should show them kindness. At the very least, we need to make sure they know they are cared about."
Former classmates went out of their way to make sure Robert knew they were concerned about him.
"Not just a handful, but 30 or more," Kanter-Braem said. "While we could not make up for what he went through in his school days, we went a long way to give him some peace at the end."
Robert's classmates did not think he was going to die.
"We were all under the assumption that he would recover," Kanter-Braem said.
Melissa Gavigan, Robert's friend and supervisor at work, made sure someone was with him regularly after he went to the hospital.
"Robert never fully recovered from his heart attack," she said. "He had good days and bad days. We would read the cards to him over and over. They had heartfelt messages. Maybe his classmates were not there at the beginning of his life, but there were plenty who wanted to show their respect at the end."
She called Robert part of the "Seneca family" and described him as liking work and the people he worked with.
After Robert died Nov. 21, Kanter-Braem asked classmates to contribute to a brick in his memory for the Thor Walkway in front of Parker High School. People responded generously, and the brick with Robert's name will be dedicated in a small ceremony this spring.
Robert's classmates also donated to Parker's robotics club, which Kanter-Braem believes Robert would have joined if it had existed in the late 1970s.
A post on Facebook after Robert's death summed up many feelings.
"I know that Robert would be proud to know how many lives he touched and how many lessons were learned by others as a result of his very presence," a classmate wrote.
"Regardless of whether you were a bully to Robert or a friend all along, he left us all as friends who will never tolerate our families treating other people poorly. Robert, you left many people better than when you found them. For that we are all grateful."
Anna Marie Lux is a columnist for The Gazette. Her columns run Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call her with ideas or comments at (608) 755-8264, or email email@example.com.
Last updated: 6:21 pm Wednesday, January 22, 2014


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"Red Nation" ft. Lil Wayne is now available on iTunes.
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text: Have any of you played Dark Souls? I had a little free time on the long weekend and so I tried it out. I quickly scanned a few reviews on my iphone, looking at the scores, and then checked out the box. It gave me that Elder's Scrolls kind of feeling, I bought it expecting something like Elder's Scrolls. I got it home, popped it in and started playing... It's not Elder's Scrolls. I died like ten times on the tutorial boss before I finally beat him. They start you off with a broken sword, a wooden shield that doesn't block all damage and send you on your merry way to your unknowing demise with nothing more than a few signs on the ground to help guide you. The sign I read before the tutorial boss told me Happiness was ahead. Yeah, it sure was, if you consider happiness getting slaughtered countless times in a early fight that's more difficult than most game's final bosses. Anyway, I'm hooked. I've died about 20 times in the two hours I've played the game but I can't quit. I know why this game is so popular. Pride. Your pride is literally crushed in the first half hour of the game and it is your quest to gather the fragments so that you no longer feel like a 80 year old man using a PC for the first time. People continue to play this game because they refuse to admit they weren't "man enough" to get through it.


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Badger High School janitor charged with sexually assaulting a student
LAKE GENEVA—A Badger High School janitor is being accused of sexually assaulting a student.
Alfredo Sandoval, 68, is charged with felony sexual assault of a student by school staff.
Sandoval, 956 Henry St., Lake Geneva, is accused of sexually assaulting a female at the high school on May 1, according to a criminal complaint.
Sandoval reportedly admitted to a Lake Geneva Police detective that same day that he had inappropriate contact with a female student and said he "made a mistake and asked for forgiveness," the complaint states.
Sandoval, who was arrested May 1, is out of jail on a $10,000 cash bond that was set May 2, according to an official at the Walworth County Sheriff's Office.
Part of Sandoval's bond agreement is that he not have contact with the high school, its students or the victim.
Sandoval made his initial court appearance Wednesday at the Walworth County Judicial Center.


