text: Preview: Indian Grand Prix, Round 17 at Buddh International Circuit 25 October, 2012 Click on Buddh International Circuit map to enlarge Oct.25 (FIA) India plays host for the 17th round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship with teams arriving in New Delhi and making their way to Greater Noida and the impressive Buddh International Circuit. With only three races to follow, India marks the beginning of the endgame in the race for drivers' and constructors' championship glory. The debut of the Indian Grand Prix was perhaps the highlight of the 2011 season. Buddh proved to a fast, flowing and highly demanding race track, complete with memorable corners and several good overtaking opportunities. This was supplemented by an excited and knowledgeable crowd which replicated the general high level of enthusiasm with which the Italian public greet Formula One. Replacing last year's great leap into the unknown, F1's second visit to Buddh is heralded by keen anticipation from those drivers who raced here last season. The high-speed turns proved an instant hit, and having had a year to mature the surface is likely to deliver even more grip this time around, though potentially at the cost of greater tyre wear. Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, respectively third and fourth in the drivers' championship are quoted as having all-but written off their title aspirations for this year, in effect making the 2012 drivers' championship a two-horse race between Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. With a clean sweep of three victories from the recent races in Singapore, Japan and South Korea, momentum is clearly with Vettel, who now leads Alonso by six points. Alonso, however, has stayed in the hunt all year despite having his chances of a third world championship dismissed by many even before the season began. With 100 points still on the table, he won't be conceding anything just yet. Buddh International Circuit Data Length of lap: 5.125km Lap record: 1:27.249 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2011) Start line/finish line offset: 0.251km Total number of race laps: 60 Total race distance: 307.249km Pitlane speed limits: 60km/h during practice and qualifying, 100km/h during the race Changes to the circuit since 2011 The grass to the right before T5 and T16 has been replaced with asphalt. The asphalt on the exit of T15 has been extended. The additional kerbs behind the apex kerbs at T6, T7 and T8 have been lengthened by 5m at each end. An area of artificial grass has been laid behind the apex of T7. A 1m wide strip of artificial grass has been laid behind the kerb around the inside of T10 and T11. The verge on the right between T8 and T9 has been leveled. The kerb, artificial grass and asphalt run-off area on the right after T9 has been extended as far as the 'oval' track loop. The guardrail on the right before T10 has been re-aligned further from the track. Indian GP Fast Facts This will be the second Indian Grand Prix. The race joined the calendar in 2011. Sebastian Vettel's victory in the 2011 race was his F1 grand chelem, including, as it did, pole position, fastest lap and victory after leading every lap of the race. Vettel repeated the feat in Japan earlier this month. India is the first country to have its inaugural grand prix won by the reigning world champion since Michael Schumacher managed the feat in 2004 at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit. Since then F1 has gone to Shanghai, Istanbul, Valencia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Korea without the man with the number one on his car standing on top of the podium. India was Vettel's ninth and final victory of the 2011 season. He had wrapped up the 2011 Championship two races earlier in Japan. Vettel did not suffer a lack of motivation in the following races, taking pole position in the final two rounds – however a puncture in Abu Dhabi led to his only retirement of the season in the next race, while at the season finale in Brazil, an early gearbox problem meant he had to settle for second behind team-mate Mark Webber. Webber finished second in Korea, following Vettel over the line to make it the first 1-2 finish for any team in 2012. Red Bull Racing achieved it three times in 2011 but 2010 is the last time any other team managed the feat. During that season RBR finished 1-2 four times, McLaren three times and Ferrari twice. Vettel has been leading grands prix for 145 consecutive laps. He inherited the lead from Lewis Hamilton midway through the Singapore Grand Prix and was in first place from lights to flag in both Japan and Korea. He has some way to go before matching the 305 consecutive laps led by Alberto Ascari during the 1952 season. Buddh International Circuit features several challenging changes of elevation – none of which are entirely natural. Some four million cubic tonnes of earth were bulldozed into place during circuit construction. One of the most notable sections of the Buddh International Circuit is the multi-apex turns 10-11. It has been likened to Spoon corner at Suzuka, and also to Turn Eight at Istanbul Park. Unlike both of those it is a clockwise turn. The first 13 races of 2012 were all held of clockwise circuits, while of the last seven races, only Buddh is fully clockwise: Marina Bay, KIC Yas Marina, COTA and Interlagos are all anti-clockwise; Suzuka has a figure-eight layout. Greater Noida is a community town planned in the 1980s, itself an extension of the planned urban region of Noida, incorporated in the 1970s and designed to accommodate the rapid growth of New Delhi. Noida is an acronym, the shortened form of New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, the managing authority of the development. Indian Grand Prix Race Stewards Alan Jones makes his third appearance in the stewards' room, having made his debut at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and returned in 2011 to adjudicate at Suzuka. Best known as the 1980 Formula One World Champion, the Australian raced far and wide, competing everywhere from Can-Am and F5000 to Le Mans and Australian Touring Cars. In his F1 career Jones won 12 grands prix, took six pole positions and set 13 fastest laps. While usually associated with the Williams team, Jones' first grand prix victory came at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix while racing for Shadow. Dr Gerd Ennser has successfully combined his formal education in law with his passion for motor racing. While still active as a racing driver he began helping out with the management of his local motor sport club and since 2006 has been a permanent steward at every round of Germany's DTM championship. Since 2010 he has also been an F1 steward. Dr Ennser, who has worked as a judge, a prosecutor and in the legal department of an automotive-industry company, has also acted as a member of the steering committee of German motor sport body, the DMSB, since spring 2010, where he is responsible for automobile sport. In addition, Dr Ennser is a board member of the South Bavaria Section of ADAC, Germany's biggest auto club. Englishman Steve Stringwell brings a wealth of experience to the F1 stewarding panel. He began marshalling in 1967 before spending 15 years rallying. Since 1986 he has held a series of posts within the UK's Motor Sports Association, first as a steward, then chairman of the MSA's national court and latterly as chairman of the MSA's Judicial Advisory Panel. Stringwell serves as permanent chairman steward for the Porsche Supercup, World Series by Renault 3.5 and BTCC. He has been chairman of support race stewards at the British Grand Prix since 2005 and was appointed steward to his first F1 race last year when he officiated in Australia. At home in Yorkshire he is a Justice of the Peace and magistrate in the city of Leeds Subbed by AJN. Tweet Related NewsIndia targeting 2016 grand prix returnIndia targeting grand prix return by 2017Indian GP problems money related says EcclestoneIndian GP organisers seek meeting to pursue 2015 returnNo Indian GP return in 2015 as Baku street race set to happenLaw change paves road for India GP returnFIA crazy to penalise Vettel donuts says HamiltonRed Bull: The India donuts were good for the sport and the penalty was a shameLotus apologises after telling Kimi to get out of the f*cking wayHard worker Vettel helped mechanics pack up garage after fourth title win aks how stupid of these people to hold a placard of a stupid bullock cart of a driver he is a bloody shame to the f1 family and the nation,i feel ashamed that he belongs to my country


