text:
Theo, one of Louisa's students, became ill in class. His parents were sure he picked up the illness in Joan's chicken coop during a school field trip (which she happened to lock him in as punishment).
Mrs. Selkirk was seeing visions of her dead husband, but Martin figured out what was wrong with her and ended up being just fine. No harm, no foul.
(Read the full recap for "The Departed" here.)
This week's episode: "Midwife Crisis"
Written by: Dominic Minghella and Ben Bolt
Directed by: Ben Bolt
Martin (Martin Clunes) is trying to deal with his fear of blood head on. With the London hospital job looming, he's using any means necessary -- getting his hands dirty, literally -- to prove he's fit for the post.
But what's Portwenn without a bit of added drama for the doctor? There's a new midwife in town, Molly (Gemma Craven), who is as abrasive as Martin. Things don't look good for them from the start.
Bert's (Ian McNeice) hired a new cook, Marigold (Regina Freedman), to help out at his restaurant. She's very flirtatious even though she's married, and while she's being coy with Bert she ends up cutting her finger.
Martin deals with the blood himself, and it doesn't seem to bother him.
Later on, Edith (Lia Williams) calls to tell him he will have to be able to perform surgery in six weeks if he wants the head of vascular position on London. He says that he will be fully over his fears by then and that he's still up for the job.
Martin heads over to the school to examine Louisa's (Caroline Catz) students. When she walks in, he asks if everything is okay with her. She tells him she's having some issues urinating -- it burns a bit.
Awkwardly -- and in standard operating procedure for Martin -- he asks if it also smells different than normal urine. She says it does, and he diagnoses her with a urinary tract infection. He prescribes some antibiotics and tells her she'll be fine.
At the pharmacy, Louisa runs into Molly. The midwife makes a big deal about the antibiotics Martin prescribed and says it's bad for the baby (she's really kissing up to Louisa and has it out for Martin, it seems).
Marigold thinks it's perfectly normal to eat roadkill, so she keeps bringing it back to the kitchen like it's a delicacy. It's a bit strange, but Bert likes her so much that he just goes with it. More on this later.
PC Penhale (John Marquez) stops by Martin's for blood work. Pauline (Katherine Parkinson) is about to draw his blood when Martin dismisses her and does the job himself. He manages to keep a straight face the whole time, staring right at the blood. Progress!
Molly stops by Louisa's house with a home birthing pool. She says hospitals aren't safer when it comes to childbirth, adding that doctors are men who think pregnancy is just a disease. She also throws in how water is a "feminine element." Louisa is uncomfortable, but Molly keeps pushing it anyway.
Nonplussed by Louisa's lack of enthusiasm, Molly makes her watch home birth videos and has her sit in the pool to a get a feel for what it would be like. Of course, Martin walks in and sees her in the pool and loses it. He's also found out that Louis hasn't been taking her medication.
Molly's anti-male feelings are contagious though, and Louisa goes off on Martin.
Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole) stops by the practice to tell Martin that Louisa is looking tired and he should keep an eye on her. At school, she has the shivers and isn't feeling well. Instead of going to the pharmacy, she calls Molly for help. Not the best idea, eh?
Her infection hasn't gotten any better and she doesn't seem like she's in good shape, but Molly thinks the male dominated medical system keeps women suppressed, so she won't allow Louisa to use any normal avenues (like going to talk to Martin) to get better.
Martin stop by Joan's to tell her about the lunch he's having in Truro to talk about the fancy hospital job he wants. He says he's getting better about blood, and really thinks he can handle the new title.
Joan's happy for him, but asks if Louisa knows about his London prospects. She wonders about how much Martin will be in his child's life, adding that Louisa can't be the last to find out about the job.
Louisa ends up with a fever of 103. Her infection moves to her kidneys, and naturally Martin is livid when he finds out. Molly calls her a victim, which only annoys Louisa. She kicks Molly out and says Martin is great doctor.
He about to spring the news of the potential job, when a patient runs into Louisa's to tell Martin her baby is very sick. Nothing is wrong with the kid (why would there actually be a problem, right?) she's just not the brightest.
Bert visit's Marigold when she doesn't come to work because her husband's getting sicker. He decides to make a house delivery with her birthday gift and when he gets there he sees how poorly Marigold's husband, Michael (Andrew Greenough), is doing.
Bert calls Martin to get his opinion on what to do, when Michael wanders out and falls down the stairs.
Martin misses the lunch because he has to tend to the emergency.
When he gets to Marigold's, her husband is on the floor, burning up. He goes into the kitchen for gloves, only to discover a bunch of hanging roadkill in the pantry. They're eating infected meat, which is why her husband is sick and she's showing symptoms as well.
Later on, Louisa stops by Martin's apartment, feeling much better. She apologizes for not taking the antibiotics and for being rude.
He tries to tell her about London again, but he's interrupted by Edith. Louisa overhears the news about the job, and quickly leaves acting like she doesn't know anything.]]>
Previously on "Doc Martin"
Things are still not fully mended between Louisa and Martin. They continue to fight, which makes it a bit awkward for their friends. For a minute there, Pauline thought Luisa and Al were secretly an item, but after a bit of drama and a lot of explanation, it turned out that Al was just helping Louisa out around the house so he could get extra cash and buy Pauline a scooter.
Oh, and Edith kissed Martin. (Read the full recap for "Driving Mr. McLynn" here.)
This week's episode: "The Departed"
Written by: Dominic Minghella and Jack Lothian
Directed by: Minkie Spiro
The day finally arrives when Martin (Martin Clunes) heads to London for a job interview at the major hospital where he used to work. He swears his haemophobia is getting better (unlikely) and the interview goes well.
On the train ride home, he runs into Jim (Dave Hill), a patient he treated impetigo a while back. He won't leave Martin alone, much to his chagrin. After gabbing for a while, Jim falls asleep in the seat next to Martin's. He abruptly stops snoring... and dies on the spot. Martin stops the train and tells the staff he's dead, his nonchalant attitude about the whole thing is pretty ridiculous.
Louisa (Caroline Catz) takes the kids to Joan's (Stephanie Cole) farm for a field trip, but there's one troublemaking kid, Theo Wenn (Andrew Byrne), who just can't get with the program. Joan wants to make these school trips regular visits the administration will pay her for, but Louisa tells her there's no room in the budget for that sort of thing. (I guess that's a universal problem, eh?)
While the rest of the kids are learning about some of the farm plants, Theo breaks away from the group, spooks all the chickens and starts throwing them around. Joan becomes very upset and ends up locking him in the coop for a few minutes. Theo ends up having a panic attack, which does not bode well for Joan.
Martin makes an appointment with the therapist Edith (Lia Williams) suggested to get over his fear of blood. He really wants to get out of Portwenn, it seems, and his interview in London went well enough that he thinks he has a shot. Dr. Milligan (Paul Ready), the therapist, is really young. Naturally, Martin isn't buying into the whole therapy gig. He's not too cooperative. One Milligan tells Martin he's running from himself, Martin leaves.
Later on, Jim's wife stops by Martin's office to ask about his death. It's a bit weird because he doesn't know how to act or what to tell her, other than his death was very quick and painless.
Mrs. Selkirk (Gwen Taylor) comes back to the practice the next day, and she's gone a little crazy. She thinks she saw Jim and he apparently told her she's got some sort of illness. Oh, and she thinks he's in the room with her when she tells Martin this, too.
At the Wenn household, Theo's parents tell Louisa and Martin they play on coming after Joan for locking their son up and getting him sick, as he seems to have a virus and they blame it on the chicken coop. Martin collects a stool sample to see what brought the sickness on, and gives Theo medicine to stop him from getting worse.
Once they leave, Martin and Louisa fight. Louisa is mad at him for not defending Joan, but it's also about much more than that. She uses their bickering over his aunt as an excuse to bring up how she's glad she has emotions and isn't cold like Edith (who he just loves oh-so much, she might as well add).
PC Penhale (John Marquez) stops by Joan's to get her statement on what happened with Theo, and to give her some advice on the side. He mocks her a bit by asking how she could possibly put a kid in a chicken coop on accident, adding she probably shouldn't go advertising that it was an accident around town, because it makes her seem crazy. He also tells Joan -- off the record -- that the Wenns are exploiting the situation for financial gain. Something along the lines of, "I'm not saying, I'm just saying." The conversation quickly comes to an end when she passes out right on the kitchen floor.
After waking, Joan heads over to the Wenn's house. She apologizes to them for hurting their son, and tells them the test results show Theo's illness is not from the chickens.
Martin walks in shortly after, and confirms what Joan says about the test. Once they leave, Martin starts yelling about how she lied and how he is now in a very bad spot because of her. She doesn't see the issue with what she did and is a bit offended that Martin is upset -- in her view, family comes before all else. Not to Martin, in this case. Lying about medical results? Ack.