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Legendary Edgerton football coach Jack Gregory dies
EDGERTON—When Jack Gregory was named head football coach at Edgerton High School in 1976, the Crimson Tide had been in the bottom half of the Rock Valley Conference for several seasons.
By 1979, Gregory's Crimson Tide advanced to the WIAA state championship game, beginning a long run of success that lasted until the head coach retired in 1995.
On Saturday, Gregory, 78, died at his home after a long battle with health issues.
Gregory collected 217 victories in his 38-year head-coaching career, which began at Blanchardville in 1958. A 1953 Delavan-Darien High graduate, Gregory graduated from Milton College in 1958.
After two years at Blanchardville High, and seven years at Iowa-Grant High, Gregory took over at Big Foot High in Walworth from 1968 to 1975.
His Chief teams won three Southern Lakes Conference titles in that span.
Gregory then moved to Edgerton, where he would make his biggest coaching mark.
During the next 20 seasons, the Crimson Tide would win undisputed Rock Valley Conference titles in 1979, '80, '84, '89, '90 and '95 and shared titles in '81 and '82.
Edgerton teams earned playoff berths in all those seasons and also in 1983 and '88.
He earned the respect of fellow coaches along the way.
Gary Larsen, who made his own niche in Rock Valley Conference football history as the Brodhead-Juda coach, considered Gregory a mentor.
"When I first started coaching in the league and started to get the program turned around, I always had a couple of obstacles in the way," Larsen said Saturday. "One of those was Edgerton. When we started getting better, I considered it really important to some time beat him."
The reason was he considered Edgerton a model program.
"They were the top program in the league," Larsen said. "Year after year, they turned out good teams. Even when they thought they had a bad year, it was still pretty good. I always wished I could have been a little mouse and sat in a corner and watched how they ran practices and how they organized things."
Larsen couldn't remember the exact year his Cardinals finally did beat Edgerton, but he does remember it was a rainy night and that the regular officials did not show up. Coaches from both teams served as the officiating crew.
Larsen respected Gregory as a man as much as a football coach.
"When I really got to appreciate Jack a lot was at Rock Valley Conference meetings," Larsen said. "He was a person of reason. He sat back and didn't say a lot, but when he said something it was really important. He had a way of filtering through all the political stuff."
Dave Wedeward, the long-time sports editor of The Gazette, is an Edgerton native and follows Crimson Tide football closely.
"Jack had that level of respect throughout the Rock Valley," Wedeward said Saturday. "His teams displayed class and sportsmanship. They never ran up the score on anybody. Some of those teams could have run up scores in the 70s and even 80s against some teams, but Jack never allowed that type of thing to happen."
Gregory was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997. After he retired from Edgerton, he served as an assistant coach at Beloit College until 2006.
"He was a great guy," Larsen said. "He loved football and he loved kids."
On Friday night, Edgerton High, now coached by Jack's son, Mike, clinched a share of the Rock Valley Conference North title with a 37-13 victory over Clinton.
It was the school's first title since 1995, Jack Gregory's last season as head coach.


