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May 2014
"News & Information for the Write Brained Christian"
Today's Devotional and the Newest Member E-books Included
Precious Jewels - by Lillian Rhoades
Lynn smiles at Josh's words that stare at her from the yellowing sheet of paper she fondles, and thinks of those days that time cannot erase. Every sentence on the faded paper raises the curtain on a different scene.
To M O M by Joshua Johnson
She imagines Josh in his third grade classroom as he leans over his desk like an ancient scribe practicing his skill, and with painstaking effort at correctness, slowly scripting the words to his article for the class newsletter's Community News column.
Community News
I think there is this great person in the community, he writes.
The community…She remembers Sunday afternoons, the shiny red bicycle, and the empty parking lot where they practiced on weekends until he no longer needed training wheels. And she couldn't have been more proud when the picture he drew for Fire Safety Week was chosen to hang in the French Bakery around the corner from their house.
She has helped me a lot. And she is a school nurse in Rock County, N.Y.
Her former school office flashes before her, and she recalls the many times she brought him to work. He loved to play with the hearing machine and to run around the gym when no classes were scheduled.
When I've been sick she takes days off just to help me get better.
Getting better meant midnight rides to the emergency room when asthma attacked him…a cot by his bedside… holding his hand at the words, "just a little pinch," and showing him how to use a nebulizer to clear his clogged airways.
What a gift, Lynn muses, to have glimpsed gratitude in a mind so young.
When I needed homework help who is at my side aways explaining how I could do it better? If it was not for her I probaley would be behind in the class and learn nothing.
Lynn's grin substitutes for a pat on her back. So he didn't mind turning off the television, after all. And he really
learn something about verbs, commas, how to spell "always," "probably" and to know what's important.
The reason I picked her is that she has been there though good times and bad.
She knows he meant "through."
Lynn tries to recall some of the bad times. But good times get in the way…opening presents on Christmas morning, sleigh riding down the hill behind the High School, watching him make a goalie at Soccer tournaments, and listening to his band's debut as he and his friends played "I feel Jesus" during Sunday morning service.
She has checked my hearing with machine and taken my temperature with her thermometer. Even thou I haven't showne it I love her dearly. Thank's Mom.
Lynn takes one last, loving look past the misspelled words, missing commas, and absent periods to the last line,
"I love her dearly,"
before carefully reinserting the frayed sheet of paper back into the folder marked,
Josh's Notes
But there's one note she has chosen not to file away. She walks into the living room and stops at the wall where Josh's Mother's Day note hangs enclosed in a gold frame. Once again, memory's vault opens to Mother's Day ten years ago when competition for Josh's time equaled that of a celebrity. When the senior class scheduled their senior trip for Mother's Day week-end, she recalls the hug and his words.
"Sorry, Mom, but I won't be here for Mother's Day."
With little chance of flowers or her tenth set of kitchen towels, Lynn settles for the usual corsage given to all mothers during morning service every Mother's day. She thinks of Josh and hopes he's having a good time. By late evening, when the phone call she expects from him doesn't come, Lynn decides against self-pity and opts for a bubble bath.
She grabs a towel from the linen closet, but holds it in mid-air when startled by a piece of paper that falls out with To Mom written in bold letters. Inside, there's a note with words without errors.
Thanks Mom, you're not only the most wonderful Mother, but also my best friend. Love always, Josh.
Her thoughts wander to the many Mother's Days that followed when Josh surprised her with all sorts of gifts. But his notes crown them all.
"Josh's notes," she whispers to herself, "are my precious jewels. Whenever I read them, I discover the years have neither dimmed their sparkle, nor their ability to stoke memory's flames that warm my heart."
Read more from Lillian
. Read here book
Retirement Lane - How to Celebrate Life After 60
Testimony Book - Trials and Triumphs - In Our Store & Amazon
The Powerful and Personal Testimony of Forty FaithWriters
FaithWriters is promoting Trials and Triumphs in several locations on the website. It is in the rotating ads four times more often then regular books. It is also being sent out with our daily Bible devotional by email, and on Twitter to over 15,000 people. In addition, we have posted it on our Facebook page and in the Free Reads for Reviews program on the site and on Facebook. To top it off, we have posted and promoted it on 100 Christian blogs.
The page for the Testimony book is now up. Check it out!
We are asking authors in this book to ask people they share a copy with to write a review on Amazon.
We are accepting submissions for the second year of the Testimony series
. (Further details below)
Second Year Testimony Contest is Open
If your entry did not make it into the first Testimony issue, here is another chance! Fifty additional writers will be published and, ultimately, impact this world for Jesus. All entrants must be at least a Gold member to quality for submission. Learn more here:
Receive a Discount
a Xulon Publishing Package
Now offering $250 in Cash Prizes to Members who Participate!
All Members (Including Free Silver Members) are Eligible to Enter!
We thought we would offer an incentive for participating in the Free Reads for Reviews program!
The official "entry" period started January 1st and will end at midnight on June 30th.
First Place:
The member who reads and reviews the most books in this six month period will win $150.00.
Second Place:
There will be a random drawing from all of the members who submitted reviews. The selected name will win $100.
Each review you complete will enter your name into the drawing one time. Reading and reviewing more books in the Free Reads for Reviews program increases your chances. There is no limit to the number of times your name can be entered.
For complete information, go
and click on the
Special Incentive
link for FaithWriters members.
There are certainly many titles to choose from! You'll find books on several Christian subjects, as well as books that will help you improve as a Christian writer. There are even children's books, too. For those short on time, there are several quick and easy reads.
You can find these and more here
The 2014 Page Turner Contest is open!
Calling all non-fiction writers! The eighth annual Page Turner Contest is now open for submissions! All that's required is the first chapter of your completed or just-started non-fiction manuscript, along with a synopsis of the entire book. This could be just what you need to spur you on to fulfilling that dream of being a publishing author! You have plenty of time to enter, but now is a great time to start brainstorming, plotting, and outlining.
Deadline is October 31st, 2014. Winners will be announced in December.
First Prize:
$800 cash, editing of your entire manuscript, and more!
For complete guidelines, visit the official contest page:
Faithwriters Member Discounts 25% Platinum, 15% Gold, 5% Silver
CBM Christian Book Marketing offers discounts for Faith Writers Members. Here you will find great author related services like book reviews, book review marketing, author press releases, submission and marketing, author article blasts, book trailer productions and a lot more!
Christian Fiction Contest is Open
1) PLATINUM MEMBER CONTEST – Fiction entries with a sound biblical message
If you have completed a manuscript or have an idea for a fiction book with a sound underlying Biblical message, this contest is for you. Simply submit at least the first chapter by November 30, 2014. There will be one winning entry, and the author will receive a Xulon publishing package.
Be a blessing to someone today
by letting others pray for
you or by praying for them!
More FaithWriters News
Set Apart Church Blog Contest
1st - TEAR DOWN THE WALLS OF THE CHURCH by Wayne Cook - Wins two paid writing assignments from Set Apart Church valued at $150.00.
2nd - Something Larger Than Myself by Kathleen A. Trissel - Wins one paid writing assignment valued at $75.00.
Silver - It's never too late by Graham Keet - Wins a one year free Gold membership on FaithWriters.
Those who get involved at FaithWriters improve as a writer. Many end up winning or earning back their membership fee or more in contests or paid writing assignments from vendors.
So our advice is to get involved and become the writer God wants you to be.
Mixed Blessings Anthologies
Simple Pleasures,
the first in the new Mixed Blessings anthologies, is compiled from the Editors' Choice winners of the FaithWriters Weekly Writing Challenge. We are very excited to see the launch of this new series. For all the latest Mixed Blessings news, follow Breath of Fresh Air Press on Facebook
or Twitter
Several Members Hired for Jobs Posted on Private Messenger
We have recently had several members who landed various types of writing assignments through the FaithWriters Private Messenger. In a couple of cases we just happened to stumble on this knowledge, but we would love to hear from you when you secure writing opportunities we post on private messenger. This is a great encouragement and inspiration for other members!
We also continue to see an increased use of member articles by other websites, churches, newsletters, online magazines, etc. How exciting to know your work is being read, shared, and appreciated!
More Constructive Reviews on Challenge Entries
In an effort to help other members with their writing,
several longtime active members
have initiated a program to make sure Challenge submissions receive more constructive reviews. When you submit your Challenge entries you will now be able to check a box asking for more constructive critiques. FaithWriters is the place to put yourself out there and honestly gauge where others see your writing. This is the safest place for you on the internet, and every writer on the site today had to start from the beginning. Even bestselling Christian author Philip Yancey still appreciates an honest critique. He says:
"I have a few, very few, trusted friends who will edit me with a scowl. Most people want you to feel good so they give you compliments about your writing, and these don't help at all (except emotionally). Really, you need some grouches to edit your work." Philip Yancey in a FaithWriters interview.