Martin later gets a call from Joan that there's trouble at her farm. Mrs. Selkirk is there, and it turns out she is even worse than before. She's sitting with the sheep and one ran her over, but she still thinks Jim is there with her and that she was doing him a favor by spending time with the sheep he loved.
Martin finds red rings on the inside of her elbow, and realizes the problem is she has lime disease. Lime disease causes all the side effects she was experiencing -- including vivid hallucinations.
Joan, luckily, was right to assume Theo's sickness had nothing to do with her farm.
When the results actually get back from the lab, they show a very different problem. The Wenns have an au pair who likes to travel and tan, and on her last trip she went to Costa Rica. Well, last time she brought back more than tan lines. She got Theo sick by spreading bacteria and a virus is from her most recent vacation. After diagnosing the illness, Martin prescribes the proper medication. Theo will recover just fine.
All's well that ends well...right?]]>
Previously on "Doc Martin"
P.C. Penhale's older brother, Sam, stopped by in town and Martin (well, Pauline, really) employed him to paint the waiting room and surgery. His lack of coordination led the doctor to believe he wasn't well, which turned out to be true. He had lead poisoning from being profesional art forger. Meanwhile, things are not so quiet on the Louisa front, and she and Martin can't seem to get along. (Read the full recap for "Perish Together as Fools" here.)
This week's episode: "Driving Mr. McLynn"
Written by: Dominic Minghella and Richard Stoneman
Directed by: Minkie Spiro
What better way to start the day than rushing through town, almost getting hit by car, running into a few barrels and being called a "tosser"? Kicking off the morning with Martin (Martin Clunes) stopping by -- after having all those things happen to him -- and calling you stupid, perhaps?
You'll probably need some context for that: Louisa (Caroline Catz), in her very pregnant state, decided it was a good idea to help Joan (Stephanie Cole) move furniture around. Martin is not happy about it, quite clearly. He keeps telling her that she's about to have a baby and can't work so hard, but she gets upset about it and Joan kicks him out before he says something he'll regret. Wait...Martin regrets things?
Pauline (Katherine Parkinson) gives a new patient some serious attitude until Martin arrives. The old man, Mr. McLynn (Benjamin Whitrow), wants Martin to be his GP and to sign off on the paperwork for a blue badge for the car (a handicap sign, here in the States).
As part of the standard procedure to make sure Mr. McLynn's legs really don't work, he grabs a pin to test sensation. The problem is, McLynn is afraid of needles (even though this technically isn't a needle, as Martin makes abundantly clear), and he tries to swat Martin away when he reaches for his leg. McLynn ends up getting stabbed by the pin, freaks out and goes home with his wife (who calls Martin a sadist for hurting her husband).
Later, Aunt Joan and Mrs. McLynn (Phyllida Law) get into an accident. While it seems pretty clear that McLynn ran into Joan, Joan takes the blame and says she backed into her. It seems kind of strange.
Al (Joe Absolom) is short on cash, so he takes up fixing Louisa's place for a small amount of extra change. He doesn't tell Pauline about it and it makes her suspicious of where he's spending his time -- especially when she hears a woman's voice in the background over the phone (but it's just Louisa).
As promised, Martin helps Edith (Lia Williams) with the research she's writing. While she's at his place and they're going over her work, Louisa stops by to yell at him for telling everyone she's unfit to be head teacher (because she's pregnant and can't handle being a single mother with such a big job). Edith understandably leaves, but Martin isn't too happy about it. In fact, he tells Louisa she's ruined his evening (say what?). She bursts into tears and says she won't ever need his help. What a mess.
Martin can't seem to catch a break. He runs into the McLynn's at the grocery store, and tells Mr. McLynn that he knows he lied about how long he's been in a wheelchair. He also notices a gash on his forehead, but they won't tell him what happened. Instead, they run him over. So polite.
Back at the school, the board wants to talk with Louisa about the job she applied for. It seems like bad news at first, but they tell her she landed the headmaster position -- despite Martin's protests.
It turns out Joan was lying about the car accident. She wasn't at fault, but she told Penhale (John Marquez) she was because she never renewed her insurance and didn't want to get in trouble for not having any. She can't afford it, apparently, and she's taken out a few loans already. Despite his offer, she she says can't take any more help from Martin.
Martin insists on making the McLynn's pay for the damage to her car, so he stops by their house. The door is open and they don't answer, so he lets himself him. They agree to pay after Martin tells them Joan won't tell the police what really happened.
The annoying pack of hyena girls tell Pauline that Al is sleeping with Louisa. Pauline, not knowing any better, seems to believe them. She tells Bert (Ian McNeice) what the girls told her, and he asks Louisa. She sets him straight.
Sally Chadwick, a teacher at Louisa's school, isn't feeling well when she stops by the practice. She had come by a few days beforehand, but quickly left. It turns out she got a tattoo and tried to remove it herself, which lead to an infection.
Things are worse with the McLynn's than they seem. Mrs. LcLynn is almost fully blind, and the reason she keeps running into cars -- and people -- is because she only has peripheral vision and her husband tells her when to turn and accelerate.
Martin discovers she has age-related macular degeneration. He can fix it, but he has to inject the treatment into her eyes. Ouch.
Pauline confronts Al about cheating on her. He explains everything, and shows her why he was hiding the job at Louisa's. He bought her a scooter so she could go anywhere she wanted if she felt trapped at his place.
Edith stops by Martin's surgery later in the day to deliver some good news: the higher-ups liked her research and have invited her to be a keynote speaker at one of their conference. She invites Martin along, and as she's leaving she kisses him.
He doesn't seem to hate it.]]>
This story was published in tandem with a segment for KCET's award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected." Watch it here now.
For families and seniors looking into special care, the options can be confusing. What is assisted living, and how is that different from a nursing home? And which option is right for my family?
Though they may sound the same, assisted living and nursing homes serve specific purposes with some fundamental differences. Here, we break down some the roles these types of housing play in helping your loved ones.]]> Assisted Living
Assisted living, also called "residential care," provides housing for seniors or those who cannot live alone, but who do not need the higher level of medical care given in nursing homes. These facilities provide mid-level custodial care, such as help with bathing, eating, and dressing, while also providing limited activities for residents. These facilities can also be called adult living or supported care. In late September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed nine bills aimed at improving residential care facilities. (None of the new laws apply to nursing homes.)
Seniors still enjoy a degree of independence in assisted living facilities -- they live in private apartments -- with options for socializing with other residents and 24-hour help nearby. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines assisted living facilities as any that provide help with bathing, dressing, and medication.
Some assisted living also provides Alzheimer's care in a special wing, but not all facilities offer this option.
It's important to note that assisted living facilities are private pay establishments, which are not covered by programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, though they may be covered by some long-term care insurance policies.
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes, also called "skilled nursing facilities," are licensed facilities that hold transfer agreements with hospitals for those who require long-term care or short-term rehabilitation services. They provide a higher level of of constant care not provided by assisted living, including a staff of nurses and physicians, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Residents generally share rooms, and meals are served in a central dining hall (unless a resident is too ill to leave the room). This type of care is covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, though private payment options are also available an allow for more choices, such as private rooms.
A common criticism of skilled nursing facilities is that that some seniors find them depressing, and that these homes do not provide adequate care, requiring extra attention and monitoring from family members.
NOTE: This article is solely meant to explain the differences between types of care; it is not meant for medical advice.]]>
This story was published in tandem with a segment for KCET's award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected." Watch it here now.
When it comes to choosing a nursing home, the overuse of anti-psychotic drugs is just one factor to consider. But finding the truth about all the vital details isn't easy. First, Medicare's star rating system, the primary tool for those who are looking into this type of senior care, came under fire recently for holes in its evaluation process.
The ratings, based on three criteria (annual health inspection results, staff levels and quality statistics), rely heavily on self-reporting by nursing homes, the New York Times reported last month. The latter two factors are accepted once reported -- Medicare does not independently verify them, nor does it consider other potentially harmful information reported by state agencies.
KCET spoke with two experts who described some of the loopholes in nursing home accountability, as well as steps families can take to avoid these pitfalls.]]> Mike Connors, who works with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, says Medicare's rating system for the nation's more than 15,000 nursing homes falls dangerously short.
KCET: What are some of the problems with the current ratings system for nursing homes?
Mike Connors: The ratings system is not really reliable to tell you if it's a quality facility or not. On the drugging side, the quality measures that factor into the ratings don't look at all at the use of anti-psychotics or other psychoactive drugs.
If you look on federal Nursing Home Compare [webpage], it shows one nursing home has not received any fines in the last three years. But that facility has probably received the largest number of fines than any facility in the country.
Is it not up-to-date?
No, it has nothing to do with that. It only provides information about enforcement under federal laws and federal standards. The federal government is contracting with state government to inspect facilities, but the public has no way of knowing what the difference is between state standards and federal standards, or state fines and federal fines.
So this says they haven't been fined by the federal government?
