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Mackinac Center for Public Policy
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The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a right-wing pressure group based in Michigan. Founded in 1987, it is the largest state-level "think tank" in the nation. It was established by right-wing activists to promote "free market," pro-business policies. The Center voices its policy positions though publications and has moved beyond Michigan by helping the leaders of similar conservative institutions to ratchet up their operations in many other states and countries around the world. It is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN), a web of state pressure groups that denote themselves as "think tanks" and drive a right-wing agenda in statehouses nationwide. The organization has drawn fire for its advocacy of right wing positions.[1]
Leading academics have criticized the Center, saying that "Mackinac Center research is often of low quality and because of this it should be treated with considerable skepticism by the public, policy makers and political leaders. Much of the work of the Mackinac Center may have caused more confusion than clarity in the public discussion of the issues that it has addressed by systematically ignoring evidence that does not agree with its proposed solutions."[2]
Former Mackinac Center scholar and Vice President Joseph P. Overton invented the concept of the Overton Window, which describes policy positions that are acceptable to the public. "Shifting the window" is the process of making previously unthinkable positions appear acceptable, or vice versa.
|Koch Wiki
The Koch brothers -- David and Charles -- are the right-wing billionaire co-owners of Koch Industries. As two of the richest people in the world, they are key funders of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on the Kochs include: Koch Brothers, Koch Industries, Americans for Prosperity, American Encore, and Freedom Partners.
- 1 Ties to the Koch Brothers
- 2 Ties to DonorsTrust, a Koch Conduit
- 3 Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
- 4 Ties to the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
- 5 Other Controversies
- 5.1 Involvement in Michigan's 2012 "Right to Work" Bill
- 5.2 Involvement in Michigan's 2011 Emergency Financial Manager Legislation
- 5.3 Opposition to Environmental Protections
- 5.4 Climate Change Denial and Opposition to Renewable Energy
- 5.5 Support of Privatization
- 5.6 Chilling Academic Freedom?
- 5.7 The Overton Window: Moving Policies from "Unthinkable" to Enacted
- 5.8 Michigan Capitol Confidential
- 6 Methods of Operation and Messaging
- 7 History
- 8 Funding
- 9 Personnel
- 10 Staff Compensation
- 11 Projects, Publications and Related Websites
- 12 Core Financials
- 13 Contact Details
- 14 Resources and Articles
Ties to the Koch Brothers
The Mackinac Center has received significant funding from the Koch family foundations as well as other funding organizations with ties to the Koch brothers. The Charles G. Koch Foundation donated $79,151 between 2005 and 2009, and the Claude R. Lambe Foundation gave Mackinac a donation of $5,000 in 2001. Between 2010 and 2012, the Mackinac Center received $1,494,000 from the Koch conduits DonorTrust and Donors Capital Fund.
Board member Richard Haworth has attended at least two Koch network summit meeting and was highlighted at the 2011 Vail summit for donating at least $1 million to Koch-approved causes.
Ties to DonorsTrust, a Koch Conduit
DonorsTrust is considered a "donor-advised fund," which means that it divides its funds into separate accounts for individual donors, who then recommend disbursements from the accounts to different non-profits. Funds like DonorsTrust are not uncommon in the non-profit sector, but they do cloak the identity of the original donors because the funds are typically distributed in the name of DonorsTrust rather than the original donors.[3] Very little was known about DonorsTrust until late 2012 and early 2013, when the Guardian and others published extensive reports on what Mother Jones called "the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement."[4][5]
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy received an aggregate of $1,494,000 in funding from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund between 2010 and 2012.[6]
A report by the Center for Public Integrity exposes a number of DonorsTrust funders, many of which have ties to the Koch brothers. One of the most prominent funders is the Knowledge and Progress Fund, a Charles Koch-run organization and one of the group's largest known contributors, having donated nearly $9 million from 2005 to 2012. Other contributors known to have donated at least $1 million to DonorsTrust include the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, Donald & Paula Smith Family Foundation, Searle Freedom Trust, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the John M. Olin Foundation.[7]
Since its inception in 1999, DonorsTrust has been used by conservative foundations and individuals to discretely funnel nearly $400 million to like-minded think tanks and media outlets.[7] According to the organization's tax documents, in 2011, DonorsTrust contributed a total of $86 million to conservative organizations. Many recipients had ties to the State Policy Network (SPN), a wide collection of conservative state-based think tanks and media organizations that focus on shaping public policy and opinion. In 2013, the Center for Media and Democracy released a special report on SPN. Those who received DonorsTrust funding included media outlets such as the Franklin Center and the Lucy Burns Institute, as well as think tanks such as SPN itself, the Heartland Institute, Illinois Policy Institute, Independence Institute, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, South Carolina Policy Council, American Legislative Exchange Council, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, and the Cascade Policy Institute.[8]
Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has been active in many "task forces" of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC):
- Senior Fellow in Environmental and Regulatory Policy Russ Harding is a member of the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force.[9][10]
- F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac's Director of Labor Policy, is the Private Sector Chair of the Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee of the Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force as of October 2013.[11]
- Paul Kersey, who was director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center from September 2007 to May 2012, is a member of the Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force.[12] Kersey represented the Mackinac Center at ALEC's 2012 Spring Task Force Summit. He presented three pieces of model legislation to the task force: the "Financial Accountability for Public Employee Unions Act," the "Election Accountability for Municipal Employees Act," and the "Decertification Elections Act."[13]
- Jack McHugh represented the Mackinac Center for Public Policy on the Health and Human Services Task Force at ALEC's annual meeting and States and Nations Policy Summit, both in 2010, and at the Spring 2011 Task Force Summit.[14][15][16]
- Director of Education Policy Michael Van Beek has represented the center on the Education Task Force.[17]
- Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy James Hohman represents Mackinac on the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.[18][19]
The Mackinac Center also has ties to ALEC through its membership in the State Policy Network (SPN), which supports ALEC.[20]
Please see SPN Ties to ALEC for more.
|About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve "model" bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our PRWatch.org site.
Ties to the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has hosted writers from the ALEC-connected Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which screens potential reporters on their "free market" views as part of the job application process.[21] The Franklin Center funds reporters in over 40 states.[22] Despite their non-partisan description, many of the websites funded by the Franklin Center have received criticism for their conservative bias.[23][24] On its website, the Franklin Center claims it "provides 10 percent of all daily reporting from state capitals nationwide."[25]
Franklin Center Funding
Franklin Center Director of Communications Michael Moroney told the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) in 2013 that the source of the Franklin Center's funding "is 100 percent anonymous." But 95 percent of its 2011 funding came from DonorsTrust, a spin-off of the Philanthropy Roundtable that functions as a large "donor-advised fund," cloaking the identity of donors to right-wing causes across the country (CPI did a review of Franklin's Internal Revenue Service records).[26] Mother Jones called DonorsTrust "the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement" in a February 2013 article.[27] Franklin received DonorTrust's second-largest donation in 2011.[26]
The Franklin Center also receives funding from the Wisconsin-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation,[28] a conservative grant-making organization.[29]
The Franklin Center was launched by the Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance (SAM),[30] a 501(c)(3) devoted to pushing free-market ideals. SAM gets funding from the State Policy Network,[31] which is partially funded by The Claude R. Lambe Foundation.[32] Charles Koch, one of the billionaire brothers who co-own Koch Industries, sits on the board of this foundation.[33] SAM also receives funding from the Rodney Fund.
Other Controversies
Involvement in Michigan's 2012 "Right to Work" Bill
On December 11, 2012, governor Rick Snyder signed into law a "right to work" bill, undermining collective bargaining by allowing workers to freeload off the benefits of union negotiations without paying the costs of union representation. The Mackinac Center played a prominent role in supporting this action.
The Mackinac Center and its funders, such as the billionaire DeVos family of the Amway fortune, had been coordinating behind close doors to effect this change "for 25 years," as a Mackinac blog post boasted after the bill passed, going on to call the passage of the bill "a classic example of the Overton Window of what's politically possible moving in the proper direction. Mackinac Center experts have been pushing that window toward right-to-work since 1990."[34]
In fact, SPN singled out the Mackinac Center's president, Joseph Lehman, for its highest award at its 2013 annual meeting, the "Roe Award" named after SPN founder and building materials supply magnate Thomas A. Roe. Why? For "the passage of a right-to-work law in Michigan," another blog post boasted. Betsy DeVos presented the award to Lehman, and Dick DeVos was recognized as well.[35]
Mackinac created or helped create two new online publications -- called "Michigan Capital Confidential" and "Watchdog Wire Michigan" (a project of the Franklin Center, of which Mackinac is a "partner") -- to communicate its claims, gain public support, and put pressure on the governor to adopt its "right to work" changes to state law.
In audio released in early 2013 by Progress Michigan, Mackinac Director of Labor Policy F. Vincent Vernuccio was recorded as telling supporters at an Americans for Prosperity "Citizen Watchdog Training" that he had met with Michigan lawmakers to make a plan for ramming "right to work" laws through the state legislature.[36] And in a series of 2011 emails between Mackinac staffers and Michigan Rep. Tom McMillin about a different piece of legislation, Mackinac's Jack McHugh told McMillin, "Our goal is outlaw government collective bargaining in Michigan, which in practical terms means no more MEA" (Michigan Education Association, the state's teachers union). In another email, McMillin told Mackinac staffers, "my ability to impact this decision could be assisted by hearing your thoughts...soon (and again, this is off the record - ok?)"[37]
Based on these email exchanges and other evidence, U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin (D-MI) asked the IRS to investigate Mackinac and "take appropriate actions to ensure that the Mackinac Center is in full compliance with federal tax law."[38]
Major funders of Mackinac have included the DeVos Family, heirs to the founder of Amway, and the Walton Family, heirs to Walmart. Between 1998 and 2011, Mackinac received $560,000 from four DeVos foundations; and between 2000 and 2003, the Walton Family Foundation donated at least $300,000. Both Amway and Walmart were among the 3,100 business that signed a letter in 2009 opposing the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), legislation that would have made it easier for workers to unionize. Walmart fought extensively to take down the EFCA, spending $7.4 million in lobbying efforts. Mackinac shifted its position from questioning whether Michigan should be a Right to Work state in 1994 to adamantly supporting "Make Michigan Open for Business" in 1998, immediately after the the DeVos foundation donations appear to have begun.[39]
But, despite all its efforts to achieve major legal changes such as "right to work," and its own admission that it had been pushing the change and communicating with state legislators about it, the Mackinac Center reported no lobbying to the IRS in 2012,[40] 2011,[41] or 2010.[42]
See PRWatch.org for more.
Involvement in Michigan's 2011 Emergency Financial Manager Legislation
Mackinac has supported changes to Michigan law to give more power to emergency financial managers, according to Progress Michigan.[39] These managers, who are state appointed officials, are given a broad range of powers to financially fix and take over struggling cities or school districts. A 2011 report from Mackinac suggested that these managers be given powers including the abilities to override elected officials and toss out union contracts.[43]
In 2005, the Center published a paper arguing an emergency financial manager with extremely broad powers should take control of the finances of Detroit, long plagued by budgetary problems. The Center advocated four major policy changes. The policies advocated by the Center included that the manager should "replace and take on the powers of the governing body", have the power to alter the charter of a municipality or district, and be immune from litigation. Binding arbitration for union contracts after failed re-negotiation would also be abolished, allowing the manager the power to opt out of the use of union labor at the end of a union's contract.[44] All four of these changes were proposed in controversial legislation introduced by newly elected governor Rick Snyder in 2011.
Opposition to Environmental Protections
According to Progresse Michigan, Mackinac has received generous funding from the Charles G. Koch Foundation in support of efforts to oppose environmental protection policies.[39] The foundation gave $79,151 between 2005 and 2009. During this period of time, Mackinac and Jack McHugh released reports supporting the "No-More-Stringent" law in Michigan, which prohibited the Department of Environmental Quality from adopting any regulation more stringent than the federal government. Opposition to environmental regulation would be beneficial to Koch Industries various interests and the corporation is a known repeat offender of EPA regulations.[45]
Climate Change Denial and Opposition to Renewable Energy
Mackinac has also called research on anthropogenic global warming a "pseudoscience," citing well-known climate change deniers Patrick J. Michaels and Robert C. Balling as evidence that the science behind global warming is falsified.[46] Mackinac has also advocated that Michigan lower its renewable portfolio standards (RPS) requirements to zero, citing Solyndra as an example of the unreliability of renewable energy. The Michigan RPS is 10 percent by 2015.[47] On wind power, Mackinac's senior environmental policy analyst Russ Harding has stated, "It is a given that households will pay for wind power through higher energy bills," and "Michigan legislators should repeal the renewable energy standard."[48]
Support of Privatization
Privatizing Prisons
Mackinac has been an ardent supporter of privatization of the correctional systems. According to Progress Michigan, the organization has released a series reports advocating privatization for the state with extensive "evidence" showing how the move towards private prisons would improve the finical state of Michigan.[39] These various reports state that privatization would alleviate problems such as overcrowding and improve overall quality of prisons. The reports fail to mention any possible downsides and work to push an agenda for funders who support private prisons.[49][50]
Privatizing Education
The Center has focused a great deal of its scholarly efforts on advancing school choice programs in Michigan, drawing great criticism for attacking teachers unions and public schools in the process. A 2002 study authored by three professors in the educational field, two from Columbia and another from Arizona State University, reviewed the Center's previous 11 years of work on education policy and found that "evidence presented in Mackinac Center studies is often weak and at times misleading." Continuing, they added that "it is hoped that this report has been helpful in revealing the shortcomings and the possible dangers inherent on basing public policy on the research of the Mackinac Center," and that the Center "is devoted to privatizing state institutions and to deregulating public education."[51]
The report analyzed the quality of Mackinac Center studies by employing the numerical scale used to determine whether or scholarly material written and researched by professors in the education field could be published in various scholarly journals in the education field. It adjusted these criteria to allow for the differences between original research, interpretive research, opinion essays and administrative and legislative guides, all of which were genres published in education journals. The report found that only 1 report out of 22 appropriately addressed its topic matter.[52]