Critique Circle Improvements
We now have several editors cruising the Critique Circle, looking to help members become the writer God has called them to be. If you have not yet submitted an article to the Circle, you should do so today. We have also added a Challenge genre so you can submit any Challenge articles that have already been judged. Again, this is the safest place to put yourself out there, see what others think of your writing, and help you grow in your gift. Don't wait to receive feedback when you actually publish an article. Get it now and build a sound foundation as a writer.
The Circle usually requires every participant to offer a critique to get a critique
(two, three, or more critiques per piece they submit).
What a deal! Write one critique and get at least two (most likely more) on your piece. However, any upgraded member who is reading this message can get one free critique credit to try it out. Just email email@example.com and ask "How can I get my free critique credit?" You will receive an email with the answer.
Become the Writer You are Called to Be
Make a Commitment to the Challenge
Many of us believe strongly that God has called us to write. The problem is that most of us struggle when it comes to writing for public consumption. We may have a great message for a book, but we lack confidence and/or knowledge in how to create a piece of material that will captivate the reader and get our message across. So we either never end up achieving our calling, or we release a less than excellent finished product.
Some of us could be compared to the guy who wanted to climb to the peak of the mountain, but failed to prepare. He just drove to the mountain and started climbing, with no training, supplies or proper equipment. Do you think that man would make it to the top? If so, how long do you think it would take? And how many obstacles and pitfalls would he encounter along the way?
The truth is, being a successful writer requires commitment and preparation. FaithWriters cannot directly get you to the top of your mountain, but the tools we provide can help prepare you for the climb. One of the best tools we offer is the Weekly Writing Challenge. We urge you to make it a point to enter the Challenge on a regular basis in 2014. We guarantee that if you make the commitment, your writing
improve and you will make great strides toward being the writer you are called to be.
"I checked out several Christian sites, some were good and some were surprisingly poor, but FaithWriters was one that stood out, primarily because they were Christian writers who also were writing Christian material. I rarely ever pay to use a website, but I felt this one was well worth the small monthly investment, so I joined. So many things have blessed me there!
The weekly challenge was a huge boost to me.
The forums, articles, lessons, contests... this site has encouraged me in so many ways. There is no way I could be where I am on my journey today without FaithWriters. Kevin Ingram"
Don't Skimp on the Editing
Hire a FaithWriters Approved Editor Today!
Jan Ackerson teaches free
writing lessons in our forums
. She is one of several editors offering editing services.
Click Here
to choose an editor.
Today's Great Multitude Daily Bible Devotional
Someone Should Steal Their "Lucky Charms!" – by Stephanie M. White
Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. No one is like You, O LORD; You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is Your due…THERE IS NO ONE LIKE YOU. Jeremiah 10:5-7 NIV
Too many Christians believe in "luck." Luck has no place in a Christian's life. We are to depend on Jesus Christ and His promises alone. We do not need a "lucky" rabbit's foot or a statue; we have everything we need in Christ!
We are walking in the flesh if we exchange the glory of God for a man-made idol (Romans 1:21-23). These idols, these works of men's hands, cannot do us any good or any harm. We need to stop putting faith in these things by instead putting our focus on the Word of God! Why would we look to anything else when we have Christ? We look because we do not understand what we really have in Christ. It is time for us to find out what the Word has to say about Who He is -- and keep in mind, Who He is is what He does! He is the Savior - He will save you! He is Peace - He will bring peace to your situation! He is the Counselor - He will get you through your situation! Open up the Word and find out what you have in Jesus; it is so much more than any object or "lucky charm" some look to!
Stephanie is a freelance Christian writer from Ohio
She has published four books to date.
Fishers of Men
FaithWriters is unique in its dual purpose: We are writers
evangelists. On FaithWriters.com, you'll find fiction, non-fiction, poems, devotionals, Bible studies and other articles written from a Christian perspective; content you will not find on a site that is strictly evangelistic in nature, or on a general writing site. With so much variety, we receive many visitors who might not go to a traditional evangelism site. Many may not even be looking for Jesus, but Jesus still meets them when they visit. In our experience, God tends to find people where they are in their life. This may be while they are reading your article about marriage or divorce. It might happen when they read about struggles with sin or your fictional story. What we are saying is to keep on submitting your various pieces that could only be
authored by you.
You never know who will be touched and moved by your work.
Men and women from over
227 countries
are drawn to the FaithWriters site by the various articles on the end of our virtual fishing pole. Many have no other way than the internet to find out about Jesus. They are able to learn a lot from our site and the sister-sites to which we have provided links. Many click on the sites we link to that offer in-depth information on Jesus because they are able to get more information in their native language.
Hundreds of readers
have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior directly through FaithWriters. Plus, as mentioned, we refer many people to other sites to help answer their questions and accommodate their language. We know it is not about just about numbers.
We also know that
ccepting Jesus and confessing Him is just where it starts.
It is honor to consider the fact that God would use us in this way.
We contact every person who leaves an email address, and provide them with more information. Sometimes we correspond with them several times. We even offer to place them in contact with another believer (FaithWriters member) in their country.
Consider how much time people --- especially kids --- spend on the internet these days. Watch this
two minute video
on how Kimberly found God on the internet.
Here is one brief but pointed message we received this past month from a person who accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior:
"Yes I want Jesus in my life."
Peggy Lee
Thank You, FaithWriters
Mike & Bea
Platinum Members are Eligible to Enter ALL Contests During the Year
today and support FaithWriters
At FaithWriters, we want to help you grow as a writer as we work together to spread the gospel. We really appreciate all of our members. However, the vast majority are free Silver members. Like any business, we have website overhead, employees, and other expenses. Please consider helping FaithWriters by
UPGRADING to Platinum
UPGRADING to Gold.
We promise to do all we can to give you a lot more than it costs.
Another way you can help is by purchasing products through our Amazon links. They are found at the top of most site pages and are entitled
Shop, Save, Support.
We thank you for your prayers and support.
-- Mike & Bea and the FaithWriters staff
Great Reads is a New Feature
We are Committed to Promoting Your Writing
This newsletter Goes to thousands of members.
This Months
FaithWriters Great Reads Selection
We have some excellent writers and many topics to choose from at FaithWriters. Bless your fellow members by reading one or more of their books occasionally. Just imagine how you would feel if they did the same for you.
Many of these books have multiple five-star reviews on Amazon.
Descriptions are unedited and taken from the Authors book page.
Click Here to Go to the Complete List of Books in
Free Reads For Reviews
Click Here to View Books listed in the last 30 days.
Click Here to Visit FaithWriters Book Store and
More Books by FaithWriters Members
Books added to our bookstore in the last month.
The Vistor
Philip Beckinella
Your Price: $1.99
When a church is seen as a building and not the spiritual entered of the community it is in, we think it to be nothing more than a gathering place. What allows a Church to be the voice of the Spirit of God. Do we understand the dynamics and significance of what is a Church and how it defines the community it serves? The Church s not a structure, it is not that simple to explain, a Church is the life of very people that are influenced by the Spirit of its teachings. A Church in need is a Church lacking the Holy Spirits influence. A Church in need is a Church dying because of the absence of the person that could bring it the glory that God always wanted for it obtain. Will the Church obtain the joy, peace, and holiness that will draw the world to it doors? See how this little Church went about finding the presents of God and how it's actions almost destroys all that God had given it.
from Amazon.com!
Biblical studies
SOJOURNERS: In a Strange Land
Rochelle Arnold
Your Price: $6.99
In Genesis 17:8 God promised Abraham and all of his descendants, the land in which they sojourned or resided in. The Almighty has established a covenant with all born again believers. This covenant promises that we will possess the land. This book is filled with revelation and prophetic insight
from Amazon.com!
Introduction to The Mid Week Rapture - Verse-by-Verse Studies of Key Prophetic Passages
Karl Kemp
Your Price: $6.99
This ebook consists mostly of verse-by-verse studies of the key passages of the Bible, especially from the book of Revelation and Daniel chapter 12, that demonstrate that the Lord Jesus will return and the rapture will take place in the middle of Daniel's 70th week, at the seventh and last trumpet.
from Amazon.com!
How to Live So You Never Have To Die
John Bullock
Your Price: $4.95
A look into the wider Biblical meaning of death. It is not simply the act of dying but also a condition that you can live in. Most do. Having been crossed over from death to life, it is still possible to be feeding the condition of death. You can escape that condition and maximise your life.
from Amazon.com!
Through the Years: Investing in your Marriage
Judy Sauer
Your Price: $5.00
Getting married is the fun part!
Staying married is the hard part.
