text:
Submitted by John Stauber on
The celebrity chef Alice Waters is probably the world's most famous advocate of growing and eating local, Organic food. In February 2010 her Chez Panisse Foundation chose as its new Executive Director the wealthy "green socialite" and liberal political activist Francesca Vietor. Vietor's hiring created a serious conflict of interest that has married Waters and her Foundation to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and its scam of disposing of toxic sewage sludge waste as free "organic Biosolids compost" for gardens.
For the first time, thanks to an ongoing "open records" investigation by the Food Rights Network, the public and the press have easy online access to dozens of internal SFPUC files (SFPUC Sludge Controversy Timeline), documenting the strange tale of Chez Sludge, or how the sewage industry bedded Alice Waters.
How It All Started
San Francisco's Mayor, Gavin Newsom, appointed Francesca Vietor as one of the five Commissioners who run the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in 2008, just a year after the SFPUC began giving away toxic sewage sludge as "organic Biosolids compost." San Francisco, often dubbed the green city with a green mayor, was seemingly providing free "Organic compost" to urban gardens. It sounded too good to be true, and it was. While San Francisco does have an admirable program to collect vegetable waste and turn it into valuable garden compost, the city sells that stuff, the good stuff, Organic with a capital "O." What the city gives away for free as "organic Biosolids compost" is actually hazardous waste, sewage sludge, from San Francisco and eight other counties.
But don't call it sewage sludge! Under a PR program first exposed in a book I co-wrote in 1995, Toxic Sludge Is Good for You!, the sewage sludge lobby -- the Water Environment Federation -- has renamed the massive mountains of constantly-produced and hazardous sewage sludge. It's now called "Biosolids." This Orwellian term was chosen to simply fool the public into applying toxic sewage sludge to farms, ranches, yards and gardens as "organic fertilizer," a waste disposal program endorsed by the EPA.
San Francisco's SFPUC is in the forefront of the latest maneuver in this toxic scam, "composting" its toxic sludge and marketing it as "organic Biosolids compost," thus co-opting a venerable terms used in Organic agriculture. This greenwashing scam slipped rather unnoticed by the public from 2007 until the fall of 2009. That is when the San Francisco Chronicle reported on an effort by two public interest groups who petitioned the [SFPUC to halt the program. In December 2009, the The Atlantic reported that the city had rejected the petition and that the SFPUC was preparing to increase its toxic sludge to gardens giveaway ten-fold in 2010.
In early 2010 the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) picked up the baton in the San Francisco sludge fight. Their Bay Area researcher and organizer, John Mayer, now with the Food Rights Network, began organizing environmental, gardening, and food safety groups to endorse a letter to Mayor Newsom opposing the sludge giveaway. The OCA planned and executed a theatrical protest, a "sludge dump" on the steps of City Hall, on March 4th.
The previous evening, March 3rd, the CBS TV affiliate KPIX in San Francisco ran a devastating investigative report by journalist Anna Werner, noting that testing and analysis of San Francisco's "organic biosolids compost" confirmed toxic contaminants, including dioxins. The morning of March 4, even before the OCA sludge protest, San Francisco media reported that the toxic sludge giveaway had been placed on temporary hold, and that's where it is today.
The one-two punch of the CBS news reporting and the OCA protest, which itself received much national media attention, won the day. Or so it seemed. Actually, March 4th turned out to be the day when the entire issue took a new and somewhat bizarre turn, revealing the ongoing conflict of interest that has dragged Alice Waters into Chez Sludge.
Two Hats Are Better Than One?
On March 4th, I Googled the SFPUC to see who was in charge, and read on the SFPUC website that Francesca Vietor, someone I had met and the wife of the environmental reporter Mark Hertsgaard whom I knew, was the SFPUC Vice President. We all had friends in common, including the San Francisco environmental journalist Mark Dowie. I emailed Francesca that day, telling her I'd just discovered that she was on the SFPUC board, and explained that "you can be a hero on this issue by stopping the sludge on gardens in San Fran."
Shortly after sending her my email, I learned that Francesca was also the new head of the Chez Panisse Foundation, when yet another mutual friend suggested to me that "Alice isn't going to like this," referring to Alice Waters, the celebrity chef and advocate of local, natural Organic gardening and the founder of Chez Pannise Foundation. Hmmm, I thought. What was Alice Waters thinking? What was Francesca Vietor thinking? The potential conflicts of interest were obvious to me.
Mayor Newsom, who appointed Vietor, defended the growing of food in toxic sludge, as did the SFPUC. Francesca was now wearing two hats, one representing the sludge-dumping interests of the SPFUC and the other the mission of her new employer, Chez Panisse Foundation, to promote Edible Schoolyard gardens. Wearing her Chez Panisse Foundation hat, her mission was introducing kids to the wonders of preparing and eating their own natural food, grown themselves in healthy and safe soil. Hopefully that soil was not contaminated with toxic sewage sludge from the SFPUC, or anywhere else. Toxic sludge versus safe gardens. The conflict seemed huge, and indeed it has proven so.
February 8-9, 2010: Red Letter Days
When I emailed to Francesca on March 4th, the day of the OCA sludge protest, I did not realize that I had also sent her information on the sludge issue a month earlier, on February 8th, 2010. That day, I published a brief story about the San Francisco toxic sludge controversy and emailed it to a list of journalists, activists and other contacts in the Bay Area. Francesca, her husband Mark Hertsgaard, Mark Dowie, and dozens of others received that email. Francesca read it, and she forwarded it on to Ed Harrington, the General Manager of the SFPUC.
On February 9th, Vietor received an email about the SFPUC's sludge-to-gardens giveaway. This email went to her at the Chez Panisse Foundation, and it was sent by John Mayer, then with the Organic Consumers Association, who was organizing for the March 4th protest at City Hall. Mayer emailed Vietor the sign-on letter that OCA and other groups were planning to deliver to Mayor Newsom, calling for a permanent ban on the sludge-to-gardens giveaway. Mayer did not know that Vietor was on the SFPUC board, and that she was and is, in fact, its Vice President. Nor did she mention it to him when she declined to add the Chez Panisse Foundation to the protest letter to the Mayor who had appointed her to the Commission, the agency distributing the sludge to gardens as "organic" compost. Wearing her hat as the head of the Chez Panisse Foundation, she wrote back to John Mayer, "Thank you for your note and the good work of the Organic Consumers Association. We do not generally sign on to letters so cannot offer you support at this time."
February 9th was also the day that John Mayer contacted the SFPUC, requesting information under sunshine-in-government laws, as part of an ongoing investigation that has provided us the internal documents allowing the Chez Sludge story to be told.
March 5 to March 7, 2010. The Conflicts Get "Sticky"
Move ahead to March 5th. I had emailed Francesca the previous day about how she could be a hero and stop the sludge dumping, but I had received no response. I now knew that she was also the head of the Chez Panisse Foundation, as well as the Vice President of the SFPUC.
I sent her another email, trying to talk with her directly, with no success. In fact, documents from the SFPUC files show that Vietor was consulting with Ed Harrington, the General Manager of the SFPUC, trying to decide how best to respond to me. In their email exchange it was Harrington who told Vietor that the sludge-to-gardens giveaway program was on temporary hold. He wrote, "We have told them we have no plans to do any further giveaways at this time -- feel free to tell them that again. We do not want to promise anything more than that -- our real concern is the larger issue of our disposal of sludge ... on land in Solano County which they may go after next."
Harrington also told Vietor, "In my humble opinion these people are mostly being misinformed by a small group of people who don't really believe anything we tell them and don't particularly care for or trust whatever available science is out there. ... And one test we did shows that the amount of minerals in the compost is less than what you would get if you ate a Centrum vitamin. Having said that, this was a giveaway program -- no one was forced to take any. And we typically held it once a year in October ... Our other choice for this would be incineration which no one seems to want to talk about because of some serious environmental issues (even though it could create renewable power). This compost was frankly our best, most 'recyclable' idea. Here is what we are sending out if someone asks about it," he wrote, attaching a sludge promotional flyer.
The sludge promotional flyer that Harrington gave to Vietor she then sent to me, finally responding to my email of the day before. Vietor was taking her lead on the sludge-to-gardens controversy directly from the sludge dumpers at the SFPUC: Ed Harrington, Tyrone Jue and the rest of the public relations and professional staff who were running the sludge giveaway.
Vietor and I exchanged further emails on March 5th: I criticized the sludge industry promotional material she was sending me. She discontinued the email exchange by sending me a final email on March 5th and copying it to SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington. She wrote to me, "John, I have not had a chance to take a closer look as I have recently starting (sic) a new job, and I won't be able to in the near future, as I need to focus on other PUC business at present. I have asked Ed Harrington to respond to your concerns but please, specifically outline them, and address the points you find 'sad, misleading and inaccurate' in the PUC staff response, as I do not find your reply below at all constructive" (emphasis added). Her new job was, of course, as Executive Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation, promoting schoolyard gardens.
Documents Tell the Real Story
Francesca Vietor told me that she had "not had a chance to take a closer look" at the sludge controversy because of her new job with Chez Panisse Foundation, and that she would not "be able to in the near future." But the internal documents tell a very different story and show just the opposite. Vietor was busy working March 5-7th with Harrington, Jue and the rest of the SFPUC's sludge promoters to edit and write copy for the SFPUC website, explaining and defending the biosolids programs of the SFPUC.
Although Vietor's potential conflict of interest in representing both the sludge dumpers and the Chez Panisse Foundation was known to me, it did not receive any media attention until March 7th, when author and food writer Jill Richardson broke the news on her site. She wrote, "the Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) (Francesca Vietor) is now the Executive Director of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation. I've contacted her to ask for her comments on this, and I intend to continue following the story...."
Clearly Vietor was upset by the article, and seemingly aware of the conflict of interest in which she had put herself. She sought advice from Ed Harrington of the SFPUC, writing "this is getting sticky. lets talk in a.m."
Things were "getting sticky" because Vietor insisted on wearing two hats and keeping both positions, despite the obvious conflicts in their missions. At any time, then or now, Francesca Vietor could have stepped down from the SFPUC, and devoted herself to promoting Edible Schoolyard gardens. Or she could have left her job at the Chez Panisse Foundation and become an outright advocate for applying municipal sewage sludge to gardens and farmland. But she insisted on keeping both jobs, wearing both hats, and there was the rub. She continued to help the sludge dumpers at the SFPUC tweak and edit their material defending and promoting their biosolids program, while representing the Organic gardening and the food growing ethics of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation. The conflicts of interest she embodied were real, growing, and spinning out of Vietor's control.
In the meantime, reporter Jill Richardson was underscoring with Vietor what OCA and others had been emphasizing: that there were contaminants in the sludge products that Harrington and the rest of the SFPUC staff depicted as so benign. Richardson made a point of informing her about the EPA's 2009 Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, which found widespread contaminants in all the samples of sewage sludge it tested nationwide and found that sludge was not routinely tested for these and other toxins.
On March 12th, Vietor forwarded Richardson's email to Harrington, suggesting a change in some of the wording on the SFPUC website promoting sludge. She wrote, "one other edit on the response that Ty is creating -- I think the word 'stringent' should be taken out of the federal guidelines descriptor as I am learning that the fed guidelines do not regulate a lot of toxins so may not be as stringent as we may want."