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Album Rating: 3.5but I like my bombastic crap!
Album Rating: 4.5The more I hear the Billy Corgan line, the funnier it gets. Made me laugh out loud driving home today!
Bumping for the Nathan Barley reference. Great review, great album. Keep it dense yeah.
This was an outstanding review.
Album Rating: 4.0They absolutely destroyed live tonight.
They destroyed it when I saw them in 2010 and I met Falco! CUM FACE.
i hope this isn't the future of liberalism
Album Rating: 3.5Pretty good, if not as strong as 'Travels With Myself And Another'. Then again, if you take just the best 33 minutes, it might be.
After adding a 2nd guitarist, Welsh rockers Future of the Left concerned fans with a haphazard teaser EP in late 2011... Thankfully, only 1 of those tracks has made it to the quartet's strong 3rd LP 'The Plot Against Common Sense'. Carrying a fuller sound with an infusion of synths, this is the band's most diverse record, if a little unfocused for it. The throbbing riffs & bass-lines return, as does Andy Falkous' cynical & humorous battering of pop culture. Unfortunately, the relentless intensity gets a little exhausting over the 50 minute duration. Recommended Tracks: Notes on Achieving Orbit, I Am the Least of Your Problems, Polymers Are Forever & Failed Olympic Bid.
Album Rating: 2.5agreed
Digging: Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
Album Rating: 4.5Best Falkous since Do Dallas.
Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Offhttp://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/futureoftheleft
pledge pledge fucking pledge
Album Rating: 2.5Great album, man.
Album Rating: 2.5eh
Digging: Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday
Album Rating: 2.5Dam.
Album Rating: 4.5I was very pleasantly surprised to see a Nathan Barley reference for a change! I've only just heard of these guys when I read an interview with Mike Vennart from Oceansize. I tracked down that hilarious blog post after reading the pitchfork review before even finishing the first paragraph of this review (notwithstanding, my attention span is neither low nor fruitcake splenda mildew.)
After hearing 'Sheena is a T-Shirt Salesman' and 'Robocop 4...', it seems that this sort of music is sincerely intelligent without having any 'thinking man's rock band' attachments due to perceived fatuitous philosophical ambiguity in the lyrics (and yes, I wanted to use the word fatuitous in a vain attempt to sound more intellectual.)
As I've never listened to FotL or Mclusky, at which of their albums would you recommend beginning?
Album Rating: 3.5A failed olympic bid leaves some kids so upset, they can't forget.
Digging: Dixie Dregs - What If
Album Rating: 3.5Damn. I'm trying to not form an opinion so fast, but this might be the best band ever.
Album Rating: 3.5I like this a lot, but it could use some trimming. It's a little too long for its own good. Great, but prob their weakest release.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Lindbergh Foundation Partners with Rich Sugden to Donate Husky to Kenya Wildlife Service Photos
The following photo credit should be used unless otherwise stated: "Provided courtesy of the Lindbergh Foundation."
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Sioux Falls car title loans from your home computer
If you need cash in a hurry, TitleLoansSOS.com is ready and willing to help with auto title loans up to $25,000 based on the value of your paid for automobile. If you have seen the ads and wondered "What is a title loan?" then the information presented here should answer most of your questions. Car title loans work because you allow the lender to place a lien on your paid off vehicle so they can loan you the money you need to for almost any reason. Another question you may have pondered is "Where can I get a title loan?". The answer to this question is even easier…If you live in Sioux Falls, simply log onto Title Loan SOS's website and start the application process.
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Daily Archives: March 20, 2011
Legislative Update – Post Mortem
The legislative session ended today at 12 PM. Both the House and the Senate imploded with filibusters on both sides that resulted in no capital outlay projects being funded for anybody in the state – this includez our LEDA Funds. There is talk that a special session will need to take place possibly in August to address the redistricting issue and capital outlay. We may pick up the bulk of our LEDA funds then.


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Blog Archives
Things to Think About Thursday
Each Thursday I post the most interesting science-related tidbits I run across on the internet for your enjoyment! I will gladly take recommendations or requests at whatisaplunk[at]gmail[dot]com!
So sorry for my extended absence! I've been very busy making graduate school decisions, and I've fallen behind on other obligations. Have no fear, however, I have some wonderful upcoming posts! For now, I'll start you off with my new favorite desktop wallpaper, and some interesting reads from the past week!
- George Musser of Scientific American does a fantastic job explaining the Vasiliev Theory of higher-spin fields, a baffling theory that could be the next step in the unification of physics.
- The first results from ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) are in! Their first published data reveals an interesting planetary system orbiting around Fomalhaut.
- If anyone has the desire to buy me something, Neil deGrasse Tyson's book Space Chronicles will do quite nicely.
- Lifehacker provides some excellent advice for students dealing with debt.
- This may be slightly off the topic of science, but since the personality statistics within science are so dramatically skewed towards introverted, I think it's relevant. Matador Network writer Carlo Alcos explains his revelation that being introverted is OK too.
- Another book to put on your "To Read" list, Breaking into the Lab: Engineering Progress for Women might not be celebrated by Athene Donald, but it sounds like an interesting read.
- Athene Donald hit it out of the park last week, and examined an RSE report of the position of women in STEM fields in Scotland. Her analysis is impecible, and you should read her explanation of why we need to start focusing our efforts on young girls.
Even most practicing female scientists, myself included, still find an unconscious tendency to associate words associated with science more with men than women.
Until we next meet again, happy Thursday!


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Aberdeen Heights resident Alvina Warner swims during the Water Walk to End Alzheimer's during Active Aging Week at the senior center.
Aberdeen Heights residents and friends participate in a seated exercise class with Brandon Sunderlik, a therapist with Rehabcare.
© Copyright 2014, Ladue News, St. Louis, MO. Powered by BLOX Content Management System from TownNews.com. [Terms of Use | Privacy Policy]


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FOODNEWS weekly podcast, 24th February 2012
Friday February 24 2012
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Welcome! Here is a bit of our family farm history......
In 1890, a German immigrant named John Utz settled in Waterville Township and established the Riverside Fruit Farm located along the river at Noward and River Roads (old Rt. 24). His son Marion and grandson Bernard continued the tradition of producing high quality apples, cider and peaches as M.L. Utz & Son Orchard Fruits. Bernard semi-retired from farming and retired Utz's Orchards in 1976.
A generation passed, not without family missing the easily accessible, tasty fruit. A passion for healthy food and eating led one of Bernard's six daughters, her husband, their oldest son and daughter-in-law to the decision to resurrect the farm.
Bersée & Utz Heirloom Farm began in the Spring of 2010 with a planting of 315 dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees and vegetable market gardens.
Our first few years have been eye openers. Farming, and especially farming sustainably (without the use of toxic and harmful chemicals) to protect our soil and provide clean healthy produce, is hard work and a lot of it - - not for the faint of heart or body! Still, we relish in being close to the land and being able to work outside (for the best workout ever!), witnesses to beautiful skies, awesome cloudscapes, soaring eagles and hawks, approaching storms and, of course, magnificent sunsets. On top of that, we never stop learning and Mother Nature wouldn't have it any other way. She tends to throw farmers different curve balls each year, but that's the name of the game: how well we can adapt to the diverse conditions and still bring product to harvest.
2013 provided a first taste of an apple harvest from the 2010 orchard planting. We look forward to much more yield this year! Again, these apples are organically produced, clean and healthy.
For 2014, we are offering shares for 150 partners and plan to have a farm stand onsite, as well.
We invite you to peruse our site or make an appointment for a farm tour as the season progresses.
Welcome to our farm!
Our CSA is currently accepting new members for the 2014 season.
Utz family farm, circa 1960s, showing the original apple orchard of 90 standard sized trees.