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Janesville police looking for more bodies after one is found Monday
JANESVILLE—Janesville police are working to find out if a woman's disappearance Friday, a stabbing Sunday night and a dead body found Monday morning are related.
And they're looking for more bodies.
If the three cases are connected, the connecting point could be Clayton J. Courtney, the 28-year-old Janesville resident with a criminal past.
Courtney is accused in the stabbing of one of his roommates Sunday night.
Police were looking into whether Courtney told the truth while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and in a violent rage just before the stabbing, when he allegedly said: "I've already killed three people tonight."
Police on Monday released a photo of Courtney's grinning face, splattered with mud and blood while he was being checked out at a Janesville hospital.
Police said the mud was not consistent with the scene of the stabbing, which happened in the kitchen of Courtney's residence, 1602 N. Pontiac Drive.
Police are asking for the public's help, including if someone comes across a scene where Courtney might have gotten muddied.
Janesville Police Chief David Moore cautioned that the investigation is in its early stages. He called the body and the missing-person cases "perhaps unrelated."
Moore held a news conference Monday and discussed the body, the stabbing and Mary Coulthard's disappearance.
Coulthard's possible connection to the other cases was not clear, except that she lived and was last seen a few blocks from where the body was found.
Coulthard lives at 208 N. Main St. Her water bottle was found nearby on the Milwaukee Street Bridge on Sunday morning, and another personal belonging was found near the bridge.
Police searched from the air, land and on the river Sunday but found nothing.
Moore said the search for Coulthard has not been set aside because of the investigation into a potential homicide.
Police were told Courtney had planned to meet a woman under the Veterans Memorial Bridge on Sunday night where he planned to drink and do drugs. Courtney had several girlfriends, Moore said, and police were trying to figure out which one he planned to meet.
Police were called to Courtney's residence shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday. They were told Courtney had tried to set a vehicle on fire in the attached garage of his residence. Then, in a rage, police said, Courtney attacked a male roommate, Michael J. Clark, 28.
Courtney is accused of stabbing Clark several times, including a blow that was close to being fatal. Clark was released from the hospital Monday.
During his rage, Courtney said: "I've already killed three people tonight" and "We are all going to die," police said in a news release.
"If we take Mr. Courtney at his word," there could be bodies still undiscovered, Moore said.
Courtney also threatened to harm the unborn child of a female roommate, police said. The woman's two small children also were at the house at the time of the attack.
Clark was taken to Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center and was reported to be going into surgery, Sgt. Jim Holford told The Gazette on Monday before the possible connection among the three cases was raised.
Courtney also was taken to Mercy after he complained of an ankle injury, but no such injury was found, and he was taken to the Rock County Jail, where he was held pending a court appearance Tuesday.
"We know he was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of his arrest, but we don't know what set him off or what caused his outburst. We're still investigating that," Holford said.
Because Courtney told police he had planned to meet a woman under the Veterans Memorial Bridge, officers searched along the river Monday and at 5:45 a.m. found a female body.
The body was behind the former Schuler furniture store at 533 N. Main St. in what Moore described as "an enclave."
A Gazette photographer could see police around a narrow gap between two buildings that had been the Schuler store.
"It's concerning that we start backtracking his steps and we find a body," Moore said.
Moore said the body appeared much too young to be Coulthard.
Police have a tentative identity for the dead female but would not say who it is until it's confirmed, Moore said later Monday.
Moore said he hoped an autopsy would reveal by Tuesday how the female died.
Courtney has a criminal record, including two convictions for misdemeanor battery, in 2007 and 2011.
Courtney's Facebook page says he is a 2004 graduate of Janesville Parker High School and attended Blackhawk Technical College.


