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Budget wars, activism, uprising, dissent and general rabble-rousing.
The planet is getting hotter, and sooner or later world governments are going to be forced to take action. Regulation may not be happening fast enough to stop the irreversible damage predicted from a two-degree (Celsius) rise in global temperature, but action will happen eventually and some investors are beginning to show concern. Just last week, Bloomberg LP released a "Carbon Risk Valuation Tool "intended to help its high-end portfolio managers assess the risk ofso called 'stranded assets' . The tool estimates that BP stands to lose 43 percent of its stock value if governments ever get serious about regulating emissions. To understand "stranding" better, I talked earlier this month with John Fullerton, a former oil and gas investor for JP Morgan:
"The reality is that climate change and finance are still viewed as separate worlds…. Mainstream investors still dismiss it as "not our issue,"" said Fullerton, President and Founder of The Capital Institute.
Continued investment in fossil fuels is creating what is called a "carbon bubble," he explained. A bigger, more malignant financial dilemma than its predecessor, the housing bubble; in order for the world to reduce emissions, climate scientists estimate that two-thirds of today's fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground. The UN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres told energy executives as much, when she addressed a coal industry conference last month. "It's time to honestly assess the financial risks of business as usual," said Figueres.
But "stranding" enough fossil fuel to head off climate catastrophe will be costly for the countries with publicly held reserves, for the energy companies and the people whose pension funds are currently invested in them. Energy companies, Fullerton estimates, would need to take a $20 trillion write-off, way more than the estimated $2 trillion lost in the subprime mortgage meltdown.
How likely are companies to take action themselves? "Not likely" says Fullerton. A better bet is that investors, out of self-interest, will wise up. If not self-interest, then public pressure. A campaigns has been growing across college campuses demanding that universities divest from fossil fuels, as they once campaigned for divestment from apartheid South Africa.
So far the results have not been encouraging. Says Fullerton of Brown and Harvard's decision not to divest:
"The president of [Brown] issued a long and thoughtful statement on their decision on why they should not divest, and to be honest, I fully sympathize with all of the economic arguments…but I do think if we look back at that letter, maybe even only five years from now, and substitute the word fossil fuel perhaps with the word slavery we will be aghast at how we thought about this issue. Our leading public institutions are letting us down"
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The pressure on college boards is rising—in the US and abroad thanks to campaigns like 350.0rg's "Fossil Free." For more on this, check out my interview with Fullerton in full, or this commentary, Climate Catastrophe or Crash?
Lee Fang reports on the fracking industry's response to environmentalist Josh Fox's 'Gasland' films.
It's "Giving Tuesday" on December 3. Following Black Friday, on Giving Tuesday, people all across the United States will be kicking off the holiday season not with shopping, they say, but with giving.
In just its second year, Giving Tuesday is attracting thousands of participants large and small. Whenever haves help have-nots that's worthy of praise. Still, when massive global corporations want praise too, I get a little queasy.
Don't get me wrong, GRITtv is viewer-supported. We're all for charitable giving, and every day, we're reminded of just how much generosity is out there. This year, an anonymous donor enabled us to hire a third team member and start a podcast. We thank that donor daily.
But the massive corporations taking part in Giving Tuesday aren't anonymous. They want positive PR, and for that they deserve serious scrutiny.
Take Verizon. For Giving Tuesday, the Verizon Foundation says it will contribute to three large nonprofits as directed by the votes of Verizon workers. The company calls it giving back and "giving voice" to employees.
Call me cynical, but I bet most Verizon workers would have preferred more voice and fewer givebacks in their contracts. Over the last decade Verizon's forced concessions on everything from wages to pensions to job security and the right to organize. Giving Tuesday's nice, but Verizon workers give back every day.
It's the same with Google. Google's co-hosting a Giving Tuesday "Hangout-a-thon" for charities and socially conscious businesses. Lovely, but if it had a real social conscience, Google would let less of its wealth hang out in tax shelters. Last year, Google dodged about $2 billion in income taxes by funneling revenues into a Bermuda shell company. What it gives on Tuesday will be pennies on what it'd owe if it were to pay its fair share on tax day. And poor taxpayers might need less charity.
At Microsoft, well, at Microsoft, they're matching dollar for dollar the contributions given to a group of youth charities on Giving Tuesday. It must be some mistake, but I've read the site five times and it seems to me that the tenth-most profitable corporation in the world has set a goal for the GivingTuesday campaign of just $50,000.
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As the Verizon Foundation puts it, on Giving Tuesday "giving back has never been easier." For huge corporations, it's also never been cheaper.
For more qualms about charities, check out my interview with Peter Buffett, who says philanthropists like himself should aim to put themselves out of business. You can see all GRITtv's interviews, free at www.GRITtv.org. And if you are that anonymous donor, thank you again. Anyone out there want to fund that staff person for a second year? For more information on Giving Tuesday, go to GivingTuesday.org.
Allison Kilkenny reports on the arrests of activists during Black Friday protests against Walmart.
Far be it from me to distract from the important blaming and shaming around the Obamacare website. But if we do have a minute left for our actual health, can we talk about the radiation threat that seems to be soaring on the Pacific?
I don't want to frighten anyone unduly, so I'll quote the calm people at Reuters:
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant will as early as this week begin removing 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel in a hugely delicate and unprecedented operation fraught with risk.
That's Reuters. Nuclear researcher Harvey Wasserman says things more to the effect of "What the F'ity F. F?"
The point is, since an earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi Plant in March of 2011, the fuel rods at Reactor Number Four have been in dangerously delicate shape. They can't heat up, be exposed to air or break without releasing deadly gas, but the cooling pool they've been resting in is leaky and corroded by seawater and could never withstand another tremor or quake.
Starting any day now, Tokyo Electric or TEPCO, is going to begin plucking more than 1,500 brittle and potentially damaged fuel assemblies out of where they are and placing them in new casks.
Each assembly contains some 50-70 spent fuel rods, weighs around 660 pounds and measures fifteen feet long. And I did mention the pool is 100 feet up?
Operations like this are usually done by robot, but here it has to be done by hand because the rods are out of place and the pool's still littered with junk.
In the GRITtv studios this week Wasserman compared the operation to the fairground game of lowering a clunky mechanical claw into a crowded glass box to snag a prize.
I for one, usually drop it.
It's important we do more than hold our breath. After years of mistakes, cover-ups and fibs, nuclear watchers don't want to give TEPCO another chance. A hundred and fifty thousand people have signed a petition calling for the world to take over at once.
It's certainly a world problem. Tepco has already admitted that 300 tons of toxic water are belching into the Pacific every day, and as long as a year ago, Oregon State University researchers found traces of Fukushima cesium in West Coast Fish.
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What next? We can't afford to wait to find out.
For the very latest from me, and to be one of the first to see what Wasserman had to say about the world's worst nuclear accident, sign up to join the mailing list at GRITtv.org. You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of these weekly commentaries at SoundCloud
Bill de Blasio is now Mayor-elect de Blasio.
Take that, all of you who doubted that a candidate who planted his campaign on a promise of tackling inequality could attract enough support to win.
On November 5, New Yorker's elected just such a guy by a landslide: 73 to 24 percent.
On Election night, de Blasio took the stage, not in some swanky corporate ballroom in a midtown Manhattan hotel but in the Park Slope Armory—a big, brick, Brooklyn building now functioning as a YMCA.
Now the work really starts. In a city that's seen the richest 1 percent's share of the wealth soar—from 12 percent in 1980 to 39 percent last year—de Blasio ran on a pledge to tax the rich to fund universal pre-k and after-school care. It's just a tiny hike on incomes half a million and up, but it'll still need the state legislature's support.
Where billionaire mayor Bloomberg has shared the public largesse with the affluent—showering tax breaks on luxury property owners and increasing tax subsidies for developers by a factor of ten—de Blasio wants a "Unified Development Budget" that would spread subsidies throughout the city"and he's proposed "economic development hubs" not just in the fashionable design and high-tech sectors but in every neighborhood.
He's also proposed a new revolving loan fund that would free up credit for small and neighborhood businesses—as he says—"to fulfill the role most banks have abandoned." But how about going a step further, as the mayor of Richmond, California, has done, to seize inflated mortgage debts from avaricious banksters, and force a reduction of what mortgage holders owe so people can stay in their homes and fewer homes get boarded up?
Or taxing, not just the richest New York city residents, but also the absentee oligarchs—like the ones who recently bought two $90 million dollar penthouses on 57th Street or the $55 million condo chaps who don't pay any city tax because they actually live somewhere else.
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The Tea Party wing of the tabloid press is freaking. The New York Post has pretty much declared that socialists are marching on City Hall. De Blasio's hardly nationalizing Wall Street (or driving Disney out of Times Square), but his victory is a triumph for the labor and community coalition that backed him: the Working Families Party, which Fox and friends love to hate. Working Families is being called the "left-wing mouse that roared in city politics" this week.
It all bodes for an interesting year. A non-billionaire mayor, backed by labor with a budget of $72 billion to dispense? It'll be worth watching. You know what they say: If you can do it here…
This commentary is also available on Soundcloud. For more on de Blasio's victory, read our lead editorial in the latest issue of The Nation.
A compelling film about abortion has been opening in theaters across the states. From Salt Lake City to Houston, to Columbus, Detroit and Eugene, After Tiller, by directors Martha Shane and Lana Wilson, has been stirring debate, and on October 30, it opened in Washington, DC, where it is playing all week. It's hard to imagine a better time for this this film to be seen, or a better film to see at this moment.
Since 1973, when the US Supreme Court upheld a woman's right to end her pregnancy in certain circumstances, many states have limited access to abortion after what is called "fetal viability". Nine, including Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and now Texas, have banned abortion well before that, at twenty weeks, with few or no exceptions.
While the debate over the twenty-week abortion bans rages on, at the Supreme Court, and in the Senate, where South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham is preparing to propose a bill that would prohibit abortions after twenty weeks under federal law, the film After Tiller reminds us that although later term abortions are relatively rare, still, more than 35,000 women each year have abortions at sixteen to twenty weeks gestation and over 11,000 women need abortions after twenty weeks of pregnancy.
Recently, GRITtv talked to Martha Shane about her decision to make After Tiller, and Dr. Susan Robinson, one of the doctors in the film, and one of just four doctors still left in the US willing to perform those critically needed later-term abortions.
"I think that people have no idea about how desperate women are," says Dr. Robinson. Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009 and the closing of his clinic in Wichita, Kansas, access to abortion care has shrivelled. In 87 percent of US counties, there are no abortion services at all, and it's even worse than that for women who need the procedure late, usually because of late diagnosis of a fetal anomaly or a late diagnosis of the pregnancy.
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"These are women who find themselves in intolerable circumstances and are willing to do anything to be not pregnant. This is not a decision that they understake casually. They are not just putting it off because they don't know what to do." Dr. Robinson explains.
An intimate look at the abortions no one wants to talk about, After Tiller turns a compassionate lens on a complicated, multi-faceted issue. For more on this topic, watch this interview with lawyer and activist Lynn Paltrow: "At What Point in Pregnancy Does A Woman's Personhood End?"
I saw a man dressed as Robin Hood on Halloween and I almost begged him to stay around.
We need Robin Hood and his merry band of wealth redistribution specialists not just on Halloween but every day, and this year in particular we need him on November 1.
That's when $332 million in cuts to the food stamp or SNAP program go into effect. Three point one million low-wage workers, seniors, veterans and children are losing urgently needed aid. And that's just the cuts the president and Congress enacted in 2010. We need Robin Hood because Congress is talking about taking $39 billion more. And we need Robin because while 1.2 million poor children are going to be eating even less, 400 already rich Americans are enjoying even more.
Take a look at the Forbes 400 List. While the working poor have taken cut after cut, the richest Americans have seen their wealth double in the last ten years.
We need Robin Hood because collectively those 400 are worth just over $2 trillion dollars. That's two thousand billion. We only need the small change on that to stop those food stamp cuts. Robin Hood would know what to do.
He'd head over to Steve A. Cohen. It says in the papers that he's getting ready to sell some of his art collection at auction. Steve Cohen has no business selling art. He has no business being on the street. Steve Cohen should be in jail. Cohen heads up SAC Capital—a hedge fund. Six of his former employees have pleaded guilty to insider trading. The firm's facing criminal and civil suits and fines and penalties, but Cohen's not even feeling it because he's worth $9.4 billion dollars.
Steven Cohen could wake up tomorrow and restore those $332 million in cut food stamps—and make it back by dinnertime selling Warhols.
Imbalance like this is too big a job for one man, even with a merry band. Luckily there is a way to keep Robin Hood around.