Chilling Academic Freedom?
In March 2011, as protests over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's proposal to effectively end public sector collective bargaining continued to grow in Wisconsin, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for three Michigan Universities, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University. The request targeted any emails containing: "collective bargaining," "Wisconsin," "Madison," "Scott Walker" or "Maddow." The requests target labor studies faculty at each school. [53] USA Today wrote that Mackinac's "demands for professors' e-mails about Wisconsin's public employee labor strife is causing an uproar among some who suggest the Freedom of Information Act requests aim to intimidate pro-labor dissenters and stifle academic freedom." [53]
The FOIA request was very similar to one submitted by the Republican Party of Wisconsin to University of Wisconsin-Madison historian William J. Cronon during the same week, after the professor had published a blog post questioning the role of the American Legislative Exchange Council in Governor Walker's anti-union legislation. [54] Paul Krugman of the New York Times wrote " there's a clear chilling effect when scholars know that they may face witch hunts whenever they say things the G.O.P. doesn't like." [55]
Like the Wisconsin GOP's request for Cronon's emails, Mackinac's request posed some concerns for university professors because the request could be an attempt to quell political opposition. [56] In a New York Times article, Director of Academic Freedom for the American Association of University Professors, Greg Scholtz, said, "We think all this will have a chilling effect on academic freedom. We've never seen FOIA requests used like this before."[57]
The Overton Window: Moving Policies from "Unthinkable" to Enacted
The Overton Window is a tool used to visualize policy positions along the political spectrum. It was invented by Joseph P. Overton, a Mackinac Center scholar and Vice President, in the mid-1990's and has "gained national currency" since 2003.[58] In the Center's own description, it is designed to provide a spectrum which visualizes policies acceptable to the public with the various ends of the spectrum representing 'unthinkable' policies and the middle representing a policy that would be widely well received by the public. Any policy which would be deemed acceptable or desirable by the public is "in the window". The concept also holds that legislators can only act within the window out of their duty to constituents. According to the Center, the window is also finite and can be moved. The Center advocates action by think tanks and other non-political figures which would "shift the window", bringing policies that would once be thought of as radical or unthinkable into the realm of possibility, allowing legislators to enact them. Consequently, policies once looked upon acceptable or desirable would move out of favor with the public.[59]
Michigan Capitol Confidential
Michigan Capitol Confidential is a right-wing media source and the Michigan affiliate of the Franklin Center (see above for more). It produces articles and blog posts intended to appear like those of traditional news sources, but with a demonstrated conservative bias and pushing a right wing agenda.
- Manny Lopez--Managing Editor
- Tom Gantert--Senior Capitol Correspondant
- Jack Spencer--Capitol Affairs Specialist
- Jarrett Skorup--Research Associate for Online Engagement
Methods of Operation and Messaging
According to the Michigan Education Association, "The Mackinac Center receives attention not because of its objective scholarship but because it showers the media and governmental officials at all levels with publications designed to promote a conservative agenda. It is undoubtedly a very effective conduit for the policy wishes of its sponsors. It has shown great resourcefulness in creating new ways to spread its message. Between its presence in the Michigan Legislature, its many publications, news releases, its web site and conferences it might seem to be spreading its message in every way possible, but it continues to find new outlets"[1]:
- It recently sponsored a contest to reward a student essay that best "exposes a scientific fallacy in a book, movie, song or other pop culture medium."[60]
- A new program "Students for a Free Economy" will visit Michigan colleges and universities "taking policy ideas to students … who may be unfamiliar with the ways that markets affect their lives and the issues they care about."[61]
- It's Freedom in Fiction Prize competition offers $10,000 to the new book author who creates:
- "…characters that demonstrate an appreciation for liberty, free markets and/or explicitly or symbolically oppose government oppression or restraints on their freedom…"
But the book must not:
- "…advance themes or characters who promote government-sponsored solutions; vilify entrepreneurship; degrade personal initiative, self-reliance and responsibility, or regurgitate discredited myths and misconceptions about liberty and free enterprise… "[62]
The Mackinac Center was founded in 1987 with backing from the Cornerstone Foundation. According to a 2012 report by the Michigan Education Association, "The insurance industry (primarily Citizen's) provided initial funding, amounting to $306,382 during this period. Various officials of Dow Corning and Dow Chemical paid $335,986.[63]"[1]
- "Its creation was driven by the insurance industry's call for product liability reform, its interest in the Accident Fund, and by Dow Corning's concern over silicone breast implant liability. . . .[1]
- "According to documents filed by the Center with the federal government, its activities are tax exempt because it is:
- "'Conducting policy research on matters affecting Michigan residents and proposing approaches to public policy issues consistent with the traditional American values of free-markets, limited government, and respect for private property. . .'[64]
- "In order to retain this tax exempt status, the Center states that it has not:
- "'… attempted to influence national, state, or local legislation, including any attempt to influence public opinion on a legislative matter or referendum.'"[65][1]
The Mackinac Center is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN), a network of state-based think tanks patterned after the Heritage Foundation. Mackinac Center President Emeritus Lawrence Reed serves on the SPN Board of Directors.[1]
In 2012, the Center's revenues totaled $3,222,455, after spiking to $5,778,257 in 2011.[66][67] The majority of its revenue comes from tax-deductible contributions and grants. Its funding has grown substantially over the years, from just over $1.7 million in 1998 to a high of $5.8 million in 2011.
The Mackinac Center refuses to disclose who pays for its operations. When asked by Detroit's Metro Times in 1996, the Center's then-President Lawrence Reed said, "Our funding sources are primarily foundations … with the rest coming from corporations and individuals," but that "… revealing our contributors would be a tremendous diversion…"[68] However, some information about the Mackinac Center's funding can be gathered from its donors' tax filings.
Partial List of Mackinac Center Non-Profit Funders, 1993-2012:
|Amount Donated
|Foundation's funding source
|Aequus Foundation
|Free Market/Christian Science Advocacy
|Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
|Community Foundation
|Beach Foundation
|Bradley Foundation, Lynde and Harry
|Electronic and radio component heirs
|Brandon Foundation, David A.
|Former Domino's Pizza CEO
|Bretzlaff Foundation, Hilda E.
|Broad Foundation, Eli & Edythe
|Homebuilding and retirement
|Castle Rock Foundation
|Coors founder's sons
|Chase Foundation of Virginia
|JP Morgan banking heirs
|DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund
|Automotive corporation
|Dart Foundation
|Founder of Dart Container Corp
|DeVos Foundation, Daniel and Pamella
|Amway founder son, CEO DP Fox Ventures
|DeVos Foundation, Dick & Betsy
|Rep candidate for Gov./former State Rep. Chair
|DeVos Foundation, Douglas & Maria
|Current Alticor (Amway) Co-CEO
|DeVos Foundation, Richard and Helen
|Amway founder
|Donner Foundation, William H.
|Heirs of Union Steel Co. founder
|Donors Capital Fund
|anonymous donor-advised fund
|anonymous donor-advised fund
|Dow Foundation, Herbert H. and Grace A.
|Dow Chemical founder widow
|Dunn's Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking
|Investment company founder
|Earhart Foundation
|White Star Oil heirs
|ExxonMobil Foundation
|Oil corporation
|Fisher Foundation, Max M. and Marjorie S
|Gas stations and real estate
|Gelman Educational Foundation
|Gelman Instrument Company
|General Motors Foundation
|Automotive corporation
|Gerstacker Foundation, Rollin M.
|Dow Chemical Chairman (retired)
|Hanover Insurance Group Foundation
|Insurance corporation
|Hansen Foundation, Robert and Marie
|Cogen Technologies founder (energy cogeneration)
|Heritage Mark Foundation
|Christian causes, emphasis on evangelism
|Herrick Foundation
|Tecumseh Engines founder's son
|Hickory Foundation
|Investment company founder's former wife
|Hume Foundation, Jaquelin
|Basic Vegetable company heir
|Humphreys Foundation, J. P
|TAMKO roofing, composite decking founder's wife
|JM Foundation
|Borden Milk Company heirs
|Kelly Services, Inc. Foundation, MI
|Staffing corporation
|Koch Charitable Foundation, Charles G.
|Koch Industries oil corporation co-owner
|Lambe Charitable Foundation, Claude R.
|Koch Industries oil corporation heirs
|Krieble Foundation, Vernon K.
|Loctite Corporation heirs
|Merillat Foundation, Orville D. & Ruth A
|Cabinet manufacturer founder's widow
|Perrigo Company Charitable Foundation
|Over-the-counter drug manufacturer
|Peters Foundation, Ruth and Lovett
|Procter & Gamble heirs
|Pope Foundation, John William
|Variety Wholesalers retail chain founder
|Prince Foundation, Edgar and Elsa
|Prince Automotive founder's widow
|Rodney Fund
|Detroit Forming founder/Mackinac Board member
|Roe Foundation
|Builder Marts of American founder
|Scaife Foundation, Sarah
|Mellon industrial, oil and banking heirs
|Schiavone Family Foundation
|Construction company investigated for organized crime connections
|Staley Educational Foundation
|Strosacker Foundation, Charles J
|Dow Chemical Board member
|Van Andel Foundation, Jay and Betty
|Amway founder widow
|Walton Family Foundation
|Walmart heirs
In Strategic Grantmaking, Foundations and the School Privatization Movement, Richard Cohen of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy estimates that one-half to two-thirds of all corporate grant-making is "made through the CEO's office or the marketing department, for which there is no public disclosure requirement."[71]
The Media Matters Action Network has identified the organization's all-time biggest funder as the Rodney Foundation, an organization founded by Mackinac Center board member James Rodney.
Board of Directors
As of June 2014:[72]
- Joseph Fitzsimmons
- Dulce Fuller (also chair of the Southeast Michigan Committee of the Heritage Foundation)
- Richard Haworth
- Kent Herrick, Vice Chairman
- J.C. Huizenga (Founder, National Heritage Academies)
- R. Douglas Kinnan (Senior Vice President and CFO, Amerisure Insurance)
- Joseph Lehman, President (also on the board of directors of the Sam Adams Alliance, the advisory board of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, and former VP for communications at the Cato Institute; formerly of Dow Chemical) - received SPN's 2013 "Roe Award" for "achievements . . . greatly advanc[ing] the free market philosophy"[73]
- Edward Levy (President, Edward C. Levy Co.)
- Rodney Lockwood (Chairman/CEO, Lockwood Companies; board member, First Independence National Bank of Detroit; former Chairman of the Board, Michigan Housing Council)
- Joseph Maguire, Treasurer (President, Wolverine Development Corporation; board member, Michigan Chamber of Commerce)
- Richard McLellan, Secretary (McLellan Law Offices)
- D. Joseph Olson, Chairman Emeritus (Chairman from founding until end of 2012; Senior VP and Counsel - Government Relations, Amerisure Companies; former Michigan Commissioner of Insurance 1995-1997)
- Clifford Taylor, Chairman (former Michigan Supreme Court, 1997-2008)[74]
Past board members include:
- Paul Gadola (Judge, Reagan Campaign Chair, Federalist Society)
- Mara M. Letica, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Letica Corp
- Gail Torreano, Chief of Staff to Sen. Kevin Engler
- Lawrence W. Reed, Mackinac Center President Emeritus
- Margaret Riecker, Republican National Committee, Dow Foundation
- John Riecker, Hillsdale College and Comerica Bank, d. 2008
- Linda Rodney, managing partner at LK Rodney Enterprises, LLC.
- James Rodney, Chairman of the Board, Detroit Forming
- William Rosenberg , Bush Presidential Campaign, Reagan, Milliken and Engler administrations
- Robert Teeter, RNC Chairman, Pollster for Nixon, Ford, Bush campaign
- Philip Van Dam, US Attorney under Ford
- Gregory Kaza, Former Republican State Representative
- Dick DeVos, Amway, Republican Candidate for Governor
- Charles Van Eaton, Hillsdale College
- Peter Cook, Great Lakes Mazda, major Republican campaign donor
- Dick Antonini, Foremost Insurance
Policy Staff
- Dan Armstrong, Marketing and Communications Team Leader
- Christina Bolema, Communications Intern
- Zachary Dawes, Research Intern
- Tom Gantert, Senior Capitol Correspondent
- James Hohman, Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy
- Josiah Killmeyer, Research Intern
- Michael LaFaive, Director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative
- Joseph Lehman, President
- Nathan Lehman, Research Intern
- Manny Lopez, Managing Editor, Michigan Capitol Confidential
- Jack McHugh, Senior Legislative Analyst
- Ted O'Neil, Media Relations Manager
- Michael Reitz, Executive Vice President
- Dane Skorup, Research Intern
- Jarrett Skorup, Research Associate
- Audrey Spalding, Education Policy Analyst
- Jack Spencer, Capitol Affairs Specialist
- Michael Van Beek, Director of Education Policy
- F. Vincent Vernuccio, Director of Labor Policy
- Derk Wilcox, Senior Attorney
- Zachary Woodman, Research Intern
- Patrick Wright, Senior Legal Analyst
Former policy staff include:
- Lindsey Dodge, Editor
- Burton Folsom, Senior Fellow in Economic Education
- David Littmann, Senior Economist
- Anne Schieber, Senior Investigative Analyst
- Lorie Shane, Managing Director of Advancement
- Thomas Shull, Senior Director of Research Quality
Craig Rucker of CFACT is a Mackinac Adjunct Scholar.[75]
Lawrence Reed was formerly listed as President Emeritus.
Staff Compensation
The Mackinac Center spends a significant part of its annual budget on staff compensation, with executive Vice President Joseph Lehman reporting an increase in his salary every year from 2008-2012. In 2012, Lehman received an annual salary of $197,967, with an estimated bonus of $10,076 from the organization and related organizations. In 2012, the Center spent over $2 million of its nearly $4.4 million budget on staff compensation and benefits.[66]
Projects, Publications and Related Websites
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy runs the following affiliated sites and publications:
- Mackinac Center Legal Foundation - Law Firm
- Michigan Capitol Confidential - News service reporting on public officials
- Students for a Free Economy -
- Michigan Votes.org - database of legislative bills, votes
- Show Michigan the Money -
- Mackinac Media - Interviews and News Reports
Core Financials
- Total Revenue: $3,222,455
- Total Expenses: $4,395,247
- Net Assets: $8,451,422
- Total Revenue: $5,778,257.00
- Total Expenses: $3,925,505.00
- Net Assets: $9,523,575.00
- Total Revenue: $3,511,159.00
- Total Expenses: $3,401,252.00
- Net Assets: $7,581,106.00
- Total Revenue: $3,310,018.00
- Total Expenses: $3,377,168.00
- Net Assets: $7,345,742.00
Contact Details
140 West Main Street
P.O. Box 568
Midland, Michigan 48640
(989) 631-0900 Voice
(800) 22-IDEAS Voice
(989) 631-0964 Fax
Website: http://www.mackinac.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MackinacCenter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MackinacCenter
Resources and Articles
Related SourceWatch Articles
- State Policy Network:
- American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
- DonorsTrust
- Donors Capital Fund
- Koch Family Foundations
- Koch Industries
- Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
- Heritage Foundation
- Think tanks
- Whitney Ball
- Adam Meyerson
- Bridgett Wagner
- Koch Brothers
- Koch Family Foundations
- Americans for Prosperity
- Freedom Partners
- Cato Institute
- Heritage Foundation
- Koch Universities
- Koch Network
- Knowledge and Progress Fund
- American Encore
- DonorsTrust
- Donors Capital
- 60 Plus
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Related PRWatch Articles
- Brendan Fischer, Why Are the Franklin Center's "Wisconsin Reporter" and "Watchdog.org" Attacking the John Doe?, PRWatch.org, December 19, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, The State Policy Network's Cozy Relationship with Big Tobacco, PRWatch.org, December 16, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, Did ALEC Found SPN? 1991 Report Suggests So, Exposes SPN Agenda, PRWatch.org, December 12, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, Guardian Documents Expose State Policy Network Groups' Intent to Lobby, PRWatch.org, December 5, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, State Policy Network: The Stealth Network Dramatically Influencing State Law, PRWatch.org, December 5, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, Tracie Sharp: Bursar of Mystery Money and "IKEA Model" Materials to Stink Tanks, PRWatch.org, November 19, 2013.
- Center for Media and Democracy, Reports Expose Extreme Pressure Groups Masquerading as Think Tanks, press release, November 13, 2013.
- Rebekah Wilce, A Reporters' Guide to the "State Policy Network": the Right-Wing Think Tanks Spinning Disinformation and Pushing the ALEC Agenda in the States, PRWatch.org, April 4, 2013.