March 16 - March 25: Chez Sludge Goes on the Offensive
Although it was reporter Jill Richardson who on March 7th first pointed out to the public Vietor's potential conflict of interest in serving both the SFPUC and the Chez Panisse Foundation, it was an article of mine, published on March 16th, that set her on an offensive against me. There quickly emerged a Chez Sludge PR team that included our mutual friend Mark Dowie. Its goal was to intimidate me and neutralize my reporting on this issue. Mark Dowie would threaten me with libel and demand retractions on March 25th, and a week later, on April 1st, Vietor herself would charge the UK Guardian newspaper with libel and blame it on me.
On March 16, 2010, I reported on her conflict of interest on the website of the Center for Media and Democracy. In a story titled Waiter, There Is Toxic Sludge in my Organic Soup! I wrote: "I suspect that Bay area celebrity chef Alice Waters would never dump sewage sludge onto her own organic garden, nor serve food grown in sludge in her world famous natural foods restaurant Chez Panisse. The mission of her Chez Panisse Foundation is to create "Edible Schoolyards" where kids grow, prepare, and eat food from their own organic gardens. But Francesca Vietor, the new executive director of the Chez Panisse Foundation, is at the same time actively promoting dumping toxic sludge on gardens in her role as Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission."
Looking back at this article now, having read dozens of internal SFPUC documents and emails back and forth showing Vietor's faithful role in working closely with Harrington and Jue and others promoting and defending the biosolids program of the SFPUC, what I wrote seems oddly understated. But the article hit a nerve; the truth hurt Vietor. I became the target of a nasty and concerted effort by Vietor and the SFPUC's public relations staff. They spent the next several days trying to figure out how best to strike at me and my reporting.
SFPUC Hatches A Plan
On March 19th, the head of PR for the SFPUC, Tyrone Jue, provided Vietor with a draft response to use against me, a document that I have not yet obtained. Jue wrote to Vietor, "So far, based on our web monitoring the . . . posting of Mr. Stauber was pretty isolated. I would recommend not personally posting this response under your name. We certainly want to make sure it covers everything you would like said, but I'm hesitant to dignify his post and create a mechanism for further online back and forth dialogue that includes you. The response instead would be posted under the name of Ed, Tommy or I. Laura and I definitely want to talk to you about our next steps. Ed, Laura and I have outlined a draft strategy moving forward. Let us know when you are available and if you have changes."
It was in this charged environment that four days later, on March 23, 2010, the Organic Consumers Association hand delivered a letter to Alice Waters, the founder of the Chez Panisse Foundation. The letter read, "We imagine that you would want to be one of the first to unequivocally and publicly state that sewage sludge is unacceptable for farming and gardening -- organic or conventional," pointing out that it "seems to us a clear conflict of interest that Francesca Vietor should serve as both the Executive Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation and the Vice President of the SFPUC. In light of your dedication to non-GMO foods, would you have the Vice President of Monsanto as your Executive Director? The two do not seem much dissimilar as both work for organizations that compromise the integrity of the movement for which you are both a pioneer and a leading voice. ... In 2000, you took a stance against GMOs by telling your food suppliers they had to stop using all GMOs and stating publicly, 'Flat out, no genetic engineering.' We at the OCA applaud this position and ask that you now do the same for toxic sewage sludge: 'Flat out, no toxic sewage sludge for our food!'"
Vietor quickly sent this letter, that was addressed to Alice Waters, directly to the SFPUC staff, with whom she was now working in a war-room atmosphere. The conflict of interest that had only become "sticky" on March 7th was now, just over two weeks later, becoming a full-blown PR crisis for Vietor. She worked hand in hand with the head of PR for the SFPUC in an attempt to manage it. Sending the OCA letter to the SFPUC, she wrote, "Alice and CPF are not going to respond but it's really important for SFPUC staff to come up with answers about whether the stuff does or does not contain the chemicals that Stauber, et al, say it does, and if so, in what doses and what those dose levels mean. ... Can you get these answers quickly -- as now that people are trying to oust me from the PUC -- so I can decide whether to go on the offensive against these guys." (emphasis added). The OCA letter to Alice Waters had not asked her to take any action regarding Francesca Vietor and her increasingly "sticky" conflicts of interest. But clearly Vietor's biggest fear was not toxic sludge on gardens, nor how her "sticky" conflicts would impact her friend Alice Waters. Her fear was that media attention might mean she would have to give it up one of her two hats. That she would not, and has not, done.
The Attack
The next day Vietor and her SFPUC PR team went on the offensive against me, using a surprising weapon to try to intimidate and chill my reporting: our mutual friend the journalist Mark Dowie. Not only was Dowie a mutual friend, but also he had written the introduction to my book Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! Dowie sent me a bizarre and chilling email on March 25th, threatening me with libel. Dowie claimed to be approaching me on his own, but the internal documents show differently. Dowie the journalist had become Dowie the PR flack, part of the team Vietor assembled at Chez Panisse Foundation and the SFPUC to attack me and other reporters and activists as she went "on the offensive." Chez Sludge was now complete: the SFPUC and Alice Waters' Foundation run by the SFPUC's Vice President were all pulling together, rowing the same boat. There was no potential conflict of interest; the conflict was manifest and growing.
With Friends Like Mark Dowie ...
Dowie's threatening email to me, sent the evening of March 25th, is fascinating. It reads in part: "I have conducted a small private investigation of the PUC Toxic Sludge situation in San Francisco and found some problems with your reporting, problems that could land you in trouble." He was referring to my March 16th story. He further wrote, "Let me cut right to the quick. From what I can find, Francesca Vietor, has never 'actively promoted' the PUC giveaway of sludge, nor has she ever defended it. If you have hard evidence to the contrary I suggest you produce it quickly or at least have copies ready to produce if you need them ... I also understand that when you e-mailed with Francesca she told you that that was the first she had heard of the whole matter, and you left that statement out of your report. I suggest you find a way to work it back into your reporting if possible. I am not doing this in defense of Francesca Vietor, who is, I admit, an acquaintance. But as I told you a while back, that it is her husband Mark Hertsgaard who is my friend."
Dowie's email struck me as bizarre, disingenuous, and insulting. He wanted me to think it was personal, but it was in aid of the SFPUC via Vietor, Jue and Harrington. He wrote, "And I am not doing this as a favor to (Mark Hertsgaard, Vietor's husband) either. I am doing it in defense of good journalism and to protect you from possible litigation. This is not a threat, John, from me, Francesca, Mark or the PUC, just my observation and the observation of others who have read your reports (and OCA's letter to Alice Waters) and who know the facts behind the story, that you are treading a thin fine line between truth and libel."
But of course it was a threat, and a very naked one, from Francesca and the SFPUC. It concluded, "In short I encourage you to step back, take a closer look at everything you have, and if you can prove your case against Vietor with strong documentation, fire away." Now, today, in light of the cache internal documents that show Dowie's letter to be direct result of the SFPUC offensive against me, the email is even more astonishing.
Alice Speaks -- Sort of
On March 30th, Alice Waters publicly responded to the OCA letter of a week earlier, March 23rd. I remember the moment well, because as an advisor to OCA I was pressing Waters to respond. The threats from Dowie had tipped me off to the degree to which the SFPUC and the Chez Panisse Foundation had morphed into one PR entity, "Chez Sludge," fighting primarily to make sure that Francesca Vietor continued wearing her two hats, holding her two jobs, now so clearly in conflict.
Vietor emailed Ed Harrington a draft of Waters' response on March 30th, asking him to please review it because "we are going to try to send this out end of day." Harrington emailed back to Vietor, "Sounds perfect to me. Let me run it by a couple of folks in case I'm missing something and get back to you quickly." Alice Waters was like a hand puppet on the lap of Francesca Vietor, Ed Harrington and the SFPUC.
The final version of the Alice Waters' response to the OCA letter of March 23, 2010, was emailed to me by the Chez Panisse Foundation public relations director. Just before it was sent, my phone rang and there on the other end was none other than Alice Waters.
Alice told me that she was calling to assure me that this was the first she'd really heard about all this. She sounded flustered and said that of course she would do the right thing and she told me how much she trusted Francesca Vietor. What struck me most was her assertion that this was the first time she'd heard about all this hubub, and how she was putting all her trust in Vietor. But Vietor had dragged Alice right into bed with the sewage sludge industry, Chez Sludge.
After Alice called, I was foolishly hopeful that she actually would do the right thing and publicly oppose growing food in toxic sludge. Silly me. This is the statement I was emailed that was supposedly from Alice Waters, but that had been fully vetted by the SFPUC staff and whomever they had shared it with:
I look forward to reviewing the science and working with the SFPUC to ensure the safety of composting methods. I support Francesca Vietor, Executive Director of the Chez Panisse Foundation and a PUC commissioner, whose environmental work I have admired for many years and whose integrity has been questioned.
What I have come to call Chez Sludge -- the merging of the sludge dumpers at the SFPUC and the organic garden purists at Chez Panisse Foundation -- was now complete, if invisible to the public, at least until now. Alice Waters had been married off and dumped into bed with the municipal sludge industry, the scam artists behind dumping toxic sewage sludge -- misleadingly termed "organic Biosolids compost" -- onto farms and gardens. In a statement the SFPUC vetted, she had committed to working with them to ensure the "safety" of their phony organic toxic sludge "compost." Alice Waters had been made into a hand-puppet of the sewage sludge industry, their latest PR conquest, their greatest victory, in their decades-long effort to greenwash their hazardous waste disposal goals moving mountains of toxic material onto the farms and gardens of America as "organic Biosolids compost." What a PR coup. Ed Harrington, Tyrone Jue, and the rest of the SFPUC staff were fully in charge of the messaging.
"Alice, Please, No Toxic Sludge!"
In response to the failure of Alice Waters to oppose the dumping of toxic sewage sludge, and in the face of her commitment to work with the sludge dumpers at City Hall in San Francisco, the Organic Consumers Association decided to heighten the contradictions and stage a small demonstration on April 1st, the 30th anniversary of the Chez Panisse Cafe.
Chez Panisse -- the Cafe, the Restaurant and the Foundation -- are all located at the same address in Berkeley. Over the noon hour on April 1st, two OCA activists held a colorful banner with image of a birthday cake and the polite appeal, "Happy Birthday Chez Panisse Cafe. Please, Alice, No Toxic Sludge!" A third OCA activist spoke to the press and passed out leaflets. It was small, it was dignified, and it was covered by the press. And it caused all hell to break loose, culminating in a threat of libel by Francesca Vietor against the (UK) Guardian simply for reporting on what is now not just Vietor's conflict of interest, but also a conflict for Alice Waters and her Foundation.
Francesca Saved the Day! (April Fools!)
Chez Sludge -- the PR team that now included Vietor, Dowie, Tyrone Jue and the Chez Panisse Foundation (CPF) staff -- wrote and issued from the Foundation a news release fully appropriate to April Fool's day. It had little or no relationship to reality, and it wove a (now) demonstrably false public mythology of the role of Francesca Vietor in the growing sludge-to-gardens scandal. It employed what in PR and propaganda parlance is called the Big Lie tactic. In this case, the lie -- that Veitor had been the one who put the sludge give away on hold -- worked like an April Fool's day charm. It fooled most of the press and some activist groups completely and they swallowed the CPF/SFPUC PR tale completely, hook, line and sinker.