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Britons honor Czechoslovaks who fought for RAFA memorial honoring 2,500 Czechoslovakians who fought against Nazi Germany in Britain's air force has been unveiled in Prague.
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The monument in memory of Czechoslovak WWII pilots in the British Royal Air Force (RAF), which is opposed by heritage protectors, was unveiled in a park in Prague centre, Tuesday, June 17, 2014. The two-metre bronze statue of a winged lion, made by British sculptor Colin Spofforth, stands on a concrete plinth. It was donated by the British community living in the Czech Republic. (AP Photo/CTK, Vit Simanek) SLOVAKIA OUT
Photo by Associated Press
Photo by Associated Press
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Original article: Britons honor Czechoslovaks who fought for RAF
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Snakedance is the season 20 sequel to season 19's classic Kinda. While not the classic story that Kinda was it did have some nice moments and was a pretty decent story in its own right. Plus it has none other than Martin Clunes in it. Yes Doc Martin himself in one of his first television appearances. Snakedance heralds the return of the evil and manipulating Mara and yet another silly looking snake.
Snakedance brings us another great performance by Janet Fielding as she once again plays the evil Tegan possessed again by the Mara. This time we don't get the insight into her mind instead we are forward ahead to her possession and the havoc she is going to unleash on the planet of Manussa. To take over Manussa and extract revenge for their defeat from 500 years ago. They will do this by taking over Lom the Federator's son and by using the great crystal to once again gain corporal form
I really enjoyed this story as it gives us another chance of seeing The Doctor and Nyssa working together which in itself could have been a good pairing if there weren't so many companions during the 5th Doctor's era. Snakedance also used witchcraft instead of science to win the day as The Doctor used the venom of a snake to go into a trance to communicate with Dojjen and to learn about the crystal and how to stop the Mara. Which was something not done before on Doctor Who.
Snakedance keeps up the tradition from Kinda of having a pretty bad looking snake. But I have to admit the one in Snakedance isn't as bad as the one in Kinda. It was probably due to the fact that they didn't try to do something large scale. Well, they did try to superimpose Tegan's head inside the mouth and that looked bad. Well yes it was quite comical and at times painful to watch.
Snakedance is one of those stories that is fun to watch as it is one of those traditional Doctor Who stories where good overcomes evil and The Doctor finds a way to save the day without the need of technology most notably the sonic screwdriver. He uses his mind and outwits the enemy. This is possibly why I like it so much. Well and the fact that The Doctor shows Doc Martin who the best Doctor is.
So join us Sunday December 30th for the last TARDISTweets of 2012 as we watch Peter Davison's Snakedance. Doors open at 7:45PM UK/ 2:45PM EST US.


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'How I Met Your Mother': Haaave you met the gang?
The tight-knit group of friends shared a series of long-running jokes, nicknames and catchphrases during the CBS sitcom's nine-season run. Here's a look back at the main cast of characters we met before the mother.
By Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times
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How we met the gang
CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" explains how Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) met the storied mother of his children. The series is told through flashbacks as future Ted (voiced by Bob Saget) sits down his son and daughter in the year 2030 to recount the misadventures that led him to their mother. The episodes center on the shenanigans of Ted and his friends, Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) and, eventually, the mysterious mother (Cristin Milioti). Click through the gallery to meet the gang, but be warned: Spoilers for what's aired lie ahead.


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A genetic test examines the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of a person's cells. Genetic testing can identify changes in genes or can analyze the number, arrangement, and characteristics of the chromosomes. Testing may be performed on samples of blood, semen, urine, saliva, stool, body tissues, bone, or hair.
You inherit half of your genetic information from your mother and the other half from your father. Genes, alone or in combination, determine what features (genetic traits) a person inherits from his or her parents, such as blood type, hair color, eye color, and other characteristics, including risks for certain diseases. Certain changes in genes or chromosomes may cause medical problems.
A genetic test is done to:
You do not need to do anything before you have this test.
Talk with your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?).
Since the information obtained from a genetic test can have a profound impact on your life, you may want to see a doctor who specializes in genetics (geneticist) or a genetic counselor. This type of counselor is trained to help you understand your risk for developing a genetic disease or having a child who has an inherited (genetic) disease, such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, or hemophilia. A genetic counselor can help you make well-informed decisions. Ask to have genetic counseling before making a decision about genetic testing.
A genetic test can be done using almost any cell or tissue from the body.
If genetic testing is done on a baby, a heel stick usually is done instead of a blood draw from a vein. For a heel stick blood sample, several drops of blood are collected from the heel of the baby. The skin of the heel is cleaned with alcohol and then pricked with a small, sterile lancet. Several drops of blood are collected inside circles on a specially prepared piece of paper. When enough blood has been collected, a gauze pad or cotton ball is placed over the puncture site. Pressure is applied to the puncture site briefly, and then a small bandage is usually placed over it.
The health professional drawing your blood will:
For this type of testing, cells are collected from the fetus using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.
To learn more, see:
The baby may feel a brief sting or a pinch when the lancet pricks the skin. While the blood is being collected, there is very little or no discomfort.
You may feel nothing at all from the needle puncture, or you may feel a brief sting or pinch as the needle goes through the skin. Some people feel a stinging pain while the needle is in the vein. But many people do not feel any pain, or they have only minor discomfort, after the needle is positioned in the vein. The amount of pain you feel depends on the skill of the health professional drawing the blood, the condition of your veins, and your sensitivity to pain.
The collection of DNA from saliva, urine, or semen does not cause discomfort.
There is very little risk of complications from having blood drawn from a heel stick. A small bruise may develop at the puncture site.
There is very little risk of complications from having blood drawn from a vein.
There are no risks linked with collecting DNA from saliva, urine, or semen.
The information obtained from a genetic test can affect your life and the lives of your family in many ways, including:
A genetic test examines the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of a person's cells. Genetic testing can identify changes in genes or can analyze the number, arrangement, and characteristics of the chromosomes.
The results of genetic testing depend on the type of test done. Genetic testing is used to:
Having a blood transfusion within a week before the test can interfere with your test or the accuracy of the results.
The information obtained from a genetic test can have a profound impact on your life. Genetic counselors are trained to help you understand your risk for having a child with an inherited (genetic) disease, such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, or hemophilia. A genetic counselor can help you make well-informed decisions. Ask to have genetic counseling before making a decision about genetic testing.
Other Works Consulted
- Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
- Skirton H, Patch C (2009). Genetics for the Health Sciences: A Handbook for Clinical Healthcare, 2nd ed. Oxfordshire, UK: Scion Publishing.
|Healthwise Staff
|Primary Medical Reviewer
|Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
|Specialist Medical Reviewer
|Siobhan M. Dolan, MD, MPH - Reproductive Genetics
|Last Revised
|November 29, 2012
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Last Revised: November 29, 2012
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Siobhan M. Dolan, MD, MPH - Reproductive Genetics
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Though not many writers would care to contend for the honor except on the front lines of the best-sellers list, Ira Levin may well be America's finest hack writer. For one thing, he's reliable. His latest thriller, Sliver, is as successful a page turner as his first, A Kiss Before Dying, 38 years ago. In between he's produced two books that have become pop-culture myths, Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives. He has been imitated by other hacks, but he never repeats himself. He has also avoided the temptation of those hacks who decide they'll show their true colors by trying to produce the Great American Novel. Ira Levin never gets serious, he just gets better.
The concept behind Sliver couldn't be simpler: electronic voyeurism. A bright, handsome, rich psychotic has wired an entire high rise on Manhattan's Upper East Side so that he can view his tenants on a secret closed-circuit TV network. He comes to take a special interest in our heroine, Kay Norris, a bright, beautiful, well-to-do editor whose life is missing only one ingredient: love. The voyeur begins to supply what she's been missing, and the story shifts gears from a simple high-tech thriller to something closer to romance.
At this point, halfway through the book, Sliver becomes so irresistible that it will have you phoning in sick. You know that after the damsel has gotten sufficiently deep in distress there will be a conventional gothic denouement. But Levin is able to make you care about his characters along the way. He zeroes in on a familiar psychological quirk in Rosemary's Baby it was the fear and physical ordeal of pregnancy and finds a way to keep intensifying that feeling.
There isn't a lot of gore in a Levin novel. The whole of Sliver wouldn't provide enough gross-out effects to fill a paragraph of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho. The villain of Sliver is a multiple murderer but not a serial killer which is to say he's got sound reasons for the crimes he commits. For all his glamour, he is a plausible person, like you or me or Kay Norris. And when Kay starts to get involved in his voyeuristic games, the effect is all the more unnerving because Levin has made us succumb to the temptation with her. Of course it's wrong, but wouldn't you watch what your neighbors were up to if you had the chance? Readers so virtuous that they've never eavesdropped on a phone conversation or read someone else's mail may not find Levin's fantasy especially compelling, but for the rest of us, Sliver offers a large slice of delicious, double-chocolate escapist trash. A