- Sara Jerving, ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States, PRWatch.org, November 27, 2012.
- Connor Gibson, Meet the Network Hiding the Koch Money: "Donors Trust" and "Donors Capital Fund", PRWatch.org, October 29, 2012.
- Brendan Fischer, Koch-Funded Mackinac Center Brings Wisconsin Act 10 Provisions to ALEC, PRWatch.org, May 2, 2012.
- Sara Jerving, Franklin Center: Right-Wing Funds State News Source, PRWatch.org, October 31, 2011.
External Resources
- DeSmog Blog, Stink Tanks: Historical Records Reveal State Policy Network Was Created by ALEC, December 9, 2013.
- The Guardian, State conservative groups plan US-wide assault on education, health and tax, December 5, 2013.
- Portland Press Herald, "Washington County residents have mixed reactions to plan to eliminate taxes," December 5, 2013.
- The Texas Observer, "The Money Behind the Fight to Undermine Medicaid," December 5, 2013.
- Media Matters, North Carolina Newspapers Largely Ignore Conservative Funding Of Sham Think Tanks, December 3, 2013.
- Shepherd Express, Masters of Manipulation: Right-wing Billionaires, Corporations and the Bradley Foundation Pay for Junk Studies that Prop up Their Agenda, November 27, 2013.
- "Moyers & Company," How a Shadowy Network of Corporate Front Groups Distorts the Marketplace of Ideas, November 19, 2013.
- MSNBC "Rachel Maddow Show," November 18, 2013.
- Free Speech TV "Ring of Fire," Facebook, Microsoft, AT&T and Others Supporting Right Wing Propaganda Machine, November 18, 2013.
- Topeka Capital-Journal, Trabert dismisses report tying KPI to Koch agenda, November 16, 2013.
- The New Yorker (Jane Mayer), Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?, November 15, 2013.
- Salon, Ted Cruz and Koch brothers embroiled in shadowy Tea Party scheme, November 15, 2013.
- St. Louis Business Journal, Beyond Sinquefield: Who else is funding the Show-Me Institute?, November 15, 2013.
- The Guardian, Facebook and Microsoft help fund rightwing lobby network, report finds, November 14, 2013.
- Huffington Post, Meet The Little-Known Network Pushing Ideas For Kochs, ALEC, November 14, 2013.
- CBS St. Louis, Show-Me Institute's Ties Questioned in New Report, November 14, 2013.
- Talking Points Memo, Florida Conservative Group Helping Muck Up Obamacare In Alaska, November 14, 2013.
- Mint Press News, Reports Reveal SPN's Secret Corporate Agenda Through Use 'Expert' Testimony, November 14, 2013.
- Media Matters, Shadowy Right-Wing Group Generates Media Coverage For Conservative Policy From Coast To Coast, November 14, 2013.
- The Institute for Southern Studies, Are conservative think tanks breaking lobbying laws?, November 14, 2013.
- Nonprofit Quarterly, Corporate Money in Network of Right-Wing State Policy Think Tanks, November 14, 2013.
- The Progressive, Right-Wing Think Tanks Push Privatization in the States, November 13, 2013.
- Politico, Report: Think tanks tied to Kochs, November 13, 2013.
- Lawrence Journal-World, Reports released by progressive groups are critical of Kansas Policy Institute, November 13, 2013.
- Maine Insights, Report: Maine Heritage Policy Center's funding connection to Koch Brothers, November 13, 2013.
- The Florida Current, Liberal groups bemoan lobbying by conservative think tanks, November 13, 2013.
- The Oregonian, Cascade Policy Institute benefits from secretive donor group but says it operates independently, November 13, 2013.
- Center for Media and Democracy, EXPOSED: The State Policy Network, The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Arizona Working Families and CMD, A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute: What Citizens, Policymakers, and Reporters Should Know, organizational report, updated November 13, 2013.
- Progress Florida and CMD, Lawmaking Under the Influence of Very Special Interests: Understand the role of Florida 'think tanks' in driving a Koch-fueled, ALEC-allied corporate agenda, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Maine's Majority Education Fund, Fooling Maine: How national conservative groups infiltrated Maine politics by founding and funding the Maine Heritage Policy Center, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Progress Michigan, Who's Running Michigan? The Far-Right Influence of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Alliance for a Better Minnesota, Who's in Charge: How Nationalized Corporate-Run Think Tanks Influence Minnesota Politics, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Progress Missouri, What Missourians Need to Know About the Show-Me Institute, organizational report, updated November 13, 2013.
- Granite State Progress, Bad Bartlett: The Josiah Bartlett Center and NH Watchdog Answer the Call of the Koch Brothers, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- ProgressOhio, Smoke Screen: The Buckeye Institute, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Keystone Progress, Think tanks or corporate lobbyist propaganda mills?, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Progress Texas, TPPF + ALEC, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- One Wisconsin Now, S is for Shill: Inside the Bradley Foundation's Attack on Public Education, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- Muncie Voice, Pence and Right-Wing Are Taking Over Public Education, November 13, 2013.
- The Spokesman-Review, Shawn Vestal: Idaho Freedom Foundation pushes limits of word 'charity', November 2, 2013.
- AZ Central, When this 'watchdog' pitches, taxpayers strike out, October 12, 2013.
- IndyStar, Daniels says speech to partisan group was a mistake, October 10, 2013.
- Muncie Voice, Indiana Policy Review: Not an Independent News Source, October 2, 2013.
- The Spokesman-Review, Idaho Freedom Foundation's charitable status scrutinized, September 15, 2013.
- CounterSpin, Lee Fang on 'The Right Leans In', April 5, 2013.
- FireDogLake, State Policy Network, an umbrella coordinating ALEC, Heritage, Heartland and others, April 4, 2013.
- Thom Hartmann with Lee Fang on MSNBC, The conservative State Policy Network is sneaking into your state & will change America, March 29, 2013.
- Current TV "War Room", Lee Fang discussing the State Policy Network, March 28, 2013.
- The Nation, The Right Leans In, March 26, 2013.
- Democracy Now, Donors Trust: Little-Known Group Helps Wealthy Backers Fund Right-Wing Agenda in Secret, February 19, 2013.
- Paul Abowd, Center for Public Integrity, Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states, Consider the Source, February 14, 2013.
- John R. Mashey, Fake science, fakexperts, funny finances, free of tax 2, DeSmog Blog report, updated October 23, 2012, p. 74.
- Urban Milwaukee, Stealth Conservatives, October 11, 2012.
- Rome News-Tribune, ANALYSIS: Georgia leaders depend on the same well for ideas, October 2012.
- Andy Kroll, The Right-Wing Network Behind the War on Unions, Mother Jones, April 25, 2011.
- Guidestar, State Policy Network, IRS filings and other organizational information about SPN.
- Center for Policy Alternatives, ALEC and the Extreme Right-Wing Agenda, organizational brochure about ALEC and SPN.
- John J. Miller, Fifty Flowers Bloom: Conservative think tanks — mini–Heritage Foundations — at the state level, National Review, November 19, 2007.
- Bridge Project, State Policy Network, online resource listing grants to SPN and SPN's connections to other groups.
- People for the American Way, State Policy Network, RightWingWatch.org, organizational resource.
- Greenpeace, Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group: State Policy Network (SPN), organizational resource.
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 Greg Steimel, The Truth About the Mackinac Center, Michigan Education Association report, January 2013.
- ↑ Cookson, Molnar, and Embree, Let the Buyer Beware: An Analysis of Social Science Value and Methodological Quality of Educational Studies Published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (1990-2001), Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice report, July 17, 2013.
- ↑ Rebekah Wilce, A Reporters' Guide to the "State Policy Network" -- the Right-Wing Think Tanks Spinning Disinformation and Pushing the ALEC Agenda in the States, PRWatch.org, April 4, 2013.
- ↑ Andy Kroll, Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement, Mother Jones, February 5, 2013.
- ↑ Suzanne Goldenberg, "Secret funding helped build vast network of climate denial thinktanks," The Guardian, February 14, 2013.
- ↑ Center for Media and Democracy, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund Grant Recipients, SourceWatch.org, accessed November 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paul Abowd, Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states, Center for Public Integrity, February 14, 2013.
- ↑ Donors Trust, GuideStar.org, IRS form 990, 2011.
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council Inside ALEC Jan. 2011, organizational newsletter, January 2011, p. 15.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Authors", organizational website, accessed October 2012.
- ↑ Ameircan Legislative Exchange Council, 35 Day Mailing— Agendas and Proposed Model Policies for 2013 States and Nation Policy Summit, organizational document, October 30, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, "Paul Kersey", organizational website, accessed January 2013.
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force meeting agenda and materials, April 6, 2012, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Health and Human Services Task Force meeting agenda and materials, October 27, 2010, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Health and Human Services Task Force meeting agenda and materials, March 31, 2011, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Health and Human Services Task Force meeting agenda and materials, June 30, 2011, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Education Task Force Member Directory, organizational document, June 29, 2010.
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Education Task Force meeting agenda and materials, October 28, 2010, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force meeting agenda and materials, March 31, 2011, on file with CMD
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, 2011 Conference Sponsors, conference brochure on file with CMD, August 11, 2011
- ↑ Franklin Center, Franklin Affiliates in Your State, organizational website, accessed October 2012.
- ↑ The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, Think tank Journalism: The Future of Investigative Journalism, organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Rebekah Metzler, "Watchdog" website puts a new spin on politics, The Portland Press Herald, October 2, 2010.
- ↑ Allison Kilkenny, The Koch Spider Web, Truthout, accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Sara Jerving, Franklin Center: Right-Wing Funds State News Source, PRWatch.org, October 27, 2011.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Paul Abowd, Center for Public Integrity, Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states, organizational report, February 14, 2013.
- ↑ Andy Kroll, Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement, Mother Jones, February 5, 2013.
- ↑ Daniel Bice, Franklin Center boss wants apology from Democratic staffer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 8, 2011.
- ↑ The Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation. Organizational website. Accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Sam Adams Alliance. Sam Adams Alliance Media Kit. Organizational PDF. Accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Media Matters Action Network. Sam Adams Alliance. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Media Matters Action Network. State Policy Network. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Media Matters Action Network. Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
- ↑ Michael D. LaFaive, Mackinac Center, Right-to-Work and the Mackinac Center: Touting labor freedom for 25 years, organizational blog, November 29, 2012.
- ↑ Manny Lopez, Mackinac Center President Honored for Leadership, CapCon (Mackinac Center blog), October 1, 2013.
- ↑ Progress Michigan, [www.progressmichigan.org/2013/01/mackinac-center-admits-to-lobbying-lawmakers/ Mackinac Center Admits to Lobbying Lawmakers], organizational press release, January 29, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center Emails, obtained and released by Progress Michigan, June 2011.
- ↑ Congressman Sander Levin, Letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, undated, accessed December 2013.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Progress Michigan, Who's Running Michigan, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2012 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2011 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 14, 2012.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2010 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 2, 2011.
- ↑ Louis H. Schimmel Jr., Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Can Detroit's Problems Be Corrected by an Emergency Financial Manager?, organizational op-ed, December 5, 2005.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, [1], Mackinac Center for Public Policy website, accessed September 28 2011.
- ↑ Kathleen Story, Billionaire Koch brothers oppose environmental regulation, examiner.com, Jan 2, 2013
- ↑ Daniel Hager, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Climate Distortion 101, organizational publication, February 25, 2010.
- ↑ Daniel Hager, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Should Lower its Renewable Portfolio Standard Requirements to Zero, organizational publication, September 9, 2011.
- ↑ Russ Harding, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Townships Blow Off Residents Over Wind Farms, organizational publication, September 1, 2011.
- ↑ Lawrence W. Reed and John R. LaPlante, Lock in Savings with Prison Privatization, Mackinac Center for Public Policy organizational report, Feb. 11, 2003
- ↑ Michael D. LaFaive, Private Prisons Succeed, Mackinac Center for Public Policy organizational report, Sept. 1, 1996
- ↑ Cookson, Molnar, Embree.[2]Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice report. Let the Buyer Beware: An Analysis of Social Science Value and Methodological Quality of Educational Studies Published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (1990-2001). September 28, 2011.
- ↑ Cookson, Molnar, Embree.[3]Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice report. Let the Buyer Beware: An Analysis of Social Science Value and Methodological Quality of Educational Studies Published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (1990-2001). September 28, 2011.
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 Dawson Bell Wisconsin Email Request USA Today, March 31, 2011
- ↑ Jon Wiener, The Power of a Simple Fact, The Nation, Mar. 28, 2011.
- ↑ Paul Krugman, American Thought Police, NYTimes, March 27, 2011.
- ↑ Zane McMillin Request for access to emails from faculty, staff made by think tank State News, March 31, 2011
- ↑ Steven Greenhouse, Group Seeks Labor E-Mails by Michigan Professors New York Times, March 29, 2011
- ↑ Joseph P. Overton Biography, Mackinac Center for Public Policy [4] Accessed 28 September 2011
- ↑ An Introduction to the Overton Window of Political Possibilities [5] Accessed 28 September 2011
- ↑ Bruce Edward Walker Contest Winner Takes on Disney, MichiganScience, Mackinac Center quarterly magazine, August 8, 2007, accessed May 10, 2011
- ↑ Isaac M. Morehouse Mackinac Center Launches University Campus Project: Students for a Free Economy "to go outside the box" to spread free-market ideas at Michigan colleges and universities, Students for a Free Economy press release, Mackinac Center project, August 23, 2007, accessed May 10, 2011
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy Freedom in Fiction Prize, cached Entry Form & Competition Rules, cached February 29, 2008, accessed May 10, 2011
- ↑ Curt Guyette, "Behind John Engler: The Big Mac Attack," Detroit Metro, March 1996.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, 2005 Form 990, organizational IRS tax filing, May 9, 2006, p. 3.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, 2005 Form 990, organizational IRS tax filing, May 9, 2006, p. 2.
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2012 IRS form 990, organizational tax filing, August 20, 2013. Accessed June 23, 2014.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2011 Form 990, organizational IRS filing, July 16, 2013.
- ↑ Curt Guyette, "Behind John Engler: First in a Series," Detroit Metro Times, 1996.
- ↑ 69.00 69.01 69.02 69.03 69.04 69.05 69.06 69.07 69.08 69.09 69.10 69.11 69.12 69.13 69.14 69.15 69.16 69.17 69.18 69.19 69.20 69.21 69.22 69.23 American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, Recipient: Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Bridge Project conservative transparency resource website, accessed November 2013.
- ↑ Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, 2012 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, November 12, 2013.
- ↑ Rick Cohen, Strategic Grantmaking, Foundations and the School Privatization Movement, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy report, November 2007, accessed May 10, 2011.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, Board of Directors, organizational website, accessed June 23, 2014.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman Honored with 2013 Roe Award at State Policy Network Annual Meeting, organizational press release, September 30, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center, Board of Directors, organizational website, accessed February 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Authors: Craig Rucker, organizational website, accessed February 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2012 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2011 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 14, 2012.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2010 Form 990, annual organizational IRS filing, August 2, 2011.
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2009 Form 990, organizational annual IRS filing, August 9, 2010.