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Pitching-rich Rays should contend again in '13
Shields is gone, but Tampa Bay has strong rotation led by ace Price
By Mike Bauman / MLB.com
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- In the same way that you can say "General Motors makes cars," you can say "The Tampa Bay Rays produce pitchers."
There are additional reasons for the Rays' success, but this is the fundamental element. Tampa Bay led the Major Leagues in team ERA last season. This spring, five of the seven candidates for the Rays' starting rotation are from their organization. That would include, of course, the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner, David Price.
This is how every franchise that is not blessed with Yankees/Dodgers revenue hopes to function. But the Rays have moved beyond hope and made the creation of high-quality homegrown pitching a continuing reality. In the process, they have reached the postseason three times in the past five years.
The Rays parted with another homegrown pitching product, James Shields, before he could move out of their price range, in a deal with Kansas City this offseason. In return, Tampa Bay received the 2012 Minor League Player of the Year, Wil Myers, and, of course, two more coveted pitchers: Mike Montgomery, who not that long ago was one of the leading pitching prospects in baseball, and Jake Odorizzi, who is still one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.
Shields was a mainstay of the Tampa Bay rotation, but there is no disputing the ability of the pitchers who are competing to step into the open rotation spot. In fact, there is no disputing, once again, the overall quality of the Rays' rotation. Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb, Jeff Niemann -- these are all people who came up through Tampa Bay's system, and they can all pitch successfully at the big league level.
The Rays have some roster churn annually, in large part as a function of their fiscal constraints. They have typically overcome this through shrewd acquisitions and, again, their ability to generate their own supply of pitching. With their kind of pitching, being in contention is close to being a given.
Closer Fernando Rodney returns, following a dominant 2012 season that included 48 saves and a microscopic 0.60 ERA. Three highly capable relievers return in front of him, and Tampa Bay has more-than-capable reinforcements available.
So the pitching isn't likely to fail this cause. The question becomes, where else can the Rays make improvements? Tampa Bay won 90 games in 2012 and finished three games out of a Wild Card spot. Improvement by leaps and bounds is not required.
Yes, the AL East could be as tough as ever, particularly with the emergence of Baltimore last season and Toronto's offseason upgrades. But one of the reasons that the AL East is such a tough division is that the Rays are in it.
One answer for the Rays' improvement is both obvious and accurate. As manager Joe Maddon put it Tuesday: "A healthy Longo," referring to third baseman Evan Longoria, the best run producer Tampa Bay can put in its lineup.
It was telling that Maddon made this particular comment about Longoria in the context of how the Rays could be a better defensive team this year. Longoria is a first-rate all-around talent, but a left hamstring injury limited him to 74 games in 2012. Longoria is 27 years old. Tampa Bay can reasonably expect much more availability from Longoria this year, and thus, better results overall.
This club still won't be anything like an offensive juggernaut, but it doesn't have to be that to reach the postseason. It is distinctly possible that the already strong pitching could be aided further by an improved defense.
"I think with [Yunel] Escobar at shortstop -- this is a guy, to me, who is potentially a Gold Glove, All-Star shortstop," Maddon said. "I think what he's able to do on a daily basis is really unique, and we haven't had that since [Jason] Bartlett provided that a couple of years ago.
"Then you talk about a healthy Longo. There are several second basemen, but they're all good. And then you have [James] Loney at first, who makes them all better. With him, you can see the smoothness around the bag, I think that was obvious from the day [the Dodgers] signed him.
"I think [Jose] Molina behind the plate last year was maligned in some ways, but unjustifiably, I thought. He ended up doing a great job for us behind the plate. A lot of the esoteric things that we look at, he's really good at a lot of the little things that don't show. And I thought [Chris] Gimenez did a nice job there, and we're working on [Jose] Lobaton constantly.
"In the outfield, we'll be missing B.J. [Upton], but overall, with [Desmond] Jennings out there [in center] and [Matt] Joyce [in left] and [Ben] Zobrist [in right], we're still really strong in the outfield.
"But I think the biggest difference could be up the middle on the ground balls, especially at shortstop."
Maddon's whole-hearted support of Escobar might raise some eyebrows, not because of any shortcomings in ability, but because Escobar has presented some difficulties for his previous employers. But the Rays are big believers in the concept that their positive team chemistry can absorb individual players into a smoothly functioning whole. And Maddon already sees that happening in the case of Escobar.
"I'm really proud of the guys," Maddon said. "They're making a strong effort to embrace the new guys and bring them into the way we do things here. It's very obvious to me how our guys are going about their business, and I appreciate it."
That kind of positive approach is always helpful, with the Rays or with any club. But the prime ingredient setting up this operation for success is baseball's most important element: pitching.
Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Russia refuses to take part in Litvinenko death inquiry
THE Russian government has refused to take part in a public inquiry into the death of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), a law-enforcement agency that answers directly to President Vladimir Putin, has told inquiry chairman Sir Robert Owen it will not be a "core participant" in the process.
In a letter read to a directions hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, the ICRF, sometimes dubbed the "Russian FBI", said it would not be involved.
The agency said it did not agree with powers granted in public inquiries that allow evidence to be held in closed session but which still informs the findings.
Core participants are actively involved in the inquiry, can be represented by a barrister and can also seek to cross-examine witnesses and make opening and closing statements.
The move will be seen as a snub to the process as the ICRF had intended to take part in the inquest, which was taken over by the public inquiry, as "interested persons".
The session also heard arguments for and against broadcasting the inquiry live on the internet, as was done during the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.
Sir Robert reserved making a decision to a later date. The chairman said the substantive hearings would start on January 27.
An additional preparatory hearing will be held on October 16.
Sir Robert formally opened the inquiry in July after Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina led a successful challenge against holding an inquest into his death.
Mr Litvinenko, who fled to Britain in 2000, died after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210 while meeting two Russian men - one a former KGB officer, at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square.
His family believes he was working for MI6 at the time and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin.
Former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun have been fingered as the prime suspects in the killing, but both deny any involvement and remain in Russia.
Sir Robert previously said that alleged Russian state responsibility in the 43-year-old's death was of "central importance to my investigation".
However, Britain's responsibility for protecting the former KGB officer will not be investigated as part of the inquiry as there is no evidence to suggest any failings on the state's part.
Mrs Litvinenko fought for the probe into her husband's murder after Sir Robert said he could not hold a "fair and fearless" investigation as part of an inquest, and a public inquiry should take place instead.
The Government had previously resisted launching an inquiry, instead saying it would "wait and see" what a judge-led inquest found, but the High Court ruled the Home Secretary should reconsider the decision.
Although Mrs Litvinenko and her lawyers will not be able to see secret material, the chairman can take it into account, unlike in an inquest.