text:
Huckleberry Mountain TrailheadSituated in Glacier National Park's Apgar Mountains, the Huckleberry Lookout Trail is located approximately 6 miles up the Camas Road from Apgar Village on the left side of the road. Apgar is accessed from the West Glacier entrance to the park. It can also be accessed via the Camas Creek Entrance Station off the North Fork Road.
This trail head has a parking area for several vehicles right off of the paved Camas Road. As it is located in Glacier National Park one should arrive early to secure a parking space.


text:
Obama-Palin Nuclear War and the Columbia Senior Thesis
"Go ahead, punch me in the face and I'm not going to retaliate …" – said Sarah Palin on Hannity and the whole country immediately understood the new Obama policy on nuclear engagement. Like the "death panels" remark got the attention of the seniors to the health care reform, the "punch me!" line made the crowd curious about the new Obama activity involving nuclear arms negotiations.
With the "death panels" Palin made Obama defend himself that he will not pull the plug on Granma. With the "I will not retaliate" line the famous now FOX News contributor made the President do just that: retaliate.
Sarah Palin is no expert on nukes… concluded the President. Ironically Obama who will not retaliate if a foreign country gases the USA readily engaged in a Nuclear War of words with Sarah Palin.
Nuke punches went back and forth as the former VP contestant reminded the world that Obama's experience contains mainly of being a "community organizer" and "part-time" senator.
What is even more damaging for Obama is that "the experience" attack comes just a week after the President of Iran Ahmadinajad proclaimed that mistakes of the Obama foreign policy come from his inexperience. Ouch!
Obama vs Palin nuclear war comes at a time when the US Congress has to ratify the new START treaty with Russia (with 2/3 majority in the Senate). Looks like the President is trying to politicize the matter by engaging the enemy (Palin and the Republicans – not Iran and N. Korea).
The cheap shot at Palin prompts the public to take another look at Barack Obama's experience in the realm of the nuclear disarmament.
What we know so far is that he wrote a paper on the Soviet disarmament while in college. The "senior thesis" as it is famous is missing from the Columbia University library and Obama campaign spokesman said in 2008 that the candidate at the time doesn't have a copy himself.
Obama's professor at Columbia Michael Baron said in an e-mail for NBC:
My recollection is that the paper was an analysis of the evolution of the arms reduction negotiations between the Soviet Union and the United States. At that time, a hot topic in foreign policy circles was finding a way in which each country could safely reduce the large arsenal of nuclear weapons pointed at the other … For U.S. policy makers in both political parties, the aim was not disarmament, but achieving deep reductions in the Soviet nuclear arsenal and keeping a substantial and permanent American advantage. As I remember it, the paper was about those negotiations, their tactics and chances for success. Barack got an A. The course was not a polemical course, it was a course in decision making and how decisions got made, None of the papers in the class were controversial.
There you go! President Obama got an A on nuclear disarmament. If only we could take a look at the details and see if the A-grade logic is the same that was involved in the new treaty with the Russians.
Obama went to Columbia University in 1981 and graduated with a B.A. in 1983.
Let's take a look at the USA at that time. According to a study on public opinion released in 1981
Since then Soviet-American relations have chilled in the face of the huge Soviet arms buildup, Russian-Cuban adventurism in Africa, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Communist repression in Poland, and commentators are talking of a second cold war…
The public evaluated President Carter's approach as tending to be too soft, and at least initially has voiced much more satisfaction with President Reagan's harder line toward the Soviets.
The public has also become more willing to oppose the spread of Communism.
The growing unfavorable opinion of the Soviet Union and concern about Soviet goals, actions, and its military might also have led to increased caution about the type of mutual ties and bilateral agreements that were the heart of detente.
As you can see from this overview of the foreign affairs in 1981 the Obama senior thesis on negotiations with the Soviets was not an easy matter. It is different looking back knowing that the USSR disappeared 10 years later. At the time the Soviets were no laughing matter. They were spreading communism all over the Third World.
The 1981 public opinion study shows an interesting discrepancy. Americans were very unlikely to have positive opinion on international communism. However they were much more tolerant toward the domestic communism:
American Communists are apparently seen as less dangerous now than in the l950s and they are accorded more civil liberties, but they are still seen undesirable and are ranked at or near the top of various lists, harmful groups and are about the middle among a list of problems. However there has been no increase intolerance towards Communists during the 1974 and early 1980s as conceal about Communism grew, dislike of Russia scare and in general Soviet-American relations deteriorated across the board.
-TOM W. SMITH Jan 1981
Apparently Obama was lucky that that tolerance for communism at home existed at the time. It is likely because of the love of the Americans for the freedom of speech. In the famous quote from, "Dreams from My Father" Barack Obama writes about his college days:
To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists.
It is no wonder President Obama often goes against the public opinion. Even in college he was looking for the most fringe elements in the crowd.
I hope the professor who graded the Obama Soviet disarmament paper in 1983 with A was one of the not-Marxist professors that young Barack had to deal with. All because it is the only evidence of some nuclear experience in the Obama job resume.
4 Responses to "Obama-Palin Nuclear War and the Columbia Senior Thesis"
What everyone seems to forget is that Palin is also quite knowledgeable about nuclear weapons. She was Governor over the State of Alaska, with top security clearance and Commander in Chief of the Missile National Guard unit, where their primary focus was to defend this nation against nuclear and missile attacks. She would have been well versed in what it would take to defend this nation.
I would stick with Palin over Obama any day when it comes to national defense, energy, foreign policy or the economy. She has shown ability to deal with all four areas far better than he has. He is weak and a puppet for others who are running a very dangerous agenda for this nation.
He was raised as an islamist and then he became a marxist in college.
Now he's a full blown islamo-marxist, destroying America from within as he was trained.
Ellie: Interesting column as usual! Steve
[...] just got over the fact that Obama negotiated a nuclear disarmament treaty where he promised not to nuke anybody who got their paperwork on weapons in order according to UN [...]


text: Today I am getting my laptop, hoo-hoo! My Uncle Mark must really love me. He also brought me to Israel and Egypt a few years ago. He is a good man. Plus, it helps sometimes to have a priest in the family.Well, yesterday I was feeling awfully crummy about everything. I cried to my mother, but the years I pushed her away, now show. When I am sad, she no longer tries to comfort me, instead she will give me other things to think about. It is all right, but not always what I am looking for. Miguel got out of work early and came over. We sat on my back steps and I cried all over him. My heart was aching for Ann-Drea, Phil, Sean, Lance, Dan, Laurel, Janet, other Phil, Jeremy, Alex, Jess, Jen, Jackie and Amber. A long time ago that was not so long ago, I cared so much for these people. Monroe kind of built up who I am today. Now, I try to put it behind me. Sometimes it hurts so much because at one time their happiness was the only happiness I knew. I just don't know anymore. I'm not theirs. I don't need them. They have all gone their own separate ways by now. They are slowly being erased in my mind. All but Sean, Alex and Phil. My heart is still aching.Being with Miguel and getting it out felt a lot better. We bought soda and rented two movies. I am very fortunate for such a special guy.What is the matter with me today?