Nurses, AIDS activists and environmentalists were in Washington this week telling Congress how. What the super-rich hedge funders need to be paying aren't fines and penalties, but their fair share of taxes says National Nurses United Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro. A tiny tax on Wall Street trades could generate $350 billion: enough to restore the food stamp program and then some.
There's already a bill in the House: the Inclusive Prosperity Act so how about it? We need you, Robin Hood, and the Robin Hood Tax all year.
For more from me, including a report on how people are starting worker co-operatives to keep wealth in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy, go to GRITtv.org. Subscribe to the "F" word podcast on Soundcloud.
It was early and I hadn't downed my coffee yet, but for a moment I thought I was reading something important in one of those tightly printed full-page ads that appear from time to time in the The New York Times.
Headlined "Enact the Inform Act," the ad called on Congress and the president to pass a, quote, "bipartisan bill to reveal the full size and inter-generational consequences of our country's fiscal imbalance."
As I said, it was early but my mind was off. Finally, I thought to myself, someone is taking seriously our country's teetering imbalance.
To consider every piece of legislation from the point of view of its impact on that fundamental crisis; how great would that be?
Like an environmental impact statement, legislators would be forced to study the intergenerational effects of throwing society off kilter.
Nobel Prize–winning economist Joseph Stiglitz's book The Price of Inequality could be assigned. As he reports, of the advanced economies, the United States has some of the worst disparities. The gross domestic product here has nearly doubled in the last twenty-five years, but the benefits have gone to the top—the very, very top. Ninety-five percent of all income gains since 2009 have gone to the top 1 percent, while the typical American worker makes less than he did forty-five years ago.
This imbalance affects social mobility: affluent kids get a kick-start on education, at college and when they're launched into careers. Edged out from all that, their poorer contemporaries never get a chance to contribute their full potential to our society or our economy.
As wealth congeals at the top, the rich disinvest from everywhere else—they don't need public services, so they're reluctant to pay for them—and as our public institutions are starved, so is our democracy, enabling the richest among us to most influence the politicians, and reward them for doing things like cutting taxes and shrinking government.
The intergenerational consequences of all this are macro-economic and monumental—think financialization, the bubble economy, deindustrialization, the crisis in education. It's also profoundly anti-American: think Paine, think Jefferson. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be glad someone's finally paying attention.
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But then, I hold the paper a little closer. The INFORM Act is not about any of those things. It's about the deficit. The phony fiscal gap, not the flesh-and-blood one of inequality. The ad is signed by the 1 percent who want to do what? Cut taxes and shrink government. Who else can afford one of those one page ads?
Pity. Sometimes it's good not to look too closely. Anyone interested in a genuine Inform Act?
For more from me, including, this week an interview with Green Party Presidential candidate, Jill Stein, go to www.GRITtv.org.
The Nation editors write, "After the Shutdown: No Time for Compromise."
(Reuters/Luke MacGregor)
Early Thursday afternoon on the West Coast, Governor Jerry Brown tweeted a message: "Today, I signed a bill to help California's domestic workers."
Just sixty characters, the governor's announcement brought Ai Jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance to tears: "Cannot stop crying tears of joy & pride. After 7 years of hard work & two vetoes, finally a victory for domestic workers in CA", tweeted Poo.
The California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights will make California the third state in the nation with a bill of rights for domestic workers. (A similar law took effect in New York State in November 2010. Hawaii's Governor Abercrombie signed a domestic workers bill of rights this summer.) Enforcement is always an issue, but should it be implemented as intended, California's new law will finally provide overtime pay to an estimated 200,000 California housekeepers, child care providers and caregivers when they work more than nine hours in a day or forty-five hours a week.
"Domestic workers are primarily women of color, many of them immigrants, and their work has not been respected in the past," said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), who wrote the bill. "Now, they will be entitled to overtime, like just about every other California working person."
A slightly broader version of Ammiano's bill passed last year, only to be vetoed by the governor. What made the difference?
"Last year was hard. Getting up the next day was really difficult," said Laphonza Butler, president of the SEIU United Long Term Care Workers, about the governor's veto last September. The SEIU ULCW was part of the broad coalition that worked with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the California Domestic Workers Coalition both years. This year's bill was known as AB 241.
For all the tweeting on announcement day, it wasn't short-form social media so much as hard-slog footwork and long-term coalition building that turned things around in 2013, Butler said. "What made the difference was a lot of community and worker activity that made the governor realize we've got to do something about an economy that keeps workers in poverty."
Finances came in too. A year ago, Governor Brown was focused on solving the state's deficit. Frustrated as they were by the vetoing of their bill, the coalition behind the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights put their person-power behind passing Proposition 30. Officially, "Temporary Taxes to Fund Education" Proposition 30—to increase taxes—was approved by California voters by a margin of 55 to 45 percent in November 2012.
"The work that the coalition did on passing Prop 30, created better revenue for the state and that opened up space for the governor to think about other issues," said Butler.
The domestic workers' bill was also weakened. Stripped out of Ammiano's 2012 version were meal and rest breaks and part-time babysitters.
A federal ruling providing minimum wage and overtime to home healthcare workers was announced last week.
For why passage of AB 241 is such a big deal, see what Ai Jen Poo and Lourdes Balagot-Pablo, a California home health worker had to tell me when we talked at the AFL-CIO convention in Los Angeles earlier this month. Or take it from comedian Amy Poehler, one of the many celebrities that got behind the campaign.
Notable among the bravos flying around the Twitter-sphere immediately after Governor Brown's message was one from Hand in Hand, a domestic worker's employers' group: "Employers join domestic workers in celebrating!!!!! Yes we did!!!"
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Butler praised the governor, the legislators who were willing to take up the bill and push it a second time and the workers in two states:
Getting up and dusting oneself off [after defeat]. There's nothing harder than that, but the voice of those workers said to all of us that we didn't have a choice, that we had to move and go at this one more time. The success we all saw in New York, that gave us the hope that this actually could be done.
For her part Poo (reached after her tears had dried), praised the organizers: "I'm just so proud of our members and organizers in California who—from a statewide caravan to cookies—ran such a fantastic campaign. It's a testament to the dedication and incredible capacity of the women."
Watch out Massachusetts, Poo says that state's next.
Today's bill contains a three-year sunset provision: a committee will be set up to review the success of the bill, and lawmakers would have three years to make it permanent.
Take Action: Fight for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in Your State
(Reuters/Luke MacGregor)
This year's meeting of the nation's largest labor federation, the AFL-CIO, was hailed as historic for many reasons. There were more women and people of color participating than ever before, lots of first-of-a-kind resolutions on things like incarceration and immigration, and lots of welcoming of non-union workers like domestic workers to the big, old labor family. But what does being part of the family mean?
Domestic workers know a thing or two about familial relations. Described as "dears" and "saints" and "angels" by their employers, the "help" have worked for poverty wages in miserable conditions in Americans' homes since the nation's birth. In the widely eulogized New Deal era, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which labor unions praised, excluded people who worked in homes, in fields and in most kinds of retail and service work. It wasn't called "special rights" for white men, but that's what it amounted to. Even when FLSA was updated in the '70s, domestic workers were still excluded. They're not workers, the lawmakers said, they're "companions", members of the family.
It wasn't until this month that change finally came to the FLSA law when the Obama administration announced it would finally extend minimum wage and overtime protections to domestic workers who have been cut out. It's a change labor and community groups have pushed for. The question is what comes next.
In Los Angeles, Lourdes Balagot Pablo, a 61-year-old Filipina, told GRITtv about what it's like to "companion" sick elderly clients in their homes as a live-in aide, twenty-four hours a day, in four-day shifts. If she gets two hours of uninterrupted sleep the whole time, she's lucky, she said. It's not what she was expecting when she was brought to the United States on a teaching visa. She taught math and physics at the university back home, but here she was forced to teach something entirely different, and when that didn't work out, she found herself—like many so-called "guest workers"—jobless, paperless and thousands of dollars in debt to the immigration sharks who had arranged her H2B visa.
Her real family, let's be clear, is in the Philippines, and after five years apart, she longs to see her 15 year old son on something closer than a Skype call. When they talked recently, he cried that he misses her, she told us.
The Obama administration's new protection are an achievement. "Today, the Department of Labor took an important step towards stabilizing one of America's fastest-growing workforces, and one made up predominantly of women, women of color and immigrants," said Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign. "This change is a long-overdue show of respect for women in the workplace and for the important work of supporting seniors and people with disabilities."
But the changes, which won't take effect until January 2015, won't make everything right for women like Balagot-Pablo. That's why the National Domestic Workers Alliance and others are continuing to push for more protections through state legislation. (California looks likely to become the next state to pass a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The state senate approved the bill on September 11. Both houses passed a 2012 version of the bill, only to be vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.)
Richard Trumka has fought for Domestic Workers rights legislation. He campaigned on the ground in California and both the AFL-CIO, and the SEIU worked with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Jobs with Justice and the Family Values at Work Consortium in the Caring Across Generations campaign to pressure the administration to implement the FLSA change. Indeed, by all accounts, it was that concerted pressure, from labor, "alt-labor" community, women's, immigrants, seniors and disability rights groups working together on a shared agenda that made change happen this time, after repeated attempts over eighty years. A pledge by candidate Obama and the personal commitment of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis helped too.
But two days after the administration's announcement, Alliance members were back in DC rallying outside the Department of Labor for implementation of the new rules. The week before that, they'd been in the nation's capital taking part in a mass arrest for immigration reform.
In terms of the agenda of the labor movement, will real inclusion for excluded workers follow this September's pronouncements? What would real inclusion look like, not just on the celebration stage, but in the priority-setting meetings of the AFL-CIO? What would a labor movement look like that saw what organizer/author Jane McAlevey calls the "whole worker", and acted on the interconnected issues that affect workers' whole lives: at home, at work and (gasp) at leisure? WIth reduced funds in their coffers, big labor's donation checks to grassroots group can't be the beginning and end of their "support." A warm welcome is very nice, but domestic workers are all too used to being called family. As South African domestic Myrlie Witbooi told the convention upon receipt of the George Meany/Lane Kirkland Award for Human Rights:
"I can assure you many of you sitting here are our employers. You have us at your homes, when you are here.
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"If I'm part of your family you need to let me sit at your table while you get up and you wash the dishes."
Big Labor is welcoming domestic workers like family. But are they getting up and washing the dishes?
You can hear an abbreviated version of this commentary on SoundCloud.
Take Action: Fight for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in Your State
In 2011, the National Taxi Workers Alliance made history when it became the fifty-seventh affliate of the AFL-CIO. It was the first time that a group of independent contractors, drivers who don't even work for an hourly wage, gained affiliation with the nation's oldest labor federation.
That same year, Republican legislators and governors went after traditional labor, passing laws that undermined collective bargaining not only in Wisconsin, but also in Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee and many other states.
Not since the passage of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act have we seen such concerted attempts to undermine the rights of workers to negotiate collectively. Bhairavi Desai says, "Capital is unbelievably aggressive. They are unapologetic and they remain creative and they don't take no for an answer. Neither can we as a movement."
The taxi drivers don't have collective bargaining rights yet, nor are they covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act which protects some workers' rights to safe working conditions and overtime pay. But Desai is hopeful that affiliation with the AFL-CIO will help both parties:
"We are establishing ourselves as a mass base independent democratic workers organization, and through our association with the AFL-CIO [we are] building our political power, our numbers, our strength our resources to one day win collective bargaining."
And the Alliance is bringing a strong radical tone. The "good old boys" of labor seem to like it. Last week at the 2013 Convention, more history was made when Desai, was elected to a seat on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Desai spoke with GRITtv about why the inclusion of this independent contractors' organization within the nation's largest labor union federation is such a very big deal.