Advice from lessons learned along the way in 25 years of marriage. Included are words of wisdom and kernels of insights.
Be inspired to invest in your marriage so it can be all that God knows is possible!
from Amazon.com!
GOD INSIDE THE FIRE: An Amazing True Story
Greg Stelley
Your Price: $6.99
A mother & her young daughter pray for a friends' doomed horse ranch during San Diego's Cedar Fire in October 2003, then witness the impossible. Read the true story that confirms God's presence and power and miraculous grace! See the world's first and only photo-documented Biblical-sized miracle!
from Amazon.com!
Prayer is a Relationship: If you're not listening to God, to whom are you listening?
Judy Sauer
Your Price: $10.00
Life is fragile, handle with prayer!
Prayer is often a one-sided monologue at God. When God doesn't have a voice then we cannot grow closer.
So ask yourself:
If I am not listening to God, to whom am I listening?
Are you ready to change your prayer life?
Christ is calling. Are you listening?
from Amazon.com!
Turning Point
Wesley Hesketh
Your Price: $9.95
Making Choices
Sometimes there is emptiness
you're lost can't find a way.
All the words come out black
you sin most every day.
God stands there waiting
for you to ask him in.
Your choice is a turning Point
to good away from sin.
This is what this book's about
the hope that is out there.
from Amazon.com!
Or Click Here for an E-Book Slide Show.
Thanks for your Membership and Support!
Faith Writers, PO Box 358, Alden, MI 49612, United States
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at any time.
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Wall Street Journal defends Rick Perry, again
For the second time in two days, the paper's conservative editorial page comes to back up the Texan, this time on the subject of job creation:
Continue Reading
Rick Perry is not the subtlest politician, but he looks like Pericles next to the liberals falling over themselves to discredit job creation in Texas. We'd have thought any new jobs would be a blessing when 25 million Americans are looking for full-time work, but apparently new jobs aren't valuable jobs if they're created in a state that rejects Obamanomics.
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Report tips, receive alerts with free app
ASHLAND -- The Ashland Police Department has a free, downloadable application to better communicate with the public and other law enforcement agencies, said Chief Rob Ratliff.
Those with smart phones can download the application, "ashlandpolicedepartment," on iTunes and Google, said Major Todd Kelley of the Ashland Police Department.
"The public can report a tip to us anonymously or a picture," Kelley said Friday. "It's a way to get information out instantaneously."
The department can post items like road closures, structure fires, car wrecks, armed robberies and missing person reports to warn the public, Kelley said.
"We can even post items from the field," he said.
Kelley received information last year about a bank robbery. Within 40 minutes of the robbery, he received information from a bank security camera, posted it and had a suspect identified within two hours. A suspect was arrested later that day, he said.
Sgt. Ryan Conley developed the application that will allow those with a smart phone to receive updates on Facebook and Twitter, Ratliff said.
"It's good for us to let the public know what's going on," Ratliff said. "We wanted to give it a try. It gets information into people's hands quickly. It's easy to use."
"This increases our ability to let the public and other law enforcement agencies know what's going on," Kelley said. "It's a good tool for the police department. As far as we know, we're the first police department in Kentucky or the Tri-State to do this. We hope to be a pace-setter."
When the Boyd County Sheriff's Department was doing a search for a missing person, the Ashland Police Department posted it on its website and the message reached 2,400 people, Kelley said.
"We also put links to Ashland's web page and the city's online bill pay" on the site, Kelley said.
The department started its own web page five years ago to provide information, including news releases, Kelley said. "It's served its purpose," he said. The department's social media efforts also include Facebook and Twitter accounts, he said.
The department's social media outreach with the public has been increasing, he said.
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.


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"Dick Cheney watches television": The four previously unseen 9/11 photos that will make you hate the evil VP all over again
Topics: Enron, Entertainment News
Does anyone in the current administration even remember Enron? Judging by President Bush's two nominees to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), who appeared at Senate hearings on Tuesday, the answer is no.
If there was one thing that could legitimately be hoped for after the biggest corporate bankruptcy of all time, it was that accounting rules would be tightened, and the rush to dismantle regulatory oversight over the kind of complicated financial games that Enron specialized in would be reversed. But instead, the people most responsible for loosening the rules are being put in charge.
The CFTC is the government agency that is supposed to be the watchdog over such advanced "financial instruments" as derivatives trading. But Bush's nominees boast what critics call a laughable regulatory record. Walter Lukken is the drafter of a law passed in 2000 that gave Enron's online trading arm the right to act without a shred of oversight. Sharon Brown-Hruska is a free-market economist and protigi of Wendy Gramm, the former CFTC commissioner who, after shepherding through a regulatory exemption for Enron, resigned from the commission and joined the company's board of directors.
Enron's implosion last fall and winter was declared at the time to be a watershed event, a Teapot Dome-like scandal that would lead to new legislation, increased oversight and greater degrees of financial transparency. Enron, the argument went, would be the spark that set ablaze a fire of reform.
If anything, the wave of corporate accounting scandals that dominated the business headlines all spring might have been expected to give even more fuel to the forces of reform. On June 23, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill declared that he and the Bush administration were "outraged" at the current rash of corporate malfeasance.
But little has actually changed, and the backgrounds of the new nominees to the CFTC — along with Congress' rejection, earlier this spring, of a bill aiming to give the CFTC more responsibility for regulating energy traders — put the lie to O'Neill's rhetoric. More than six months after Enron declared bankruptcy, the regulatory landscape is largely the same as it was before Enron's problems became public. In fact, says Michael Greenberger, a law professor at the University of Maryland and the former director of trading and markets at the CFTC, "It's not changed at all."
"The mantra for not regulating is that these are isolated events," says Greenberger. "But when you look across the spectrum, how can it be an isolated event with Enron, with Tyco, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, Adelphia, ImClone and all the others? What's needed is a very dramatic reversal, almost to the kind Bush made with the Office of Homeland Security. And except for an accounting measure getting out of the Senate banking committee [which would create an independent board to oversee the industry], everything strong has failed."
Enron proved, among other things, that lobbying and large donations are an excellent way to rewrite the corporate rulebook. The list of the company's political victories is long and diverse. Electricity deregulation, the power to essentially veto appointments at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, passage of a law that exempted EnronOnline from all oversight — these are just a few of the perks that Enron claimed on its way up the Fortune 500 ladder.
But perhaps no single instance demonstrates Enron's success better than its influence over the CFTC. The commission could have and should have been Enron's key regulator. The CFTC is the agency most closely aligned what turned out to be one of Enron's primary profit centers: derivatives trading.
The term "derivatives" is used to describe a class of financial contracts that are derived from another asset and priced according to that asset's value. Also known as a form of "risk management," over the past 20 years derivatives trading has become increasingly popular on Wall Street as a way to "hedge" risk, to protect yourself from an investment bet that goes sour or from swings in interest rates or currency prices. Enron, although once primarily a trader in actual physical commodities such as gas and electricity, rapidly developed in the late '90s into a serious trader of derivatives based on a vast array of commodities.
The question of how to regulate derivatives has been at the heart of a vigorous, if abstruse, debate for the past 20 years between Wall Street and Washington. Enron has been in the middle of the battle, and until its demise, won every skirmish.
The first victory came in 1993. At that time, Enron's primary business was selling actual energy but the Houston company wanted to get involved in selling energy derivatives. But rather than put up with the oversight requirements of the CFTC, Enron lobbied for an exemption — the right to trade energy derivatives without being subject to CFTC jurisdiction.
Wendy Gramm, chairwoman of the CFTC from February 1988 to January 1993, agreed. She shepherded the exemption through, and in April of 1993 — after Gramm quit the CFTC and took a seat on Enron's board of directors — the CFTC approved the policy Enron favored.
Enron took its exemption to the bank. Its derivatives business grew enormously over the next few years. Eventually, however, the exemption came up once again for debate. By the end of 1997, derivatives contracts of all kinds represented more than $25 trillion in real assets, and many in Congress — and at the CFTC — wanted to know more about their effects. Brooksley Born, a Clinton appointee who became the head of the CFTC in 1996, called for oversight.
"In late 1997 and early 1998, she said the emperor has no clothes," says Greenberger. "She said that derivatives are futures contracts and that the CFTC had jurisdiction."
But once again, Enron carried the day. A handful of legislators, including Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas (husband of Wendy Gramm), defeated the forces of regulation, with no small help from the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission. All three government agencies, though headed by Born's fellow Clinton appointees, scorned her new CFTC proposal. They even issued a rare joint statement declaring, "We have grave concerns about this action and its possible consequences. We seriously question the scope of the CFTC's jurisdiction in this area."
After a report favoring less regulation rather than more reached both houses, Congress acted. In December 2000, the Commodities Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) became law. The CFMA essentially established derivatives as a new, unregulated form of finance.