Right, but it doesn't clarify that, and this is the principal ratings system that the public uses to look at nursing home quality. Lawsuits and things like that don't show up. Fines and sanctions that are given by the state agency that the federal government is paying for don't show up on their website. State contractors issue citations for federal violations, too. It's the same inspectors; they enforce both laws.
For example, one California facility evicted almost overnight some 70 residents because it said it needed to clear them out to install an automated sprinkler system. The reason it needed to do that is because the federal government in December said it was about to decertify the facility for ignoring a federal requirement that it have sprinklers.
How did things get that far?
[The facility] had five years to implement that requirement, ignored the five-year requirement and months later when it got dinged for that, instead of paying the price itself it made all of its residents pay. People who have been living there for years are told in a day or two, 'you are going to go have to go to another facility because we need to clear this out so we can protect our building and our license and our certification'.
The problems at [the facility] are just one example of the myriad issues people face when placing family members in nursing homes. KCET's "SoCal Connected reported on the misuse of anti-psychotic drugs in nursing homes on September 24, 2014.
So how can they avoid this type of nightmare scenario?
One vital step in choosing the right facility is gathering as much information as possible from various websites -- not just the federal site -- to paint a comprehensive portrait, said Jocelyn Montgomery, a registered nurse who represents nursing homes and worked previously as nursing home inspector.
Are there certain staffing requirements for nursing homes?
Jocelyn Montgomery: In California there is a staffing requirement of no less than 3.2 nursing hours per patient, per day. That's the floor for our compliance; the average is 3.7 in California and if you compare that around the country we are actually are one of the better staffed states. It's part of the picture, more in other states than it is here.
The average overall may have adequate staffing, but what do you say to those particular nursing homes where the staffing is below requirement?
The state of California's department of healthcare services has been doing staffing audits for two years. Every nursing home is audited. They look at payroll records, they look at staffing records, they look at sign-in sheets. And any facility that falls below that 3.2 is written up in a statement of deficiencies and if more than five percent are falling below that they are fined money. And if it's found on the annual survey that they don't have enough staff no matter what the number is there are deficiencies written for that facility that they have to come up with a plan of correction. They don't get away with it, although there is turnover. So, sometimes the staffs are not as competent and effective or familiar with the patients, or as efficient.
Can people trust those stars and scores?
You can have a facility that has a really bad inspection and it could be happenstance. Let's say that a really good nursing home has a problem with some contaminated process that they're doing, and there's a widespread infection control problem -- it comes up in that particular season and it's caught by the inspectors. If it is widespread enough, it can take that survey way down to the most serious level, called immediate jeopardy. The survey score drives the five-star score. You can have very good staffing and quality measures and you could be dropped to one or two stars. You can't always trust that a one- or two-star rating is a problem facility.
Is there a reliable website you can use to see the quality of care your loved one will get in a given nursing home?
We have a lot of transparency in the nursing home world. There is the nursing home compare website, which is the one with the five-star rating. That's the federal website. There aren't just stars there. When I'm looking at a nursing home for a loved one, I'm looking at the stars, but I also pull up the inspection reports. They're all posted there. And I look to see how many infractions were cited. I look to see how many complaints were filed and substantiated. I think that a savvy person that knows how to do that can learn a lot from looking at the website. By looking at the stars alone...it's not perfect.
The state of California has a website called Health Facility consumer Information System. They post ownership information. They have all these state violations posted there. That's a very transparent website. There's a third website with its own rating system that looks at wages, that is through the California Healthcare Foundation. That's a lot of transparency.
But there's no substitution for visiting. We provide checklists. I would tell you to visit. Visit once on the weekend -- sit down and watch, don't just get toured -- listen to how staff are talking with residents, chat with the residents. Get a feel for the culture there. There's no substitute for that.
The New York Times recently came out with a story looking at the star system for rating nursing homes, and found that a substantial amount of the factors were self-reported. What is your take on that?
The nursing home industry was very much opposed to five-star system. It was because we saw the risk of it painting a false picture. CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] listened to some of our suggestions, and in some ways they altered it, but this is very much the system CMS designed. The industry didn't ask for it, didn't support it, and had very little say in how it was designed.
The five-star system is based on the inspection results. The inspection results count for 75 percent of that rating. The staffing can move you one star, up or down. That's all.
Your children go to public schools, and they have a score based on standardized testing. And there have been accusations of teachers doing things to up their scores. But for the most part you've got a profession of committed teachers trying very hard to be very successful and if part of that means teaching to the standards, then they teach to the standards so they look better on the test. Is that inappropriate? You gave us a scorecard. We've focused on those quality measures and we've tried very hard to make our care better in those areas because we're being scored. That's just human nature. Is it wrong? Is it bad? Is it fraudulent? I don't think so. It's probably what CMS wanted -- they wanted to drive improvement and they did.
NOTE: These interviews have been condensed and edited.]]>
A young Muslim woman applies for a position at a beauty supply store without wearing her hijab. Once she's hired, she starts her first day of work with the headscarf covering her hair.
"Take the hijab off or go home," the woman's supervisor says, in front customers and coworkers.
After explaining her religious beliefs and the significance of hijab to her manager -- an expression of devotion to God and symbol of modesty and privacy expressed through religious dress that is not unique to Islam -- she is still sent home. While she is allowed to keep her job and continue wearing her hijab, the young woman sees a cut in work hours, and is assigned to work in the back of the shop.
This is just one of the examples of workplace discrimination Muslims face, as listed in the Council on American-Islamic Relations' newest report on Muslim civil rights in California. CAIR's California offices received 933 complaints from the American Muslim community last year. The organization's Los Angeles branch received 444 complaints, the highest of all CAIR California offices.
Despite a 2012 California law prohibiting religious discrimination in the workplace, many Muslims described instances of a hostile work environment, alleging harassment about terrorism, politics or religion, retaliation and wrongful termination, and failure to accommodate religious practices, such as wearing hijab, growing facial hair or taking prayer breaks during the day. Employment discrimination composed the highest number of complaints in the report, at 15 percent.]]> Under the California Workplace Religious Freedom Act, an employer must reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs and observances of an employee, unless doing so would cause "undue hardship." The threshold for undue hardship in California is higher than federal requirements requiring employers to show "de minimis" or moderate hardship.
The state's law also diverges from federal law by expanding the meaning of "religious observance" and "religious belief" and specifically extending protections for religious dress and grooming practices.
Fatima Dadabhoy, a civil rights attorney with CAIR's L.A. chapter, believes California's law is a step in the right direction, but wonders whether it is enough to prevent future cases of discrimination.
"California has strengthened its employee rights laws," Dadabhoy says. "But that's not a federal fix, and you can't just put people in the back room."
And while these legal protections exist, part of the problem of ensuring corporations and organizations comply with the law lies in lack of awareness of obligations and the extent of rights of employees, says Brie Loskota, managing director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC. Some see requests for legally protected religious accommodations as requests for "special rights," she adds.
"The problem for minority religious groups is that the default way we understand religion in the United States is through a Protestant Christian lens," Loskota says. "Muslims need to ask for time off to fulfill their religious duty of congregational prayer on Friday afternoons, a regular workday in the United States. Christians seeking to fulfill their same religious duty generally do not have to ask for accommodation because Sunday is not a regular work day."
"In this way, the unseen defaults in our culture can easily be misread and the privileges they confer are overlooked."
Last year's complaints are up slightly from 2012, but it is not clear whether that is because of increased instances of discrimination, or because CAIR ramped up its outreach efforts and increased its staff.
But it's not just botched employment policies that have left California's Muslims uneasy -- CAIR received more than 100 complaints related to FBI and law enforcement discrimination as well.
"[CAIR] frequently receives complaints from American Muslims approached for voluntary interviews allegedly related to counterterrorism. These interviews are undertaken liberally, often with no indication of wrongdoing according to the interviewing agents themselves," the organization notes in its report, released late-August.
"There are broad implications of widespread questioning," Dadabhoy says. "Why does the FBI target a whole community?"
Companies need to be held accountable for violating laws when their policies disregard them, Loskota adds. Even more important, she argues, is for companies to see it as in their interest to create environments for their employees that respect their human and civil rights.
"Doing so is simply good business," she says.]]>
A segment on our award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected" has been produced in tandem with this story. Watch it here now.
It's an age-old story: Drivers think parking enforcement officers spend their time waiting to nail someone with a ticket. Enforcement officers, on the other hand, are disgruntled because they have a host of responsibilities outside of writing you up for parking in a space too long.
A new mandate from the city's Parking Enforcement and Traffic Control Division may be the catalyst needed to start reconciling both sides. Special Order No. 168 -- sent out earlier this month -- instructs all officers in the division of steps they must take to seek compliance from drivers when issuing them citations.]]> If you return before an officer has started writing a citation, for example, and are willing to move your vehicle, the officer should allow you to do so without a ticket. If the officer is in the middle of writing the citation, however, and has already entered "critical citation information," then you're getting a ticket. (It doesn't matter if you get there one minute into the officer writing a citation or 15 minutes into the process -- an officer can't stop the citation based on policy; she has to complete it.)