text:
embrace the camera: dec. 15th
25 comments:
I was so excited to read this post, just for more shots of the ever-so-sweet Olivia. She is an adorable little peanut!ReplyDelete
Congratulations, Emily. Enjoy every moment.ReplyDelete
she is too precious! i want to hold that little peanut!ReplyDelete
Very cute baby!ReplyDelete
Your baby girl is beyond precious. Congratulations Anderson family! You have definitely kicked my baby fever into high gear ;)ReplyDelete
PS I love all your songs!
so happy for you guys! olive is a dollbaby!ReplyDelete
This picture of you and Ms. O is sooo sweet. Congrats again, Emily! Not sure if you're the type to share this sort of thing, but I'd be very interested to hear your birth story. Ya know, when you get time to type it out with all six littles in the house, Christmas a week and a half away, and the other demands of daily life. Ha!ReplyDelete
She is SUCH a doll....I absolutely love this stage too. ( as I sit here nursing my girl)ReplyDelete
one word...SCRUMPTIOUS!!!ReplyDelete
Oh I love those precious newborn days! So sweet!ReplyDelete
Congrats! What a beautiful baby! :)ReplyDelete
Love the name Olive! She is gorgeous - as if your child could be anything else! Congrats.ReplyDelete
She is adorable! Congrats again!!ReplyDelete
she is preciously precious!!ReplyDelete
Your pictures are super sweet!ReplyDelete
i love the picture of you & her. such a sweet moment captured! :)ReplyDelete
Oh, what beautiful photos! I love how God blesses us when we don't expect it.ReplyDelete
Unexpected children are the best! ...I mean, I think I'm pretty cool ;)ReplyDelete
Enjoy every squeak, smile and coo. :)
she is so precious..ReplyDelete
she is absolutely the most precious little thing ever!!! Congrats momma!! So happy for your family :)ReplyDelete
olive is beautiful. Lovely memories!ReplyDelete
Good morning!ReplyDelete
I've included your site on a page I've put together devoted to hops, challenges, and memes for every day of the week! The link to that page is under my header. http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/
That is such a beautiful picture of the two of you!!ReplyDelete
You are one lucky lady. :) Merry ChristmasReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Welcome to the MANGA Forum.
|You will have to register before you can post: log in or sign up at the top of the page to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Hi um, I was wondering if the rules could be posted because I am noticing some people are kinda using the forum as a chat system. It gets kinda annoying when two people keep making topics that don't really have anything to do with what this forum was made for. Not trying to be a mod, just trying to keep the spirit of the forum just that. A forum.
people should quit posting multiple topics if there already is one available. it does get annoying.
exactly,it does get annoying!
only a fourmElfen lied rules