The Big Lie tactic only works when the falsehood is delivered by somebody trusted by the news media, somebody like Alice Waters. It is an audacious and dishonest tactic that works because it is so audacious to think that a trusted public figure would indeed spin such an outrageous falsehood, or read a script that did so. The news media fails to question the claim or demand proof of the speaker of the lie.
The Chez Panisse Foundation news release attacked me by name and demanded that I publicly apologize for things I had said or written (things not specified) that offended Vietor. It read in part:
Ms. Vietor has never promoted the SFPUC program. In fact, as soon as Mr. Stauber brought the program to her attention, Ms. Vietor asked the staff of the SFPUC to do three things: 1. Put the program on indefinite hold until sound scientific data can be gathered and evaluated; 2. Conduct additional, rigorous testing of the material the PUC had been giving away; and 3. Issue a public call for solutions to the larger question of how San Francisco and municipalities everywhere should be dealing with their waste.
This statement is clearly false in all aspects. Our search of the SFPUC's documents shows that there was never any request by Vietor to put the sludge giveaway program on hold at any time. The SFPUC has responded so when asked to provide all documents specific to this claim. There are none.
Vietor had nothing to do with putting the program on temporary hold, where it sits today. That was accomplished by the CBS TV news report of March 3rd, and the approaching OCA demonstration at City Hall on March 4th. The internal documents show this clearly. On March 4, when Vietor was asking for help from Ed Harrington to formulate a response to my first email to her, it was Harrington who informed Vietor of the program being put on hold. He wrote,
We have told them we have no plans to do any further giveaways at this time - feel free to tell them that again. We do not want to promise anything more than that -- our real concern is the larger issue of our disposal of sludge ... on land in Solano County which they may go after next.
And what about claims 2 and 3? Again, an exhaustive search of the SFPUC files has produced nothing, and the PUC says that they have nothing, absolutely nothing, supportive of the specific claims above. Vietor and her Chez Sludge PR team created a mythology based on lies. And it worked.
None of the many and fine reporters who used these false claims bothered to demand any proof or documentation of their veracity. They simply printed them. Anna Werner of CBS Channel Five; Brady Welch of the San Francisco Bay Guardian; Leora Broydo of the New York Times; Barry Estabrook of the Atlantic; all of these reporters, various public interest groups including the Environmental Working Group, and the public were lied to and misled by the Chez Panisse Foundation in its desperate attempt to create a mythology for Vietor that could make her look like the hero and prevent her from having to give up either of her two positions. And in all of the SFPUC files, with the SFPUC staff desperately searching for some documents to support the false claims of the Chez Panisse Foundation on April 1, there is nothing, nada, zip, zero.
The Chez Panisse Foundation also called upon "Mr. Stauber and the OCA to retract their false statements and issue Alice Waters and Francesca Vietor a public apology." Now, as I write this article, having reviewed dozens of Vietor emails with the SFPUC staff and other internal documents, I realize that I am owed an apology for the lies told on April 1st by Vietor, Waters and the entire Chez Sludge crew at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. I won't hold my breath.
Vietor to the Guardian: "You Have Libeled Me"
How could the April 1, 2010, behavior of Francesca Vietor, caught up in her conflict of interest, slinging lies and false statements, sink any lower, at least on one day? It did, when Vietor again lied to the UK Guardian newspaper in an email cc'd to her attorney Chris Desser, an email whose subject line screamed: "You Have Libeled Me."
She again used the same chilling tactic that she used when our mutual "friend" Mark Dowie threatened me with libel on her behalf. But this time, the legal threat came directly from Vietor in a news release she sent to Suzanne Goldenberg, a U.S. based reporter for the UK Guardian.
On April 1, 2010, the Guardian ran Goldenberg's excellent article on the conflict of interest at the Chez Panisse Foundation, quoting me. Vietor fired an email to the Guardian with the subject line "You have libeled me." It reads in part: "I was unaware of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's program until I was contacted by John Stauber on March 4, 2010, after which I took immediate steps to have the program suspended and additional testing undertaken."
Again, Vietor simply tells a lie in a blatant attempt to chill the press. She claims she heard about it from me on March 4, but the internal documents show that she forwarded to Ed Harrington my story of February 8, and the next day she also received and then responded to John Mayers' email.
Vietor's threatening email to the Guardian was cc'd to her friend and attorney Chris Desser, although according to the California Bar Association Desser's license to practice law is "inactive."
Vietor's threat against the Guardian also names and blames me. "Mr. Stauber, who was the original source of this libelous charge against me, has been repeatedly informed that it was false, yet he has persisted in charging that I am somehow 'actively promoting sewage sludge.' Now, your article has repeated the libel."
Public officials like Francesca Vietor have a problem when they lie, when they attack the press, when they inappropriately merge their business affairs with their public job, and when they collude in emails that end up in the files of public agencies. Their problem is that occasionally investigators like John Mayer and myself will spend the weeks and weeks necessary to use "open records" laws to force the hidden evidence of their lies and collusion into the light of day. That is why you are able to read this piece now. Our newly formed Food Rights Network is on the case, and we won't go away. This investigation is ongoing. Stay tuned.
John Stauber is an investigative writer, author, and activist. He works with the Food Rights Network. His views are his own and those of the Network. Visit the SFPUC Sludge Controversy Timeline on the SourceWatch wiki website for further information and documentation.
SF animal replied on Permalink
SF : why not separate our city-wide compost collection from the sewage sludge?
I am not a gardener, nor a self proclaimed "environmentalist," but putting sewage sludge on the gardens (and particularly on the ones that grow food) does not sound like a good idea at all.
Now, the precautionary principle is a good idea, just too bad we don't follow it.
Good Article, as people in public office who spend thats time looking out for themselves need to be called out. Wish these jobs would go to people who actually do care about public health and the environment, and bother to do their homework too!
keith replied on Permalink
"why not separate our
"why not separate our city-wide compost collection from the sewage sludge?"
This is what has to be done at some point. The longer we go flushing our excrement and urine down the drain the more we either lose fertilizer or create toxic fertilizer. Our whole concept of sewage and waste collection needs to be reworked and recycled when possible. This book i excellent on how to properly compost human waste http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html
But we still need a good system for how to do it for all of the public.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
the word "toxic"
You should look it up in the dictionary and in the laws that govern disposal and reuse of materials.
Using that term for the solids produced in a municipal wastewater treatment plan is "spin" of the worst sort. You are deliberately making people fear something YOU don't understand. The treatment processes for the organic solids produced from the bacteria, diatoms and algae that consume the nutrients in sewage include processes to kill bacteria, and the inorganic constituents in biosolids are stringently controlled. Monitoring is performed to ensure quality before any product is distributed. You should learn more about the pretreatment program for industrial wastewaters as well as the solids processing that occurs onsite at a publicly owned wastewater treatment plant before you write about it.
Please reserve the use of "toxic sludge" to something that meets the definition.
Class A biosolids are not "toxic sludge" any more than composted horse manure is "toxic waste"
Lisa Graves replied on Permalink
Horse manure
Dear Anonymous:
Funny you should mention house manure.... Last time I checked, horse manure did not include industrial wastes flushed down the drain. Horse manure is not the same as sewage sludge. Suggesting that that they are is, well, horse manure. Lisa Graves
R.D. Lackey replied on Permalink
Words are Funny Things
So, the inorganic elements are "stringently" controlled, are they? I suppose the very good and very well-connected folks at the SFPUC just thought we weren't getting enough yummy dioxin in our diet, is that it? No,. I believe the word "toxic" sums up your despicable product quite well, Mr. Public Utilities Flack, and I and every one else with a brain left in their head will continue to refer to it for what it obviously is to all but those who are trying to find cheap ways of getting rid of what is obviously a major environmental problem.
Dorje Chenpo replied on Permalink
Food turns into poop and
Food turns into poop and poop turns back into food. Circle of life. Like I learned back in my USDA consulting days, a cow in a field both eats and fertilizes about an acre. You get waste management problems when you herd them into feed lots. Then you have to recover the waste in pits and lagoons, then spread it on the fields with "honey wagons."
SFPUC's plan is just doing the same thing with people, since we have herded ourselves into urban feed lots. Until I read about some scienctific tests for toxins or bacteria in sludge, I think they're doing exactly the right thing, closing the circle.
Lisa Graves replied on Permalink
You asked for scientific tests for toxins or bacteria in sludge?
Dear Dorje:
Thank you for your comment. Happy to oblige your request for scientific studies of sewage sludge that confirm its toxins and bacteriological hazards. Here is a link to an article in SourceWatch with copies of key studies: [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Scientific_Studies_of_Sewage_Sludge| link to sludge science page].
Here are descriptions of just three of the several studies documented in this SourceWatch article:
* [[Erik Stokstad]]. [http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/01/22-03.html The Dirt on Sewage Sludge]. Science Magazine (AAAS), January 22, 2009
Many of the 145 chemicals tested for were current nationwide. Biosolids from all of the 74 large treatment plants surveyed had same 27 metals, but only zinc, molybdenum, and nickel surpassed standards for application to fields. Almost all of the 11 flame retardants on the list were there in every sample.
* [[EPA]]. [http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/biosolids/tnsss-overview.html#results Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey Report]. Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, EPA-822-R-08-014, 7 (January 2009)
The results of this survey indicate that "27 metals were found in virtually every [[biosolids]] sample". Four of six semivolatile organics and [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]] were found in at least 72 samples. "All off the [[flame retardants]] except one [(BDE-138)] were essentially found in every sample; [BDE-138] was found in 54 out of 84 samples".
* [[Rebecca Renner]]. [http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es803520c EPA finds record PFOS, PFOA levels in Alabama grazing fields]. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/es803520c
This study focuses on the investigation of agricultural soil near [[Decatur]], Alabama., Scientists with the [[EPA]], [[USDA]], and [[FDA]] are investigating if perfluorinated chemicals have entered the human food chain and contaminated meat. They suspect that "[[PFOA]] and [[PFOS]], treated municipal [[sewage sludge]], or [[biosolids]], were applied to some 5000 acres of agricultural land".
Anonymous replied on Permalink
"It is not appropriate to speculate on the significance of the results until a proper evaluation has been completed and reviewed."
Lisa Graves replied on Permalink
Scientific method and a real-life case study.
Dear anonymous sewage sludge defender:
I hesitate to reply to a single quote without context. And I won't speculate on your motives. But, I would urge you to read thoroughly *all* the [[Scientific Studies of Sewage Sludge]] in SourceWatch.
Also worth reading is this study about cows dying and people getting sick after long-term sewage sludge exposure in Georgia:
(Deaths, Milk Contamination by Jill Richardson)
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The quote comes from the EPA
The quote comes from the EPA study you cited. The reports are qualitative; they report only the presence of the specified substances and not the actual concentrations of them. "The dose makes the poison." The simple presence of potentially toxic substances proves nothing. In short, the information given gives grounds for suspicion, but without quantitative results it is not appropriate to say either that the sludge is toxic or that it is not. You are guilty of conclusion-jumping.