Enforcement officers hope the mandate will ease perceptions of traffic control workers as the "bad guy."
"There's so much we do in the day. It's not just tickets," Officer Enrique De La Cruz told KCET. "There's stolen vehicles. There's traffic controls."
Enforcement officers also work special events, such as festivals, parades, and protests, added Sgt. Kimmi Porter. Often, she said, parking tickets issued in front of stores are a way of helping storeowners -- when someone is parked in one spot for too long, there is no turnover for new customers.
"It's unfortunate. People are going to look at us [as the bad guy] because when you issue a citation, you're taking money from them," Porter said. "We try to create more positive stories, but it can be difficult because people see it as only one way."
Willing compliance rules aren't new; the special order is a reminder and a direct response to complaints that officers were ticketing drivers without asking them to comply first, according to Jay Beeber with the Los Angeles Parking Freedom Initiative, an organization seeking to change L.A.'s parking policies.
"So, someone is sitting in the car by the curb making a phone call...and they pull over temporarily," he explained. "Officers were pulling up behind them, writing down their license plates, and mailing them a ticket. That's not appropriate."
Beeber, who's on a specially convened parking committee at City Hall, worked with LADOT on the issue, which prompted the special order.
De La Cruz said he's had his fair share of insults hurled his way while issuing citations. He doesn't take it personally because no one expects to get a parking ticket when they start their day. "Usually, they're not that happy to see you."
His worst experience? Driving down the street at 40 miles-per-hour, and having someone cut him off and slam the brakes ("That'll scare you pretty good," he added). But De La Cruz insisted officers don't want to cite drivers; he says he helps people avoid tickets when he can.
"You try to help them. They might ask you, 'Where can I park if I can't park out here?'" he explained. "I'll say, 'Well, there's 10-hour parking meters down here and there's two-hour meters down there.' You just want people to move. You don't want to give them a ticket."
De La Cruz welcomes Beeber and the parking reform group, especially if they can help change the way L.A. drivers view him. For his part, Beeber says he would like to see enforcement officers' titles changed to something more community-oriented.
"If the officers looked at themselves as community service officers... they can help someone understand what the problem is, rather than issue a ticket," Beeber explained. "So they're serving the community, rather than being the bad guy out on the street."
Read Special Order 168 below:]]>
A segment on our award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected" has been produced in tandem with this story. Watch it here now.
Two years into downtown Los Angeles' demand-based parking program seeking to reduce traffic congestion, lower air pollution, and boost transit efficiency, parking officials say the project is improving parking availability while bolstering the city's revenue.
Launched in May 2012 as part of a $210 million demonstration initiative, the LA Express Park program tracks downtown street parking through wireless sensors in a 4.5-square-mile area. Parking meter rates are adjusted using data from the sensor -- rates increase when demand is highest, while rates are lowered in areas with less demand.
Express Park is currently expanding into Westwood Village, with plans to extend to Hollywood in 2015, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
"Everything is moving in exactly the right direction," said Peer Ghent, project manager of LA Express Park. "Parking occupancy in all areas has gone up, and that's reflected by the general improvement of the economy and the impact of development downtown."
But while more people are parking downtown, it's hard to tell if that's because of the burgeoning program or other factors, Ghent noted.
"It's difficult without a control group to say what would have been if we hadn't changed prices," he says. "What I do know is that our revenue has gone up by 2.5 percent and the average price has gone down at about 11 percent of spaces."]]> Parking in the 6,000 parking meter spots and 7,500 city-owned lot spaces that are part of the project can cost between $1 and $6 per hour. Before the program, the average hourly rate for meters in the area was $1.95 per hour. Since then, the average dropped to $1.76 per hour, LADOT data shows. Some 3,700 spaces downtown now have a rate of $.50 per hour at some point during the week.
Funded initially with $15 million in federal backing and $3.5 million in city support, the program began as a one-year demonstration project through May 2013. It has since been extended through June 2015 with funds from the city's parking revenue.
Express Park facilitates an easier commute for Angelenos while boosting city profits, City Councilmember Mike Bonin told KCET in an interview. Parking policy should ensure public safety and a steady flow of traffic, he added, instead of primarily focusing on raising revenue.
"If there's not a lot of demand, you can have a low rate and make it easy for people. If there's 10 people vying for the same parking, you should charge a little more," Bonin said. "Cost has gone down but revenue has gone up because of peak demand pricing."
For example, there are a few options available for drivers who want to take advantage of the program. Right now, three smartphone applications developed by outside companies -- ParkMe, Parker, and ParkMobile -- use city data to provide information on available parking spaces, or allow user to pay for parking with cellphones.
During the budget crisis, Bonin added, the city approached parking revenue as "gold in the gutter," looking to parking revenue to fill the city's coffers with funds for street resurfacing and paying for police.
"I think we've probably gone a little too far in that direction," he said. "It's about time we modernize the way we did things -- smarter and more efficiently."]]>
Today marks the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law ending the notion that Americans could be "separate but equal," paving the way for voting rights and racial equality.
"The Civil Rights Act is a living, breathing document that makes clear there are certain fundamental rights. It makes clear that there shall be equal access to education; equal access to the workplace; equal access to public accommodation; and equal
access to the ballot box," Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement.
Indeed, the Civil Rights Act also created a path to gender and religious equality, as well as protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia -- much of that battle for equality was fought here in California during the landmark battle over Proposition 8. The Americans with Disabilities Act made it illegal to discriminate based on disabilities. Among other cases, "Roe v. Wade" laid the foundation for California to become one of the states that is most protective of women's reproductive choice.
"In many respects, California is a leader in civil rights," says Bill Celis, an expert in education and civil rights at USC. "The state's 1959 civil rights act preceded President Johnson's landmark 1964 civil rights bill by five years. In school desegregation, the 'Mendez v. Westminster' case on school desegregation predates 'Brown v. Board of Education' by eight years, and California parents won in 1971 a case in which the state was forced by a federal court to offer equal funding of all public schools."
These were hard-fought victories, Celis admits, but he says what makes them special beyond the ground they broke is the diligence with which both the state and its judiciary system protected the decisions.
While these milestones don't mark the end of discrimination or rights violations, they demonstrate the legacy of a 50-year path to greater civil liberties in our country. Here, we look back at a few moments that had a significant impact on the Golden State.]]>
"Roe v. Wade" Shapes California Reproductive Rights
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a Texas law that made it a crime to help a woman get an abortion violated due process rights. While the decision did not have roots in California, it significantly improved safety and access to abortions in the state, according to Ahilan Arulanantham, deputy legal director of the ACLU of Southern California.
The court's ruling left room for states to modify laws on reproductive rights, allowing California to become one of the staunchest protectors of reproductive rights and choice. In response to the decision, many states created laws limiting or regulating abortion, but having already legalized abortion in 1967, California took a different route -- it was one of a handful of states to pass a law maintaining the legality of abortion should "Roe v. Wade" be overturned.
Americans With Disabilities Act Ends an Era of Discrimination
Passed in 1990, the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on a person's disability in employment, state and local government programs, private and non-profit businesses, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. The amount of federal ADA lawsuits filed in California is far greater than any other state in the country. This flood of lawsuits, however, has been coupled with allegations of abusing the system. Nonetheless, more suits have been filed in the Golden State than Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New York combined, and the state remains one of the strictest adherents to ADA accommodation requirements.
Proposition 187 Ruled Unconstitutional
Proposition 187, also known as the "Save our State" campaign, sought to cut off health care, public education, and welfare benefits to undocumented immigrants in California. The ballot initiative was approved by some 60 percent of voters in 1994, but a federal court deemed the proposition unconstitutional and the rule was never enforced. The court's decision molded California's political landscape, creating an environment that was less hostile toward immigrants. Twenty years later, legislators are moving to repeal provisions from Prop 187 with Senate Bill 396, which would permanently remove the measure from California's law books.
Prop 8 Meets its End
The Supreme Court struck California's same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8, in June 2013 as well as a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act in the same breath, allowing gay marriages to resume in the state. In a split 5-4 vote, the justices said they could not rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 because California officials failed to defend the law after it was overturned in an appeals court.
"It is not enough that the party invoking the power of the court have a keen interest in the issue," Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., wrote for the majority, adding that "because we find that petitioners do not have standing, we have no authority to decide this case on the merits, and neither did the 9th Circuit."
"Riley v. California" Lays Foundation for Digital Rights
In a sweeping victory for digital rights, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in June that "police generally may not, without a warrant, search digital information on a cellphone seized from an individual who has been arrested."