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ARCHAEOLOGY enthusiasts are being urged to get involved with the third and final stage of a project looking at the industrial past of the Lake District.
'Reflections on History' is a joint project by the Lake District National Park and the National Trust and provides opportunities for local people to learn about the past industries of Windermere.
The project has already looked at the industrial themes of woodland and water power but the third stage, starting in April, will take place at the lead mines and slate quarries in Grasmere and Langdale.
An introductory day, including a guided walk to Banks Quarry, Langdale, will be held next month for would-be participants to find out more.
"No prior knowledge or experience is required and on-site training will be provided by qualified archaeologists," said LDNPA Archaeology and Heritage Assistant Holly Beavitt- Pike.
"However given the remote location and nature of the sites it is important that volunteers can demonstrate a reasonable level of fitness in order to take part in the work," she added.
The day begins at 11am on March 9 and is at Langdale Village Hall, Chapel Stile.
A VERY small Beatrix Potter drawing has sold for nearly £50,000 at an auction in America.
The three-and-three-quarter inches by six inches ink and watercolour had been expected to sell for up to 37,500 at the Sotheby's auction, in New York, but reached £47,438
The miniature, called 'Guinea pigs going to their garden...' was among 193 original illustrations sold by wealthy American couple, Kendra and Allan Daniel. The painting depicts four guinea pigs following a fifth along a path carrying garden tools.
A spokesman for Sotheby's said: "Early in 1893, when she was in her twenties, Beatrix Potter borrowed a number of guinea pigs from her friend, Miss Paget. One, named Mr Chopps, proved to be no problem but another, named Queen Elizabeth, apparently 'took to eating blotting paper, pasteboard, string and other curious substances and expired during the night. A pair of gardening illustrations date from this time: four guinea pigs following a blue-coated guinea pig and four guinea pigs working under the guidance of the blue-coated guinea pig.
"These were later redrawn in 1922 and used in Potter's book Cecil Parsley's Nursery Rhymes."