text:
Early results from Poland's presidential election have given the country's acting president the lead, but not enough to avoid a runoff vote.
The State Electoral Commission said early on Monday that with more than 70 per cent of polling stations reporting, Bronislaw Komorowski had won 40.1 per cent of the votes, ahead of the 37.4 per cent for Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of the late president, Lech Kaczynski.
But it appeared Komorowski would not garner enough votes for an outright win and is very likely to face Kaczynski in a runoff election on July 4, without the eight other candidates who ran in Sunday's first round.
Full results are expected later on Monday.
Political logjam
Victory would be a boon for Komorowski's Civic Platform party, unlocking a political logjam more than a year before the autumn 2011 parliamentary elections.
The election date was moved up after Lech Kaczynski was killed in a plane crash along with his wife and 94 others near the western Russian town of Smolensk on April 10.
Nazanine Moshiri, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Warsaw, said that there was a lot of sympathy for Kaczynski, following the death of his twin brother and as his mother is seriously ill in hospital.
"But there are other things at stake in this election, like the direction Poland is heading. Lech was very much against Poland joining the euro and withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
"He vetoed a lot of policies the government was trying to bring in to modernise and liberalise the market. So there're a lot of things on people's minds here."
Moshiri said that Komorowski was pro-Europe and pro-reforms, going against Jaroslaw Kaczynski's support base.
"So this really is a contest between two different visions of what the future should be here in Poland," Moshiri said.
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Saturday, December 20, 2014
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A Department of Buildings inspector was found guilty Friday of falsifying records on inspections on six different cranes, although he was acquitted of charges related to an inspection of a Manhattan crane that crashed and killed seven people in 2008. NY1's Polly Kreisman filed the following report.
Edward Marquette was expressionless as the judge delivered the verdict.
While he was found not guilty of falsely claiming he inspected the construction crane on the Upper East Side that collapsed 11 days later, killing seven people in 2008, he was convicted of falsifying inspections of six cranes on two other dates earlier that year. Those crimes are felonies.
Marquette was never blamed for the 2008 accident on East 51st Street, which cut a giant gash through a Midtown block and helped bring new crane safety regulations. New York City Department of Buildings records showed that Marquette had checked the crane days before the collapse but defense lawyer Andrew Freifeld admitted Marquette didn't do the inspection, saying he was a scapegoat covering for a superior. The collapse led to the departure of the City Buildings Commissioner.
The District Attorney argued that the tragedy exposed Marquette's dangerous behavior.
Using cellphone records and MetroCards, the judge said prosecutors were able to prove that Marquette had a pattern of documenting buildings he said he was inspecting when in fact, said the judge, he was nowhere near them.
Marquette's lawyer, Andrew Freifeld, promises an appeal.
"The guilty verdicts as to the felonies, I thought there was a chance we would have a misdemeanor conviction," he said. "I'm disappointed the judge found him guilty on the felonies."
In a statement, the Manhattan DA said, "By lying about inspecting cranes, the defendant put the safety of New Yorkers at risk."
Marquette could face four years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 1.
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text:
Hello DSG! It has been awhile since I have checked in and have been meaning to do so for awhile. Last time I wrote was maybe after our daughter was born last November. Any ways since then we have made some good progress and have of course wasted a little money a long the way also
Here it is in a nut shell!
-we were able to get new windows from the state due to lead, we had to pay about 3500 of our own money but this year it is amazing how much warmer the house is!!!!! And now we have screens .
-I used my miles to go to Finland and I visited my family there. It was a amazing trip. I only brought the baby and she was an excellent traveler. The only down side is that it is so expensive that I don't know how I will ever be able to bring the other two girls with me but some day. It was really cool because now that we have reconnected in person I feel like it is a place that I could visit again or have them come and stay with us sometime.
-My in-laws stayed with us for 6 weeks (part of the time when I was in Finland) and we did a lot of fun things with them.
-We switched the girls schools to what was easier for me (not just what my husband wanted) one is the free pre-k option by the city and it has been excellent. The school for my first grader is good but there are some challenges so we shall see. The nice thing for me is I am not driving like crazy any more this year and we do not have preschool tuition.
-we are trying to refinance our house like Marie and we may be underwater. We owe 147,000 and bought the house for 175,00 in 2005 and have probably spent 35000-40000 fixing it up. That includes updating the kitchen, electrical, new bathroom, chimney insert, new windows, new deck, roof, rebuilding the top of the chimney and all of the other little things. I am hoping that it gets appraised for 165000 so that we don't have to pay in to refinance. We may have to pay the closing depending on the value. My Dad said he would borrow the $ if there is a difference we need to make up but I really don't want to do that. The appraisal will be in a few weeks so we are trying to spruce up as much as possible. If anyone has tips for appraisals please let me know!
Our bathroom loan is about 3500 which will be paid with this years taxes. Also, our car loan that we refinanced in order to lower the interest on part of our bathroom loan is now at 8000.
I also figured out that we are at about 175000 in debt at this point with our mortgage, car, bathroom loan and student loan. In the past 7 years since we bought the house we had taken out about 225000 in loans, so we have paid off about 50000. That feels good and we are not planning on taking more loans so that number will continue to go down.
The family is good. Things are OK with H. We are continuing to work on our issues. I think that is why I took a break from obsessing about finances because that became the priority and the baby takes all of my time
Karen congrats on your girl. Norma you are making amazing progress. Thanks to whoever read this far.