David Riley was arrested in San Diego in August 2009, after a traffic stop resulted in the discovery of loaded firearms in his car. The police then took his phone, looking through his messages, contacts, videos, and photographs. Based in part on the data stored on Riley's phone -- the repeated use of a term associated with the "Bloods" street gang -- the state of California charged him in connection with a shooting that had taken place several weeks prior to his arrest. Authorities also sought a harsher sentence based on his gang affiliation. Riley moved to suppress the evidence the police pulled from his cell phone without a warrant, but the trial court denied the motion and he was convicted.
Because the digital content of a smartphone doesn't threaten officers' safety, the Supreme Court ruled the police's actions violated the fourth amendment's search and seizure protections.
"The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought," Roberts wrote in the court's majority opinion. "Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple -- get a warrant."
While smartphone technology and the rights attached to it are new realms for the law to explore, this case has created a benchmark for civil rights in the digital age.]]>
It's an infamous line that haunted Mitt Romney's political campaign and sparked public outrage in 2011, ranging from the Occupy movement's 99 percent to the likes of comedians and reporters who took jabs at the politician for a few easy laughs.
"Corporations are people, my friend."
But just four years after the high court's controversial "Citizens United" ruling that for-profit corporations have free speech rights, Romney's comment is hardly a joke -- the decision has made way for another victory for corporations: for the first time, they now have religious rights.
The Supreme Court's ideologically split 5-4 decision on Monday that "closely held" religious companies are not required to provide contraceptive care under federal healthcare laws has left California's faith communities sharply divided, setting off a debate in which some groups decry the ruling, while others celebrate it as one of the most significant victories for religious freedom in decades.]]> Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, lauded the ruling as "a great day for religious freedom for family businesses." The Roman Catholic Church was not part of the case, but the high court's decision affects privately owned Catholic businesses. The episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the U.S., the Conference of Catholic Bishops commented on behalf of all dioceses, including the archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The California Family Council, a state branch of the Christian non-profits Focus on the Family and Family Research Council, also deemed the court's decision a step in the right direction for religious freedom, but would have liked to see a ruling with a broader scope.
"Even if you accept the premise that abortifacient birth control is a right, even if you accept it as constitutionally protected, it doesn't mean your employer should be forced to provide it," said Jonathan Keller, the organization's executive director. "The second amendment says we have the right to bear arms, but that doesn't mean we can demand employers provide us a shotgun."
The court's opinion does not grant carte blanche religious rights, Keller added, noting that the ruling does not create exemptions from all insurance coverage mandates, such as vaccinations or blood transfusions. That this case targets women's contraceptive care does not mean it was motivated by gender bias, he argued.
"Look at the families that brought these cases to the Supreme Court. Mrs. Green [of Hobby Lobby] is a woman. She fully supported this case being litigated," Keller said. "Elizabeth Hahn of Conestoga also fought for this. They believe their freedom of religion should not be burdened."
The Affordable Care Act's contraception care rules hold that most for-profit businesses must offer such coverage to their employees in company health plans. Religious non-profits and houses of worship are both exempt from this requirement, and accommodations exist to ensure those organizations are not required to pay or provide contraceptive care to employees.
"This is part of a larger thrust by religious political conservatives to claim there is a war against religion in America, and that's a very far-fetched claim," said Jim Burklo, an ordained Protestant minister and the associate dean of religious life at the University of Southern California. "This is an effort to enable religious people to discriminate against others. To call it a quest for defending religious freedom is a misnomer and inaccurate description of what is happening in this country."
In "Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc." and "Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell," the owners of arts-and-crafts retail chain Hobby Lobby and cabinet company Conestoga Wood Specialties opposed the use of intrauterine devices and emergency contraceptives, which they argued are the same as abortifacients that induce abortions.
The four contraceptives the companies oppose -- the intrauterine devices, Plan B, and Ella -- are not abortifacients, according to the Food and Drug Administration. These contraceptives prevent fertilization of an egg; they do not prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterus, which is the medical definition of an abortion. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted in the dissenting opinion, the cost of an IUD is nearly a month's full-time pay for workers earning the minimum wage.
Mary Larson, representative of the Los Angeles branch of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said she is gravely concerned about the court's decision that a for-profit corporation is able to exercise religious freedom. The interfaith organization, which represents 40 denominations and faith group, filed an amicus brief support contraceptive care, arguing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 must protect the religious rights of individual workers.
"I don't think Hobby Lobby should be classified as a religious institution," Larson said. "It seems like a long stretch to imagine that because an employer has religious views that they should restrict the religious or reproductive freedoms of their employees. We're still in a state of shock."
Writing for the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito defended the plaintiffs' "sincere Christian beliefs" and said the Obama administration had failed to demonstrate that ACA contraceptive coverage rules are the "least restrictive means of advancing [its] interest" in offering women cost-free birth control access.
The Greens, who own the Hobby Lobby stores, "have a sincere religious belief that life begins at conception," Alito wrote. "They therefore object on religious grounds to providing health insurance that covers methods of birth control that...may result in the destruction of an embryo."
In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Stephen Breyer, noted that this "decision of startling breadth" could be "potentially sweeping," adding that it would "deny legions of women who do not hold their employers' beliefs access to contraceptive coverage that the ACA would otherwise secure."
"The Court, I fear, has ventured into a minefield," Ginsburg later writes.
In January, Attorney General Harris filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn the U.S. Court of Appeals' decision that held for-profit businesses may exercise religion, and therefore are covered by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
"A woman's access to quality, affordable preventive healthcare coverage should not depend on her employer's beliefs," Harris said in a statement. "Every woman should be able to make healthcare decisions for herself and her family. I am deeply disappointed that the court ruled to limit this important right."
Varun Soni, an expert in religion and the law at USC, also noted the potential for a "slippery slope."
"Not only are you saying a [for-profit] corporation can avail itself of religious exemption, but corporations could have all sorts of religious freedoms -- not hiring LGBT people, or people who aren't Christian," Soni said. "It opens the door for other cases for corporations getting more religious freedoms."
Soni added that if the court says corporations can enjoy the free exercise of religion, then it should also define what a religious corporation is, and, by extension what religion is -- a practice it has traditionally avoided. While definitions and guidelines exist for non-profit religious entities, the lines are still murky in the for-profit sector, he said.
While analysis of the ruling calls the decision a limited ruling, it is hardly limited in scope -- some 90 percent of all American corporations are "closely held" and women make up 52 percent of the U.S. workforce.
"As a Christian, you absolutely have a responsibility to put your beliefs into political action. I do that and [Hobby Lobby's owners] should, too," Burklo, the associate dean, said. "Pressure the government to ban abortion or contraception if your faith compels you, but that is your moral responsibility, not whether or not you obey the law to offer coverage that is required."
Read the Supreme Court opinion here:
A California legislative committee unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would make it easier for homeless people to receive certified copies of their birth records and state identification cards that are required for accessing certain social services.
Authored by Assemblymembers Sharon Quirk-Silva, Toni Atkins, and Brian Maienschein, AB 1733 would allow a homeless person to submit an affidavit of homelessness and financial need with an application for vital records, such as a birth certificate, or a state-issued photo ID.
The bill, Quirk-Silva told KCET, was inspired by the death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia who lived on the streets in Fullerton, where she was once mayor. Thomas was beaten by three officers in the Fullerton Police Department in July 2011.]]> The attack was recorded by parking lot security cameras, and surveillance footage showed the officers clubbing and tasing the man -- the video sparked national outrage.
"The entire scenario involving not only homeless and mental health, but also police changed the city quite a bit," Quirk-Silva said. "We just can't ignore growing number of homeless people on our streets."
California ID cards currently cost $28; those who meet income requirements may be eligible for a reduced fee of $8. The bill's authors hope that by waiving these fees, they can reduce the time that homeless people rely on emergency services while improving the efficiency of government and non-profit advocates working to help homeless communities.
Nearly every state and federal program providing social services requires an applicant establish eligibility by producing proof of identity or proof of residence. The most common documents required are a certified birth record and a valid, government-issued photo identification card, Quirk-Silva said.
While the proposed legislation has seen no real opposition, the list of supporters runs deep and includes the likes of Housing California, the Western Center on Law & Poverty, and the Skid Row Housing Trust. The bill now moves to the full State Senate for a vote, following Tuesday's Transportation and Housing Committee meeting.
"We are making sure they have IDs to access the services to get back on feet -- either social services or mental health services," Quirk-Silva said. "People do see a need. This is a simple step. Let's just get these IDs in their hands."]]>
Living in Los Angeles, most drivers know the woes of trying to park in the parts of the city where permits reign supreme. You think you've found a spot on a residential side street and can save some cash on parking, only to realize that stretch is reserved for those with the illustrious district parking permit. Or you live in a densely packed neighborhood, with the only nearby street parking available is around the corner, but it's off limits.
That's when the frustration sets in.
For many, those areas mean more than setting aside more time to find parking and walk a longer distance, or shelling out $10 to park in a lot; these preferential parking districts lead to expensive fees and fines that leave a dent in Angelenos' wallets.