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text:
Four die in Saturday accident
TOWN OF BRADFORD—Four people died as the result of a accident Saturday that closed Highway 11/14 for more than three hours.
Talia S. Enciso, 18, and three other family members, Alvino Ortiz, 43, and two children, ages 7 and 14, died in the accident that took place just before 10:19 a.m., according to a news release from the Rock County Sheriff's Office.
Enciso and the 7- and 14-year-old were the daughters of Ortiz, according to Sgt. Josh Lund of the Rock County Sheriff's Office.
According to the news release, Enciso was driving a 2009 Honda north on Highway 140 when she failed to yield the right-of-way at the stop sign at Highway 11/14. Enciso's car entered the intersection where it was hit by an eastbound Dodge Ram truck driven by Timothy S. Votow, 43, of Janesville.
The truck was pulling a travel trailer. Votow and the passenger in his car, Cheri L. Votow, 42, also of Janesville, were not injured.
Enciso was a senior at Big Foot High School in Walworth, said Mike Hinske, school principal. "She was a nice, caring young woman," Hinske said. "She certainly will be missed." Hinske said that Enciso was involved in many clubs, and was an "active part" of the school community.
Enciso participated in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club, and was the regional representative for the group last year, according to the Lake Geneva Regional News. She also had been on the school's honor roll on more than one occasion.
No citations are expected to be issued as a result of the crash, the news release said. The Rock County Sheriff's Office crash reconstruction team was called to the scene along with fire and EMS personnel from Clinton, Beloit and Janesville.
Last updated: 8:05 pm Saturday, November 30, 2013


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Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Primary Progressive Aphasia
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia
- Neuropsychological variables [ Time Frame: Immediately after testing and at two years post-testing ]
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|May 2007
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|April 2023
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|April 2022 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
PPA (Primary Progressive Aphasia)
Individuals with primary progressive aphasia
Individuals with no diagnosis of any type of dementia
Detailed Description:
The Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) aims to understand the behavioral, anatomical and physiological changes in people with PPA throughout the course of the illness. The researchers in this study want to increase awareness of PPA, educate others about this unique disorder, and to encourage more research to eventually develop therapies.
During the three-day research program, participants will be asked to undergo neuropsychological testing (paper and pencil tests that evaluate cognition), an MRI (a non-invasive brain-imaging procedure), an EEG (another non-invasive procedure that looks at brain waves when you think) and other computer and language testing batteries. Participants may be asked to return every two years to complete the same measures.
The study will recruit approximately 15 participants with PPA per year. For participants not living near Chicago, IL, flights and accommodations (for both the person with PPA and their companion) will be covered by the study.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia
- Right-handed
- English speaker
- Visual acuity of 20/30 corrected
- Adequate hearing to follow conversation
- Safe for an MRI scan
Exclusion Criteria:
- Left-handedness
- Claustrophobia
- Presence of significant medical illness that initially or in the future could interfere with continued participation in the study
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00537004
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00537004
|Contact: Benjamin Rader
|United States, Illinois
|Northwestern University
|Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
|Contact: Benjamin Rader 312-908-9681 email@example.com
|Principal Investigator: M.-Marsel Mesulam, MD
|Principal Investigator:
|Marsel Mesulam, MD
|Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|Marsel Mesulam, Director, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00537004 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
R01DC008552 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
|First Submitted:
|September 26, 2007
|First Posted:
|September 28, 2007
|Last Update Posted:
|September 13, 2017
|Last Verified:
|September 2017
Keywords provided by Marsel Mesulam, Northwestern University:
primary progressive aphasia
frontotemporal dementia
semantic dementia
progressive nonfluent aphasia
progressive aphasia
frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Aphasia, Primary Progressive
Pick Disease of the Brain
Frontotemporal Dementia
Speech Disorders
Language Disorders
Communication Disorders
Neurobehavioral Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration
TDP-43 Proteinopathies
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Proteostasis Deficiencies
Metabolic Diseases