"The CFMA made it clear that this kind of trading would be exempted," Greenberger says. "Only a handful of congressmen and senators probably realized that they were enacting this deregulatory provision."
For those working under the law, however, the CFMA has proven hard to ignore. Thomas Erickson, a Clinton-appointed commissioner, says that the law has severely undermined the agency's ability to keep track of the economy. Not only does the law let companies deal in derivatives without maintaining established levels of capital (to protect against overextended investing), as banks are required to do; the law also protects companies from having to disclose information about their derivatives business.
"It's a black hole of information," says Erickson. "It's off our radar completely."
Ultimately, he adds, the law makes it much harder for the CFTC to do its job — to hold companies accountable.
"It's a real challenge," Erickson says. "We've got so many built-in hurdles to an investigation that you have the possibility of having your jurisdiction questioned at every stage. Where we are today, I believe that we would be hard pressed to be able to reach the same kinds of settlements as we did before the CFMA, like with Sumitomo, a case where the commission earned a $150 million settlement for the manipulation of copper prices."
Immediately after Enron's bankruptcy, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., drafted legislation that aimed to close the loophole in the CFMA that allows energy trading to be exempt from regulatory oversight. The law would have put electronic energy exchanges like Enron's EnronOnline under CFTC jurisdiction: Companies would have to disclose information on trading volumes, players, profits and losses while also keeping capital reserves.
There is no guarantee that CFTC oversight could have prevented Enron's collapse. But experts argue that it would have made Enron's troubles more visible. Regulators have learned only recently that Enron controlled about 25 percent of all U.S. wholesale energy trades during its peak, and that during the California energy crisis, the company — according to its own internal documents — used its market power to manipulate the market. Feinstein maintains that her proposal, which would have put energy and metal trades under CFTC jurisdiction, would prevent a similar scenario from occurring elsewhere.
"In terms of energy derivatives, there seems to have been real gaming of the market, so it's clear that there needs to be some basic oversight," says Howard Gantman, a Feinstein spokesman. "It existed in the past — until the CFMA — and we'd like it to be returned."
But in order to achieve this goal, Feinstein has been forced to go up against many of the same forces that kept the CFTC impotent for much of the '90s. So far, she's lost. Her attempt to tie the legislation to the Senate energy bill failed in April by two votes.
"At present, there is no constituency for reform in the derivatives world, and there won't be until a major financial institution collapses — which will happen," says Mayer, author of "The Fed" and more than a dozen other finance books. "Until then, the Fed, the SEC, the CFTC, the Treasury, Congress and the White House will all accept the industry's lunatic claim that the tightening of links between markets, the elimination of friction and the loss of redundancy improves the reported profits of derivatives transactions and stabilizes the system."
Bush's nominations to the CFTC add insult to injury for critics looking for real reform.
Brown-Hruska started her career as an economist whose Ph.D. thesis argued that markets self-correct against price manipulation — no regulation or disclosure required. In 2001 she co-wrote an article for Barron's that argued against an SEC proposal that would force brokers to reveal how much they paid for exclusive market information.
She also served as chief economist at the CFTC from 1990 to 1995 under then-chairwoman Wendy Gramm. She now works as an assistant professor of finance at George Mason University's Mercatus Center — a free-market think tank headed by Gramm, and which has received $50,000 from Enron since 1996.
Given the degree of outrage over Enron, says Greenberger, "the idea that a protigi of Wendy Gramm could be placed on the commission that will investigate this issue is mind boggling."
Lukken's record is similarly tainted. A former legislative assistant to Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Lukken has one major piece of legislation associated with him: the CFMA, a law which current CFTC commissioner Erickson describes as "Swiss cheese," meaning "there are so many holes that let you get out of the block."
"[Lukken and Brown-Hruska] don't represent any new thinking that will provide a remedy," says Randall Dodd, director of the Derivatives Study Center. "What needs to be done is broad rethinking of where the system has failed, and how to come up with new solutions. These people have never supported a government regulation in their life. And at this juncture, that's not the type of narrow-minded thinking that's needed."
Brown-Hruska declined to comment on her appropriateness for appointment to the CFTC.
Seth Boffelli, a spokesman for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who is chairing the hearings on the pair of Bush nominees, said only that "I'm sure there will be some tough questions asked and depending on what they say, we'll go from there."
To critics, Bush's nomination of two people who are the epitome of the deregulatory thinking that allowed Enron to get away with financial murder is a clear indication that no substantive changes can be expected from the current administration. But some potential critics are holding fire.
"I haven't seen significant change yet, but I think the jury is still out," says Brooksley Born, now in private practice. "Congress is still working on a number of things, and the administration itself is also in the process of working out some issues. So we have to wait and see."
But some critics argue that we are waiting and seeing our way into a continued financial meltdown. The signs are obvious, they say: The energy industry has been battered in the stock market; the NASDAQ is at lows not seen since Sept. 11.
"There's a crisis of confidence in the market, in energy in particular," says Erickson. "The participants no longer trust each other or have confidence in each other. I'm as interested as anyone else in seeing the markets grow and I think there are a few simple things that you can attach that instill confidence — transparency, disclosure requirements. Those are the kinds of things that are the cornerstones of markets."
Robert Shiller, author of "Irrational Exuberance," agrees. "In the long run, business people are better off if we have good strong regulations in place to prevent shenanigans from happening," he says. "If people are getting upset, we need to take measures that have some teeth. The mood is souring; we need to do something."
Dick Cheney watches television


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Older Horse Care Concerns
Diagnosing Colic in a 'FLASH'
Learn how vets use a technique called FLASH, a targeted abdominal ultrasound examination, to diagnose colic.
Photo by Laurie Taylor
Skinny Horse Help
Learn how to determine if your horse is underweight and what feeding options are available for hard keepers.
Photo by Alexandra Beckstett, The Horse Managing Editor
Atopic Dermatitis in Horses
Learn how to treat this skin condition in show horses without inadvertently breaking drug rules.
Photo by iStock
Diagnosing Colic in a 'FLASH'
July 31, 2015
Learn how vets use a technique called FLASH, a targeted abdominal ultrasound examination, to diagnose colic.... Read More
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July 27, 2015
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July 24, 2015
The symposium featured research on equine nutrition, exercise physiology, reproduction, management, and more.... Read More
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July 21, 2015
Learn how to treat this skin condition in show horses without inadvertently breaking drug rules.... Read More
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July 06, 2015
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June 23, 2015
Readers said they are most concerned about senior horses' nutrition, followed by their joint and soft tissue health.... Read More
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There's lots to consider when managing a horse's weight. An equine nutritionist answers some common questions.... Read More
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Horses with PPID had lessened antibody titers following vaccination for rhinopneumonitis and West Nile virus.... Read More
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May 21, 2015
Does humane euthanasia really stand up to its name? One research team believes it does.... Read More
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May 19, 2015
Can the death of one horse lead to a complete change in another's behavior or "personality"?... Read More
Does Season Impact Old Horses' Immune Function?
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Senior horses' inflammation levels increased in the spring, while lymphocyte proliferation increased in the fall.... Read More
Getting to Know EOTRH
April 23, 2015
This painful dental disease is often seen in older horses and can have severe consequences. Here's what to watch for.... Read More
New Research Sheds Light on Tendon Injuries in Old Horses
April 21, 2015
The tendon's interfascicular matrix stiffens as it ages, making older horses more susceptible to injury.... Read More
Vaccine Strategies for the Whole Herd
April 12, 2015
Design vaccination protocols to maximize each horse's innate and adaptive responses to disease challenges.... Read More
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Learn how recreational riders can condition and protect their equine weekend warriors.... Read More
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February 20, 2015
Lecture topics included equine proliferative enteropathy, the physiology of aging, amino acid requirements, and more.... Read More
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February 08, 2015
The condition of your horse's teeth can have a big impact on how he's fed. Here's what to know.... Read More
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February 06, 2015
Researchers determined that healthy aged horses are able to digest various nutrients similarly to healthy adult horses.... Read More
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What could cause an older horse that's not eating well to have mucous-covered manure? ... Read More
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Horses' superficial digital flexor tendons stiffen as they age, putting the structures at risk of tearing.... Read More
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Studies covered stem cells, nerve blocks, respiratory issues, joint supplements, kissing spines treatments, and more.... Read More
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First time user. Don't know what I am doing. But I have a BIG MISTAKE.
Just took up oil painting again after many years of not painting. I just painted 2 oil paintings on canvas board.
I dry my painting in my oven with the pilot light on. A relative was at my house and I did not notice....she turned the oven on to cook something. Few minutes, smoke alarm went off. I immediately jerked the painting out of the oven. The canvas was partially bubbled up. Still looked good, but dried some with bubbles from canvas pulling away from the board. Still that way after it cooled. I took an exacto knife and cut the seams at the back, and separated the canvas from the board. The painting still looks good, but naturally, not smooth. Still bubbled.