So why do they exist?]]> These districts -- born out of the demands of Westwood homeowners tired of dealing with UCLA students and mall rats parking on their streets -- began popping up when the City Council passed its preferential parking ordinance in 1979.
Two years prior, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of preferential parking districts, and they began spreading across the country.
Preferential parking districts in the city of Los Angeles address "intrusive parking" by non-residents and commuter vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, while allowing residents with permits -- and their guests, if the resident applied for a guest permit -- to park. Annual permits cost $34.
The department says districts address "negative impacts" of non-resident parking on residential neighborhoods, and encourage carpooling while reducing noise, traffic hazards, and litter.
To establish a permanent parking district, LADOT must first receive a formal request from a neighborhood council, homeowners association, or council member. Following the request is an informal meeting to identify a parking problem and discuss available alternatives.
Like many city processes, there a few more hoops to jump through. The group requesting the district is responsible for collecting signatures for a petition, which then must be verified by LADOT, which will then perform a parking study to validate the parking problem, which is defined when 75 percent of spaces are occupied, 25 percent of them by non-residents.
Once at least four blocks pass the study, LADOT writes a report and conducts a public hearing with a 30-day public comment period. Notices of public hearing are posted at least 15 days before the hearing along the streets in and around the proposed district; they are also printed in the local newspaper, according to Jonathan Hui, a LADOT spokesperson.
The study does not include how the new parking restrictions would affect parking in neighboring residential and commercial areas, Hui said. If established, residents outside the district boundaries, even if they live around the corner, will be prohibited from parking on affected streets.
Finally, the report is sent to the City Council's Transportation Committee, and then to the full council for approval. If passed, orders are put in for street signs, residents are notified, and permits go on sale.
There are a few exceptions to parking in these districts: cars with disabled person or veteran plates are exempt, as well as commercial vehicles servicing a residence on the permitted street.
"A lot of places have some version of this," says Michael Manville, an expert in city planning at Cornell University who has closely studied Los Angeles' complicated parking situation. "People don't want their curb spaces to be crowded; people want to park near or in front of where they live."
On the other hand, he adds, it makes sense that everyone in the city should be able to park on the streets -- they pay to maintain them with their tax dollars, after all.
"If you live in an area that is popular, you should expect that a lot of people are going to occupy the public space around it," Manville says. "The solution is to treat it as any commodity in high demand -- put a price on it. Cities offer their public land on the street for well below what its worth and it gets crowded. You run out of parking and neighbors get upset."]]>
A segment on KCET's award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected" was based on this story. Watch it here now.
Advocates for Los Angeles' homeless community say a federal court decision to overturn a local law banning people from living in parked vehicles is something of a Pyrrhic victory: Homeless people can now sleep in cars instead of on the streets, but a car is not a home.
With more people pouring into homeless shelters each day -- and as these shelters struggle to find enough beds for the homeless to sleep on -- advocates question whether the city is doing enough to provide people with shelter or permanent housing.
"People who have nowhere to live create alternative means of shelter," said Larry Adamson, president of The Midnight Mission. "At the core of this is a much bigger issue; this is just a symptom. We have not realistically addressed the need for housing for those who are homeless in our community."]]> The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the ban on using parked vehicles as "living quarters" on Thursday, describing the rule as vague and arguing it unfairly targets homeless people. The 1983 law promotes "arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement," because despite its broad scope, "it appears to be applied only to the homeless," the court said.
"Plaintiffs are left guessing as to what behavior would subject them to citation and arrest by an officer," the court wrote in its opinion. "Is it impermissible to eat food in a vehicle? Is it illegal to keep a sleeping bag? Canned food? Books? What about speaking on a cell phone? Or staying in the car to get out of the rain?"
The ordinance, the court added, violates the Due Process rights granted by the Fourteenth Amendment. Los Angeles officials said the ban was enforced for health and safety reasons. City Attorney Mike Feuer, whose office backed the law before the court, said he would not appeal the ruling and would work to "craft a constitutional ordinance that respects the rights and needs of homeless individuals and protects the quality of life in our neighborhoods."
"For many homeless persons, their automobile may be their last major possession -- the means by which they can look for work and seek social services," the court said. "The city of Los Angeles has many options at its disposal to alleviate the plight and suffering of its homeless citizens. Selectively preventing the homeless and the poor from using their vehicles for activities many other citizens also conduct in their cars should not be one of those options."
Living in a car or RV, Adamson admits, is not an ideal alternative to living on the streets -- it would be better to have the resources to provide more bed space.
"A car is not meant for human habitation," he said. "Having proper housing alternatives in the second largest city in the USA is not an unrealistic expectation. We should have those alternatives but we don't. We'll build a multi-billion-dollar bullet train to San Francisco, but we won't house our people?"
Mel Tillekeratne says the ruling was a long time coming. As director of the Monday Night Mission, he is no stranger to the plight of L.A.'s homeless -- he and a group of volunteers head to Skid Row five nights a week to feed those who are turned away from at-capacity area shelters.
"A ban on letting people live in their cars would completely deny short-term homeless people a chance at bouncing back," Tillekeratne said. "Not just individuals who maybe just lost their home or apartment, but so many people who become temporarily homeless due to issues like separation or family disagreements."
While other cities have laws barring overnight parking or sleeping in cars, L.A.'s ordinance banned people from using a parked vehicle as "living quarters either overnight, day-to-day or otherwise."
This isn't the first time the ban has stirred debate -- city officials created a task force in 2010 to cite and arrest homeless people in Venice following residents' complaints. A group of homeless people who were living in their cars sued the city in 2011, but lost in federal district court. Thursday's ruling reversed the lower court's decision.
The court's move highlights a lack of adequate permanent housing in Los Angeles, says Christine Marge of United Way of Los Angeles, an organization dedicated to helping L.A.'s homeless population. It's an acknowledgement that there aren't many options for people who live on the streets.
"What it does is begin to decriminalize some of the activities some people are doing to survive, but it's not a solution," she said. "It demonstrates the urgency of how unacceptable this is."]]>
Anyone who's been hit with a parking ticket in L.A. knows the price tag isn't cheap. You come back to a meter, only to see that it expired five minutes before you returned and there's a lovely envelope with a $60 fee waiting for you (sometimes more). For some people, that fine amounts to almost a day's wage.
Fret not, Angelenos, because you and the hole in your wallet aren't alone in your frustration, and one local activist group is looking to take those fines head-on and is working with the Mayor's office to change things. The Los Angeles Parking Freedom Initiative said it had a positive meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti and his staff on Thursday, where a new "working group'' was convened to discuss the city's ticketing policy and lowering fines for simple violations like parking at a meter for too long. The group will meet regularly to collaborate on parking reform.
"The people of L.A. are over it," said Steven Vincent, co-founder of the L.A. Parking Freedom Initiative. "They want a solution and they want change. The current parking regimen just isn't working."]]> The mayor, Vincent said, admitted that L.A. needs parking reform and that the working group -- which has now been split into two areas focusing on policy and management -- should "think outside the box" to design a parking system that works for Angelenos and promotes business in the city.
"It seems there's a commitment on the mayor's side of the bargain to getting stuff done," Vincent said. "That's what we are all about."
The working group includes members of the Parking Freedom Initiative, local business owners, neighborhood council members and representatives from the L.A. Department of Transportation.
Parking activists hope to create a system that facilitates commerce, eases transit, and improves the quality of life throughout the city by easing the hassle of something as simple as parking a car. The Parking Freedom Initiative is proposing that the city adopt a $23 limit on parking fines; the current average is $68, according to the city's website.
The revenue collected from parking tickets should be placed in a special fund, Vincent said, instead of being used as income toward the city's general budget. Parking fines make up about three percent of the city's general fund -- about $160 million.
The working group hopes to have a solution to the city's parking problem within the next five months; the groups will meet again in three months, the mayor's office said.
"We know that parking tickets are frustrating for Angelenos and we are looking forward to working with this group of stakeholders to address citation issues and look at ways to apply technology to help people find parking and avoid tickets," said Garcetti spokeswoman Vicki Curry.
If this effort fails to bring about parking reform (what Vincent called "entrenched resistance to systemic change"), the L.A. Parking Freedom Initiative will take the issue to voters and place it on the March 5 ballot.
"A fine should be about how much it takes to get people to comply with regulation," Vincent said. "We think that's a reasonable standard. A day's wage isn't a reasonable standard -- that's taking money off the dinner table and out the gas tank. That's just not fair."]]>
He's the most talked about man on the Internet. He's ramped up crowds at Sunday mass, extending lines at confession and sparking inquiries about the Catholic faith. Even donations and volunteering have gone up -- a result of his calls to help create a "church for the poor."