text:
In an effort to create new jobs and spur economic growth, Ottawa has announced a new visa program designed to entice immigrant entrepreneurs to Canada.
Launching April 1, the Start-Up Visa Program will link immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organizations that have expertise in working with start-up companies, the aim being to create jobs in Canada and eventually compete globally.
The program offers applicants permanent residency and access to a wide range of business partners, as well as assistance in navigating the Canadian business environment.
"Our new Start-Up Visa will help make Canada the destination of choice for the world's best and brightest to launch their companies," Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a press release.
"Recruiting dynamic entrepreneurs from around the world will help Canada remain competitive in the global economy."
Before they can apply, entrepreneurs must have the support of an angel investor group or venture capital fund in Canada. To that end, CIC is collaborating with two umbrella groups to identify organizations eligible to participate in the program.
The five-year pilot program is part of several changes that aim to make Canada's immigration system more efficient and more geared toward the country's economic needs.
The narrow focus of the program means the number of applications will be limited initially, the release said. However, if it proves successful, it may be added as a new economic class in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Kenney said the program underscores the government's commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Canadian labour market.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Resources Related to
Will Providing Marriage Rights to Same-Sex Couples Undermine Heterosexual Marriage?
Evidence from Scandinavia and the Netherlands.
Congressional budget report: A positive impact from the freedom to marry
Analysis of the positive impact on the US budget of ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage.
NOW POLICY STATEMENT: Equal marriage is a feminist issue
NOW outlines why feminists are advocating for the freedom to marry.
TRANSCRIPT: Bob Barr's Testimony on the DOMA and FMA
Testimony by the author of the Federal so-called DOMA in which he states he now opposes it.
The Cost of Marriage Inequality to Children and Their Same-Sex Parents
An HRC report finding increased economic strain on children and families of same-sex parents.
NAACP Testimony in Opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment
Testimony from the NAACP before the Senate Judiciary Committee opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Challenging Claims of Judicial Tyranny: Testimony to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee
Response to Pres. Bush's comments about "activist judges."
Statement on Marriage and the Family
Statement on Marriage and the Family by the American Anthropological Association
The Case for Civil Marriage Equality
The Log Cabin Republicans lay out their reasons for supporting marriage equality.
God is Still Speaking, About Marriage: Resource Guide
Resource guide for the study and discussion of the freedom to marry by Wider Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ.
The Cost of Marriage Inequality to Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Seniors
Economic analysis of the cost of marriage discrimination for gay seniors.
Past and present proposed amendments to the United States Constitution regarding marriage
Historical review of efforts to amend the US Constitution around marriage
A White Paper: An Analysis of the Law Regarding Same-Sex Marriages, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partn
American Bar Association analysis of marriage including implications for transgender people.
Trans People and Marriage
Summary of the legal issues surrounding marriage for transgender people.
Responding to Claims of Judicial Tyranny
Discussion of the role of the judiciary.