I would like to salvage these, always feel that trying to do the same painting again, would not be as good.
Does anyone know how I might straighten these out smooth again and glue to another board? I really hate to lose them. Please write if you can help. Not worried about "selling quality". Just want for myself. Many thanks. Joy
maybe wax paper and an iron on very low?...I don't know, going in the oven is not something i have ever heard of or would want to do to something i have worked too hard for. I could wait for paint to dry. Part of painting is patience.
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Nara city is not famous like Kyoto, but it still keeps ancient city's atmosphere. Tenpyo Ryokan is in th
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40 Songs Every 17 Year Old Should Know...A Mix For Kerby
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WOW! Seriously the best mix of everything I absolutely love. From reggae classics to jazz and Bay Area gems (Lady Don't Tek No). You clearly have a good sense of what you like and what makes people move. Thank you for sharing k8shots!


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- Willamette
- College of Law
- News
- Library
- 2013
- Africa's Legal Renaissance
Africa's Legal Renaissance
Africa leads the world in guaranteeing children special rights and protections. But on the ground, it's more complicated.
JOHANNESBURG — Death was once a regular visitor to Cotlands children's hospice. The first of its kind in South Africa, the hospice — a splash of orange stucco in a neighborhood of sagging porches and dusty yards — sheltered hundreds of babies during the worst of the AIDS epidemic, back when the disease was unmanageable and the country's leaders downplayed the crisis. Newborns as fragile as baby birds slipped away almost as quickly as they were admitted, their soiled diapers stuffed into an incinerator that Cotlands bought to keep up with the load. As treatment methods advanced, the hospice admitted older children who were born healthy and got sick, who tacked photographs of themselves above their beds to remind them of what they looked like before their glands swelled and their hair fell out and they relied on oxygen tanks to breathe.
Sixteen years after its historic opening, the hospice's bright yellow walls and cheerful flowered curtains remain, as do the rows of cribs. But the beds today are filled with healthy children waiting to be adopted. It has been four years since a child at Cotlands died of AIDS, and last November the hospice announced it was shifting its focus to child development — largely due to the dramatic reduction in AIDS-infected newborns. Children's rights lawyers share the credit for that achievement, since it was their lawsuit that forced the South African government to begin administering anti-retroviral drugs to pregnant women with HIV. The lawsuit said that by denying women those drugs, the government was violating childrens' right to health care as outlined in South Africa's constitution.
"It shows the power attorneys and judges have literally to save children's lives," says professor Warren Binford, who researched and lectured on children's rights last semester as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of the Western Cape. "This is what makes South Africa a leader. Its politicians, attorneys and judges are showing other nations how to develop a legal system from scratch that recognizes children as rights holders."
Africa's grim history of oppression, poverty and civil war appears to have deeply affected its thinking about the continent's half a billion children. At least on paper, countries across the continent are showing an unparalleled commitment to their children by placing children's rights directly in their post-colonial constitutions, giving children's rights lawyers a legal framework to advocate for better schools, access to justice and other issues that affect children's ability to thrive. The constitution of Nigeria, for instance, requires that government provide free and universal public education. Uganda's constitution says children are entitled to protection against social and economic exploitation. South Sudan's constitution prohibits corporal punishment, the first such prohibition in Africa. South Africa's constitution goes the furthest by expressly outlining socio-economic rights for children: the right to basic nutrition, shelter, health care and social services. Children's lawyers have used those provisions to advocate on behalf of children whose rights aren't being realized and to persuade the government to eliminate programs incompatible with constitutional provisions.
"The South African constitution is one of the most beautiful documents I've ever read," Binford says. "It embodies the values any society needs to flourish; care well for your children, or your society will suffer."
While overseas, Binford visited Ethiopia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa. She lectured, researched, facilitated and attended workshops on children's rights. Binford is writing a book on the topic and a law review article on the leadership of Africa in advancing children's rights. She also developed relationships with child advocates and members of non-governmental organizations who could offer opportunities for Willamette students to provide research, drafting and analytical support for law reform projects.
"When you look at the effects of colonialism in Africa and the tremendous disadvantages that slavery, exclusion and apartheid have had on the African people, the rapidity with which they're recovering from this exploitation is highly impressive," she says. "Looking at the amount of legislation being drafted, being adopted, the judicial decisions being issued...it's virtually impossible to stay on top of everything."
The idea that children, as the most vulnerable members of society, have special and unique rights developed in Britain and the United States in the late 1800s around the issues of abuse and horrific work conditions for children. In 1920, Eglantyne Jebb, who had been deeply moved by the suffering of child victims of the Balkan Wars and then World War I, founded Save the Children as a way of funneling aid to German and Austrian children. Four years later, believing that children needed some kind of legal scaffolding to ensure their protection in times of war and peace, Jebb drafted the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which the League of Nations adopted in 1924. Children's rights advanced further with the formation of UNICEF in 1948, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the U.N. Convention on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 1989. The 1989 treaty is the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaty in the world. African nations were underrepresented in the drafting process, which lasted 10 years. But those nations ratified the U.N. Convention and simultaneously began drafting the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), which the Organization of African Unity adopted in 1990. Unlike the U.N. treaty, the ACRWC reflects Africa's unique cultural heritage, history and family values and asserts that children have rights as well as responsibilities.
Nelson Mandela was released from prison the same year as the adoption of the African Charter. Multiracial elections put the African National Congress into power in 1994, and Mandela — who had tremendous respect for the role children played in the Soweto student uprising, a turning point in the movement to end apartheid — led the effort to spell out rights for children in the country's new constitution. As a major player on the continent, South Africa set the standard for adopting the idea of ubuntu outlined in the ACRWC: children should view the family and community as significant parts of their lives but also should expect that those groups will respect their rights.
"Today's children are the economically active adults, the urban dwellers, the manufacturers of the future," says Julia Sloth-Nielsen, dean of law at the University of the Western Cape and an internationally recognized expert on children's rights. "It makes sense to have the best educated, fittest population in Africa."
The key to open the closed doors
The remote control of your future
Right now can be your responsibility
But at the end it gives you ability, opportunity, dignity and quality
It makes you independent
From being a depender
Palesa Lagu, 17, delivers her poem in staccato bursts, her expression tightening with each in-your-face retort to the adults who failed her. The verses bounce off the walls of Welwitschia Primary School and into Delft South, a township outside the center of Cape Town. Visitors to the school pass the Glory Hair Salon, the CheapCheap Store and rows of outdoor barbecue grills with sheep's heads jumbled together for sale — 40 rand, considered a delicacy. Big-bellied grandfathers butcher cows on the street, blood streaking their knives like paint on canvas.
Lagu, verbally abused by her mother, beaten by her stepfather and nearly raped by her uncle, says she thought about going to the police for help but her stepfather told her she'd never be able to come home again. She says people in her neighborhood tried to help her, but they didn't want to fight with her mother.
Then she got involved with Molo Songololo, a child advocacy organization that informs children about their rights through workshops, camps and activities. Now Lagu stays in her bedroom after school, writing poetry instead of roaming the streets with her schoolmates. They've attempted to force her into a gang but she refuses to join because "I don't like fighting. I don't like arguing. Even when I was in my home, they shouted at me and called me a coward."
Molo Songololo's belief in her "helped me to be strong," Lagu says. " When I'm in pain, I have my pen and write it down, and I just read to other people and tell them how I feel. Even if my mother is shouting at me, I think of the words I write and I don't lose hope."
Molo Songololo dedicates itself to teaching children about their rights. The organization hosted a summit where youths drafted the Children's Charter of South Africa in 1992 and was instrumental in getting them included in the crafting of the country's constitution. Director Patric Solomon says South Africa has made great strides in carrying out the principles embedded in those documents: 90 percent of children in South Africa finish primary school; child and infant mortality rates are falling; immunizations have increased; sanitation and access to safe drinking water have improved; and birth registrations have swelled.
Now Molo Songololo and other organizations are focusing on how to conquer the more intractable challenges: economic inequality; racism that lingers nearly two decades after apartheid's end; inadequate budgets to ensure that children thrive; and the feeling by many that the mere existence of laws is enough to guarantee children a healthy future.
"We have a very good children's rights framework. On paper, it's great," Solomon says. "The problem is implementation." Statistics back him up. Although poverty rates have declined for children overall, disparities still exist among white, black and "coloured" children of mixed race or other non-white background. More black children live below the poverty line than their white and coloured counterparts. Although most children finish primary school, fewer than 50 percent graduate secondary school. South Africa falls short of the African Union's commitment to allocate 15 percent of the national budget to health (South Africa allocated 10.2 percent in 2008, the most recent year for which figures are available) and 7 percent to education (South Africa spent 5.4 percent).