It's been dubbed the "Pope Francis effect," and its latest target is right here in Southern California, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Tearing a page out of the pontiff's playbook, the L.A. archdiocese is trying to fit into the changing digital landscape of the Roman Catholic Church, taking a step in the direction of its move to expand how it evangelizes the faith. Enter "Radiate L.A.": a website created by the L.A. archdiocese's Office of New Evangelization, which invites L.A.'s five million Catholics to share their hopes, dreams, and concerns with the goal of generating a deeper appreciation for their faith.]]> The site, introduced in late April at the celebration and vigil for the canonization of St. John Paul II, is tied to "The New Evangelization," the idea that all Catholics are called to share their faith. Users can share what their faith means to them by posting a their testimony online, through writing, audio, video or pictures.
"We all have a unique story of where we've come from, our struggles, who has helped us and how we've grown closer to Christ. Share your journey with us, whether you're a part of these regions or from anywhere in the world," the site says.
Radiate L.A. is a nod to a tech-savvy pope, according to Fr. Ed Benioff, who leads the Office of New Evangelization. Indeed, Francis has taken social media and communicating online to a new level, bolstering his image among the laity. Pope Benedict was the first to send papal tweets, of course, but let us not forget it was Francis who took the first ever papal "selfie." He granted indulgences -- time off in purgatory -- to Catholics who closely followed his Twitter (@pontifex) or other social media accounts during World Youth Day.
"The whole premise is taking Pope Francis' way to attract people," Benioff says. "Not through proselytizing, but through the media."
So how does the church evangelize an evangelization website? The old-fashioned way: going parish to parish and holding training sessions that frame the Web as the new Roman roads. Those the roads helped spread Christianity thousands of years ago; the new road is cyber space, Benioff notes. And because evangelization is the No. 1 pastoral priority for the Los Angeles archdiocese, he plans on visiting all 287 parishes in the diocese to share the importance of Radiate L.A.
The site is still young, and Benioff has only visited a handful of churches to spread the word. It's not yet clear whether Radiate L.A. has mobilized the masses.
The goal, Benioff adds, is to use social media and the website as a primary teaching tool -- a vehicle to reach the elusive millennial audience. Not a bad idea, considering the Pope's messages are retweeted an average of 22,000 times. That level of "user engagement" could give the church a much-needed boost in followers -- on Twitter and in real life.
Despite its near 1.2 billion adherents worldwide, the church is in a bit of a sticky situation. The number of Catholics around the globe, as well as members of the clergy, increased in 2011, but women in religious orders continued to decline, Vatican statistics show.
Not to mention, the church isn't doing so well with a key demographic in the U.S.: Latinos. While most Hispanics continue to belong to the Roman Catholic Church, according to May research from the Pew Research Center, a growing number of Hispanics are Protestant or unaffiliated with any religion. In this "digital age," the church is making a wise business move by setting itself up to be where the audience is.
The L.A. archdiocese isn't alone in its realization that moving from the pews to the smart phone is the best way to attract young Catholics -- the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops surveyed Catholics about their Internet usage last year.
"We know companies turn to the internet and social media and we are now on the cutting edge of that," Benniof says.]]>


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The Blind Barber Wants You to Wake Up A Champion
Waking up can be a struggle. Meet the guy who wakes up like every day is going to be the toughest fight of his life. Undefeated boxer Chris Algieri knows the importance of a... read more
Thursday, 9/19/2013 at 12:30PM
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Need help? 01344 578 000 (Monday - Friday 9-5pm)
Cottage garden favourites
Punchy in the border
Deliciously scented flowers.
Exhibition quality blooms
Renowned for its heavenly fragrance
Vibrantly coloured flowers
Considered by many to be the best
Strong colour and a sweet perfume
Gorgeous scented, pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers
Cream-flushed-pink blooms
Delicate colouring and super scent


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What is Ginseng?
Ginseng is an herb comprised of a light colored root, a single stalk and long oval green leaves. It is the main source of ginsenoside, polysaccharides and phytoestrogens. Ginsenoside is believed to act as an adaptogen - a natural botanical substance that helps normalize and regulate the body's systems.
What are the benefits of Ginseng?
Both American and Panax or Asian ginseng, and their roots in particular, are used throughout the Far East, the Americas and the Caribbean for their adaptogenic potential to reduce stress and enhance mental acuity and physical vitality.
**As always, please consult a medical professional if you have questions or suffer from any maladies and disease.


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muley1Line breaks: muley
Pronunciation: /ˈmjuːli /
adjectivechiefly US
(Of cattle) hornless.
More example sentences
- You big boys seem to be like the muley cows in Oklahoma, who do not like to hook horns because muley cows by definition don't have horns.
- The Jr. Boys will rope muley steers or calves at all rodeos; no roping steers will be used.
- In one of the most entertaining events of the weekend, 20 two-man teams joined forces to rope and tie muley cattle weighing 600+ lb.
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muley2Line breaks: muley
Pronunciation: /ˈmjuːli /
(also mulie)
noun (plural muleys or mulies)US informal
A mule deer.
More example sentences
- Even when they are relatively young, however, whitetails and muleys are much larger than coyotes; their hooves are dangerous, often fatal, to coyotes that overstep predatory bounds.
- A small herd of muleys, both bucks and does, were hopping over the sage, making their way down a valley just outside of our camp.
- We mainly hunt muleys and they are rather large compared to the whitetails I have seen.


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Nipsey Hussle - Gangsta's Life
Artist: Nipsey Hussle
Featuring: Snoop Dogg
Producer: King David
Album: Untitled Collabo Mixtape
Avg Rating: 4.5 ( 32 votes )
Hardcore West Coast heads might want to sit down for this one: Nipsey Hussle, the Booth favorite who's made it his mission to bring that South Central State of Mind back to the game, is working on a collaborative mixtape with one of his region's very biggest D-O-double-Gs: the only and only Snoop Dogg! The project's first official leak finds the up-and-coming buzzmaker and the smooth-talking vet trading wistful bars about—what else—the Gangsta's Life that made them both the artists they are today. Hussle's enthusiastic mic presence and Snoop's understated yet engagingly unpredictable style complement each other just as well as fans would expect, and it's all tied together with some compulsively head-bobbing boardwork; King David's sun-drenched guitar accompaniment and guest feature Pooh Bear's R&B hook make the street life seem almost… refreshing? If West Coast hip-hop's glory days still have a hold on you, pick up a copy of Hussle's debut LP when it (tentatively) hits stores on 12/22, and keep it locked to the Booth for all the latest on his and Snoop's forthcoming mixtape.
Written by richard on 08/27/09
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All Money In
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Valore della struttura
114 Recensioni
4,8 su ottobre 27, 2014
All good things at this B&B! Make sure you are hungry for breakfast, as it is a real treat! Rooms are clean and cozy. Innkeepers are cordial and strive to make your stay a pleasant and relaxing one. Yay for off street parking. Yay for historic home put to good use. Within walking distance to downtown and university campus. Just go here to experience a great get away.
4,6 su ottobre 09, 2014
What a lovely stay in a lovely property! My husband and I stayed at the Bellevue for our first year anniversary weekend. Linda and Brian were fantastic hosts. The house is immaculate. And if you love historic homes, you will truly enjoy this one! Brian and Linda have put a lot of time and effort into the restoration of this beautiful Victorian home. Linda's decorating skills and small nuances, truly make you feel as if you've stepped back in time, but with a modern flair. And the food! By far, this was the best three-course breakfast I have had in any B&B I have stayed in. You will definitely enjoy your stay. As far as the privacy is concerned, you will have plenty of it. Brian and Linda, although great host, do not smother you. They are around in the morning to serve you breakfast, and available to you by phone if you should need them. But leave you to your privacy to enjoy your getaway. What a great time!
5 su ottobre 07, 2014
Had a great experience, can't wait to return!
5 su ottobre 04, 2014
A repeat plan on our list of great rest and relaxation destinations. The breakfast experience alone is worth return trips.
4,4 su ottobre 02, 2014
The Bellevue B&B is a real gem. It's a beautifully restored house that was built in the 1890s. It's a block away from the Cape Girardeau historic district which offers a lot of nice restaurants and access to the Mississippi Riverfront Park. Also very close to the main campus and river campus of SE Missouri State U. Very clean, very quiet. The breakfast was a little rich for our tastes, but expertly prepared and beautifully served. Brian and LInda are gracious and informative hosts. Only wish the mattress on the bed was firmer, but again, that's a personal preference. Would definitely stay again.
5 su settembre 24, 2014
Reminded me of finding a hide-a-way in England. Glad my child goes to SEMO, this will be my home away from home.
5 su giugno 29, 2014
This was our second one night stay at the Bellevue Bed and Breakfast. This is a tastefully decorated, immaculate, historical home, in peaceful surroundings, with a wonderful quiet patio to sit and enjoy the outdoor garden, trees and flowers, front porch is great too! Breakfast was wonderful and kept us going until dinner! Hospitable, friendly, but unobtrusive owners/hosts! Wish we could have stayed longer. We will be back!