text:
The drivers of a propane truck and a sedan both complained of pain, but escaped serious injury, in a T-bone collision Friday afternoon.
The driver of the propane truck was driving down Loma Rica Avenue when the female driver of the sedan reportedly ran a stop sign at a significant rate of speed, pulling directly in front of him.
The truck was a transport truck and was hauling a propane tank that was nearly empty, said California Highway Patrol Officer Greg Tassone.
Neither driver opted to be transported for medical treatment, Tassone said.


text:
An Ormond Beach doctor was arrested Sunday because he violated a domestic injunction for protection, police said.
According to police, 49-year-old Jeffrey Newfield, an orthopedic doctor, was violating the injunction when he was less than 500 feet from his wife's home.
The woman called police when she saw Newfield's vehicles parked at a mutual friend's house nearby, officials said.
Authorities said they made contact with Newfield and immediately put him in handcuffs because of a previous incident where he was uncooperative.
Investigators then measured the distance between the two homes and found that it was 287 feet, which is a violation of the 500-foot radius Newfield was not suppose to enter.
Newfield was arrested and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail.


text:
I feel so inadequate, sending emails signed with lower case x's and o's, offering help where I can. If I had enough money I'd send flowers in a pretty vase. I want to hold them in my arms. I want to say I'm sorry. I want to take all the bad thoughts and hurt and sadness away.
I watched Beth's kids while she went to the hospital. We made art with buttons and glitter glue.
All around me people I love are losing their children, their husbands, their wives, their jobs, their minds.
Sometimes it's not that there's not enough words to say but there just aren't any words at all. Or things I could do. Maybe if I were more creative or maybe if I were more organized. Maybe if I had a time machine. Maybe it's not up to me.
I'm sad and I'm sorry and I'm praying and I'm surrendering more than you know.
Subscribe to my blog here
Twitter me- I'm babysteph