text:
The GiftHardback
List price $20.23
You save $3.86 19% off
Free delivery worldwide
Dispatched in 1 business day
When will my order arrive?
- Publisher: Barefoot Books Ltd
- Format: Hardback | 32 pages
- Dimensions: 234mm x 264mm x 15mm | 440g
- Publication date: 1 October 2010
- Publication City/Country: Bath
- Illustrations note: full col. ill
- Sales rank: 23,271
Product description
The exceptional talents of Carol Ann Duffy and papercut artist Rob Ryan combine to present the story of a girl's journey through life and the desires that shape it. With a kind of magic that is timeless, The Gift speaks to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of the human experience. A unique gift book for all ages by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy This lyrical text about life, love and art is accompanied by stunning papercut illustrations. The Gift portrays the cycle of life in a subtle, accessible way while exploring themes of birth, death, love and the importance of family and friends.
Add item to wishlist
Other people who viewed this bought:
USD$6.85 - Save $2.48 26% off - RRP $9.33
The Girls' Colouring Book
USD$5.64 - Save $2.15 27% off - RRP $7.79
Little Red Hood
USD$11.06 - Save $1.39 11% off - RRP $12.45
Pretty Patterns Colouring Book
USD$5.70 - Save $2.09 26% off - RRP $7.79
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
USD$10.08 - Save $3.92 27% off - RRP $14.00
The Barefoot Book of Classic Poe...
USD$20.54 - Save $2.81 12% off - RRP $23.35
Other books in this category
Father Christmas Needs a Wee
Goodnight, Goodnight Constructio...
USD$13.08 - Save $5.60 29% off - RRP $18.68
Wheels on the Bus
USD$5.31 - Save $2.63 33% off - RRP $7.94
Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collec...
USD$34.73 - Save $10.22 22% off - RRP $44.95
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Littl...
Night Monkey, Day Monkey
USD$10.67 - Save $0.22 (2%) - RRP $10.89
- Categories:
Author information
Carol Ann Duffy is an acclaimed poet and playwright, who has also written many picture books. Her book of children's poetry, Meeting Midnight (9780571201204) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, 2000 and her collection of poetry, Rapture (9780330433914), was the winner of the 2006 T. S. Eliot Prize. She has also written The Tear Thief (9781846860447) published by Barefoot Books in 2007 and shortlisted for the 2007 Red House Children's Book Awards. Carol Ann lives in Manchester with her daughter, Ella. Rob Ryan studied at Trent Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. His characteristic work combines elements of illustration, poetry and intricate paper cutouts. In addition to his own projects, Rob has collaborated with and been commissioned to work alongside many prestigious names such as Paul Smith, Tatty Devine, Liberty and more recently Fortnum & Mason. His shop 'Ryantown' on East London's Columbia Road has allowed further development into a range of handmade products, including screen-printed tiles, laser cut wooden keys and a seven-foot ruler for measuring fast-growing children.