subset: commoncrawl


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Saint Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology will host a pre-engineering and pre-aviation summer academy for high school students who have finished their junior year and are entering their senior year.
The academy will be held from June 19-23. The attendees will stay at the dorms, take a flight, work on exciting team projects, go to a Cardinals game and participate in engineering and aviation modules with faculty and students from every department in Parks College.
Parks is offering a discounted camp tuition rate of $350 (normally $425) for all children or siblings of Saint Louis University employees, which includes all faculty and staff.
The offer only applies to applications post-marked by April 18.
Applicants just need to include short note that states the name of the SLU employee that they are related to and that they are eligible for the discount rate.
For more information about the academy or to request a brochure, please contact Brooke Lund at 314-977-7820 or email@example.com.
All academy details and applications (camp and scholarship) can also be found on the summer academy website.


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CHIPLEY — The scarecrow invasion of downtown Chipley has begun, and the Washington County Historical Society and the Garden Club are looking for businesses and groups to contribute to the event.
"It's a good way to get the word out about your business or club and it's fun," said Dorothy Odom, director of the Washington County History Museum.
Odom and Garden Club member Karen Rowland spoke to the Washington County Chamber of Commerce at the chamber's "Third Thursday" breakfast meeting, held at Northwest Florida Community Hospital on Thursday.
Chipley Garden Club's third Annual Scarecrow Festival, which runs in conjunction with Washington County Historical Society's "Fall Into History" Festival, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.
"Ken Naker (Washington County Tax Collector) was the winner of last year's scarecrow contest, and I believe he also won the election, so there you go," Odom said jokingly.
Cash prizes and ribbons will be awarded in four categories — Adult, Youth, People's Choice and Garden Club Special. A trophy and certificates will be awarded to the winner of the Business/Club category.
The museum is also planning a historic walking tour of Chipley, and is seeking sponsors for the tour's program. "We haven't had a walking tour here since 1986," she said.
"The Scarecrow Festival is a real feather in our cap as a community," Odom said. "People passing through our community see the scarecrows and they know our community cares."
There will be a free "Scarecrow Building 101" classes will be offered to the public at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Farmers' Market.
Club members will be demonstrating scarecrow making from forms to finish. Several completed scarecrows will be on display and construction techniques will be demonstrated. Handouts will be provided and light refreshments will be served.
The museum is a tourist attraction for Chipley, more so than the average resident may realize, Odom said. "Often we will show up to open the museum and there will be people waiting on us who have come from out of town and spent the night here, wanting to see the museum, do some genealogical research, or find a grave."
Odom said the museum also receives quite a bit of traffic through emails and phone calls.
The Garden Club also presented the Yard of the Month to the City of Chipley for the sundial garden next to the chamber office.
Ron Sharpe, resource development director for United Way of Northwest Florida, also gave the chamber an update on the recovery efforts being made in Washington County.
"As you know may know, the flooding on July 4 damaged 90 homes in Washington County," Sharpe said. "The United Way has formed a Long Term Recovery Effort committee, along with the United Methodist Community Disaster Relief, West Florida Baptist Association and Catholic Charities to help with repairs to these homes."
Sharpe said the group, which is being chaired by Vernon Mayor Michelle Cook, has raised $10,000 so far and has opened an account with Capital City Bank.
"We expect the cost of repairs to be about $90,000, so we can use some help," Sharpe said. People are invited to make donations to the relief fund and to volunteer to help with repairs.
He noted that two weeks ago, the committee and United Way delivered a tractor-trailer load of food to the Vernon Community Center for distribution to the affected families.
"There are still people who can't get back into their homes without taking a boat," Sharpe said.


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I crossed "make the boys new quilts" off of my Summer bucket-list just in time for school to start.
EVERY night my boys kick their top sheets off or to the bottom of the bed…so I gave up on top sheets and backed these quilts with a super duper soft minky (the silver is out of stock now). It was definitely an investment (it was $8.48 a yard when I bought it!) but it will be worth it if I don't have to dig for that darn top sheet every morning.
Because the back is minky I paid a long arm quilter to do the quilting. I've quilted with minky in the past but its not my favorite and requires a lot of basting spray/pins. Kathy did the quilting and did just enough to make it look great without making it too stiff… as minky backed quilts can be.
He loves it. Now I just need it to have magic powers and make my kids sleep in past 6 AM. *yawn*


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Sunday, February 22; noon-4 pm
Filtering Bygallery X Schools & Teachers X
Fort Worth Cultural District Museums and Community Arts Center Host Day in the District
September 27, 2014 from 10 am to 5 pm
Participating institutions in the Cultural District open their doors to area educators for this annual event. Join your colleagues to inaugurate the 2014–2015 school year. Enjoy collection tours and refreshments, meet Museum staff, and learn about programs available to you and your students. More information available here.
Annual Teen/ Artist Project Exhibition
Ashley Allen, Simon Brown, Will Burnett, Adriana Castillo, Sinclair Corbett, Zhaira Costiniano,
Fernanda Garcia, Alice Matthews, Callie McCarthy, Julia Monte, Kimberly Morales, Humna Raza
May 25 – June 15 2014
Reception for the artists
Sunday, May 25, 2-5pm
Thursday, September 19, 4–7 pm
A group of institutions within Fort Worth's Cultural District open their doors to area educators for this annual event. Join the participating organizations and your colleagues in inaugurating the 2013–2014 school year by enjoying gallery tours and refreshments, meeting Museum staff, and learning about programs available to you and your students on this special evening.
Knowledgeable docents will be available in the galleries between noon and 2 pm to answer questions you may have about works on view, or the building. Look for yellow ASK ME badges.
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth offers free admission and special tours and gallery docents in celebration of the Association of Art Museum Director's Art Museum Day.
Tour information...
Participating institutions in the Cultural District open their doors to area educators for this special annual event. Teachers are invited to join Museum staff and volunteers to inaugurate the 2012-2013 school year; they can then walk from one Cultural District institution to the next to learn about programs available for educators and students, participate in gallery tours, gather complimentary resources, and enjoy refreshments.


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Stan Pretty
Stan Pretty has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London's West End and throughout the UK and abroad in repertory and on tour. He is co-founder of a small-scale theatre company specialising in Shakespeare, and co-author and performer of three of the company's plays; his directorial work includes a large community project on the Lollard Martyrs. As a prolific voice artist, he has been a story-reader on BBC Radio, was submitted for an AWGIE award for his reading of Aboriginal Stories for Ivory Shell, and has recorded numerous commentaries for film and television documentaries. Stan Pretty is represented by ADRIAN KING ASSOCIATES, 33 Marlborough Mansions, Cannon Hill, NW6 1JS, UK.Telephone: 020-7435-4600; Fax 020-7435-4100. E-mail: email@example.com (Personal e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com)
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Eighteenth-century 'Monte' (typical Alentejo farming estate) situated in Monsaraz, currently operating as a Manor Guest House, situated in an area of great historic interest. Its first buildings date back to 1770. There are Roman remains of the III century, including a cistern fed by a mineral water spring, which supplied ancient gardens, orchards and vineyards. Totally restored to its original rural state, it has excellent finishes, good thermal insulation, central heating systems and under floor heating. Housed in a plot with a 15,000sqm area and with a total construction area of 1.125sqm, it consists of seven houses, five of which are independent, in a total of 6 living rooms, 15 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and five kitchens. Outside there is a pasture area (apt for wine production), a citrus orchard, a garden area, lots of trees, lush flower gardens and seating areas. The terrain offers stunning views in all directions. From the courtyard through a forest path you can enter in an idyllic land area (3,000sqm), which provides shelter to a large vegetable garden and orchard. On the side of the main house there is a park with gardens. Here is also a second natural water well with its original wash stones of the era. There is a lawnin the back of the main house, which separates the terrace of the playground and swimming pools (alarge pool with 45sqm, plus other smallerone with 25sqm). It isalso possible to finda water wheel, a well, a natural spring water, a cistern, several porches, terraces and fountains. This is a real haven of peace where you can enjoy a magnificent view over the medieval village of Monsaraz. Located only 45km from the city of Evora, it is the ideal place for those seeking the tranquility that only country living can offer.
Portugal is a country best appreciated slowly, like a sip of its vintage port wine. A founding member of the European Union and euro zone, Portugal has transitioned from an economy based on traditional industries to one based on technology. Leading international companies are investing here. 閱讀更多關於豪宅 葡萄牙