text:
Of the four fundamental parameters that we use to perceive the physical world (energy, momentum, position, and time) three correspond to the three broad categories of synchrotron experimental measurement techniques: spectroscopy (energy), scattering (momentum), and imaging (position). The fourth parameter—time—can in principle be applied to all the techniques.
At the ALS, many experiments can be carried out in real time, with data being recorded from the same sample as it changes over time. Some time-resolved experiments take advantage of the pulsed nature of the ALS's synchrotron radiation, which, like a strobe light, can capture a series of "snapshots" of a process that, when viewed sequentially, show us how a given process evolves over time. Other experiments simply require two pulses: one to "pump" energy into the sample system and a second to probe the system's excited state.
To improve time resolution, a high-speed laser can be used to "slice" out tiny slivers from the circulating electron bunches in the storage ring to produce pulses of synchrotron radiation lasting just 300 femtoseconds (the vibrational period for atomic motion is about 100 femtoseconds). This "ultrafast" regime opens the possibility of exploring the making and breaking of chemical bonds and the rearrangement of atoms, processes that ultimately determine the course of phase transitions in solids, the kinetic pathways of chemical reactions, and even the efficiency and function of biological processes.
Finally, ultrafast experiments require detectors that are fast enough to resolve the details of the dynamical processes. Streak cameras are a type of detector that captures temporal information and displays it spatially, by spreading it out into a streak—in a sense magnifying the timing structure of the data.
Selected Time-Resolved Highlights
Ultrafast Transformations in Superionic Nanocrystals
Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Warm Dense Matter
Real-Time Chemical Imaging of Bacterial Biofilm Development
Using Light to Control How X Rays Interact with Matter
X-Ray Imaging of the Dynamic Magnetic Vortex Core Deformation
Influence of Domain Wall Pinning on the Dynamic Behavior of Magnetic Vortices
Slow Dynamics of Orbital Domains in Manganite
Looking at Transistor Gate Oxide Formation in Real Time
The ALS X-Ray Streak Camera: Bringing the Ultrafast and Ultrasmall into Focus
X-Ray Imaging Current-Driven Magnetic Domain-Wall Motion in Nanowires
Magnetic Vortex Core Reversal by Low-Field Excitations
Tailored Terahertz Pulses from a Laser-Modulated Electron Beam
Femtosecond NEXAFS of Photoinduced Insulator-Metal Transition in VO2


text:
Serves 4 |
Prep Time 15 minutes |
Cook Time 35 minutes
2 tsp Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, small diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup Eden Millet, washed, drained
4 cups cauliflower, chopped
3 cups water
Mushroom Gravy
1 Tbsp Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup onion, finely minced
1 cup button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Eden Sea Salt
2 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour
2 cups Edensoy Unsweetened
1 tsp Eden Mirin
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley, for garnish
Heat oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add millet, cauliflower, salt and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
While the millet is cooking, heat the oil for the gravy in a medium skillet and sauté the onions and mushrooms with the sea salt for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly until vegetables are coated. Slowly add the Edensoy, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the mirin and pepper. Simmer about 10 minutes.
When the millet is done, remove from the flame and mash with a potato masher. Serve with mushroom gravy ladled over and garnish with parsley.
American, Condiments, Edensoy, Good/High Fiber, Good/High Protein, Japanese Food, Macrobiotic, Main Course, No Sweetener Added, Oils, Vegan, Whole Grain, Whole Grain


text:
SHEPHERDSTOWN - According to the most recent West Virginia Department of Commerce Economic Impact Report, direct travel spending to the state generated more than $4.2 billion in business revenues. Speaking Tuesday morning in Shepherdstown, Sen. Jay Rockefeller stated that amount is equal to $12 million per day.
According to the report, $296.8 million of the state and local travel-generated government revenue comes from state gaming.
"There are activities that make West Virginia prosperous," said Ken Lowe, general manager of the Jefferson County Development Authority. "Gaming has become an important part of West Virginia's economy. I remind everybody every chance I get, that if it were not for horse racing and greyhound racing there would be no casinos, there would be no slots, there would be no table games," he said.
Article Photos
Journal photo by Michelle Horst
Senator Jay Rockefeller speaks at the Governor's Tourism Conference in Shepherdstown Tuesday morning.
Lowe spoke before Rockefeller, who served at the keynote speaker, at the Governor's Tourism Conference in Shepherdstown. Rockefeller's speech focused on boosting tourism efforts in the state.
What the keynote speech did not mention was the potential threat of Maryland's Question 7, which would allow table games at the existing casinos and construction of an additional casino in Prince George's County.
"We couldn't make up for that (lost revenue). We probably can't. That's why it's important that it's not passed," Rockefeller said before his speech. "I'm sure the governor and I and others will look for other ways to generate funding, but it's going to be hard; I mean, it's millions of dollars," he said.
As for the tourism industry in a whole, Rockefeller said it is boosting itself. While many other states are losing tourists, West Virginia's is increasing. He cited hard work and cooperation as reasons, in addition to promoting regions in the state rather than counties.
Rockefeller said his first leadership position in the Senate was as chairman of the Trade and Tourism Subcommittee, before becoming chair of the Commerce committee, with jurisdiction over all tourism and transportation.
"We really worked hard to preserve our natural beauty and make it accessible by creating new protected recreation areas and scenic byways," Rockefeller said.
He said the federal government is actively working to design strategies that would better market U.S. destinations, adding that the decline in overseas visitors in recent years cost the U.S. economy $509 billion.
A great aide to the West Virginia economy, Rockefeller said, would be to have just a fraction of those visitors come to the state.
- Staff writer Michelle Horst can be reached at 304-725-6581.


text:
quote: The specifics of Mr. Jobs's surgery couldn't be established, but according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the transplant network in the U.S., there are no residency requirements for transplants. Having the procedure done in Tennessee makes sense because its list of patients waiting for transplants is shorter than in many other states. According to data provided by UNOS, in 2006, the median number of days from joining the liver waiting list to transplant was 306 nationally. In Tennessee, it was 48 days.
quote: Instead, he flashed the cash and got priority.
quote: Mr. Jobs had earlier this year had relocated from California to Tennessee, a state known for having a shorter waiting list for organ transplants.


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FINRA Rules
FINRA is establishing a consolidated FINRA rulebook that will consist solely of FINRA Rules. Until the completion of the rulebook consolidation process, the FINRA rulebook includes NASD Rules and Incorporated NYSE Rules (together referred to as the "Transitional Rulebook"), in addition to the new consolidated FINRA Rules. As the new FINRA Rules are approved and become effective, the rules in the Transitional Rulebook that address the same subject matter of regulation will be eliminated. When the consolidated rulebook is completed, the Transitional Rulebook will have been eliminated in its entirety.
While the NASD Rules generally apply to all FINRA members, the Incorporated NYSE Rules apply only to those members of FINRA that are also members of NYSE. FINRA Rules apply to all members, unless such rules have a more limited application by their terms.
All FINRA members are subject to the FINRA By-Laws and Schedules to the By-Laws.


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Celebrity Central / Top 25 Celebs
Oct 06, 2008
From Demi & Selena to JoBro & Miley, these up-and-comers are coming to an A-list near you!
Teen Idols
From pop princesses to hunky heartthrobs, these teen juggernauts had it all–before they had driver's licenses!
See All Covers
Copyright © 2016 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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The Hills star, joined by her husband Spencer Pratt, hosted the grand opening of the Liquid pool Saturday, unveiling her bikini body in a public setting for the first time since she had 10 surgeries last November.
"I'm not nervous at all," she told PEOPLE upon entering the pool at Aria. "I've been working out really hard and I've been through a lot so I'm very ready for this moment."
As if on cue, Montag doffed a sarong and unveiling a bedazzled bikini from her swimsuit line as her song "Body Language" was played overhead.
"I haven't been in a bikini since my new body and of course I'm wearing my own designs so I'm excited to show the world," she said.
Appearing happy with her body, Montag smiled and posed for photos, seeming confident – all while surrounded by six personal bodyguards and Pratt, who donned military-style fatigues and combat boots to the party.
Now that she's revealed her body in time for bikini season, she says she's ready to start work on a number of projects, most of which she can't talk about. One thing she's ready to leave behind – The Hills.
"Thank God it's ending," she said. "I think we're all ready for it to be done."
See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own


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The Motorola Atrix 4G is a 4G device for ATT's network. It was one of the biggest hits at CES11 because of its specs and innovative accessories from Motorola, such as the laptop dock.
Some of the specs include Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual core processor, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB of onboard storage and fingerprint recognition.
Announced Date:
January 5, 2011
Android Central Reader Rating:
(63 votes)
Top Motorola Atrix 4G Stories
Recent Motorola Atrix 4G Forum Threads
- RSD Lite does not recognize the device
- Spam in notification bar
- Double Text Messages
- water damaged screen. help!
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- mobile banking apps not working
- Motoblur account? Yes or No?
- Water damage help!
- Atrix--Google talk authentication failure and wont download apps
- See All Threads
Help and Howto
Motorola Atrix 4G Accessories
Now that you've got a Motorola Atrix 4G, it's time to accessorize. There are plenty of ways you can make your phone your phone, be it with cases for protection, an extra battery for extended life, chargers to keep you juiced, and on and on. Check out our Motorola Atrix 4G Accessories Guide.