text:
Theater on the Lake
2401 N. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago, Illinois 60614
(312) 763-8165
Fee: Free
Age Range: Any
Summer in the City means it's time to dance! Join us every Wednesday evening beginning July 3 for a different genre of dance instruction at 6 pm, followed by live music from 7-9 pm.
This program is presented as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Park District. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Cultural Plan and the Night Out in the Parks initiative. For more information, visit chicagoculturalplan.org and nightoutintheparks.com.
SummerDance in the Parks is presented by Southwest Airlines.


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The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) has released the results of its Corporate Cash Indicators survey for the first quarter of 2013. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they increased their balances of cash and short-term investments over the quarter, whereas 28 percent said they reduced their cash and short-term investment balances. This +10 reading (38% minus 28%) is down a bit from the +13 reading of Q1/2012.
Over the course of the year ending with Q1/2013, 35 percent of companies increased their cash and short-term investments, while 27 percent reduced them. Although cash reserves are still growing, the overall +8 year-over-year reading is the first single-digit score since the AFP started producing its Corporate Cash Indicators index in January 2011. Moreover, 28 percent of respondents expect to reduce cash balances during Q2/2013, while 23 percent expect to expand them.
The AFP takes these numbers as a sign of optimism in corporate treasuries: "Business confidence appears to be gaining momentum as the pace of corporate cash accumulation decelerated during the first quarter of 2013," the organization states.


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My husband and I, along with our four kids in college and beyond live in western Washington, but we like to venture further afield when time permits. We have enjoyed photography wherever we have gone and hope to add a little new perspective to any who may stop by to enjoy a bit of our journeys. We appreciate your interest and comments! Weather is also a passion of mine, so please drop by my blog for my musings about our weather here in the Puget Sound region!
Crystal Lake
Uploaded by: PugetSoundPost
Saturday October 6, 2012
Naches, WA (Current Weather Conditions)
Caption: Crystal Lake, near Chinook Pass, with Mt. Rainier looming over the scene.
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InteroperabilityVersion: 0100