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Final Score: Northwestern 23, Vanderbilt 13
Evanston, IL (Sports Network) - Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter's late touchdown run gave the Wildcats a little breathing room as they captured a 23-13 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores in non-conference play at Ryan Field.
Despite being listed as probable for the game due to a shoulder injury, Colter stepped in to register 66 rushing yards on 13 attempts as well as convert 7- of-15 passes for another 42 yards for the Wildcats (2-0). Venric Mark ran for a game-high 123 yards and scored once on 24 carries, while Trevor Siemian, the hero from last week's victory over Syracuse, hit on 10-of-16 passing for 91 yards.
The Commodores (0-2) were paced by Jordan Rodgers who converted 17-of-33 for 217 yards and a score, but was sacked three times in the setback.
Vandy kicked off the night's scoring early in the first quarter as Rodgers found Jordan Matthews with a 22-yard TD strike.
Less than three minutes later the Wildcats took a bite out of that lead when Jeff Budzien knocked through the first of his three field goals, this one from 40 yards out to make the score 7-3.
The only points of the second frame came from Vanderbilt kicker Carey Spear who booted a 32-yard field goals, giving the Commodores a 10-3 edge at the break.
A 37-yard field goal by Budzien in the third quarter made the score 10-6 heading into a fourth period that proved to be the most active 15-minutes segment of the night.
Mark's seven-yard TD run with 9:28 remaining in regulation gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 13-10.
Spear and Budzien both connected on field goals for their squads from 26 and 19 yards, respectively, which made the score 16-13 with 2:01 left in the fourth.
Putting the game out of reach for the hosts was Colter who, with 1:24 to play, reversed field and streaked into the end zone down the right side to give the Wildcats a 23-13 triumph.
Flagged just four times on the night for a loss of 40 yards, Vandy hurt itself with just 4-of-15 success on third down.
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Meet Latavia, one of the newest member of our Anti-Gravity collection. These cap toe shoes are lightweight with a flexible outsole that offers superior comfort and traction. They also feature a breathable, soft mesh footbed. The versatility of these comfortable shoes is fabulous, and they're available in medium widths and wide widths. 2 1/4" mid heels.
Imported 2 1/4" Heel Closed Heel Anti-Gravity Collection Pointy Toe Leather Upper Style Code: ESLATAVIA
Latavia Cap Toe Dress Shoes
Anti-Gravity Collection


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Welcome to College Athletics and the Sport of Women's Basketball!
Please read through the links to the left, particularly to learn how to become a Dragon Student-Athlete, which involves making sure you have fulfilled your obligations as both a college student (new or transfer) and as a student-athlete. You will also find the required eligibility forms. Please keep in mind that in order to practice with the team you must obtain a physical in advance as well as submit all of the necessary forms. They can be submitted in person at the main office (Athletics and Fitness Center) or mailed to the Athletic Director at 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044.
Our required practices are generally Mon - Fri from 3:30pm - 6:00pm, so make sure you keep that time available. It may be helpful if you schedule your tougher classes in the morning. We will begin our bi-weekly academic progress reporting starting the third week of practices.
Participating in this sport means that you have the opportunity to compete in the Maryland JUCO Conference and Region XX Districts and the Nationals. If you plan to transition from HCC to a four-year school and play this sport, participating here will give you a big jump into college sports.
In order to make that transition from high school, club or recreation sports, first and foremost please let me know you are interested. Take a few moments to fill out the contact card and or send me an e-mail. I hope to see you soon.
- Your Coach