text:
GulfLive.com is reporting that a College World Series t-shirt for sale in Omaha reads "Mississippi State Rebels."
Apparently, a huge blunder by one T-shirt distributor has gone viral on the Internet after a photo of one of the shirts was taken.
The Mississippi State mascot is the Bulldogs. The Rebels name belongs to the University of Mississippi.
MSU faces its first opponent Oregon State in Game 1 on Saturday in Omaha. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2 at 2:00 PM CST.


text:
Mad the Impaler
April 27, 2012 at 1:00 am in Grand Forks Herald
UND Honors senior straps on skates and attitude to research the femininity of roller derby.
Continue Reading
April 27, 2012 at 1:00 am in Grand Forks Herald
UND Honors senior straps on skates and attitude to research the femininity of roller derby.
Continue Reading
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 17 52
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 14 48
It's very interesting that both of the comments here are focused on how "feminism" is stereotyped…. angry women who hate men. It really shows your insecurities. Perhaps you could have focused more on the empowerment of women's athleticism and higher education – something that was almost unheard of 100 years ago.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 49 8
Try reading Tjs response below for the real reason.
Men dont have a problem with women being educated or working.
We just prefer they not try to actually BECOME men
My wife has Masters degree and a job, i have never been anything but supportive.
However, she will actually wear a dress or skirt from time to time and is not ashamed to act like a female.
Keep your roller derby, front line of combat, and female boxing.
I prefer my women to be a little less "Manly"
Hot debate. What do you think? 12 18
Real women…the feminine sort…don't play in the roller derby. Men don't like their women covered in bruises with half a head of hair.
Like or Dislike: 11 16
Captain: are you really that uninformed or are you just saying things for effect? I think you need to talk to your wife more.
Sex roles are completely societally driven. Your comments prove that, & your choice of Susan B Anthony was also a great example.
Society & culture choose what is masculine & what is feminine. Those definitions change all the time.
What is certain is people who push the envelope are punished. Back to Susan B. the most common complaint against her was her lack of femininity; this despite the fact that she was a Quaker, wore a dress that resembled a burka from the high & tight neck down, & was as dour as sour milk.
She was not considered feminine because she spoke publically & engaged in politics; something women of the time did not do.
She also received more death threats than the Big O at a White Supremist convention. She often had a supporter with her who sat beside the stage with a loaded gun to keep the angry white men under control.
If it wasn't for Susan refusing to cooperate with someone else's idea of what a woman should be, women would still not be allowed to own property or vote.
Susan B Anthony would LOVE what women are doing today. So would Elizabeth Katy Stanton, Lacrecia Mott & all the other women who changed the world by insisting on defining themselves.
This girl is more of the same. She is to be commended.
As for women in combat, unless you have slept through the last two wars, for the most part they already are. My son emailed me a pic from Afghanistan. It is of a women pilot crawling into an A-10. The caption reads something about not only are infidels bombing the hades out of you, WOMEN infidels are bombing you. Priceless
Like or Dislike: 19 8
I can also show you Courts martials documents that were presented to women in combat zones along with the men that took their minds off the war and decided to make it their play time when away from their spouses.
If we were all supposed to be the exact same we would have interchangable organs.
Like or Dislike: 1 3
I guess captamerika and his like would prefer her to stay ignorant, like them, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen putting another log on the fire. Cooking up some bacon and some beans. Nope she chose to be educated with her own mind. Accepted at a prestigious universities grad program is a major thing. Her great-grandmother probably would have been considered a "womens liber" having graduated from UND in the early part of the 20th century. Her being an athlete might have to do with the fact that it is in her heritage since her great-grandfather was the legendary head football coach and athletic director at NDSU, Casey Finnegan. Unlike captamericka's hero Ann Romney who probably had 8 great-grandmothers just like her husband Mitt down there in that communist commune of incest in Mexico. I guess that is the type of women captamerika would respect instead of a hard working thinking for herself young women.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 29 12
Instead of pretending to understand me, read my response above.
You read my initial comment about where the feminist movement has led and formulated an entire opinion of me as a person.
Good job,
Wrong, but good job anyway.
Like or Dislike: 9 15
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 8 39
Actually, I'm headed for a career in academia or involvement in an NGO. Anthropology is becoming increasingly valuable as the world becomes more globalized.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 38 7
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 7 19
Time for an infelicitous dose of reality. By the time you get your PhD, you'll find you're competing with 300-500 other applicants for each position. Read the nasty facts in the Chronicle of Higher Ed instead of listening to professors encouraging you to go on. Most PhDs in everything but the STEM disciplines are adjuncting at 2 and 3 schools concurrently. If those low pay, no benefit, salaries help pay off your loans, more power to you.
Like or Dislike: 10 15
Kevin, Do you even have a college degree? Usually when someone makes a comment like you did they do not have a college education.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 29 5
Kevin does not believe in education.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 24 4
It shows in his posts.
Like or Dislike: 17 6
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 7 19
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 5 24
Lighten up. She's obviously making fun of Vlad the Impaler. It's very tongue-in-cheek. If you think she is glorifying this brutal individual, whom she did research, by the way, then you're the one who has issues, assuming her intentions are lewd and insensitive. And what do you know about roller derby and its benefits to all the women who have joined? Sounds like you need to put on some skates and unleash some inner frustration if you have nothing better to do than to attack a mature, intelligent, hard-working woman like Madi.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 23 4
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 6 16
Your comment, I'm sure, is really beneficial to her maturity and intelligence since it was so sensitively stated and educational. She's young and ambitious and is helping women (roller derby teams give directly back to the community through charities). I guess that means she's given into hypocrisy and poor judgment because she is jeering at Vlad the Impaler (who deserves to be made fun of). Irony is one of many ways of addressing and coping with problems, even historical. You're appalled that she's making fun of a cruel individual? Her choice in the name was not hypocritical nor was it a product of poor judgment. You are simply determined to put her down for no reason other than the fact that you don't get it. And by the way, making light of means to trivialize in a humorous way, so, no, it's not the same thing as the phrase "making fun of," which means to joke about something in an unkind way (Vlad deserves this, don't you think).
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 19 3
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 4 15
99% of America could not even tell you who Vlad even was. Dracula, yes but Vlad no.
Like or Dislike: 14 1
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 7 20
Captain: the only saving grace with people like you is you have an expiration date & are therefore a time limited problem.
As a nurse 90% of the people I work with are women. You really need to re-evaluate the capabilities of 51% of the population.
As for can a woman be tough as nails & still love you into submission : they are called farmers, ranchers, police officers, fire fighters, & soldiers & they do it every day.
The question Captain is not whether they are feminine enough to meet your needs, it is are you man enough to meet theirs?
Just saying
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 23 6
I would like to point out that if a man had used the expression:"love you into submission", you likely would have been offended. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Like or Dislike: 8 9
Fleurs: you are letting your societally mediated blinders show again: I am a man. We account for roughly 10% of the profession which is why I was referring to the 90% above.
I am old, fat, have two wives and seven kids.
I also studied women and gender as a historian, which partially explains why I am such a good friend of Susan B. Anthony and her other Seneca Falls compatriots.
As for my choice of words: as a frequent contributer on these boards, you quickly learn certain words are a no no and learn to work around them.
My point was Captain's definition of feminine is a little constrained. One of the most appealing, feminine women I ever met was a blond police officer about 5'6 and 120 pounds. She was absolutely movie star gorgeous. I also watched her take down a 250 pound drunk dude before he even knew what hit him.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have never seen roller derby (except in the 1970s during its first go round), but I cannot wait for my first match.
Like or Dislike: 13 4
Just because your not "MAN" enough to do mans work doesnt mean people are going to listen to you.
go wash someones bed pan.
Like or Dislike: 1 3
Captain, what is lost on this audience is that it is counterintuitive to promote the idea that women are valuable, and thus worthy of respect only insofar as we can imitate men in our existing culture. Women are inherently valuable and worthy of respect as are men. Women who are barefoot and pregnant are valuable and worthy of respect. Actual historical murder of human beings is thus tragic.
Like or Dislike: 5 14
Can't say I'm up to date on roller derby, but 40+ years ago it was pro wrestling on skates.
Like or Dislike: 8 4
As I tried to explain to Captain above, what is masculine & what is feminine is defined by society & it changes all the time. 50 years ago June Cleaver defined American femininity. My mother, born during the depression, raised on a farm, & the only one of seven kids to go to college ( male or female) could not stand the woman.
I remember my older brother making a joke about her needing to get back in the kitchen & be more like Mrs Cleaver. We spent the next hour picking him off the floor & looking for his teeth (relax – a joke).
Captains wife has a Masters Degree & a job, definitely not feminine as early as 100 years ago. 100 years ago she couldn't own property or vote.
This gal is redefining feminine, just like my mother or Captain's wife. That is a good thing.
Like or Dislike: 13 5
"50 years ago June Cleaver defined American femininity" Really? It would seem that for you and most of the rest of us; our mothers defined American femininity. That would leave only Wally and The Beav to think that June Cleaver was real. I think the June Cleaver argument is largely a myth. Whatever microcosm would've thought she was the definitive female is probably over it. Most women in the world and in history have been barefoot and pregnant at one time and have done more work in a regular day than any of us who are commenting here have. Most would also think it beyond ridiculous that a woman would need to prove herself by doing something like a Roller Derby. I can just imagine them discussing it while returning with food from the day's hunt or harvest and a child strapped to their backs. Once again humans are valuable because we are human not based on what we do. That's actually quite Orwellian.
Like or Dislike: 5 12
You are missing the point Fleurs. I agree 100% women are valuable simply because they are alive. They are also deserving of defining themselves, not accepting the labels or constraints society imposes on them.
I believe in meritocricies & free choice. If a woman wants to be a stay at home mom & she either has the wealth to do it independently or someone willing to make it happen for her, she should be honored for her contribution to society.
By the same token if she wants to be a Navy SEAL & kill bad guys for a living & she can pass the tests, there should be nothing to stop her.
Like I said, it is society that determines what is masculine & what is feminine. That means if we don't like the definitions we change them.
Susan B. Anthony was vilified because she refused to be defined by someone else.
I would never dream of letting someone else tell me what I can or cannot be when I grow up (I am pushing 50), why should this girl be any different?
Like or Dislike: 14 2
Seems to me that most, if not all of the posters here are missing the obvious point.
This 'vampire' thing has been going on for how long now? "Buffy the Vampire Killer", and all the other glorifications of vampirism.
So this person decides to bring up the 'Vlad the Impaler' name? So what? The name is tied into the vampire legend, as is Dracos, (dragon), and Dracula, (son of dragon). What's the big deal?
Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and many others would be laughing thier butts off over this.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 16 1
Roller Derby is little more than a role-playing game on wheels. Put on some attitude along with a pseudonym spandex, and skates.
Play it successfully, maybe you learn something about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Maybe you even learn something about yourself.
The benefits of play to the human mind are still under-estimated and under-appreciated.
If they didn't tend to hold their events in the White Elephant Civic Center, I'd pay to watch 'em.
Like or Dislike: 9 4
As I alluded to above, in the old days roller derby was just like pro wrestling. The "home" team were the faces, and the "visiting" team were the heels. More important than the action, which was staged, was the mike work of the star skaters. In those days, the teams were made up of men's and women's squads, which would switch off each period.
Like or Dislike: 6 1
Had to give you a thumbs up for the reference to the Doug Adams book!
Was that before or after, "So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish"?
Like or Dislike: 3 1
Jack it barefoot pregnant cooking bacon and keeping their traps shut!
Like or Dislike: 4 8
The trouble with words is you never know whose mouths they have been in.
Like or Dislike: 7 0
Bless all of you for being so concerned about her "femininity", but, really guys, it's her choice. Femininity and masculinity are traits imposed on people by others. She is chosing her own path, which is her right. I applaud her for making her own choices. They wouldn't be my choice, but that's ok, because I'm willing to bet she wouldn't deride the choice I've made for myself. And-as far as men opening doors for me…I've always thought it was polite for the first person to get to the door to open the door for the person behind them, regardless of male/female. If a woman got mad at you for not opening the door for her, that only says something about her, not about any other woman out there.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 17 2
Here's a tune for you all. Don't know if it's germaine, but it's pretty good.
Like or Dislike: 3 1
I started off with Merle Haggard tonight….moved on to the Highway Men and have been there ever since.
Like or Dislike: 5 0
Ok, I was joking. I can't believe I acctually got a like for that comment.
Like or Dislike: 4 1
Someone needs to tell this woman to cease and dissist immediately. Captain America and Fleurs will be questioning her fitness as a woman if she keeps it up.
Like or Dislike: 6 2
Or her citizenship status…
Like or Dislike: 5 2
Obviously a "legal" alien. She has not been here long enough to be a US citizen. So to help Captain out: she is a MX citizen, just like the estimated 250,000 foreign nationals who serve in the US armed forces.
Like or Dislike: 5 1
Screwed up. Sorry, too many zeros. There are presently 25,000 not 250,000 foreign nationals serving. My bad sorry.
As an interesting aside, that number is expected to go up fairly dramatically because they are considering piloting a program where instead of the normal 6 years of residency required to apply for citizenship; if you serve they will drop it to 2 or 3 years.
Like or Dislike: 5 1
Jeez, what a break for them!
But, I guess if we can get someone else to fight and die for us, that's a just reward?
Like or Dislike: 0 1
I would question your manliness as a nurse more than her femininity as an oil worker.
Like or Dislike: 1 3
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
"Lincoln" Focuses Only On 13th Amendment Ratification
Daniel Day Lewis was fine as the President who caused tens of thousands more Americans to die by playing games with a peace offer to end the Civil War!
First an admission or two--I'm not a movie goer. The last movie I saw, with Sean Penn trying to bump off Richard Nixon, was five or six years ago in a bizarre out of the way rep theater in Montreal. It was a bad film...I doubt if anyone reading this has every heard of it...but I was fascinated by the title, The Assassination of Richard Nixon.
Secondly--I'm by no means one who idolizes Abraham Lincoln. In fact, the more I read about him (and I've recently finished lengthy new biographies of William Seward and Ulysses Grant as well as Gore Vidal's old fictionalized Lincoln), the lower he falls in my rankings of Presidents.
He falls even farther after I sat through Steven Spielberg's new film Lincoln which is getting rave reviews. "You've got to see this," I was told by more than one person whom I respect.
I've always felt Lincoln blundered his (and this country's) way into the Civil War, that he handled it with particular ineptitude, and that he stomped on common freedoms in the process.
Now, Spielberg makes it manifest that Lincoln's sins didn't end there. Lincoln, in his zeal to get the 13th Amendment passed (the one ending slavery), caused tens of thousands more lives to be lost by missing a chance to end the war earlier and he countenanced bribing of Congressmen in an ends justifies the means strategy.
No, I'm not fan of Lincoln; and although I enjoyed the movie, I would not recommend it for most people.
You'll be sadly mistaken if you go in thinking it's about the life or even the death of Lincoln.
It's not. The movie deals almost exclusively with the months January and February of 1865 when Lincoln and Seward were doing whatever it took, including having envelopes of cash delivered to Democratic Congressmen in support of the Amendment.
An amendment, then as now, needed two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House to be passed along for approval by three-quarters of the states.
When the movie begins, the Senate has already passed the amendment, and Democrats have suffered major losses in the election of 1864, but Lincoln feared that if he waited for the new Congress to take office (remember it wasn't until March back then), the war would be over, and he would never get the amendment passed. Thus, he needed to sway, by hook and mostly by crook, 20 Democratic Congressmen to vote with Republicans.
I trust the movie is historically accurate; and that's what makes it all the more disturbing. Remember that last week I alluded to how Seward had arranged for an extra $200,000 in the purchase price of Alaska for the bribing of Congressmen to approve funding. That, of course, was after Lincoln was assassinated (Booth's colleagues nearly killed Seward as well), but the idea of bribes for votes was certainly not alien to Secretary of State Seward.
This entire movie is devoted to the 13th amendment, so we get more details than I trust most movie goers will want. For anyone to claim it's pro Lincoln makes about as much sense as saying revelations of Thomas Jefferson's fathering six (or seven) children by his slave Sally Hemmings is good for TJ because it proves he loved (as in had sex with) his slaves and didn't simply oversee them being beaten to fund his profligate lifestyle (a movie based on Henry Wiencek's new book Master of the Mountain, Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves, would be a real eye opener).
As for Lincoln The Movie, I can't imagine it attaining box office boffo status. In fact, I saw it in the Hooksett Theater complex and they used the room which sat only 70 people; still it was only half full Sunday afternoon, and most of those in attendance were two or three times the average age of movie goers.
Daniel Day Lewis will most likely win an academy award for portraying Lincoln; he deserves it, but some of the other roles were not as well played. Do we really need an actress who makes us think of the flying nun every time we see Mrs. Lincoln? That's what Sally Fields did for me.
Or do we need to think of Mark Twain whenever we see Blair, the venerable patriarch, nodding to his minions about how to vote? Since Hal Holbrook played Blair, that's what happened.
Then there was Tommy Lee Jones as abolitionist Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens; he was merely tolerable because he wore such a bad wig than he looked more like Fred Willis than Tommy Lee Jones.
I'm only thankful that I didn't know the actor playing Seward, so he couldn't ruin the part for me.
Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed the movie; we're informed that it's based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals, but if so, it's only based on a miniscule portion of that very long book.
The screenplay for this movie, replete with Lincolnesque stories--the one about Washington in a w.c. in London is especially delicious--is outstanding; Oscar-worthy in my opinion.
Occasionally we wander into areas away from the 13th Amendment--Mrs. Lincoln's spendthrift (and most likely illegal) ways; her fear of son Robert going off to war; Lincoln's explanation of how the war would have been lost back in 1861 had Stevens had his way. (Robert, by the way, survived the war, and was present at not only the assassination of his father but of James Garfield and William McKinley as well).
The problem is that unless you're a student of Lincoln or the Civil War, it would be hard to follow all these references. Equally it would be hard to put names to the faces as they come and go; Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles (an enemy of the New Hampshire abolitionist senator Hale whose portrait hangs in Reps Hall) is only identified by Lincoln calling him Neptune.
If you go see Lincoln, keep in mind that he was a late comer to emancipation. Remember his famous quote about being willing to free all slaves or no slaves if either course of action would preserve the union. Remember how he called black leaders to the White House to try to convince them to lead their people out of the country once freed (how Jeffersonian). Remember too that Lincoln was not convinced that the Emancipation Proclamation was even legal. That explains the full court press to get the 13th amendment passed.
To the extent this movie shows that, it succeeds, but don't go with the expectation of learning anything else about Lincoln.
That would be wrong.
Look; up in the sky. Is it the Flying Nun or Mary Todd Lincoln? "You like me; you really do like me,". Sorry not in this role, Sally!