text:
Friday, January 30, 2009
The Student Section Is Beginning To Fill Up ...
But, it's still not a great crowd considering the magnitude of this matchup between the Bulldogs and a good Mavericks squad. But, the students who are here have brought their spirit to try and do their best to heat things up on an otherwise cold Michigan night.
Posted by Sandy Gholston at 7:18 PM
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text:
priya anand is one of the most popular south Indian actresses and she is young, talented and charming.
priya anand, the brown eyed beauty is a girl with strong determination and will power. Her glorious smile has stolen the hearts of thousands of teenagers. Not only in India does she have fans but also abroad, where people admire her dance sequences.
Although the young lady has acted in some dozen movies, she has to yet to distinguish herself as an actress in an admittedly male-dominated film industry.
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Investment Management Update- 2014 Election Impact
Trial by Jury: Why It Matters in a Democratic Society
Busy Days For Voting Rights Advocates, Thanks to SCOTUS
Polsinelli Podcast - Republicans Gain Control of the U.S. Senate - How That May Impact Health Reform
Karl Rove's Efforts to "Buy" Courts Harmed America, Says Legendary Attorney
Crisis at the Border Shows Problems in US Immigration Law
Are Criminal Laws the Right Response to Revenge Porn?
Why Does BigLaw Have So Few Black Partners?
Aquila on M&A: Dealmaking is Back
Schoenbrod: SCOTUS Ruling Helps EPA Deal With a "Stupid Statute"
ATL Law School Rankings: All About The Jobs
What Comes Next in Derivatives Regulation?
A More Perfect Union: Why Punish Russia for Crimea?
Only in DC: Ethics Rule Permits Non-lawyers to Own Law Firms
How a Reluctance to Deport Pop Stars Strengthens US Immigration Policy
Law Prof: The Clean Air Act Needs a Reboot
Is Punishment Dead in America?
Hailey French's Story – When millions barely cover the bills.
Bill on Bankruptcy: Detroit Shows Need for Amending Bankruptcy Law
Bill on Bankruptcy: Sandbagging of a Federal District Judge
The end of 2014 has seen major developments in U.S. foreign relations and sanctions policy with broad implications for the maritime industry. On December 17, President Obama announced a paradigm shift in relations with Cuba,...more
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On Tuesday, December 11, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and at 2:00 for legislative business. The House will consider a Motion to go to Conference on H.R. 4310 – National Defense...more
On November 27, President Obama signed S.1956, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011, into law. The law allows the Department of Transportation to exempt U.S. airlines from the carbon tax...more
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The Senate passed the surface transportation bill with an amendment that would give the State Dept the right to deny, limit or revoke passports of "seriously delinquent" U.S. taxpayer's. The passport provision is part of the...more
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Church addition honors benefactor $200,000 was bequeathed in woman's will
|Sisters Alice, left, and Verna Lauper, in a photograph provided by First Congregational Church of Torrington. Verna Lauper left the church $200,000 after she died in 2005. The church used most of the money to build an addition that will be named in her family's honor. Contributed
TORRINGTON — Verna Lauper attended First Congregational Church each week, sitting in the same pew, five rows from the front, each Sunday until she died in 2005 at the age of 78.
On Sunday, the church will dedicate a 2,400-square-foot addition to the building in honor of Lauper and her family, with the help of $200,000 she bequeathed to the church in her will.
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Birds by name
Conservation status: Amber
The sooty shearwater is a seabird, that is smaller than a herring gull. It is a large shearwater, with dark brown body and wings and long wings. Its bill is dark and when seen close up, there is a pale band along the underneath of the wings. It does not breed in the UK, but makes a huge clockwise migration up the western Atlantic in spring to spend the northern summer in the north Atlantic. Then in summer/autumn it moves down into UK waters on its return to the southern ocean to breed.
Puffinus griseus
Petrels and shearwaters (Procellariidae)
Best looked for from seawatching places in late summer and autumn.
Fish, squid, crustaceans and offal from fishing boats.
* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
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Revealed: HSU officials pocket fat pay chequesPUBLISHED: 23 Jul 2012 16:19:00 | UPDATED: 24 Jul 2012 04:33:09PUBLISHED: 24 Jul 2012 PRINT EDITION: 24 Jul 2012
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten on Monday night. The HSU was put into administration last month after he said it was dysfunctional. Photo: Andrew Taylor
Mark Skulley
Michael Williamson, the most powerful figure in the Health Services union and former Labor Party president, showed "stark favouritism" to family members. Photo: Ben Rushton
The most powerful figure in the Health Services union and a former Labor Party president, Michael Williamson, was paid a salary and allowances of $394,675 and clocked up about $56,000 in expenses in the nine months before he stepped down.
A report into the union also found that Mr Williamson's wife, Julieanne, had a business that traded as Canme Services, which was paid $384,625 between December 2005 and June 2009 for clerical work sorting old union records.
The findings, by lawyer Ian Temby and accountant Dennis Robertson, will have repercussions in Labor circles because Mr Williamson is a former powerbroker in NSW Labor who worked with the most senior leaders of the party, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who hired his daughter. But it makes no findings against former HSU national secretary Craig Thomson, who is now a crucial federal MP.
The report says Mr Williamson, the previous secretary of the HSU East branch, showed "stark favouritism" to family members.
It also finds the union paid about $3.1 million for printing work by a company called Communigraphix at a rate of about $690,000 a year.
It notes allegations that Communigraphix provided credit cards to Mr Williamson and to Mr Thomson but was unable to determine whether the amounts charged to the union were excessive.
The report notes that the investigation was set up by the union, had no statutory powers, and that key people declined to speak, including Mr Williamson.
The inquiry was unable to access the records of American Express, Communigraphix, or the couple who owned the printing company.
"The police can, and presumably have done so or will do so," the report says. "We cannot reach any conclusions as to whether or not Williamson received and used for his private purposes a credit card supplied to him by a major supplier of services to the union of which he had charge."
The report criticises a range of transactions and arrangements involving Mr Williamson and his family. These included payment of about $4.7 million over several years to an IT company, United Edge, in which Mr Williamson was a one-third shareholder and director.
It found that the union employed Mr Williamson's brother, Darren, and his son, Christopher, and that Mrs Williamson's sister was a lead organiser for the union.
The union paid Mah-Chut Architects about $3.4 million over 4½ years for property services. The firm confirmed it had done work for Mr Williamson at his house in Maroubra, Sydney, and at a holiday house at Lake Macquarie. The report was unable to conclude whether either Mr Williamson or Mah-Chut behaved improperly.
The report concludes that a warehouse in Sydney had been bought by the union and fitted out as a sound studio that was used by Mr Williamson's son, Christopher.
It concludes the studio had been leased to him for a "modest amount and that this was stark favouritism".
The two investigators recommended sweeping changes to the union's governance and financial controls and concluded that there were widespread problems with spending on credit cards by officers and employees. These cards had incurred spending of more than $600,000 a year over the past four years, with one employee spending $50 on Krispy Kreme doughnuts on four consecutive days.
Other spending on credit cards included restaurants, flowers and purchases from IGA supermarkets where half of the docket, which indicated what goods had been purchased, had been removed.
At the request of Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten, the Federal Court appointed former judge Michael Moore as administrator of the HSU East branch but that decision is being challenged by HSU national secretary Kathy Jackson, who raised the corruption allegations. The appeal is due back in court in Sydney today.
Mr Shorten said last night the salaries were too high and that when he was a union official he was paid less than $100,000. Mr Moore said in a newsletter to HSU members that he had received the report on July 3 and had been obtaining legal advice about its publication. He planned to release a copy to HSU East members who lived in NSW and the ACT. "I should emphasise that to obtain a copy a member will have to sign an acknowledgment that limits the use that can be made of the copy they are given."
In April, an initial report by Mr Temby and Mr Robertson found the union paid more than $17 million for goods and services without tendering or competitive quotes, and could lead to tougher controls over union finances.
The Australian Financial Review
Read more
|Michael Williamson, Julia Gillard, Craig Thomson, Bill Shorten, Kathy Jackson
|Politics /Federal Politics , Employment & Industrial Relations, Courts & Legal


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Extension Council Meeting (Session 7 of 12)
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In 2009, New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut launched an aggressive reform strategy – the School Change Initiative – outlining the following broad goals:
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the 16th largest school district in the country. Long seen as a wealthy enclave, the county was becoming increasingly urbanized in 1999. Broad Acres Elementary School, located in a racially diverse neighborhood in the county's southeastern corner, epitomized the challenges facing MCPS.
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), the eighth-largest school system in the country, received a $100 million Gates Foundation Empowering Effective Teachers Grant in 2009. This grant recognized and enhanced the long history of collaboration and pay-for-performance programs in HCPS.
Helena Public Schools
In their 2009-2011 Master Agreement , Helena Public Schools and the Helena Education Association set forth to "embrace a problem-solving approach that will encompass a shared decision-making process fostering trust and respect." Superintendent Bruce Messinger describes it as a unique situation of "labor, management, and community working together in consensus and collaboration."
Green Dot Public Schools
Green Dot Public Schools is a fast-growing charter management organization specializing in turning around under-performing schools. It was founded in 1999 as a response to the education crisis unfolding in Los Angeles. While largely supported by local, state, and federal funds, Green Dot has also relied on philanthropic funding to build up its school facilities and infrastructure.
Douglas County School District
Douglas County School District (DCSD) is the third-largest school district in Colorado, serving more than 60,000 students. The DCSD partnership with the Douglas County Federation (DCF) of teachers and classified employees is an outstanding example of labor-management collaboration and innovation that dates back two decades.
Denver Public Schools
As the host city and district for this conference , Denver has a legacy of improving student outcomes through collaboration between the Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA).
Baltimore City Public Schools
Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) is the fourth-largest school district in Maryland. In 2010, culminating recent successes, City Schools received the Award for Urban School Board Excellence from the Council of Urban Boards of Education.
Videos of Conference Sessions
ABC Unified School District
ABC Unified School District serves students in the southeast edge of Los Angeles County. The students come from both affluent and middle-class neighborhoods, as well as high-poverty areas. The district has seen excellent success and has earned multiple national and state awards.