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Comments On Jul 06, 2015:Only issue is that when I bleed the forks, oil comes out mixed in with the air. I doubt it makes a difference.
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Comments On Jul 05, 2015:I have bought two sets; one about four years ago and it's been working perfectly. I just got another set, because the bleeders look cool and function great: real convenient for bleeding air!
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Comments On Jul 04, 2015:works super well..i press them any chance i get to make sure my forks are good to go
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Comments On Jul 02, 2015:Its important to bleed those forks, these are quick and painless!
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Comments On Jun 30, 2015:It was hard to find the right tool to tighten them down, but they worked exactly as described. Good product
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Comments On Jun 03, 2015:Works great.
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Comments On May 25, 2015:I have hand guards on my bike which made removing the screws a pain. These save a lot of hassle.
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Comments On May 21, 2015:Like I said it is a must for every bike. Relieves built up air so forks can work as designed. Make sure you release air while its on a stand with no load on it. Much easier than unscrewing screw.
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Comments On May 16, 2015:Installation was a breeze. Had these on in about 2 minutes. Saves your fork seals from blowing out while u got the bike strapped down. I bleed the air after 30 minutes of ride time and every time I strap down the bike. Great product
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Comments On May 05, 2015:Great product
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Mrs Brown is Angela Houston? She hasn't aged well.
I watched one episode of Mrs Brown and thought it was crap.
Moderators: Tonyblack, Jason, Toothy
Jan Van Quirm wrote:Yeah once you get over Mrs. Brown being a guy it gets old v. quickly
Saw Moone Boy last week for the first time - it does have a quirky charm but not sure its got enough of an edge to it to counteract the cutesy-pie daft Irish bits. Talking about the fat club thing not the hole in the wall part - that was pretty funny
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Formats: Audio. eBook. Hardback.
From UK edition:
Dodger is a tosher - a sewer scavenger living in the squalor of Dickensian London.
Everyone who is nobody knows Dodger. Anyone who is anybody doesn't.
But when he rescues a young girl from a beating, suddenly everybody wants to know him.
And Dodger's tale of skulduggery, dark plans and even darker deeds begins . . .
From US edition:
He's cunning. He's artful. He's Terry Pratchett's DODGER.
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's … Dodger.
Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl—not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.
From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.
Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a complex and fascinating world.
Chapter 1
In which we meet our hero, and the hero meets an orphan of the storm and comes face to face with Mister Charlie, a gentleman known as a bit of a scribbler
The rain poured down on London so hard that it seemed that it was dancing spray, every raindrop contending with its fellow for supremacy in the air and waiting to splash down. It was a deluge. The drains and sewers were overflowing, throwing up – regurgitating, as it were – the debris of muck, slime and filth, the dead dogs, the dead rats, cats and worse; bringing back up to the world of men all those things that they thought they had left behind them; jostling and gurgling and hurrying towards the overflowing and always hospitable river Thames; bursting its banks, bubbling and churning like some nameless soup boiling in a dreadful cauldron; the river itself gasping like a dying fish. But those in the know always said about the London rain that, try as it might, it would never, ever clean that noisome city, because all it did was show you another layer of dirt. And on this dirty night there were appropriately dirty deeds that not even the rain could wash away.
A fancy two-horse coach wallowed its way along the street, some piece of metal stuck near an axle causing it to be heralded by a scream. And indeed there was a scream, a human scream this time, as the coach door was flung open and a figure tumbled out into the gushing gutter, which tonight was doing the job of a fountain. Two other figures sprang from the coach, cursing in language that was as colourful as the night was dark and even dirtier. In the downpour, fitfully lit by the lightning, the first figure tried to escape but tripped, fell and was leaped upon, with a cry that was hardly to be heard in all the racket, but which was almost supernaturally counterpointed by the grinding of iron, as a drain cover nearby was pushed open to reveal a struggling and skinny young man who moved with the speed of a snake.
'You let that girl alone!' he shouted.
There was a curse in the dark and one of the assailants fell backwards with his legs kicked from under him. The youth was no heavyweight but somehow he was everywhere, throwing blows – blows which were augmented by a pair of brass knuckles, always a helpmeet for the outnumbered. Outnumbered one to two as it were, the assailants took to their heels while the youth followed, raining blows. But it was London and it was raining and it was dark, and they were dodging into alleys and side streets, frantically trying to catch up with their coach, so that he lost them, and the apparition from the depths of the sewers turned round and headed back to the stricken girl at greyhound speed.
He knelt down, and to his surprise she grabbed him by the collar and whispered in what he considered to be foreigner English, 'They want to take me back, please help me . . .' The lad sprang to his feet, his eyes all suspicion.
On this stormy night of stormy nights, it was opportune then that two men who themselves knew something about the dirt of London were walking, or rather, wading, along this street, hurrying home with hats pulled down – which was a nice try, but simply didn't work, because in this torrent it seemed that the bouncing water was coming as much from below as it was from above. Lightning struck again, and one of them said, 'Is that someone lying in the gutter there?' The lightning presumably heard, because it sliced down again and revealed a shape, a mound – a person, as far as these men could see.
'Good heavens, Charlie, it's a girl! Soaked to the skin and thrown into the gutter, I imagine,' said one of them. 'Come on . . .'
'Hey, you, what are you a-doing, mister?!'
By the light of a pub window which could barely show you the darkness, the aforesaid Charlie and his friend saw the face of a boy who looked like a young lad no more than seventeen years old but who seemed to have the voice of a man. A man, moreover, who was prepared to take on both of them, to the death. Anger steamed off him in the rain and he wielded a long piece of metal. He carried on, 'I know your sort, oh yes I do! Coming down here chasing the skirt, making a mockery of decent girls. Blimey! Desperate, weren't you, to be out on a night such as this!'
The man who wasn't called Charlie straightened up. 'Now see here, you. I object most strongly to your wretched allegation. We are respectable gentlemen who, I might add, work quite hard to better the fortunes of such poor wretched girls and, indeed, by the look of it, those such as yourself!'
The scream of rage from the boy was sufficiently loud that the doors of the nearby pub swung open, causing smoky orange light to illuminate the ever-present rain. 'So that's what you call it, is it, you smarmy old gits!'
The boy swung his home-made weapon but the man called Charlie caught it and dropped it behind him, then grabbed the boy and held him by the scruff of his neck. 'Mister Mayhew and myself are decent citizens, young man, and as such we surely feel it is our duty to take this young lady somewhere away from harm.' Over his shoulder he said, 'Your place is closest, Henry. Do you think your wife would object to receiving a needy soul for one night? I wouldn't like to see a dog out on a night such as this.'
Henry, now clutching the young woman, nodded. 'Do you mean two dogs, by any chance?'
The struggling boy took immediate offence at this, and with a snake-like movement was out of the grip of Charlie, and once again spoiling for a fight. 'I ain't no dog, you nobby sticks, nor ain't she! We have our pride, you know. I make my own way, I does, all kosher, straight up!'
The man called Charlie lifted the boy up by the scruff of his neck so that they were face to face. 'My, I admire your attitude, young man, but not your common sense!' he said quietly. 'And mark you, this young lady is in a bad way. Surely you can see that. My friend's house is not too far away from here, and since you have set yourself up as her champion and protector, why then, I invite you to follow us there and witness that she will have the very best of treatment that we can afford, do you hear me? What is your name, mister? And before you tell it to me, I invite you to believe that you are not the only person who cares about a young lady in dire trouble on this dreadful night. So, my boy, what is your name?'
The boy must have picked up a tone in Charlie's voice, because he said, 'I'm Dodger – that's what they call me, on account I'm never there, if you see what I mean? Everybody in all the boroughs knows Dodger.'
'Well, then,' said Charlie. 'Now we have met you and joined that august company, we must see if we can come to an understanding during this little odyssey, man to man.' He straightened up and went on, 'Let us move, Henry, to your house and as soon as possible, because I fear this unfortunate girl needs all the help we can give her. And you, my lad, do you know this young lady?'
He let go of the boy, who took a few steps backwards. 'No, guv'nor, never seen her before in my life, God's truth, and I know everybody on the street. Just another runaway – happens all the time, so it does; it don't bear thinking about.'
'Am I to believe, Mister Dodger, that you, not knowing this unfortunate woman, nevertheless sprang to her defence like a true Galahad?'
Dodger suddenly looked very wary. 'I might be, I might not. What's it to you, anyway? And who the hell is this Galahad cove?'
Charlie and Henry made a cradle with their arms to carry the woman. As they set off, Charlie said over his shoulder, 'You have no idea what I just said, do you, Mister Dodger? But Galahad was a famous hero . . . Never mind – you just follow us, like the knight in soaking armour that you are, and you will see fair play for this damsel, get a good meal and, let me see . . .' Coins jingled in the darkness. 'Yes, two shillings, and if you do come you will perhaps improve your chances of Heaven, which, if I am any judge, is not a place that often concerns you. Understand? Do we have an accord? Very well.'
Twenty minutes later, Dodger was sitting close to the fire in the kitchen of a house – not a grand house as such, but nevertheless much grander than most buildings he went into legally; there were much grander buildings that he had been into illegally, but he never spent very much time in them, often leaving with a considerable amount of haste. Honestly, the number of dogs people had these days was a damn scandal, so it was, and they would set them on a body without warning, so he had always been speedy. But here, oh yes, here there was meat and potatoes, carrots too, but not, alas, any beer. In the kitchen he had been given a glass of warm milk which was nearly fresh. Mrs Quickly the cook was watching him like a hawk and had already locked away the cutlery, but apart from that it seemed to be a pretty decent crib, although there had been a certain amount of what you might call words from the missus of Mister Henry to her husband on the subject of bringing home waifs and strays at this time of night. It seemed to Dodger, who paid a great deal of forensic attention to all he could see and hear, that this was by no means the first time that she had cause for complaint; she sounded like someone trying hard to conceal that they were really fed up, and trying to put a brave face on it. But nevertheless, Dodger had certainly had his meal (and that was the important thing), the wife and a maid had bustled off with the girl, and now . . . someone was coming down the stairs to the kitchen.
It was Charlie, and Charlie bothered Dodger. Henry seemed like one of them do-gooders who felt guilty about having money and food when other people did not; Dodger knew the type. He, personally, was not bothered about having money when other people didn't, but when you lived a life like his, Dodger found that being generous when in funds, and being a cheerful giver, was a definite insurance. You needed friends – friends were the kind of people who would say: 'Dodger? Never heard of 'im, never clapped eyes on 'im, guv'nor! You must be thinking of some other cove' – because you had to live as best you could in the city, and you had to be sharp and wary and on your toes every moment of the day if you wanted to stay alive.
He stayed alive because he was the Dodger, smart and fast. He knew everybody and everybody knew him. He had never, ever, been before the beak, he could outrun the fastest Bow Street runner and, now that they had all been found out and replaced, he could outrun every peeler as well. They couldn't arrest you unless they put a hand on you, and nobody ever managed to touch Dodger.
"It's a masterwork from a treasure and hero of a writer, and it will delight you."
- Cory Doctorow - Boing Boing
im going to buy it when it first comes out because going postal and snuff were good
- james savage
I am quite sure I would have never called Charles Dickens a wily chap had I not read Terry Pratchett's newest, Dodger. I am also quite sure I would have never considered the living to be made in the sewers and its attendant culture, nor the origination of the label geezer as something of a well-liked smooth operator, nor many other things that are presented in this fast-paced romp through Victorian London.
Historical figures rub shoulders with fictional characters, but there is no denying the authenticity of Patchett's description of life in 19th century London. In all its loathsome splendor. Dirt seems to be a supporting character, at least. And the many ways of squeezing a living from that dirt become major plot points. But there is no taking the spotlight away from Dodger.
Dodger bursts from the sewers one stormy night to rescue a young lady from dark attackers. But it quickly becomes obvious that this rescue will take more work than one night's beating. The lady is being pursued by powerful men, most of whom want her dead. Dodger takes it upon himself to be her champion against all comers and proves most adept at manipulating and out-witting people from the lowest corners of London to the highest echelons of European society. Along the way he transforms himself from a common street urchin — albeit one who is particularly talented in the ways of urching — into a gentleman with connections. And money. A Cinderella story in reverse.
Pratchett's humor and humanity carry the story along as Dodger bounces from escapade to the next. Kids of all ages will love Dodger!
- Alamosa Books
When I was younger I tried to start reading the Discworld series after I found them in my Granddad's Cottage, I struggled slightly with some of the humour and the wording of the books so I stopped reading them and moved onto the younger readers books, I found them entertaining and i didn't read much till it came to Terry Pratchett's books. I started reading the Discworld series again lately and thought I'd Take a break to read a younger persons book that I hadn't read before. I found the book to be one of my favourites and once again Terry Pratchett has done it again with his classic humour and style. All I can say is this is fantastic and show how the Author is the best in the business and I look forward to reading some more of the Discworld Series.
- Joshua Smith
This superb novel from Pratchett is relatively subdued in its humor and contains virtually no fantasy, beyond a flavoring of early Victorian alternate history. It's not only a fine Dickensian novel--Dickens himself figures prominently.
It follows a sewer-scouring "tosher" and thief named Dodger, "a skinny young man who moved with the speed of a snake," who, like a knight in soiled armor, leaps out of a drain one night to protect a young woman who is being severely beaten. Two of London's most famous figures, Charles Dickens and social reformer Henry Mayhew, appear on the scene a moment later.
A complex plot gradually unravels involving the identity of the mystery girl, known only as Simplicity, and the reasons someone powerful wants her dead. Making guest appearances are such luminaries as Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria, and Angela Burdett-Coutts, the richest woman in the world at the time. Full of eccentric characters and carefully detailed London scenes, the tale embodies both Dickens's love for the common man and a fierce desire for social justice.
- Publishers Weekly
"An ebullient, funny and delightful novel."
- Marcus Sedgwick, The Guardian
"You can't help loving Dodger as he ducks, dives, falls in love and rises in the Victorian world. This is a hero I can't wait to meet again." Children's Book of the Week"
- Amanda Craig, The Times
Pratchett leaves Discworld to bring us something that is quite nearly—but not exactly—actual historical fiction.
Dodger is a guttersnipe and a tosher (a glossary would not have been amiss to help readers navigate the many archaic terms, although most are defined in the text, often humorously). He knows everyone, and everyone knows him, and he's a petty criminal but also (generally) one of the good guys. One night he rescues a beautiful young woman and finds himself hobnobbing quite literally with the likes of Charlie Dickens (yes, that Dickens) and Ben Disraeli. The young woman is fleeing from an abusive husband and has been beaten until she miscarried; power and abuse are explored sensitively but deliberately throughout. And when he attempts to smarten himself up to impress the damsel in distress, he unexpectedly comes face to face with—and disarms!—Sweeney Todd. As Dodger rises, he continuously grapples with something Charlie has said: "the truth is a fog." Happily, the only fog here is that of Dodger's London, and the truth is quite clear: Historical fiction in the hands of the inimitable Sir Terry brings the sights and the smells (most certainly the smells) of Old London wonderfully to life, in no small part due to the masterful third-person narration that adopts Dodger's voice with utmost conviction.
Unexpected, drily funny and full of the pathos and wonder of life: Don't miss it.
- Kirkus Reviews
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News Archive
The quest for treatments for motor neurone disease, spinal cord injury and strokes could be helped by new research that shows how key cells are produced. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have been able to manipulate the production of motor neurones – which control all muscle activity – in zebrafish.
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 11:06
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 14:27
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - 14:17
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - 14:15
A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack.
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 13:56
Researchers at the Univ. of Copenhagen have designed, produced and patented a new chemical compound for the possible treatment of brain damage caused by stroke. The compound binds 1,000 times more effectively to the target protein in the brain than the potential drug currently being tested on stroke victims.
Friday, February 24, 2012 - 13:34
University of Texas researchers have found a new way to quickly repair damaged nerves in rats that might one day help people who suffer disabling injuries.
Thursday, February 23, 2012 - 13:38
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time designed a series of small molecules that act against an RNA defect directly responsible for the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy.
Thursday, February 23, 2012 - 11:15
Girls today may be reaching puberty as much as four years earlier than generations before them because their diets are higher in calories, research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 09:57
Researchers of Huntington's disease, a brain condition with no cure, said they restored motor skills in mice, pointing to a possible therapy for humans.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 09:51
Early research on mice with cancer shows that fasting may weaken tumors and help chemotherapy work better, scientists said on Wednesday. While it remains unknown if the same approach could work in humans, or if it would even be safe, researchers said the findings suggest a promising new route of study for improving response to cancer treatment.
Friday, February 10, 2012 - 13:43
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show that use of a drug in mice appears to quickly reverse the pathological, cognitive and memory deficits caused by the onset of Alzheimer's. The results point to the significant potential that the medication, bexarotene, has to help the roughly 5.4 million Americans suffering from the progressive brain disease.
Friday, February 10, 2012 - 12:34
Researchers hoping to develop a promising new approach to treating cancer in people are trying it in another group: pet dogs. The aim of personalized medicine is to design an optimum cancer therapy after analyzing genes in a patient's tumor.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 - 12:10
A research team led by UC Davis Health System scientists has developed a novel technique to enhance bone growth by using a molecule which, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body's stem cells to travel to the surface of bones.
Monday, February 6, 2012 - 15:13
Scientists found that Gilenya, a drug recently approved in the US for treating MS, was effective at reversing the symptoms of ventricular hypertrophy in mice.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 13:24
Leading Texas veterinarians are mobilizing to enlist pets in the testing of experimental cancer therapies, a potential benefit to not just dogs and cats but people.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 13:11
Two women losing their sight to progressive forms of blindness may have regained some vision while participating in an experiment testing a treatment made from human embryonic stem cells, researchers reported today.
Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 13:32
Scientists now have a better understanding of the way that stress impacts the brain. New research, published by Cell Press in the January 26 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals pioneering evidence for a new mechanism of stress adaptation and may eventually lead to a better understanding of why prolonged and repeated exposure to stress can lead to anxiety disorders and depression.
Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 13:00
Four years ago, teams of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere made headlines by restoring some sight to blind people, though it was a form of blindness few had heard of.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 14:05
Dogs with spinal cord injuries may soon benefit from an experimental drug being tested by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences — work that they hope will one day help people with similar injuries.
Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 15:10