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« Tsar Alexander III (1845-1894) and Empress Marie Feodorovna (Dagmar) (1847-1928) | Klementy Nagorny, sailor who looked after the Tsarevitch Alexei »
Our communities encompass many different hobbies and interests, but each one is built on friendly, intelligent membership.
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19 Healthy Recipes for KidsChristine Wei
White House Fruit and Oat Granola Bars 1 of 19No, we can't verify that health advocate and First Lady, Michelle Obama, put a presidential seal of approval on this snack, but we're pretty confident she'd serve it to her girls. These fruit-packed and fiber-laden granola bars are great for kids. Plus, the White House executive pastry chef inspired this recipe.
Make White House Fruit and Oat Granola Bars »
Eggplant and Goat Cheese Bake 2 of 19Health-conscious eaters usually try to avoid sweet, heavy sauces. Luckily, this bake escapes both the sugar and the heat of the stove — perfect for early warm days of September. And with such colorful herbs and veggies, kids won't even notice the eggplant they may otherwise have shoved away.
Make Eggplant and Goat Cheese Bake »
Thai Pork and Mango Salad with Mango Mint Dressing 3 of 19
Your kid's sweet tooth will be delighted with this tangy-sweet salad with generous portions of mango chunks and mango dressing. The recipe, which calls for the leanest cut of pork, will also provide a great dose of iron without all the fat. It's got our vote!
Make Thai Pork and Mango Salad with Mango Mint Dressing »
Low-Fat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies 4 of 19Everyone deserves a small indulgence now and then. With only a quarter-cup of butter, this gooey-good recipe is as guiltless as chocolate desserts get. If your kids have been good with their greens, treat them with the most harmless cookies you'll find. (We're sure even Malia and Sasha get treated to cookies every now and then.)
Make Low-Fat Double Chocolate Chip Cookies »
Chicken Soup with Quinoa 5 of 19In the fluctuating weather between summer and fall, kids are particularly susceptible to colds. On not-so-healthy days, chicken soup with quinoa is a gluten-free alternative to the noodle remedy that always makes everyone feel better.
Make Chicken Soup with Quinoa »
Marinated Chicken and Grape Skewers with Garden Lentil Pilaf 6 of 19
Kids will love the complex textures in this protein-laden dish. Soft, plump grapes add a surprising sweetness to savory chicken, while lentil pilaf adds a chewy element. (It very well could be on the White House dinner menu.)
Make Marinated Chicken and Grape Skewers with Garden Lentil Pilaf »
Blackberry Popsicles 7 of 19Until the sun gives way to snow, kids will crave frozen treats. Homemade popsicles made with fresh blackberries add a burst of flavor and antioxidants, so your darlings will only ingest
the healthiest of sugars.
Make Blackberry Popsicles »
Sassy Sweet Potato Fries 8 of 19If your kids (or you) can't stop hankering for fries, switch out regular potatoes with sweet potatoes and swap the deep fryer with an oven. These sweet potato fries are so savory, especially with mesquite mayo, your family will forget the unhealthy grease sticks in no time.
Make Sassy Sweet Potato Fries »
Baked Tomatoes with Parmesan Herbs 9 of 19For kids who are wary of soft, mushy dishes, these bread crumb-filled baked tomatoes pack crunchy texture that everyone will enjoy munching. And with the parsley and Parmesan, this dish is also a smart way for kids to get a good dose of Vitamins A, C and E and some serious potassium.
Make Baked Tomatoes with Parmesan Herbs »
Roasted Beet Hummus 10 of 19Regular hummus is filled with protein and fiber, but if you add beets, you've got a cheerful splash of color and a dose of heart-healthy potassium to boot.
Make Roasted Beet Hummus »
Marinated Asparagus with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette 11 of 19Michelle Obama stresses that veggies are an essential part of any diet, but they're usually the last things a kid wants to eat. This calcium-rich asparagus dish is not only tasty, it's spiked with cancer-fighting ginger and garlic, and your kids will grow strong, healthy bones with every bite.
Make Marinated Asparagus with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette »
Grape Jiggle Cups 12 of 19Eating healthy should be fun for kids so they embrace good eating habits from an early age. Enter sugar-free gelatin — every dieter's secret weapon. They jiggle, they wiggle and with 100% real fruit juice and real grapes, these cups are a naturally sweet and fantastically fun way to avoid eating empty calories.
Make Grape Jiggle Cups »
Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts 13 of 19
This light but substantial dish contains almost everything a growing kid needs. Full of antioxidants, iron, and fiber, this powerful combination of ingredients comes together in a meal that packs a truly heart-healthy punch.
Make Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts »
Black Bean Burgers 14 of 19As hard as you might try, you can't protect your kids from today's ubiquitous and seductive fast food ads. Luckily, a black bean patty satiates inevitable burger cravings with a boost of protein and fiber.
Make Black Bean Burgers »
Double Superfood Smoothies 15 of 19Sugary juices are no good for growing bodies, so offer up an alternative in your house with this double superfood smoothie. It's a delicious thirst-quencher full of energizing antioxidants (blueberries) and the cholesterol-free protein (tofu). Bottoms up!
Make Double Superfood Smoothies »
Tabbouleh 16 of 19This bulgar grain and cherry tomato salad is inspired by the street food of Jerusalem and will probably be gone before the kids even realize how healthy it is.
Make Tabbouleh »
Peanut Butter Strawberry Wrap 17 of 19Finally, a guiltless alternative to your kid's favorite PB&J sandwich! Full of monounsaturated fat (the healthiest kind of fat), this recipe's natural peanut butter is a mineral-tastic compliment to vitamin-laden strawberries, all in a whole-wheat wrap.
Make Peanut Butter Strawberry Wrap »
Restaurant-Style Salsa 18 of 19If your kids have bolder and braver tastes, they'll love the kick in this restaurant-style salsa. Upgrade a simple combination of anti-cancer tomatoes, peppers, and onions with a quick fire-roast for authentic Mexican flavor.
Make Restaurant-Style Salsa »
Kale Chips 19 of 19As hyperbolic as this might sound, these kale chips will change your life, at least when it comes to snacking. Make these vitamin-C powerhouse crisps once and your kids will never go back to greasy potato chips. In fact, there are so many vitamins in kale we don't have space to list them. What other chip can compare?
Make Kale Chips »
Article Posted 6 years Ago


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Boots that girls/women wear that are knee high, usually made of leather and, have a heel.
Spencer: Look at those boots Nolan is wearing.
Ma-Rak: Those are some major slut boots.
Ma-Rak: Those are some major slut boots.
av Ma-Rak 28. september 2007
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A shorter pair of boots than hooker heels, in which a girl might get her inner skank on. A favourite amongst virgin whores.
Daaaaaaaym, Kristy got slut boots on. She got her skank on 2nyt!
av bex231 28. juli 2008


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|Home » Ink Cartridges » Epson Ink Cartridges
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Disastrous proprietary Universal Media Disc (UMD) format and haphazard software selection aside, we thought that the original PlayStation Portable was pretty terrific, what with its big, sharp LCD screen and noteworthy multimedia prowess. The handheld gaming system's capable processor and onboard flash memory also made it ripe for the introduction of new features via firmware upgrades, which thankfully remain plentiful.
Of course, we didn't realize how bulky the PSP-1000 was until we wrapped our collective mitts around last year's PSP-2000, rightly nicknamed "PSP Slim." So when recent successor the PSP-3000 (available as part of the Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack bundle) was announced, we figured that if we could have it all – and more, including a pleasing tweak to the screen's contrast level – in a pleasing form factor, why not? With this small, but welcome update, manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment America further responded to consumer demand by adding video output to a connected TV, and even surprised us with clever hardware tweaks such as relocating the tiny stereo speakers from the bottom edge to the face of the unit.
The PSP 3000 Difference
As a handheld gaming device, the PSP remains extraordinary, freeing console-quality games from the confines of the living room. But who can deny the significance of adding MP3 and WMA music playback plus support for Hollywood feature films? The quality rivals portable DVD players, only in a more convenient package. It is with this video performance in mind especially that the improvements inherent to the new PSP-3000 ultimately prove so impressive, albeit with a couple of caveats.
The PSP-3000 arrives running the version 4.20 firmware, which has since been updated to 5.01, so we immediately set about grabbing it. We needed only a few seconds to configure the device to work with a home WiFi network, a minute-and-a-half to download the patch and another two minutes to install, all wirelessly. (And not even plugged into AC power at that, instead using just the juice that was included on the battery right out of the box.) Since the prior model's debut, intervening updates have wonderfully exploited the hardware's many abilities with welcome features like free internet radio powered by SHOUTcast, LocationFree video watching from select Sony electronics, plus Remote Play access to and control of a registered PlayStation 3.
Version 5.0 Firmware
Version 5.0 further brought the PS Store to PSP, with most of the same convenience you might be familiar with from the PS3, while 5.01 addresses an issue with proper recognition of available space on an inserted Memory Stick PRO Duo card. A one-gigabyte card is included in this bundle, a far cry from the 32-megabyte wafer included with the first PSP, with up to a 16GB card available separately. As with preceding models, note that music, videos, and full games are all downloadable straight to the PSP-3000. As part of our testing we snagged a free 60MB game demo, and in less than three minutes we were playing something brand new – always a plus when you're an attention-span-deprived vidiot.
Since the previous generation, the UMD door around back is manually opened and no longer spring-loaded. These "Universal Media Discs" can carry music (which never caught on with consumers); near PS2-quality games; and movies (another not-so-popular option), in high-efficiency, DRM-encrypted MPEG-4 format. The small, up-to-1.8GB-capacity optical discs are suspended inside a protective plastic shell. This Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP bundle includes, as the name would suggest, the "Greatest Hits" title Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, plus the recent blockbuster movie (no, we weren't suckered into seeing this stinker either, but somehow most of America was) National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets from Disney, also on UMD. Found here too is a voucher with redeemable PS Store code for the irresistibly mind-bending, M.C. Escher-inspired game echochrome.
Ultimately though, most of the refinements to the PSP in this recent hardware revision are evident in its screen, which started out as arguably the system's greatest strength, and has only gotten better over time. With 16:9 widescreen proportions and a generous 4.3-inch diagonal, this full-transparent-type TFT drive LCD can deliver approximately 16.77 million colors, with 480 x 272 pixel resolution. The good news being that the PSP-3000 proves even more vibrant than ever, with a wider color gamut backed by dedicated "Color Space" controls in the system settings. The contrast ratio has been deepened as well, so that images tend to really pop. The screen's response time has also been doubled over that of the PSP-2000, while the surface of the screen appears to be less reflective. During playtests, we saw less of ourselves (or, more accurately, those reflections we did see were less sharp and therefore less distracting) and more of the game.
Movie and Game Performance
The step up in picture quality is quite simply jaw-dropping. Using two copies of the same UMD (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of our go-to discs) simultaneously for side-by-side comparison between the PSP-3000 and PSP-2000, we immediately noticed a greater range of colors on the PSP-3000, providing picture quality that's more true to how the movie is supposed to look, and more lifelike overall. Increased detail is obvious throughout the frame, and text is also crisper than ever. Paired with a well-authored video file, this is one of the best portable video experiences ever, with benefits undeniable for anyone who uses the PSP as a multimedia entertainment player. As for gamers, such superior video performance makes a broad range of hues and fine detail come alive as never before, delivering greater visceral impact.
Even so, we are aware of some grumblings about jaggies and screen lines compromising image caliber. Again, side-by-side with the PSP-2000, we did detect a slight increase in thin horizontal screen lines visible on the PSP-3000, owing to its enhanced sharpness. Similarly, images that were somewhat obscured on the PSP-2000 are now revealed in more detail, and so moving diagonals exhibit a greater instance of jagged, stair-step edges than on the previous model's screen. Bearing this in mind though, the good still outweighs the bad on the PSP-3000. Sometimes, in the digital realm, you can't advance one without the other.
A small, but sensitive microphone has also been added to the front of the device, nestled between the Volume Up button and the PSP logo. It's a definite boon to Skype users (the Internet calling feature was introduced with the v3.90 firmware update), but also handy for any games that involve player speech, as an external microphone is now one less add-on accessory for us to remember, or to fumble with. Other than that, SCEA has further reshaped some of the buttons and renamed "Home" with simply the stylized PlayStation "P."
Mind you, only a handful of studios continue releasing their movies on UMD. Nonetheless, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is exclusively adding a PSP-compatible Digital Copy option onto more of its DVDs. While Digital Copy is more common on new releases, SPHE has additionally gone back and reissued multiple back-catalog titles with this new bonus PSP feature including Heavy Metal, The Dark Crystal, Donnie Brasco, Talladega Nights and many others. The upcoming Hancock will be the studio's first Blu-ray to come packaged with Digital Copy features as well. Basically, using a unique code number at the computer, you can authorize transfer of an approximately 700MB ".MGV" file containing the firm directly from the DVD to the Memory Stick PRO Duo inside the USB-connected PSP. These are H.264-encoded MPEG-4 videos at 480×270 resolution, DRM-protected of course, although you can remove the memory card and insert it into the slot on the PS3.
And, though there's been less of an overwhelming flood of games lately than disappointing trickle, SCEA and third-party publishers are still releasing PSP-exclusive games as well as PSP versions of popular cross-platform titles. Game performance remains unchanged from the previous generation, which advanced significantly from the first with the doubling of system RAM to 64 megabytes. The additional memory enables superior buffering for noticeably faster loading of games from those little optical discs.
Image Courtesy of Sony
For a while now though, the PSP has seemed quite the bargain, especially because it is not reliant solely upon the purchase of games: It can play DRM-free MPEG-4 video as well as MP3 and WMA music too. A $170 hardware-only (with the necessary AC adapter and battery) "Core Pack" is further due before year's end, with paying $30 more for a popular game, a recent movie and a hot download plus a 1GB memory card an excellent value. It is a significant investment, however, and the device's lightweight plastic shell makes us a little antsy. We would definitely recommend spending another fifteen bucks for a good case like Logitech's smartly-designed, heavy duty PlayGear Pocket Slim.
If you've resisted the urge to pick up a PlayStation Portable of your own, there's never been a better time to jump in. Carrying forward everything good about the pocket-ready gaming/multimedia powerhouse and leveraging one of Sony's greatest strengths (superior video quality), the new PSP-3000 is a handheld marvel. But for a current PSP-2000 owner, you might think twice before stepping up to new hardware, as the changes here are more subtle and understated than drastic or revolutionary.
Similarly, while the system's full-blown Internet access is a bonus that first-gen users could only dream of in theory, is anyone really a fan of entering information one slow letter/number at a time on the virtual keyboard? While we can only wonder if a touch-screen is the next frontier, and why such incremental updates were introduced versus a sweeping upgrade, take heart in the following at least. One of the best handheld gaming systems on the market, the PSP-3000 still beats the living snot out of most portable entertainment devices, and, of course, your trusty old Game Boy…
• No screen this size has ever looked this good
• Continually upgrading firmware adds new features, makes old ones better
• Built-in microphone for Skype and other applications
• Still no USB cable included
• Entering text is a tedious process
• Modifications from the 2007-model PSP-2000 too minor to warrant a re-buy