text:
Horses find way into municipal cemetery
Date posted: October 28, 2013
SHERIDAN — Over the weekend, horses were spotted in the city of Sheridan Municipal Cemetery. City ordinance prohibits horses, pigs, sheep, cows, goats and other similar animals from running at large in city parks, grounds and cemeteries.
City Clerk Scott Badley said the city is aware of the problem and is working to address it.
Badley said the horses are getting through a fence that separates the west side of the cemetery from adjacent pastureland. He said it has happened a few times over the last few weeks, but as far as he knows, it is not intentional. Badley does not know who owns the horses.
"There's that old saying that 'good fences make good neighbors.' Our city staff will be trying to address that issue, to find the gaps where they're getting in," Badley said. "It's not a good thing. We'll try to make sure it doesn't happen anymore."
Copyright © 2015 The Sheridan Press or Sheridan Newspapers, Inc.
Reader Comments
Tell us what you think. The Sheridan Press offers you the chance to comment on articles on Thesheridanpress.com. We power our commenting forum with facebook comments. Please take a look at our participation guidelines before posting.


text:
What is Unexplained Infertility?
Our team here at the Center for Human Reproduction has recently developed an infographic explaining one of the most common causes of female infertility: unexplained infertility. This diagnosis is given to 30% of infertility cases and yet, we believe it really is a non-diagnosis. In our clinical experience, with proper testing, up to 90% of unexplained infertility diagnoses can be attributed to treatable causes.
We aim to help spread awareness to women about unexplained infertility.


text:
Take a dip! Hair Inspiration!
Drew Barrymore
(And ofcourse the one and only GA GA, Who I predict started this craze)
As of late I have noticed lots of models, fashion editorials and celebrities such as Lady Ga Ga and Drew Barrymore have decided to take a dip (not in the sea either). This new colour craze has not only hit Hollywood, but has seemed to have given inspiration to creative directors as the trend has been featured in many fashion magazine editorials too!
What do you guys think? Do you like this trend? Would you try it? If so what would your colour pic be? Mine, Orange all the way!
Or would you go for the half head look? Will this be the next summer trend?
Love Looks That Kill!
You'll ♥
Loading related posts from sailthru...


text:
As summer approaches many home will be decorated for friends and family visitors. There are many decorative gifts that are bought to beautify homes compounds; however getting flag maker is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. They are designed according to customers specification such as putting a family picture on one side and inspirational text on the other side. They are made of finest knitted polyester materials making them more durable. If you are planning to send your spouse a gift for coming summers, you can consider getting a flag for your home.
Individuals who want to highlight their patriotism to their countries or those who organize world events can use world flags. For instance, people who are planning to host a world conference can use this type of flag to acknowledge all country representatives that have attended. They are also be used world sporting events such as the Olympics, congresses, and political events as a show of solidarity, peace, love, and unity. However, although world flags can commemorate various occasions, people should make sure that they choose quality and appropriate designs that will positively influence their events.
People can find an array of world flags online. They can buy premade styles and designs or create customs ones and only pay for production. Generally, those who are looking for these types of flags must consider several issues to help them through the selection process. First, they should define their intended use. The environment in which they will use their flags determines the type of material that they should go for. For instance, those who intend to use their world flags in outdoor events should use 100 percent woven polyester. It can resist tougher environmental conditions compared to plain polyester material.
Individuals should also consider their budget brackets when buying world flags. The amount of money that they are willing to spend will determine the type of materials that get. For example, although knitted polyester is highly durable, it is also relatively expensive. People's budgets will also determine the type of printing that they get. Those who go for one-ply world flags (side printed) will pay less than those who go for two-ply printing. This, however, influences the overall quality and usability of the flag that they will get. Finally, depending on their events, they can customize their printed made flags using ropes, grommets, and other fixtures that will give them a characteristic look.
If you compare the number of people who are buying products online today to buyers in the distant past you will notice a very huge difference. First of all the trend has been promoted by enhanced security and convenience buyers enjoy when buying online. Similarly swooper flags custom are a great pick when it comes to adverting and more people are seeing proper to buy products from the internet. If you are new in online buying the following tips can direct you on how to handle the process.
First you need to compare different websites that sell high-quality swooper flags custom. People are advised to do this since they will never lack a website that sells products at slightly lower cost. After that has been done one is advised to go down at the lower section where the "Add to Cart" button is usually located. Depending with each website it can be represented by an image of a cart or just a simple button. After pressing the button you will be directed to the payment page. But before you can move to that section, you must ensure that the website is well protected and very secure.
How will you notice this? Normally for a secure website at the URL bar you will notice a greenish coloring. You will also see a padlock sign at the right-side of the page which confirms that your transaction is very secure. Afterwards you can choose the right transaction processor to complete your purchase. Whether you want to pay through PayPal, Visa Cards, Master card the website will have it listed for you to choose a method that is appropriate to you. Immediately you have made your payments, you will be sent to a confirmation telling you the purchase has been successful. You will be given full access of the swooper flags custom as you wait for the product to be delivered to you


text:
Classic muscle cars are a staple on eBay Motors and there are hundreds listed and sold every day. What makes this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda special is that the seller claims this particular model was the first ever third generation Hemi-Cuda built in August 1969.
Whereas the first and second generation 'Cudas were based off of the A-body Plymouth Valiant, the third generation removed all commonality with the Valiant. Underneath the shaker hood of the first E-body Barracuda is a extremely low-mileage, 425hp dual-quad 426 Hemi engine and four-speed transmission sending power to a Dana 60 rear-axle with 3.54:1 gears.
The Hemi-powered E-body cars (Barracudas and Challengers) for the '70 and '71 model years were the culmination of what a true muscle car is all about.
Asking price for the first-ever E-Body Barracuda is $2.75M
Click the link to view the eBay listing: 1970 Plymouth Barracuda
Category: Listings
Comments (9)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
You are mistaken when you claim the 3rd gen cuda dumped it's attachment to Valiant and indeed the first barracudas not the cuda for 1970 bore valiant wheel covers and a few valiant badges. other than that,good job! I have owned several E bodies and find them to be one of my favorite dodge/plymouth muscle cars,second only to a strange affection for 1970 roarunners,thanks!
Mr. Derksen, there's nary a Valiant badge on a Barracuda for 1970. As far as wheelcovers are concerned, I see than as corporate items and not Valiant items. The writer was correct to suggest the '70 dumped its affiliation to the Valiant.
That being said, I wonder where the road lamps are on this 'Cuda?
We hang our head in embarrassment. Thanks for pointing out the little details that are easily missed.
this guy better have perfectly correct authentic documentation for that kind of coin!
mecum had a flawless black 70 hemi cuda. trailer queen – 417 grand.
2.75 mil? get real or have chrysler authenticate it. even if it is genuine – what do you do with it? drain the fluids and put in i your living room?
The current owner has the Hemi-Cuda on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Indiana. Every other week Gary visits the museum on his one day off from work and fires up his Hemi-Cuda.
The VIN has been verified that this car was the first E-body Barracuda. Visit http://firstebodyhemicuda.com/ to view the documentation.
Thanks for your return email,and I thought maybe I was mistaken so I checked a friends 70 barracuda (not a cuda) and sure enought on the dash in the barracuda logo,top right corner,small letters it did say valiant,as well as a small chrome logo attached to the barracuda logo on both doors? Is it possible this was a Canadian marking? The car in question is an unrestored barracuda with under 1000 original miles 1/4 mile at a time since brand new, Hemi automatic,bench seat, column shift,very plain Jane car and yes the road lights are not present on it either,no holes where they ever may have been installed and no switch inside.
Russel, It would be interesting to see some pictures of the items you detail from your friend's car, because they don't seem typical of a 1970 Barracuda. 1970 model Barracudas and Cudas did not have a dash emblem, the word 'Barracuda' was molded in script in the dashpad and did not say 'Valiant' anywhere. The door panels on a Barracuda had no emblems or tags and on a 'Cuda, had a simple 'Cuda' emblem, again no 'Valiant'. The first '65 Barracudas did say 'Valiant' on their tags, but by '66, 'Valiant' was removed. Also, the Hemi was not available on a Barracuda in 1970, only on the 'Cuda. So, your friend may have a very unique car, or it's not what it seems to be.
Road lights from what I remember were an option, and as far as I know came on 'Cudas', not Barracudas.
Wow! Good luck on that price. I truly hope you sell it. Take it to the auction in w. palm beach fl. Or to Arizona. There are lots of people there with lots of money.