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RCRA Orientation Manual 2011: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
This updated manual provides introductory information on the solid and hazardous waste management programs under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Designed for EPA and state staff, members of the regulated community, and the general public who wish to better understand RCRA, this document constitutes a review of the RCRA program and is not a substitute for RCRA or its implementing regulations. The manual comprises seven sections plus appendices:
- Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act;
- Managing Solid Waste - RCRA Subtitle D;
- Managing Hazardous Waste - RCRA Subtitle C;
- Moving Forward: Materials Management and Resource Recovery
- Miscellaneous Statutory Provisions;
- RCRA and its Relationship to Other Environmental Statutes; and
- Public Participation in the RCRA Program.
The manual consists of 26 Adobe PDF Files. Download them individually below, or download the entire manual (PDF) (248 pp, 2.2MB)
- Cover and Table
of Contents and Foreword (PDF) (6 pp, 158K)
- Section
I: Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (PDF) (8 pp, 302K)
- Section
II: Managing Nonhazardous Solid Waste (PDF) (16 pp, 483K)
- Section
III: RCRA Subtitle C - Managing Hazardous Waste (PDF) (2 pp, 305K)
- Chapter 1: Hazardous Waste Identification (PDF) (26 pp, 543K)
- Chapter 2: Hazardous Waste Recycling and Universal Wastes (PDF) (10 pp, 231K)
- Chapter 3: Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste Generators (PDF) (10 pp, 329K)
- Chapter 4: Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste Transporters (PDF) (4 pp, 214K)
- Chapter 5: Regulations Governing Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (PDF) (34 pp, 462K)
- Chapter 6: Land Disposal Restrictions (PDF) (10 pp, 293K)
- Chapter 7: Hazardous Waste Combustion (PDF) (8 pp, 242K)
- Chapter 8: Permitting of Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (PDF) (12 pp, 305K)
- Chapter 9: Corrective Action to Clean Up Hazardous Waste Contamination (PDF) (6 pp, 290K)
- Chapter 10: Enforcement of Hazardous Waste Regulations (PDF) (10 pp, 299K)
- Chapter 11: Authorizing States to Implement RCRA (PDF) (8 pp, 260K)
- Section
IV: Moving Forward: Materials Management and Resource Recovery (PDF) (12 pp, 322K)
- Section
V: Miscellaneous Statutory Provisions (PDF) (12 pp, 282K)
- Chapter 1: Federal Procurement Requirements
- Chapter
2: Medical Waste Regulations
- Section
VI: Other Environmental Statutes (PDF) (14 pp, 308K)
- Chapter 1: Legislative Framework for Addressing Hazardous Waste Problems
- Chapter
2: CERCLA (Superfund) - The Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program
- Section
VII: Public Participation (PDF) (10 pp, 268K)
- Appendices
- Appendix A: Hazardous Waste Manifest (PDF) (6 pp, 124K)
- Appendix B: Land Disposal Restriction Notification Requirements (PDF) (2 pp, 35K)
- Appendix C: Glossary (PDF) (14 pp, 210K)


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Jimmy Kimmel's mean Valentine's trick
If Jimmy Kimmel used his powers for good ... late-night television would be a lot duller.
The TV host asked viewers to give their spouse/significant other a gift the recipient would hate for Valentine's Day. Oh, yeah, and record and post the reaction online.
His fans did not let Kimmel down.