"Very few children have access to support services," Solomon says, "and there are very few support services for children when they want to defend their rights as teenagers."
Palesa Lagu says she wants to attend the University of the Western Cape and become a social worker. Her mother tells her there's no future in poetry, but Lagu refuses to listen.
"I wish I could do something about all these kids being abused; I wish I could help all of them," she says. Her voice, hard to understand as the words tumble out, picks up the cadence of one of her poems: "They must cope even if there's no hope. Every opportunity they get, they must grab with both their hands. If they want success, they must stand on their own and fight for their future."
Swaziland, South Africa's tiny neighbor and Africa's last absolute monarchy, has a similarly uneven record on children's rights. The challenges facing the country and its children are daunting. Swaziland's life expectancy is just 49 years; nearly 70 percent of its people live below the poverty line. AIDS has devastated the country: the number of people with the disease — 26 percent of the population — is the highest in the world.
The constitution, adopted in 2005, requires the government to enact laws that guarantee children a free education through the end of primary school, protects them against "moral and spiritual hazards inside and outside the family" and requires children to respect their parents and care for them when needed. Last September King Mswati III signed into law the Children's Protection and Welfare Act, which makes illegal all practices that would adversely affect a child's health and intellectual development.
"We now have it in black and white that children are protected," says Mandla Luphondvo, communications manager for World Vision Swaziland, a Christian humanitarian organization that fights poverty and injustice. "There is a recognition that children have the right to be children. I'm happy to say that we have turned a corner."
But the immense challenges facing this lush country of beehiveshaped houses and sorghum fields arranged like tiers of wedding cake along the mountainside show how difficult it is to prioritize children's rights when the foundations of society are buckling. Children in Swaziland have a right to education and health care, but what happens when a 5-year-old boy like Sithembiso Lukhele, who has HIV and can't hear or speak, lacks medication because his grandmother — who also has HIV — doesn't have the money to pay for it? Children have a right to proper care, but what happens when a 10-year-old girl is raped by a relative, contracts gonorrhea and her family refuses to help her? And why should Swaziland's citizens believe child marriage is wrong if the polygamous king repeatedly selects teenagers as brides?
Zodwa Baartjies, development practitioner at the Bantwana Initiative, which helps communities in sub-Saharan Africa support vulnerable children and their caregivers, says laws protecting children are little more than words on paper. She has grown so exasperated by the Swazi government's inability or unwillingness to prosecute offenses against children that she relies on the media to publicize the cases she leaks to them.
"Laws are passed just to please the international community," she says. "They have no meaning for the typical Swazi. The rural people, and the authorities, are unaware."
S. Dlamini, 13, was sexually abused by an uncle over several years. She went to her grandmother and aunt for help, but they didn't believe her. She told the head of her primary school, who appealed to the police. They refused to act. Eventually the story came out at a workshop that the Bantwana Initiative sponsored for kids at Dlamini's school. Baartjies asked if anyone wanted to share a story about abuse they'd suffered. In a soft voice, Dlamini told what had happened to her. "Everyone in the workshop started crying," Baartjies said. "I had to break early and bring in a counselor to talk to the children."
Dlamini's school uniform of a navy blue sweater, yellow skirt, white blouse and black shoes stands out amidst the scrubby trees and bare concrete walls at her school in rural Swaziland. Asked through a translator what can be done to improve the lives of children in her country, Dlamini — who likes science and math and wants to be a nurse or a teacher when she grows up — answers without hesitation in perfect English, "I think the government should help the children that are abused to make a hotel and provide them with everything they need."
The next set of battles around children's rights likely will involve the quality of education and the elimination of traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, child marriage and corporal punishment, says Sloth-Nielsen of the University of the Western Cape.
"It's a battle of winning hearts and minds at a very grassroots level," she says. "You can't write a law and expect it will be fulfilled. You have to get to the villages, you have to talk to people differently about chastity, sexuality, bride price — all those things."
Lawsuits like the one that led to the distribution of anti-retroviral drugs to pregnant women are among the tools children's advocates use to prod African governments to do right by their children. In 2010, the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria in South Africa sued the government of the Eastern Cape for educating children in mud-walled schools that lacked desks, chairs, running water, toilets and school supplies. A settlement resulted in the government pledging to repair and rebuild seven schools, as well as other mud schools throughout the country.
"This government doesn't have a large fiscal system to draw on; there's a small tax base to garner the funds needed to serve the entire population," says Ann Skelton, the center's director. "The government has a huge challenge to meet all expectations." Binford, whose childhood image of Africa was one of hungry children needing to be saved, says she has come to realize that the continent doesn't need saving. Giving children a set of rights won't eliminate the poverty they're born into, or the pressure on them to give up their education to help support their families. Nevertheless, she says, "rights at least are a recognition of human dignity. If the world around you realizes you have a right to education, to health, to be cared for by your parents, to not be abused, you are far better off than you would be without public recognition of those rights."
"We have a very good children's rights framework. On paper, it's great. The problem is implementation." - Patric Solomon
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Friday, April 23, 2010
© Copyright 2015 Gwinnett Daily Post
SNELLVILLE -- The Pike family is playing in the dirt again.
Dana Pike-Von Vlake, the daughter of Pike Family Nursery founder Pete Pike, is resurrecting the green thumb that was iconic across Gwinnett County for so many years.
The grand opening of her new 60,000-square-foot nursery in Snellville over the weekend marked the beginning of a new step in the family's gardening legacy. It was also filled with reminders of the old days.
The location, in the former home of a Pike Nursery on East Main Street, is appropriate. "Papa Pike" is still there, rocking away in his "office," a wooden porch set up among all the begonias, petunias and lilacs. Signage from stores and years gone by still graces the walls.
The new nursery's name -- The Family Tree Garden Center -- is fitting, too.
"This is the type of business that when people come in, they're not angry," Pike-Van Vlake said. "They don't have to be here, they're here because it's relaxing ... They just enjoy it, and I missed that. The people are No. 1. And you want to carry on your family tradition, too."
The Pike family tradition began when Pete Pike opened up his first store in 1958 in Marietta. Business boomed and Pike Nurseries became a 15-store chain in metro Atlanta. One thing led to another, and the Pike stores and family name were sold to Armstrong Garden Centers, a California gardening chain, in 2008.
Some Pike stores hung around. Others didn't. And the Pike family was no longer in the gardening business.
"When we sold it, it was OK for about six months, and then you're like, 'Why did I do that?,'" Pike-Van Vlake said. "But everything works out like it's supposed to. You learn as you go."
And, seemingly, everything has worked out. Dana Pike-Van Vlake, who had been out of the business and a stay-at-home mom since 1998, found the old nursery property in Snellville and purchased it last year, nothing more than a real estate investment at the time.
"We started off, we thought it would just be a good investment with the land," said Jeff Van Vlake, Dana's husband and co-owner of the nursery. "And the more we talked about it, we were just like, let's go ahead and open one up."
By the summer Dana was getting all the paperwork done at city hall, and Jeff, a former IT guy with IBM, was getting dirty and cleaning out the inside of the "dark, rat-infested, dirty" former Pike store.
More progress was made by November. It was crunch time come January, and by March, the hiatus was over.
"Everybody about killed me," Pike-Van Vlake said, "but we did it."
The nursery officially opened its doors on March 5, but the "great big party," as Jeff Van Vlake put it, began with the official grand opening over the weekend.
"It was crazy," said Regina Lewis, one of the nursery's 12 certified plant specialists. "It was non-stop. Literally if you could be pulled in three different ways, that's exactly what it was like. But it was wonderful. It was nice to help a lot of people and solve some problems."
Every member of The Family Tree's 30-person staff was handpicked by Pike-Von Vlake -- everyone from Trong (who's worked with the Pike family for 30 years), to Michelle (who Pike Von-Vlake worked with as a cashier at one of her dad's stores in her teenage years), to Kelly (a master gardener who volunteered over the weekend and wound up landing a full-time job).
"Once you get out of the business, you miss it," Pike-Van Vlake said. "When you're in this green industry, it gets in your blood. In other businesses, people are like, 'Oh, I want to change my career.' Not in this one. You do it because you love it, you enjoy helping people."
And the people are apparently willing to be helped -- Pike-Von Vlake said she counted license plates from six different counties over the weekend, and the tables that had been full of greenery for the grand opening were ready to be restocked by Monday.
The Family Tree has already picked up where Pete Pike's stores started so many years ago, priding itself on friendly, expert customer service, a huge selection and family values.
All that, of course, begs the obvious question -- will Dana Pike-Von Vlake take the parallel even further and start her own franchise?