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The National Museum's Victorian Home is located in a property on Frederiksholms Kanal, just a short distance from the National Museum. Merchant Rudolph Christensen's luxurious apartment is fully furnished in the period's Danish style called "klunkestil" and is as it would have looked in the period between 1890 and 1914. The authentic interiors are remarkably well preserved, from the sitting rooms with upholstered furniture, elaborate draped curtains and ornaments, to the original bathroom and toilet.
Brede Manor is part of the industrial complex of Brede Works (Brede Værk), located in a river valley north of Copenhagen. The manor was built in 1795 as the country residence of the owner of the works, merchant Peter van Hemert (1734-1810), and his family. It has been fully restored in the neoclassical style of van Hemert's day, complete with delicate furniture and murals.
In 1916, in one of the last old mills on the defences of Copenhagen, Mr and Mrs Flach-Bundegaard made their unique home. Little Mill is not a typical home of this time, but features many traits of the period. It is furnished in the national romantic style, but also somewhat in that of its owners. It is a large house with five floors and many rooms, where everything remains as it was when the married couple lived there.


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The Property Tax Division (PTD) determines total taxable value in a school district by estimating market value or by accepting the local appraised value in each property category in the district and then adding these category values for an overall school district value. To estimate category values, division staff obtains a representative sample of properties in each category, computes a weighted mean ratio from this sample and divides this ratio into the school district's self-reported appraisal roll value for the category.Stratified Weighted Mean Appraisal Ratios
Comptroller staff selects property samples randomly whenever possible to ensure that the samples reasonably represent the larger universe of properties in each category. A census of all sales is used when the number of sales is smaller than (or does not greatly exceed) the target sample size. Comptroller staff also stratifies samples to improve sample representativeness if stratification data are available and if stratification is feasible. (Stratification is discussed in detail in the next section.)
An appraisal ratio for an individual property is the ratio of the property's appraised value as shown on the appraisal roll to its market value. The market value is indicated by the sales price of the property or staff-appraised value. Table One shows appraisal ratios for a sample consisting of both sales and appraisals as indicators of market value. For example, Sale Number 1 in this table has an appraisal roll value of $65,834 and an adjusted sale price of $83,113. Dividing $65,834 by $83,113 yields an appraisal ratio of 0.79 for this parcel.
Table One also shows the computation of a non-stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio. A weighted mean appraisal ratio, as opposed to an unweighted mean appraisal ratio, takes into account the different values of the individual properties making up the sample. It is calculated by summing the appraisal roll values, summing the sales prices and staff appraisals and dividing the first sum by the second. As shown in the table, the total appraisal roll value for this sample is $2,007,285, and the total value of sales and appraisals is $2,443,170. Dividing the former by the latter produces the weighted mean appraisal ratio of 0.8216. Finally, dividing the district's total self-reported appraisal roll category value of $27,621,400 by the weighted mean appraisal ratio of 0.8216 produces an estimated category market value of $33,619,036.
As mentioned earlier, PTD uses value-stratified weighted mean appraisal ratios whenever feasible to estimate market values for residential properties (Categories A and B), vacant lots (Category C) commercial properties (Categories F1 and L1) and minerals (Category G). These ratios are stratified by value class within each category if reasonably accurate stratification data are available.Using Confidence Intervals in School District Value Estimates
The distribution of appraisal roll values by value class is obtained from stratification surveys, the appraisal rolls, or the prior year stratification surveys, depending upon availability. If stratification data are not available for a school district, stratified weighted mean appraisal ratios cannot be calculated. If the data to calculate a value-stratified ratio becomes available at any time during the process, including the protest process, a value-stratified ratio may be calculated.
A value-stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio is a mechanism to automatically adjust the sample to be representative of the population from which it is taken. For example, low-valued properties tend to be clustered in certain geographic areas, while mid-range and high-valued properties tend to be clustered in others. Similarly, construction types tend to vary with value class. A value-stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio adjusts for location effect and for the effects of varying construction types. In addition, it is a particularly useful tool for enhancing sample representativeness when appraisal levels in a category vary significantly between lower-valued and higher-valued properties.
PTD has established a value-stratification procedure, which results in six strata. For the most part, the value ranges within the strata vary from school district to school district, and from year to year depending entirely on the distribution of property value within each school district.
The six strata are:
Stratum #1 - The low value stratum. After sorting all the properties in the category from lowest value to highest value, and beginning with the lowest valued property, this stratum contains the low-valued properties that collectively equal 5 percent of the category's total appraised value. PTD does not study this stratum. Instead, PTD accepts the locally determined value by defaulting to a ratio of 1.00.
Stratum #2 - This stratum contains all properties that individually exceed 20 percent of the value in the property category. PTD may or may not study these high-valued properties.
Stratum #3 - After the remaining properties (properties not included in stratum one or stratum two) are sorted from lowest value to highest value, properties representing about the first 25 percent of the remaining appraisal roll value in the category comprise stratum 3.
Stratum #4 - Properties representing about the second 25 percent of the remaining appraisal roll value in the category comprise stratum 4.
Stratum #5 - Properties representing about the third 25 percent of the remaining appraisal roll value in the category comprise stratum 5.
Stratum #6 - Properties representing about the fourth 25 percent of the remaining appraisal roll value in the category comprise stratum 6.
PTD generally studies strata 3-6 by random sampling procedures discussed elsewhere in this publication.
Refer to PTD's Stratification Survey for detailed instructions on stratifying property.
Table Two, Three and Four show how a stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio is calculated and how it differs from a weighted mean and a simple mean appraisal ratio. The stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio for a category is calculated by (1) grouping sample properties by appraisal roll value stratum, (2) calculating a weighted mean appraisal ratio for each value stratum, (3) dividing the weighted mean appraisal ratio into the CAD total appraisal roll value for each value stratum to estimate a market value, (4) summing these individual market value stratum estimates and (5) dividing the sum of the CAD values in each stratum by the sum of PTD's individual market value stratum estimates.
Table Two lists the properties in a hypothetical random sample. The sample properties are grouped in six strata (see preceding text for definitions of the various strata). A ratio is calculated for each property, by dividing the CAD value by the PTD appraisal value or sale price. A weighted mean ratio is calculated for each stratum by dividing the sum of the CAD values by the sum of the PTD appraisal or sale amounts. A weighted mean ratio is calculated for the entire property category by dividing the sum of the CAD values in every strata by the sum of the PTD values in every strata. A simple mean ratio is calculated by summing all the individual property ratios in the entire category and dividing by the number of ratios. The weighted mean and simple mean are calculated for comparison to the stratified weighted mean to be calculated in Table Four and for use in calculating the price-related differential (PRD). The PRD is calculated by dividing the simple mean by the weighted mean.
Table Three lists the strata shown in Table Two and shows for each stratum: the number of sample parcels, the CAD value of the sample properties, the PTD value of the sample properties and the weighted mean ratio. Table Three also shows how the weighted mean stratum ratios are calculated by dividing the CAD value in each stratum by the PTD value in each stratum.
Table Four lists the strata shown in Table Two and Table Three and shows for each stratum: the number of parcels in the stratum, the CAD value in the stratum, the stratum ratio (from Table Two or Table Three), and the PTD market value estimate. Table Four also shows the calculation of the stratified weighted mean ratio by dividing the sum of the CAD values for each stratum by the sum of the PTD market value estimated for each stratum. This stratified weighted mean ratio is divided into the appropriate self-reported category total to develop the PTD's market value estimate for the category (refer to your ISD Summary Worksheet to see this final calculation).