4,8 su giugno 24, 2014
Cape Girardeau is a lovely little college town on the Mississippi River. The Bellevue Bed and Breakfast is a well-maintained home with lovely decor and landscaping. The breakfast was delicious and graciously presented on fine china. The owners are very hospitable, attentive to every detail. I highly recommend a stay at the Bellevue in Cape Girardeau!
4,6 su giugno 18, 2014
We had a lovely stay. The rooms were beautifully appointed, the gardens lush, and the food outstanding. I really enjoyed the breakfasts, both the food and conversation. I would definitely recommend Bellevue B&B and would stay there again next time I am in town.
5 su maggio 28, 2014
Very nice meals and room.
Aeroporto, Centro città, Piccolo Paese, Regione vinicola
St. Louis, MO (STL-Lambert-St. Louis Intl.) 125 miles
Shopping Antiquariato, Gallerie d'arte, Concerti, Cene da gourmet, Interessi Storici, Musica dal vivo, Cinema, Musei, Parchi Nazionali/Statali, Zona Naturale, Teatro, Area Picnic, Servizi religiosi, Fiume, Vigneti, Azienda vinicola
Private Home Bed and Breakfast, Bed and Breakfast, Historic Inn
Giochi da tavolo, Fotocopiatrici, Dispositivo Fax, Ingresso privato, Telefono
Aria condizionata, Sveglia , Prodotti di cortesia, CD player, Ventilatori, DVD Player, Asciugacapelli, Jacuzzi, Accesso a internet , Radio, TV via cavo/satellite, TV, Servizio di Rimbocco Coperte, Wi-Fi
Osservazione Uccelli, Golf, Escursioni, Cavallo, Kayak, Shopping, Scenari, Campi da tennis
Linda Dolan Langlois & Brian Langlois
A basso contenuto di grassi
, Restrictive , Vegetariano
BedandBreakfast.com Diamond Collection


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Answers (1)
27 Aug 2012
Here is a link showing generic and brand subutex (buprenorphine) pills
Hope you find your answer here, otherwise let us know the imprint so we can help further.
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What is this pill - with 'single number 8 on one side and arrow logo' imprint?
small,white and round,ive been told its a subutex,but the only subutex ive ever had were oval shaped
1 answer • 27 May 2010
I found a broken pill with a small b on one side and on the other it has the last letter is a 6 or9?
its shaped something like the white subutex but i dnt think its that can someone please help me
1 answer • 19 Jun 2010
Do they make a small round 8mg. subutex has a 8 an a arrow I think the other side is either blank or
... has a line
1 answer • 8 Dec 2010
Round white pill 8 on one side arrow on the other. is it subutex 8 mg?
2 answers • 20 Feb 2011
I found some pills in my daughters not in a bottle, descriptions below, what are they?
round peach colored with W928 on it. white round with MX 72 yellow round with 44/403 yellow round with Watson 409 small white oval with 58 on one ...
1 answer • 18 Mar 2011


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Little Sharon and her husband and two children came to see us about five years ago. After Sue Surratt died, little sharon(my wife is the big Sharon) went to live in Sand Point, Idaho. When she and her husband came through here, on there way to california,they were hitch hiking. We gave them some help and they moved on. We have not heard from them since. email@example.com
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NRHH strives to give back to the Pacific University residential community through through recognition, service, leadership and scholastics. While voting members are selected each year, all residential students are invited to participate in NRHH events and activities.
"The National Residence Hall Honorary is the only nationwide organization that exclusively recognizes leaders in the residence halls; it is also considered the recognition branch of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), Inc. The opportunity to have a chapter is a service of NACURH, Inc. designed to give local, regional and national recognition to students making outstanding contributions to their campus and residence halls. NACURH firmly believes in the value of student involvement in residence hall life through community service, community building, advocacy and educational programming." (nrhh.nacurh.org)
In 2013, Pacific University's NRHH Chapter won the Pacific Affiliate of Colleges and University Residence Halls NRHH Building Block of the Year Award. Read an excerpt (pdf) of this award-winning bid.
- NRHH Constitution
- View the Pacific University NRHH Chapter website for more information about the organization and its awards ("Of the Month" or "OTM" awards)
Regional and National Resources
NRHH Of-the-Month Award Database
2013-2014 NRHH Executive Board
Chairperson - Briana Springer
Co-Chairperson - Ashley McKenzie
National Communications Coordinator - Liz Stevens
"Of the Month" Coordinator - Jackie Graddon
Scribe - Kaleb Bass
Finance Officer - Sierra Studnick
Members - Lucy Lawrence, Jessica Cueva Caves, Katy Kilsdonk, Natasha Halstvedt, Blake Kuriowa, Kayla Williams, Chloe Yap
NRHH Advisor: Lindsey Blem, Residence Life Programming and Conduct Coordinator, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Discuss this Article
Erectile dysfunction can interfere with a man's quality of life. Stress may be the culprit, and finding ways to manage it is an important element of penis care.
What are the best techniques men can use in any setting to hide an erect penis? Find out here.
Dry penile skin can have some surprising causes. Here are just some of the issues that can lead to a parched, itchy penis.
There are countless products for men who want to improve their performance in the bedroom; however, sometimes, sex enhancement is best achieved through these lifestyle changes.
Men with reduced penis sensation may be skipping these three essential penile care steps.
This surgery isn't right for everyone, but some adult men have reason to pursue a circumcised penis.
Sex can be highly satisfying no matter what a man's penis size. This guide helps men learn the best positions for what they're packing.
A man doesn't have to be bored with his solo play routine to try new things. Check out these inventive masturbation techniques.
You can ask women what they seek in a man and you can receive plenty of answers ranging from a nice smile or a good heart to the obvious like a nice big bank balance but secretly when women talk among...
Every guy wants a bigger penis and who can blame them? Women prefer longer and thicker penis' for obvious reasons. The truth is that you can have a much longer and thicker penis and you can do it with...
Do you want a bigger erection but don't know how to go about doing it? Good news. I'm going to tell you how it's done. That is how it's done without pills or pumps or any other expensive product on th...
Ask any woman what she is looking for in a permanent relationship and penis size comes a lot further down the list than personality. Which is not to say that size doesn't matter. But maybe not for the...
For so many years I thought I would have to accept what god gave me in the trouser department! I never actually believed it was possible to make your penis bigger. However like most guys that didn't s...
There are way too many male enhancement products that do not produce true penis growth. Most will not make you grow at all. There is one method that is guaranteed to produce phenomenal penis male enla...
If you're reading this you are probably curious about making your erection larger. A small erection is humiliating. Not only do you feel inadequate in the bedroom but your self-confidence will be at a...
Just like women who are unhappy with the size of their breasts men too can be unhappy with the size of their penis. For starters the remedying of the small or average sized penis is not anything that ...


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Added Jul 1, 2013
by lqtang
Berkeley, Califo...
Modified McCall's 6331 This was my first sewing project— not counting random hand-embroidered handkerchief things. It took forever because I don't have a sewing machine, but I'm really happy with how it turned out!
I shortened the pattern bodice a little and replaced the scalloped skirt with a self-drafted circle skirt. I also added a waist stay. Hand overcast seams, hand-picked zipper, and hand-rolled hem.
Jul 11, 2013, 03.32 PMby MandieW
Your first project is in this month's trend gallery!
Jul 18, 2013, 07.33 PMby lqtang
I'm honored! And I'm definitely going to keep sewing.
Jul 2, 2013, 03.38 PMby altered-couturier
Congrats on finishing your first project! And you did it by hand, that's hardcore! It's super cute.
Jul 2, 2013, 01.56 AMby hilos94
first project, and sewn by hand? wow that's awesome girl! I love it
Jul 2, 2013, 12.18 AMby rita61
Looks nice on you
Jul 1, 2013, 08.49 PMby liliv-1
This is so yummy and funny!!
Add to Favorites 7 people added it
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Shop top selling silk patterns, just in time for Thursday's web seminar.
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Oct 24
Arsenic and Old Lace
Friday, October 17th & 24th, 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 18th & 25th, 7:30 PM
New Episode of Newscene!
Newscene S35 Ep4
has invited several community based mentor organizations that offer academic support, enrichment opportunities and so much more to give our families an overview of their programs. Most of these programs are free!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014 7:00pm Staff Café (2nd floor)


text: The pickle lover - or maybe the pregnant gal--in your life will get a real kick from this silly hide-me pickle glass personalized Christmas ornament. If he can't see you, then you can't see him, right? One of our Christmas ornaments for boys personalized with a name and year, this blown glass pickle holiday ornament is a fun choice for anyone who enjoys the flavorful crunch of a quality pickle - dill, sweet, gherkin, kosher dill, lime, half sour or West Indian. We'll personalize this pickle with a name on the hat, lettered in gold, along with the year it is given, before hiding it in our exclusive black velvet bag.