In a word, no.
"People are asking if we're going to open more, but we look at it as a one-of-a-kind destination store," Pike-Van Vlake said.
"Bottom line is we're just having fun."
More like this story
- Museum debut to benefit Alzheimer's Association ( October 12, 2013 )
- Pike Nursery headquarters will relocate to Duluth ( June 6, 2008 )
- Local nursery's festival to benefit Alzheimer's Association ( October 9, 2012 )
- Von Maur to open in Nordstrom location at Mall of Georgia ( January 22, 2015 )
- RICH: Life in a small town ( May 24, 2013 )


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Former District Attorney General Joe Crumley turned himself in Sept. 30, more than a week after he was involved in a pursuit by Jonesborough Public Safety officers.
Crumley arrived at the Washington County Detention Center with a bondsman and was booked on charges of reckless driving, evading arrest, reckless endangerment and failure to yield. After paying his $12,500 bond, he walked out of the jail that same night.
JPS officers began pursuit of Crumley, who was district attorney general from 1998-2006, just after noon on Sept. 21 after he nearly struck a patrol vehicle head on in the 100 block of East Main Street. Crumley was followed to Tenn. Highway 81 South, where he was stopped after police say he forced several vehicles off the road. Once stopped, Crumley's vehicle lurched forward, striking a JPS vehicle involved in the pursuit. No one was hurt in the crash.
About an hour after the incident, Crumley was taken to Johnson City Medical Center for what Jonesborough officials described as medical duress. The investigation into the pursuit was placed on hold until Crumley was no longer in the hospital.
JPS Chief Matt Hawkins said criminal charges were pending in the case, but refused a request by the Johnson City Press to release the police in-car video of the pursuit and crash. The town of Jonesborough formally denied that request last week, citing the circumstances of the ongoing investigation.
"This denial is consistent with our ongoing policy of not releasing the contents of criminal investigation files until the matter is resolved in court," James R. Wheeler, the town's attorney, wrote in an email to this newspaper. "We treat all criminal investigation files the same and the district attorney has recommended we continue to do so."
Even so, some readers who have been following this case on our website believe Jonesborough officials have treated Crumley differently from other defendants facing similar charges.
One person posted a comment saying: "... the Jonesborough Police Department did not do the right thing. They allowed Mr. Crumley to turn himself in at his own convenience nearly 10 days after he reportedly committed these serious crimes. Are the citizens of Jonesborough expected to believe that this man did not receive preferential treatment from those whom we entrust to enforce our laws?"
Do you think Joe Crumley was given preferential treatment?
Send your comments to Mailbag, P.O. Box 1717, Johnson City, TN 37605-1717, or email@example.com.
Please include your name, telephone number and address for verification. We will print your responses on the Opinion pages in the coming weeks.
You also can go to www.johnsoncitypress.com to cast a vote in the online poll. Results of the poll and comments from readers will appear on this page Oct. 18.


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Thank you for visiting the Dew Drop Inn, located in Forks, Washington. Newly opened in August of 1996, our rooms are clean and inviting with modern decor.
The Miller Tree Inn is a 1916 farm homestead bordered on two sides by pasture land, at the edge of small Forks, WA. The inn has 8 rooms, all with private
Washington Sports: Fishing Trips
Forks, Washington Vacations - Travel guide to Forks, Washington accommodations and vacation packages. Visit Forks, Washington for getaways and adventure travel. Plan your Forks, Washington vacation today.


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Explores enhancements in Photoshop CS5 and Bridge CS5 from a photographer's perspective.
"I took several Photoshop classes at local community colleges and couldn't seem to master it—until lynda.com. It was exponentially easier with video learning, and now I create beautiful digital art that gets rave reviews." —Cathy N.
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& pick-up times
Another 1-800-GOT-JUNK? happy customer.
We are 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, providing full-service junk removal to downtown Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Cranberry, Wexford, and Mt. Lebanon just to name a few areas. If you have junk that needs to be removed, you need to give us a call. We are your local junk hauling experts, removing items from inside your house, outside or at the office. No job is too big or too small. We take everything from old appliances and household items to yard waste and construction debris. If you don't need it, we can take it. We also recycle and donate a large portion of what we pick up. We are always looking at ways to give back to our community. When it comes down to it, we are all about solutions. We are here to help people Just Get It Done! Watch what we do.
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Read this article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette! Pittsburgh's growing elderly population depends on services like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to help them when moving into smaller retirement communities, or even just to clear out large amounts of junk that are just too heavy. More than half of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s customers in Pittsburgh are senior citizens.
We were invited to participate in our very first GO Month event in January of 2008. We partnered up with NAPO Pittsburgh to hold a donation drive for gently used medical equipment. All medical equipment was donated to Global Links, a non-profit organization that donates unused medical supplies and gently used medical equipment to developing countries. The weather was cold, but many people still had warmth in their hearts as they stopped by to donate things that may have ended up being thrown away otherwise. The whole purpose for GO Month is to Get Organized. By providing people with a charitable way to get rid of this medical equipment that was collecting dust, they were able to help others, and get their space back! Those are two things that we are very passionate about.
Here's what your property will look like before and after we've done a property clean up for you!


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Cameron Belliveau, Bunnell baseball: Had two hits, including a triple, and three RBIs in a 13-3 win over Stratford.
Abby Cerone, Stratford girls lacrosse: Scored six goals in a 16-8 win over Bunnell.
Ashley Guillette, Oxford softball: Struck out 16 and also doubled and had three RBIs in a 11-2 win over Lewis Mills.
Dale Keller, Oxford baseball: Hit a three-run double to break a 3-3 tie in a 7-5 win over Barlow.


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SEMDINLI, Turkey — This town of 19,000 nestled in an idyllic mountain pass of impossibly green pastures and golden autumn trees is on the front lines of Turkey's rapidly escalating guerrilla war.
In a struggle for autonomy as well as independent language and education rights, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has waged a low-grade conflict in Turkey for decades. But in recent months, the group has reemerged as a stronger, better equipped and increasingly organized force that is now in the midst of one of its bloodiest campaigns since the worst days of the conflict in the 1990s.


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Adele's Album Might Be a Record Breaker
Famous Moms With Something Special to Celebrate on Mother's Day
Adele Reportedly Planning a Secret Wedding
Is Adele Moving to LA?
Adele Gives Her Baby Boy a Mini Oscar
See the Cutest Social Snaps From Award Season 2013!
The Best Celebrity Instagram Photos From Oscar Weekend
Top 5 Best 2013 Oscars Speeches
Black and Blue Gowns Prove Far From Boring at the Oscars
GIF: Adele Wins Big at the Oscars!
Adele Celebrates and Jokes About Beyoncé and Drinking Backstage at the Oscars!
Oscars Beauty: Adele's Vintage Visage


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HealthyLife magazine
Body. Mind. Spirit.
Posts filtered on Tag
Eye Style: Where'd you get those readers?
Jeepers Creepers By Kristi Barlette/HealthyLife No one eagerly anticipates the day their optometrist says, "You need reading glasses." Perching the spectacles on your nose to clarify if a recipe calls for one teaspoon or tablespoon of salt or to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip in your favorite entertainment magazine only adds an obstacle […] [Read More]


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BARNES, Lillian, Walterboro
BATES, Shirley, Summerville
BLACKBURN, Johnnie, Chas.
BOYD, Earline, North Charleston
BRABHAM, Willie Jr., Branchville
CHURCHILL, John, Cottageville
COOPER, Ida, Charleston
CRAVEN, Kathryn, Summerville
CRAWLEY, Elvira, Goose Creek
CURTIS-BENNETT-JUNE, Lucile, Bonneau
DeLOACH, Virginia, Beaufort
DAVIS, Izalee, Mount Pleasant
GRAHAM, Joseph, White Hall
GREEN, Keann Jr., North Carolina
HILTON, Estelle, Summerville
HINCHEE, Alvin, Texas
HITOPOULOS, Eftyhia, Charleston
JENKINS, Joanna, Charleston
JERZ, Virginia, Ladson
JIMISON, Ruth, Ridgeville
LEE, Charles, Eutawville
LEWIS, Ivan, Ladson
MAYES, Theodore, Summerville
McAULIFFE, Maryann, Mount Pleasant
McCAULEY, William, Beaufort
McLEESE, Donald, Columbia
MINCEY, Linda, Summerville
MOORE, E. Dennis, Summerville
MORRISON, Stephen, Columbia
PENCILE, Carolyn, Walterboro
PRINGLE, Fannor, Ridgeville
READ, Scott, New York
RETTLE, Terry, Goose Creek
ROTHERMUND, Edward,
Mount Pleasant
SALMONSEN, Eugene, Charleston
SEARS, Barbara, Walterboro
SERNA, Steven, Texas
SHEPPARD, JoAnn, Ladson
SMITH, Jonathan, James Island
SPEARMAN, Anthony, Moncks Corner
STANLEY, David, Sheldon
STEADMAN, Charles, Beaufort
STICE, Richard, Summerville
STILES, Jane, Charleston
TAYLOR, Eugene, Walterboro
TIEPELMAN, Katie, Summerville
TRUELL, Emily, St. Helena Island
VERONEE, Thomas, Summerville
WASIELEWSKI, Raymond, Moncks Corner
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The sexual assault intervention strategies are described separately below. Each of these strategies is most effective when it is combined with other strategies. For example, changing victims' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs will do little to decrease sexual assaults if there are no policies for prevention or reduction of sexual assaults in organizations or communities. Similarly, health care providers who receive training to discuss sexual assault prevention with their clients or patients can help to support individual knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs.