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A collection of news and information related to Jimmy Engoulvent published by this site and its partners.
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Mark Cavendish wins 11th stage of Tour de France; Thomas Voeckler keeps yellow jerseyStory | Jul 13, 2011Mark Cavendish of Britain won a rainy 11th stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint Wednesday, while Thomas Voeckler kept the race leader's yellow jersey. Cavendish edged Andre Greipel of Germany on the line after the 104-mile...


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Big no longer so beautiful amid concern on illiquid bond market
Investment consultants are starting to steer clients who invest in bonds towards smaller managers amid concerns that investors in larger ones risk being stranded in the event of heavy redemptions. It is a sign of rising concern over the systemic risks from illiquid bond markets worldwide.
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Moderator: Regulators
shapp wrote:I would love to have them but I just can't spend that type of money on 6 figures. I would probably have to end up living on my couch my GF would be so pissed lol.
daredevil96 wrote:Are those DCU Rorschachs hitting speciality stores or are they Online exclusives?
Therapist wrote:daredevil96 wrote:Are those DCU Rorschachs hitting speciality stores or are they Online exclusives?
online exclusive sadly
shapp wrote:You had to sign up for the Club Black Freighter (I think that's what it's called) through mattel. every other month they would send you one of the 6 figures in the wave, it totaled somwhere around $240 for the set. I believe you can purchase them from the website single the day they release but they sell out so fast it can be rather hard to do. I'm sure some will hit ebay for inflated prices if you really need one. Also, the DC Direct (I think thats what they were) will probably be going cheap once these come out as people will want to replace.
daredevil96 wrote:That other day when I added my reply I bought a Rorschach off Ebay and it just arrived today. I encourage you all to find them because he is excellent!
Spoon wrote:
Packaging is very nice. Helps to justify price. Also has a oversized Bio/Trading Card that I left taped inside the package. I'd like to be able to find the room to display all six of the boxes.
The figure is very clean and looks nice. The pin stripes and shoes/coat are very impressive. The coat and shoes look very good in person. Nice job on shading. The base is cool. I do have a few issues. The figure is limited when it comes to posing. The gun is way too big. My super nerd complaint is that the bottom of the shoes don't have any details. It would have been a cool nod to the comics if there were wear holes in the bottom of the shoes. I remember when Rorschach is arrested in the graphic novel, there is a panel showing holes in his socks and shoes. But that's a super nerd complaint. Also, the head does not move up and down and makes the face look very flat. It would have been cool if the hands could be put into the pockets of the jacket or if it came with an alternate head or a diary. I'd even settle for sugar cubes
Size comparison with the only other DCUC figure I have, New 52 Batman Unlimited. I like that figure also. I guess these two figures have gotten me into collecting DCUC.
Just to show how oversized the gas powered grappling gun is. The thing is the same size as the version used in the movie bust next to it.
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Designated Meeting Areas Salem
During a building fire, firefighters must determine as soon as possible whether or not all occupants have escaped. If not, they will attempt a rescue placing themselves at great risk of serious injury. Therefore, it is important to account for all individuals and for each person to report to a designated meeting area.If a meeting area has not been designated, the following areas should be used to meet:
- Occupants should meet outdoors on the upwind (usually west) side of the building. The meeting place should be at a safe distance and clear of emergency responders, their vehicles, and equipment. If another location is designated, building evacuees will be notified at the scene.
Assembly points for the Salem Campus:
- Nearest parking lot (Student or Faculty Parking lots)
Assembly points for the Salem City Center:
- Nearest parking lot
Additional information is available on the following website:
The National Fire Protection Association http://www.nfpa.org


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Lucia Flatweave Rug
Expertly hand woven from pure wool, this floral flatweave pairs a graceful design with long-wearing practicality. The solid ground highlights an ivory trailing vine, a simple graphic inspired by vintage motifs. Slightly uneven, hand-stitched edges enhance the rug's handcrafted character.
- Expertly hand woven in yarn-dyed wool
- Thick wool yarns give the flatweave a smooth feel and exceptionally long wear
- Thin and low-maintenance with a durable weave
- Variations in shading and slightly uneven edges are part of the design and will be unique to each rug
- Imported
- Professionally clean
- All sizes are approximate
- In dove, petal or thistle
- To extend the rug's life, we recommend using a rug pad (sold separately)
- Wool is a natural fiber, and our handwoven wool�rugs may shed for several weeks after initial purchase. To minimize shedding, vacuum regularly.�
- We recommend�using a canister-style or upright vacuum that operates with suction rather than bristles, which can break down the rug's wool fibers
Shown in dove.
Lucia Flatweave Rug
- Available in 4 sizes: 5' x 8', 6' x 9', 8' x 10' and 9' x 12'
Lucia Flatweave Rug
Lucia Flatweave Rug Swatch
Premium Rug Pad
$49 - $169
Low Profile Rug Pad
$29 - $99


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Congratulations on posting for 2100 consecutive days, that is real dedication, helping others to save money on gas.
A Big Congrats on reaching the 2100 Day Mark Posting, Notice you have over 5 plus years at this, Wanna be Gas Buddies
Congrats on two-thousand straight days!!! … Keep on Postin' !!!
Glad to have you as my newest buddy
A BIG CONGRATS on 1,600 consecutive days! Really awesome! Wow, another milestone has arrived! : ) For most GBs (8M plus) they don't seem to have the dedication or the persistence it takes to come back and post gas prices each day for other GBs! Or they just run out of gas! :( Hang onto your speed lines, it only takes one day to lose them! I'm sure you know! But, even clicking on news articles links, which are the easiest points here on GasBuddy, when you can't or didn't post gas prices before midnight will save your consecutive days! : ) WARNING! Every day GBs lose their consecutive days, many with big numbers, the #1 reason, "oops, I just forgot!" :( If you ever lose your consecutive days; that is NO FAULT of your own, please contact the mods! Keep posting each day to save your consecutive days! Keep going like a PRO Knoxville GasBuddy! Have a nice weekend! Thanks buddy! Ron
A BIG CONGRATS on reaching that 1.5M mark and your nice red pickup! Really awesome! You're one of only 3,873 of more than 8,000,000 GBs that have accumulated at least 1,500,000 points! Keep going another 2 or 3 million or more! : ) Most new GBs will never make it to 1M, but you made it to1.5M! Many of the GBs ahead of you have already retired! You're doing great, so keep on going! Don't give up now, like so many of the GBs that reached 1M and 2M, then retired! Only 2,288 GBs have made it to 2M, so there is room for you there also! Keep going like a PRO Knoxville GasBuddy! Have a nice week! Thanks buddy! Ron
Congrats on a thousand straight days !!!
Vol Nation.
Who cares, I'll be dead.
When someone dies you say "good riddance" how horrible .. how will people respond when you go?


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School of Natural Sciences
Faculty Bio
Laura J. Baker, PhD
Professor of Computer Science
Phone: 512-448-8675
- PhD in Computer Science Education at University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 1995
- MEd in Computer Science Education at Texas State University, San Marcos, 1987
- BS in Parks and Recreation at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 1981
Why I Teach
I love trying to make complex concepts more understandable and interesting. There is not a day in front of a classroom that I don't walk away thinking of the ways that I could improve. As a result, teaching is always exciting and rewarding.
My profession provides an opportunity to positively influence and affect students' lives much in the same way that my own life was affected. While this is a great opportunity, it is also a great responsibility. Teaching always challenges me to be the best that I can.