As shown in the hypothetical example in Table Two, there are substantial differences in the level of appraisal among value strata. Lower-valued properties are appraised at higher levels than higher-valued properties, as indicated by a price-related differential well above 1.03. Using a stratified weighted mean appraisal ratio will adjust for these differences so that they will not bias the sample ratio and the resulting market value estimate for the category.
The six value ranges used to compute stratified weighted mean appraisal ratios in each of Categories A, B, C, F1, and L1 are the same as those computed in the previous year's stratification survey or from the previous year's electronic appraisal roll submission.
Because the current study year's value ranges are unknown when staff selects sample properties, staff selects the sample based on value ranges from the previous study year. In calculating the stratified weighted mean, staff uses the current year's appraised values in the previous year's value ranges. To obtain the value ranges and amounts, staff uses either the stratification survey data or stratification from the electronic appraisal roll unless notable differences exist between the category totals shown on the reports of property value and the category totals from another source.
In some school districts, staff finds certain properties in a category sample sufficiently different from the remaining sample properties to warrant treatment as "exception" properties. Properties in samples smaller than the minimum sample size are also treated as exceptions. An exception property is a property placed in its own separate value class. The staff's rationale is to offset the potential bias that an exception property might have on the estimated ratio.
Staff set the minimum sample size in each stratum at the lower of five, or 25 percent of the number of properties in the stratum population. The 25 percent rule has the effect of lowering the minimum sample size when the number of properties in the stratum population is very small (fewer than 18).
PTD's samples of properties may sometimes include outliers. The IAAO's Property Appraisal and Assessment Administration states "Outliers are properties with very high or low sales ratios. ...Particularly when the sample is small, outliers can distort ratio studies and should be reviewed carefully."
If PTD staff determines the outlier is the result of an appraisal district error or unusual market variability, the outlier remains in the study. If the outlier was caused by a clerical error, a property mismatch or an error in appraisal judgment, PTD staff attempts to correct the error so that the property can remain in the study. If staff finds, however, that the outlier is a non-market transaction, staff excludes the outlier from the sample. PTD may exclude extreme outliers that remain after the process described above is concluded.
Comptroller staff uses confidence intervals to determine whether local value is assigned to a school district. To compute a confidence interval, staff adds the PTD value estimates for tested categories. Tested categories include randomly sampled categories and the value of censused properties from Categories D2 (productivity value of acreage), J (Utilities ), and the value of exception properties. This sum is PTD's value estimate for tested categories. Staff then computes a confidence interval around this estimate of value. (One-half of the confidence interval, expressed in percentage terms, is the margin of error.) If the district's summed values for the tested categories fall within this confidence interval, then staff assigns local value to the district. Conversely, if the district's summed values for these tested categories fall outside this confidence interval, then staff assigns state value to the property categories it studied in the district. The division uses a uniform margin of error as a planning tool to allocate its resources. The margin of error as used in the study is a range of values within a school district that are equally likely to be correct. This range is expressed as a percentage of PTD's estimate of school district taxable value. The margin or error discussion in this section assumes a planned margin of error of 5 percent. The planned margin of error is set by management and may vary from year to year. A 5-percent planned margin of error can be illustrated by the following example.Aggregating School District Study Data for the Appraisal District Study
If PTD attains a margin of error of 5 percent in a school district and estimates a value of $100 million for that district, the margin of error is $95 million to $105 million. If the local value falls anywhere within this range, PTD certifies the district's local value to the Texas Education Agency for school funding purposes.
The size of the actual margin of error is determined by the sample that is used in the study. PTD estimates how many sample parcels will be required to achieve the planned margin of error. Sometimes the estimated number of parcels is too high or too low to reach the planned margin of error and produces an actual margin of error lower or higher than planned.
In past studies, PTD has collected enough samples to reach a lower margin of error than planned in some school districts. In other districts, PTD was not able to collect enough samples to meet the planned margin of error so that PTD's actual margins of error were larger than planned.
In response to appraisal district and school district requests, the division will hold districts harmless when actual margins of error are less than planned. At a 5-percent, planned margin of error, this policy means that even if PTD's actual margin of error in a district is 4 percent, 3 percent or less, the district will be treated as if the margin of error is 5 percent for the purpose of determining value. For example, if PTD collects enough samples to reach a highly accurate actual 2-percent margin of error and the district's local value falls between 2 and 5 percent of PTD's value, the district's local value will be certified.
On the other hand, if PTD's actual margin of error is more than 5 percent, PTD will use the actual margin of error to decide whether to assign local value. For example, if a district's local value is 5.5 percent from PTD's value and the actual margin of error is 6 percent, the district's local value will be certified.
PTD attempts to obtain the proper number of samples in each school district property category to attain the planned margin of error in each school district. The two variables that affect staff's ability to attain the planned margin of error in each school district are appraisal variability and sample size. Variability is a measure of the district's appraisal uniformity or ability to appraise properties at the same percentage of market value. The coefficient of dispersion (COD) is one measure of variability. Sample size refers to the number of sales and appraisals included in a school district's property value study.
School districts with high variability require large sample sizes to attain the planned margin of error. The greater the variability, the larger the required sample size. PTD adjusts its sample sizes upward in an attempt to compensate for high variability and attain the planned margin of error. In some school districts, however, the variability is so large that hundreds or even thousands of appraisals are necessary to reach the planned margin of error. So, in some school districts, PTD may not allocate the prohibitive level of resources necessary to obtain the planned margin of error.
In most school districts, variability in the sample turns out to be slightly higher or lower than the variability used to calculate the sample sizes assigned to field staff. In these districts, even though PTD staff obtained the planned number of parcels, the margin of error will be higher or lower than planned but will be close, as compared to districts that have very high variability and prohibitive sample sizes. In any school district property stratum with excessive variability (stratum COD in excess of 20), PTD automatically limits the sample size to 30, and excludes the stratum from the margin of error calculation. This procedure prevents non-uniformly appraised value strata from contributing to larger school district margins of error.
More detailed explanations of the confidence interval and margin of error computations can be found in the Questions and Answers portion of this booklet on page 31.
Samples collected for the school district study and aggregated to the appraisal district level provide the basis for computing appraisal district performance measures, by category. The methods used to compute these performance measures are discussed in the next section.
Samples from each category are aggregated to the appraisal district level, with one exception. The ratio derived for agricultural acreage receiving productivity appraisal is not a median derived from a property sample. Consequently, staff does not calculate measures of appraisal uniformity for acreage receiving productivity appraisal. The appraisal district performance measures listed under "D. Rural Real-Market Value" are derived from the property samples used to compute the weighted mean appraisal ratios for estimating the market values of non-qualified acreage and farm and ranch improvements.