The Sexual Assault in Different Populations section gives suggestions for how to work with different groups of individuals. For example, victims of sexual assault need different types of support and information. Different groups may think or talk about sexual assault prevention in different ways based on their values and beliefs. Intervention strategies work best when language, reading level, and cultural barriers are addressed (see Cultural Competence for more information).
E = evidence supports the effectiveness of this strategy
C = evidence supports use of this strategy in combination with other strategies
I = insufficient evidence to make a recommendation
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Mike Novak
Anyone here listen to Every Time I Die? If so, what do you think of Novak?
Personally, I think he's solid as hell and plays some really unique and tasteful stuff. The music definitely isn't for everybody, but I think it'll be hard to deny this guy's talent.
Fast, tight, musical, and great chops are definitely the four adjectives I'd use to describe Mike Novak.
Comments please!
Re: Every Time I Die! (Mike Novak "Ratboy" Novak)
i also like his drumming. it really fits the bands music.
Re: Mike Novak
I love Mike Novak! Sucks that he's not with ETID anymore, but I'm glad that didn't stop them. Anybody know what his set up was? (drums and cymbals)
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For over 28 years every issue of HEM has been full of help, guidance, validation, and support.
We are proud of defending the 1st amendment and standing up to a frivolous
lawsuit, however, this civil liberties exercise temporarily ground HEM to a
halt, we are coming back
strong with the May-June/12 issue.
DigitalOne Year Sub $12.95
November-December 2010 Selected Content
It was a normal day at our house. My two oldest girls, Maria and Loretta, started to get out their lessons before breakfast so they could complete their mandatory work for the day as quickly as possible. They pushed their books aside for breakfast, but as soon as they had swallowed their last spoonfuls, they brought their dishes into the kitchen and dashed back to the dining room, where they read a loud We Were There At the Battle of Gettysburg together. My third child, Victoria, began washing dishes while I called my son, Athanasius, to the table to practice writing the alphabet with him. After working with him for a while, I looked up and was surprised to see Victoria working at the table, too. Usually, after washing breakfast dishes, she wanders off to her room, completely unnoticed, in an effort to skip her lessons for the day. Elusive as quicksilver, she always has a reason to be doing something other than whatever I've told her to do. Was she actually doing her lessons without being told today?
"Victoria," I asked in amazed gratification. "Are you doing lessons?"
"No," she answered casually. "I'm writing a book."
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My first response was surprise. Somehow we simply don't expect seven-year-olds to tell us that they're writing books. Had she told me she was making paper dolls or drawing, I probably would have simply told her to stop and do her lessons first. But writing a book? Do I tell my daughter to stop writing a book so she can do her lessons?
Isn't this one of the reasons why we all homeschool? So our children can have the experiences of reading, writing, creating, communicating, building, and exploring, without having to put it all away so they can fill out some worksheets?
I closed my mouth and smiled. "What book are you writing, honey?"
"It's a sequel to The Little Princess," she confided.
"I can't wait to read it," I replied enthusiastically, and returned to my son's lessons.
Tomorrow, I thought, I will get her to do her lessons. She does need to learn the self-discipline of doing her lessons at the same time every day. But this little girl's free spirit needs to be trained, not crushed.
As it turned out, she never finished her sequel to The Little Princess - nor did she ever complete her contribution to the Little House on the Prairie series. So, a few months later, when she started a third book--a mystery based on the characters in our Clue (TM) board game--I was determined to provide the gentle structure and discipline that could best help her develop her interest and talent. I noticed that after writing the first few chapters, she hadn't picked up her story in a while, so one morning I told her, "Okay, instead of lessons today, I want you to write the next chapter in your book."
Write a mystery story about Miss Scarlett and Colonel Mustard instead of doing math and science and Spanish? She didn't need much persuasion.
However, the book still lagged, and I became concerned when she told me she intended to write 22 chapters--while I could tell her interest was waning after having written only two!
At last, I said, "Victoria, your first book doesn't need to be as long as a real book. You can start out by writing short stories and eventually work your way up to longer stories. In fact, I want you to spend your lesson time today and tomorrow finishing up your book."
At first she was appalled that she had to wind her story up so quickly, but quickly she quickly realized that a short mystery was better than an unfinished mystery, and she willingly set to work to finish "The Mystery of the Lost Jewel." She wrote two more chapters in two days, and thus was able to finish, for the first time, one of her literary efforts. My husband kindly took her story to Staples and had it bound, and now she has the pleasure and confidence of knowing that she completed something that she started--something that she enjoyed, something that meant a lot to her, something that she can proudly share with her others and keep forever. A little encouragement and structure was able to help her accomplish something that she never otherwise would have accomplished. Isn't this what education is all about?
My daughter doesn't need to sit at a desk all day. In fact, I can't imagine her sitting still for that long, never mind staying quiet! And she doesn't need piles of workbooks. She needs the freedom to express herself creatively, in writing, in drawing, and in singing, all of which she loves, with just a little bit of discipline to teach her order, neatness, and perseverance, without which all her forms of self-expression could never soar to their highest potential.
And that is one reason why I homeschool.
© 2010, Agnes M. Penny
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Mendels' experiments
Through the selective growing of common pea plants (Pisum sativum) over many generations, Mendel discovered that certain traits show up in offspring plants without any blending of parent characteristics. For instance, the pea flowers are either purple or white: intermediate colors do not appear in the offspring of cross-pollinated pea plants. Mendel observed seven traits that are easily recognised and apparently only occur in one of two forms:
This observation that there are traits that do not show up in offspring plants with intermediate forms was critically important. The leading theory in biology at the time was that inherited traits blend from generation to generation. Mendel picked common garden pea plants for the focus of his research. Garden peas can be grown easily in large numbers and their reproduction can be manipulated. Pea plants have both male and female reproductive organs. As a result, they can either self-pollinate or cross-pollinate with another plant. In his experiments, Mendel was able to selectively cross-pollinate purebred plants with particular traits and observe the outcome over many generations.
In cross-pollinating plants that either produce purple or white flowers exclusively, Mendel found that the first offspring generation (F1) always has purple flowers. Realise that in this experiment both the starting parent plants were homozygous for flower color. However, the following generation (F2) consistently has a 3:1 ratio of purple to white. This 3:1 ratio occurs in later generations as well. This is the key to understanding the basic mechanisms of inheritance.
The experimental results
He came to three important conclusions from these three experimental results:
With all of the seven pea plant traits that Mendel examined, one form appeared dominant over the other. In other words, it masked the presence of the other allele. For example, when the genotype for flower color is purple / white (heterozygous), the phenotype is purple. However, the dominant purple allele does not alter the recessive white one in any way. Both alleles can be passed on to the next generation unchanged.
The conclusions of his experiments
Mendel's observations from these experiments can be summarised in two principles:
According to the principle of segregation, for any particular trait, the pair of alleles of each parent separate and only one allele passes from each parent on to an offspring. Which allele in a parent's pair of alleles is inherited is a matter of chance. We now know that this segregation of alleles occurs during the process of sex cell formation (i.e. meiosis ).


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Latest acquisition!
View Single Post
January 25 2013, 12:06 AM
Paper Moon
Re: Latest acquisition!
Therin of Andor wrote:
Paper Moon wrote:
I do wish the book was a bit larger, physically; the comics feel a bit cramped.
All the stories have been available separately as trade collections, in the same page dimensions as each comic mini-series.
I don't quite understand what you're saying here. Do you mean
a) that the comics always appeared on pages this small? or
b) if I want roomier pages on which to view the comics, I should purchase the trade collections?
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Quantity Available:
Troy Lighting, headquartered in California, designs and manufactures indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, utilizing hand-forged iron and hand-applied finishes to create quality products with high-style appeal.
The Anderson's Forge Outdoor Pendant is available with the following:
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