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Ray Way proves to be right way to play in MLB
Tampa Bay is all about playing hard, having fun and putting the team first
By Richard Justice / MLB.com
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- It's called the Ray Way. It's how the Tampa Bay Rays play baseball. It's also a mindset.
It's a relaxed, player-friendly environment built around old-fashioned values like trust, communication and honesty. It's about playing hard, having fun and putting the team first.
OK, I can see you rolling your eyes. You've grown cynical. You just don't think anything is that perfect.
You would be wrong about that. Players love playing for this franchise, especially for manager Joe Maddon. As the longest-tenured Ray, Ben Zobrist, said, "When they leave here, they miss it."
Zobrist is asked if he feels blessed to be playing for the Rays.
"Blessed is an understatement," he said.
Zobrist is the right guy to put this franchise in perspective because, in a lot of ways, he represents everything the Rays hope to be, on the field and off. More on him later.
It goes beyond environment. Years from now, we may look back and understand that the Rays changed baseball forever, proving that a smart, innovative front office and a brilliant manager can overcome a lot of economic disadvantages.
In the last five years, the Rays have averaged 92 victories a season and gone to the postseason three times. During that span, their average payroll was lower than 24 other teams.
They've done it with an amazingly talented, durable pitching staff: Last season's 3.19 staff ERA was the lowest by an American League team in 22 years. The Rays have used just 15 starting pitchers the last five seasons, which is five fewer than any other team.
Tampa Bay's Minor League pipeline has kept the big league team stocked with quality, affordable arms. Even though there's magic with some of what the Rays do, there's absolutely none with the pitching staff.
In David Price, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and others, the Rays have quality pitching depth most other teams can only dream of. Also, Maddon and Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey brilliantly maneuver their bullpen.
Offensively, the Rays do things differently. For instance, this season, Maddon will have regulars at third base (Evan Longoria), shortstop (Yunel Escobar) and center field (Desmond Jennings.)
He'll platoon at every other position, playing matchups, defensive moves and other factors compiled from the reams of data supplied by the Rays' brilliant executive vice president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, and his staff.
"That's how we are built. We have to be built that way," Maddon said. "We can't afford the large contracts with 150 games per position. Andrew and the boys do a great job of presenting all these different scenarios. That's who we are. We kind of dig it."
Maddon believes there's an advantage to doing things this way. None of his three catchers was in the starting lineup more than 80 times in 2012. His eight second basemen topped out at 46 starts. He used four starting shortstops, none for more than 68 starts.
There'll be more of the same in 2013. The Rays have 12 players in camp who've started at three or more positions and eight who've made starts in both the infield and outfield.
"I think the camaraderie exists here because nobody sits on the bench a long time," Maddon said. "We've had a good run of guys feeling frisky in August and September because they're not playing too much."
Once upon a time, Zobrist willingly played a bunch of different positions because he saw it as a good way to stay in the big leagues. Now he has turned his ability to play different positions at a high level into a nice career.
Last season, Zobrist started 59 games in right field, 47 at shortstop and 46 at second base. He hadn't played shortstop in three years when Maddon asked him to move there late in the season.
The Rays have not found another instance -- their research goes back 91 years -- in which a player started at least 46 games at three different positions. And Zobrist played all of them well.
Zobrist is penciled in to play right field and second base this season, but he will be prepared for anything.
"Ben Zobrist is that guy," Maddon said. "Zoe is all about winning. Anytime we talk to him about moving or doing different things, the first thing he'll talk about is what's best for the team. He's not just saying that and maybe saying something different to somebody else afterwards. That's not who he is."
Zobrist smiles when asked about this kind of thing. He appreciates the kind words, but he also appreciates everything about playing for the Rays.
"You just try and be an athlete," he said. "Sometimes it may look unconventional or it may not be perfect. The reality is that not a lot of what we do out there is perfect. If I can get the job done, it's a success. I just have to feel confident enough I can make the play."
In the beginning, he embraced a utility role "out of desperation to be on the club. You have to do whatever you gotta do to find at-bats and a place on the team. After doing it for a short time, I quickly realized how valuable it was, not only to our team, but to my career. It's been something I've embraced since then."
Zobrist arrived in a Trade Deadline deal with the Astros in 2006, a time when the Rays had averaged almost 100 losses in their first eight seasons. But new owner Stu Sternberg had taken over, and Friedman and Maddon were in the process of turning things around. Two seasons later, they were in the World Series, and the Ray Way was born.
"It's nice to come to a place that feels like your baseball home," Zobrist said. "There's been a culture that's been built here over the last six years that I've gotten to be part of it. It's neat to be able to start to pass that down to younger players and help them understand what it means to play the Ray Way."
Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Beloit fire causes estimated $110,000 in damages
Gazette staff
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
BELOIT—No one was injured in a Tuesday night fire that destroyed a Beloit house.
The Beloit Fire Department was dispatched to a house at 2169 Staborn Drive, at about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday where "heavy fire and smoke (were) showing," according to the fire department's news release.
The occupants of the home exited the home prior to the fire department's arrival. All occupants were uninjured, according to the release.
A fireplace in a room at the back of the house is believed to be where the fire started.
Damage to the home and its contents is estimated at $110,000, according to the release.
Area fire departments were called to assist the fire department because of the intensity of the fire. The American Red Cross is assisting the family.


text: Bicycle dealers offer sales of new and used equipment. They help customers choose the best framing and tires for the cycling they plan to do. Riding to work daily differs from riding up mountain trails. Bicycle retailers specializes in providing kids and adults with the right equipment for casual or professional riding on all surfaces including asphalt and dirt. Learn more about the terminology used by the dealers of this specialized equipment before going shopping online or in a store.