text:
Group rescues severely neglected horsesBy Josh O'Gorman
STAFF WRITER | January 28,2013Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo
Gina Brown of Spring Hill Horse Rescue in North Clarendon stands with a horse, Willie. The horse is being treated at the rescue facility.CLARENDON — A local animal rescue group is seeking donations following what it calls "the worst case of neglect" it's encountered in its 13-year history.
On Jan. 15, volunteers with Spring Hill Horse Rescue responded to a Shelburne residence following a call from the Humane Society of Chittenden County. Being one of the only groups in the state that is equipped to rescue large animals, Spring Hill's founder Gina Brown and fellow volunteers responded to the scene.
"Of all the cases I've ever seen, this is the most shocking," said Brown, who is also an officer with the Humane Society.
Brown encountered three horses: a stallion named Willie and a pair of mares named Dolly and Lolly, surrounded by the hair and bones of their dead herd mates. All three were standing upon a layer of manure several feet high, leaving them with their backs near the ceiling of their stalls with barely enough room to stand up straight.
"They were up there, looking down at us," Brown said, gesturing toward the ceiling of the stalls at their new Spring Hill home on Middle Road, where Friday morning the three horses could look out without looking down.
Or, it should be said, where they could look out, if only they were able to see. Willie is blind and Lolly and Dolly show signs of impaired vision, likely stemming from their years of living in darkness.
Malnourished and neglected, Willie's hooves had not been trimmed in years, curving out and so long— more than 1 foot — he could not walk. It took six volunteers to carry him into the horse trailer, Brown said.
"His hooves are the worst case of abuse and neglect we have ever seen," Brown said.
The mares have had little contact with humans for many years and are terrified of people.
"You would not be able to put these horses outside. They've been institutionalized and wouldn't know what to do with themselves," Brown said. "They are unsocialized, which makes basic health care pretty much impossible."
The case remains under investigation, but Brown expressed frustration that, in many cases of animal abuse and neglect, the wrongdoer doesn't face any consequences.
"The problem in Vermont is that we have animal cruelty laws, but rarely do people get prosecuted. There's nothing to keep these people from getting animals again," she said, recalling a day in the summer of 2012 when she rescued horses from an owner for the second time.
Spring Hill Horse Rescue doesn't receive state or federal aid and is funded completely through donations. To make a donation, go to www.springhillrescue.com.
@rutlandherald.comMORE IN Local & StateRecovery takes time, patience and a desire to change. Full StoryMayor Louras wants the city to have a better idea on what to pay its department heads. Full StoryThe Rutland Town Select Board plans to appoint a new member next week who will serve until a... Full Story
- Most Popular
- Most Emailed
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day 1739, 'Richard Palmer' identified in prison at York Castle as the notorious outlaw DICK TURPIN; IN 1836, Battle of the Alamo begins near San Antonio de Bexar, Texas; 1896, the Tootsie Roll invented by LEO HIRSCHFELD.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1472, Orkney, Shetland islands put up as collateral by Norway to Scotland in lieu of dowry for MARGARET OF DENMARK on her marriage with JAMES III, king of Scotland; 1962, JOHN GLENN first American to orbit Earth.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues; Hartford, Conn., woman still missing; Neal Goswami reports attempts to legislate suicide; local woman loses 100 pounds through TOPS program.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1878, JOHN TUNSTALL murdered near Lincoln, New Mexico, by the outlaw JESSE EVANS; in 1930, ELM FARM OLLIE first cow to fly in aircraft, first to be milked airborne; 1955, nuke test WASP; '79, snow in Sahara.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Rutland Herald News Editor Alan J. Keays and staff writer Gordon Dritschilo discuss stories planned for the February 18, 2015, edition of the newspaper: Winter budgets maxed, legal marijuana, Springfield bank job, USPS slowdown
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1249 AD, ANDRE of LONGJUMEAU is dispatched by LOUIS IX of France to meet the KHAGAN, ruler of the Mongol Empire; in 1804, during 1st Barbary War, STEPHEN DECATUR scuttles the pirate-held USS Philadelphia in Tripoli.


text:
Ashlee Simpson's Bohemian Labor Day Weekend Wedding: 5 Predictions
This summer is a busy one for the Simpson family! After Jessica Simpson marries Eric Johnson over Fourth of July weekend, Ashlee Simpson will wed Evan Ross over Labor Day weekend. Even though the sisters are both tying the knot this summer, Jessica will have a more "classic and modern" wedding, while Ashlee's will have a "bohemian-style vibe," according to E!. (Remember Ash and Evan's awesome feathers and fur engagement party?)
The couple's evening ceremony will be held at Diana Ross's estate in Greenwich, Connecticut (could you ask for a more fabulous future mother-in-law?), with white lanterns lining the aisle and hanging from tree branches. The outlet also reports that Ashlee's bridesmaids will not wear matching dresses.
I'm totally on board with a bohemian vibe, which Ashlee has mastered, judging from her red-carpet style alone. Here are my top five predictions for Ashlee and Evan's wedding:
White Lanterns
These gorgeous white lanterns are modern and chic, and can also serve as the central decor for a simple ceremony.
From the album: A Modern Wedding in Palm Springs, CA
Sparkly Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses
Even though the theme is bohemian, I don't expect Ashlee's bridesmaids to walk down the aisle wearing anything that isn't sparkly. These gold mismatched dresses are the perfect mix of boho and vintage.
From the album: A Formal Glam Wedding in Seattle, WA
A Naked Cake
Naked cakes are trendy and offbeat (but can also look super-elegant with flowers), nailing the bohemian theme.
From the album: An Elegant Fall Wedding in Columbus, OH
A Christos Costarellos Wedding Dress
The fluttering lace sleeves are delicate, while the low neckline adds a daring appeal that Ashlee loves.
A Food Truck at the Reception
I can only imagine how much fun the reception will be, so a food truck will definitely be needed to serve up fast food during drinks and dancing.
From the album: A DIY Farm Wedding in Leicester, NC
Want more? Right here!
> 5 predictions for Jessica Simpson's Fourth of July wedding
> How to pick the perfect wedding date


text:
65-year-old Wayne City resident, Terry Lee Hunt died at 11:11 a.m. Friday, August 30 in St. Genevieve, MO. The son of Virgil and Verdeen Hunt, he was a truck driver.
Survivors include his wife Tammy, sons, John, Charles, Greg and Matthew Hunt; daughters, Amanda Hunt, Amanda Fenton and Ashley Keown; brothers, Virgil and Lannie Hunt; and a sister, Jerrilynn Scarbrough of Wayne City; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services for Terry Lee Hunt will be 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Olive Branch Church in Wayne City.
Visitation will be from 6 – 8 Wednesday evening, Sept. 4 at the church.
The Richardson Funeral Home of Wayne City is in charge of all the arrangements.


text:
Bishop Kenny High School is currently conducting a six year study of The Class of 2007.
To complete this study, click here.
Please stay in touch. Whether you've recently graduated, or just recently moved please click here to update your address and other contact information.
To update your information, click here.
It's time for those High School Reunions. Check out our Reunion page to be sure you're up to date on all details regarding dates, times and locations.
For more information, click here.
Classification: 5A
Head Coach
Mark Thorson
Assistant Coaches
Tim Duclos
Tommy Jordan
Jason Pascual
Scott Thompson
Tracy Thurson
Dan Maurino
Ric Terry
Jim Hayes
Mike Rich
Loren James
## Live Streaming


text:
Ny Properties Inc filed as a Domestic for Profit Corporation in the State of Florida on Wednesday, August 30, 2006. This corporation is no longer active according to documents filed with Florida Department of State.
Horace's past corporate interests include the CEO of Ny Properties Inc .
Key roles for Horace B. Walcott
Ny Properties Inc
CEO, Chairman


text:
September 26, 2007
Children's Author Jerry Pallotta to Lead
WHAT: The 24th annual Whitworth Writing Rally for students in pre-school through 6th grade. The 2007 rally will feature Jerry Pallotta, an award-winning author of numerous alphabet and counting books for young children, including The Frog Alphabet Book and The Icky Bug Alphabet Book.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 3. The first session is 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (check in at 8:15 a.m.). The second session is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (check in at 10:30 a.m.) A parent or guardian must accompany each child participating in the rally.
WHERE: Cowles Memorial Auditorium at Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road
COST: $16 for each child and attending parent or guardian. The registration fee covers writing materials and a T-shirt for each participant. Reduced low-income rate and scholarships are available for those who qualify.
HOW TO REGISTER: To register, call (509) 777-3263 and leave your name, phone number, and mailing address. A registration packet will be mailed to you. Completed registration materials must be received no later than Oct. 26. A confirmation of registration will be mailed to each family on Oct. 30.
The Whitworth Writing Rally is an opportunity for children to develop their reading and writing skills with assistance from a professional author and trained educators. Between 600 and 700 students from the Inland Northwest are expected to participate in the 2007 rally. Pallotta will share his stories with participants, and then children, each accompanied by a parent or guardian, will work in small groups creating and illustrating stories. Each group will be led by trained educators with expertise in storytelling, writing, illustrating and bookbinding.
This year, a special session will be offered for 6th-grade students. The students will write a story in partnership with Ballet Spokane and the Whitworth Theatre Department. This story will later be choreographed and then will be performed next spring by Ballet Spokane dancers. The children participating in this session will receive tickets to the spring performance.
After each session, children are invited to attend a punch-and-cookies reception in Whitworth Presbyterian Church's Quall Hall, adjacent to the Whitworth campus, where they will have the opportunity to share the books they have created. They can also meet Pallotta during the reception and get his autograph.
Lisa Laurier, Whitworth Writing Rally director and associate professor of education, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3263 or email@example.com.
Pat Parker, academic program assistant, School of Education, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3229 or email@example.com.
Julie Riddle, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3729 or email@example.com.