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Top Definition
A man positions himself behind his partner, and inserts his d*ck into his woman's vagina from behind. She's usually bending over something, or on her hands and knees. The guy can then pull her hair, and use her boobies for handles.
My favorite sexual postion is doggy style! I love it when the man has all the control!
El Psycho tarafından 2 Haziran 2003, Pazartesi
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
a good way to hit a girl's g-spot
oooh baby just like that! fuck me harder!
boobs tarafından 1 Haziran 2003, Pazar
for a woman to get down (usually on hands & knees) and the male partner to insert his penis in the womans anus or vagina from behind. the male normally has control and can hold the womans tits for support (and other things)
i love when mah man gives it to me doggy style. *oohhh that feels good. fuck me harder baby! gimmy some more!*
fuck me tarafından 2 Aralık 2003, Salı
A way of swimming where you keep your head above the water and propell yourself using your hands and feet.
Paco's swim-instructor asked him if I like to do it doggy style. He said yes, and we haven't seen him sense.
Waqcku tarafından 28 Mayıs 2005, Cumartesi
This is a very popular position and a great way to hit the G spot. It is when a woman gets down on her hands and knees and a man inserts his penis into her vagina, although sometimes people prefer to have the penis inserted into the anus.
'I feel so alive come take me from behind, I feel wet and wild, wanna do it doggy style'
Rover Take Over
by Lords of Acid
Rover Take Over
by Lords of Acid
Blooddiamond21 tarafından 29 Ağustos 2007, Çarşamba
NOUN: Sexual intercourse between a man and woman charterized by the woman bending over, typically on all fours, and the man inserting his penis into her VAGINA.
ADVERB: in the manner or style of sexual intercourse described above
ADVERB: in the manner or style of sexual intercourse described above
N: Amy likes woman-on-top while Tom perfers doggystyle
ADJ: Tom wanted to do Amy doggystyle
ADJ: Tom wanted to do Amy doggystyle
crew8221 tarafından 8 Mart 2004, Pazartesi
A dude puts himself behind you and inserts his penis into your vagina from behind while your bent over. Then he'll pull her hair, and use her boobies as a steering wheel. The best sex ever. Make sure you rub.


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BreAnn Alise Diehl and Trevor Wayne Berry were united in marriage at 3 p.m. April 28. Pastor Rudolph Bropleh performed the beautiful double ring ceremony filled with light heartedness and scripture before their family and friends at Asbury United Methodist Church in Shepherdstown. The bride is the daughter of David and Gina Diehl, of Charles Town. The groom is the son of Susan Berry, of Shepherdstown and the late Keith Timothy Berry.
Escorted by her father and given in marriage by her parents, the bride was breath-taking in a fabulous Allure ivory strapless fitted mermaid gown with soft pick-ups and a sweetheart neckline. The entire gown featured asymmetrical ruching and Swarovski crystal appliques. She finished her look with a fingertip veil edged in ivory satin. She carried a bouquet of white tulips, white gerbera daisies white Callas; white roses adorned with Stephanotis red feathers and accented with gemstones. The flowers were designed and created by Lynn Brown and Troy Engle, of Fresh Cut Flowers, Charles Town.
The matron of honor was the bride's sister, Andrea Orndorff. Bridesmaids were Katie Stottlemyer, Alisha Berry, Erika Berry, sisters of the groom, and Veronica Fields. For a modern and sophisticated look, they wore elegant yet unique pool colored dresses that featured a Y neckline with a bubble hem and a ruched waist. They completed their look with apple red shoes each wearing an apple red flower in their hair while the matron of honor changed things up a bit by wearing an apple red dress with a pool blue colored flower in her hair. They carried bouquets of red Roses, red Hypericum berries and red tulips adorned with greens and grasses. Amiyah Berry, daughter of the bride and groom, was the flower girl wearing an ivory-colored gown that featured a full skirt with soft pick-ups. Her dress was accented with an apple red ribbon at her waist with flowers highlighted by Swarovski crystals. As she entered the church, she dropped red rose pedals along with apple red feathers upon a pool colored damask isle runner. She wore an apple red hair accent and finished her look with apple red shoes and fingerless lace gloves. Angela Jones, aunt of the bride, gave a scripture reading from 1 Corinthians 13:4 during the ceremony and Alice Marrone served as the hostess for the day, while Francine Kidrick was the coordinator for the wedding ceremony. The bride's something old was a garter passed down from her aunt, Barbara Vazquez, and handmade by her aunt, Angela Jones; her something new was her wedding gown and accessories; something barrowed were her pearl earrings from her sister; and her something blue was an antique tiffany blue garter given to her by her mother.
Article Photos
BreAnn Alise Diehl and Trevor Wayne Berry
The best man was William "Will" Shepherd. Groomsmen were Joseph "JoJo" Carr, Cody Diehl, brother of the bride, Travis Green, cousin of the groom, and Jonathan Ross. Justin Grantham, Jonathan Hash and Matt Tiano served as ushers. Derrion Jones, nephew of the groom, and Kyrie Timothy Berry, son of the bride and groom, served as the ring bearers. The groom and groomsmen all wore black La Strada tuxedos by After 6. The best man and ring bearers matched, accessorizing their tuxedos with apple red Clarett vest and Windsor ties. The groom changed things up a bit by accessorizing his tuxedo with an ivory vest and Windsor tie, while the remainder of the wedding party wore pool-colored vests and Windsor ties. They wore boutonnieres made of Craspedia (BillyBalls) with touches of greens and grasses including a red feather. They finished their look with matching hand-made pool colored damask handkerchiefs created by Katie Yohn.
The dinner dance reception, catered by Ricky Clark, was held at the Shepherdstown Fire hall. The hall was transformed by Fabrication Events of Frederick, Md., by draping the perimeter of the hall in pleated crushed ivory velour with a swaged entryway which was front-lit by red up-lighting. Keeping with the theme of apple red and pool blue, there was also light blue up-lighting continuing throughout the venue to add a colored accent. The ceiling had swags of teal satin covering the center of the room. The tables were covered with ivory table clothes, hand maid pool-colored damask table squares accented by a red or pool blue vase with red ostrich feathers lighted white branches and Rose pedals while some tables had a round bouquet of red Roses with jewel accents in the middle all chairs were covered with a white satin chair cover. The unique wedding cake, created by Beckaboo's Cakes of Winchester, Va., was four tiers entirely of cake pops in the wedding-themed color of apple red and pool blue. The music was provided by Sites and Sounds Production of Bunker Hill. The bride and groom and the bride's parents hosted a rehearsal dinner at Kings Restaurant in Inwood the evening prior to the wedding.
The bride and groom are both 2007 Jefferson High school graduates. The new Mrs. Berry is a 2010 magna cum laude graduate from Mountain State University, where she earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in human resource management. She recently earned her master's degree from American Public University in human resource management. She is employed with Bechtel National Inc., in Frederick, Md., as a human resources representative, recruiter. Mr. Berry earned certification from James Rumsey Technical Institute in HVAC and refrigeration; he is employed with Loudoun County Public School as a preventative maintenance technician. The Berry family honeymooned in Hawaii.


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Heather Smith
Heather Smith '97
BS, Psychology
Heather graduated from Westminster with a BS in psychology in 1997. She then attended the University of Utah and earned a master's degree in social work. Heather has since worked for Salt Lake Behavioral Health as a licensed clinical social worker. This position allows her to have a direct impact of the lives of people she works with as she demonstrates Westminster's dedication to social responsibility. Her work requires critical and analytical thinking as well as strong communication skills as she attempts to problem-solve and help people through the difficult situations that arise in their lives.