text:
Death notices for March 2, 2014
Mary Cannizzaro, 89, Lake Geneva, died Wednesday at Lakeland Health Care Center, Elkhorn. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at St. Frances De Sales Catholic Church, Lake Geneva. Visitation will be from noon until the time of services Monday at the church. Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Home and Crematory, Elkhorn, is assisting the family.
Howard "Jack" J. Hunt, 82, Evansville, died Friday at Evansville Manor Nursing Home. Services will be at noon Wednesday at Ward-Hurtley Funeral Home, Evansville. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and from 10 a.m. until the time of services Wednesday at the funeral home.
Lillian M. Raasch, 93, La Crosse, formerly of Janesville, died Feb. 21 at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, La Crosse. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 19, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Janesville. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services March 19 at the church. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, is assisting the family.
Wayne A. Pastorius, 48, Janesville, died Tuesday at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Toynton Funeral Home, Sharon. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of services Saturday at the funeral home.


text:
Although four out of five companies have taken measures to address bribery and corruption risks, they're not making much progress in eliminating these dangers to their business. That's the key takeaway from the "13th Global Fraud Survey" that EY released last week. The poll was conducted from November 2013 to February 2014; it entailed interviews by a global research firm with 2,719 senior decision-makers in large companies across 59 countries and territories. Respondents were primarily CFOs, chief compliance officers (CCOs), general counsel, and heads of internal audit.
Among these respondents, 82 percent said their company has an anti-bribery and corruption (ABAC) policy and code of conduct. Even more (83 percent) said senior management has "strongly communicated" its commitment to ABAC policies. Almost three-quarters (73 percent) said there are clear penalties for violating their company's ABAC policies, and 35 percent said people have been penalized for breaching the company's policies.
Nevertheless, 39 percent of all respondents—and 54 percent of those who work in emerging markets—said bribery and/or corrupt practices happen widely in business in their country. This perception is virtually unchanged from the 2012 EY survey, in which 38 percent of all respondents, and 56 percent in emerging markets, said bribery and corruption are widespread in their country.
Ten percent of C-suite survey participants said they have been asked to pay a bribe in a business situation, and twice that many CEOs have faced pressure to engage in bribery. The corruption problem is biggest in Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria. But 40 percent of the countries included in the survey were fingered by more than half of their residents as having widespread corruption.
Bribery is not the only ethics challenge that companies face. Six percent of all respondents said that misstating financial performance can be justifiable if doing so helps the business survive an economic downturn. In certain locales, that proportion is much higher: 28 percent in Singapore, 24 percent in India, and 10 percent in South Africa. Not only that, but 7 percent of CFOs and other finance professionals think performance misstatements can be justified—as do 11 percent of CEOs.
Ten percent of CFOs think back-dating a contract can be justified if it helps the company meet financial targets. Eleven percent are OK with extending the monthly reporting period, 17 percent with changing assumptions used to determine valuations or reserves, and 31 percent with increasing the flexibility of product-return policies. Only half of CFOs (51 percent) don't think any of these actions are justifiable when the company is falling short of performance goals. (See Figure 1, below.)
"While boards often set a zero-tolerance tone and encourage management to build teams to address the risks of bribery and corruption, our experience tells us that ongoing oversight from the board is essential if the risks are to be more effectively mitigated," EY states in the survey write-up. "Our results show that in companies where the leadership is most engaged and demanding, there is a higher level of compliance activity across the firm. It is essential that the board sets a challenging plan, continues to ask tough questions, and actively holds senior management accountable for the results."


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Your Views: Speed limit of 65 good enough in state
In the Our Views on the Opinion page in Monday's paper (April 7), it is suggested that Wisconsin is in the slow lane or even backward because of its speed limit on Interstate highways. You cherry pick when you write that Wisconsin is the only state between Pennsylvania and Oregon that doesn't have a higher speed limit.
While that's true, actually 15 other states have a 65 maximum or lower (Alaska is 55 maximum).
Reach vacation destinations more quickly? Let's suppose one is going to vacation in Eagle River, which is in northern Wisconsin and is 250 miles away. At 65 mph, it would take three hours and 51 minutes. At 70 mph, it would take three hours and 34 minutes. That's only 17 minutes longer. What's the hurry to save 17 minutes? Slow down and smell the roses. We know speed kills.
My son drives to Minocqua often, and he sets his cruise at 72 and he has never been stopped, so I know we can already cruise at 70.
I hope our Legislature leaves well enough alone.