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Bridging endangered habitat in Alaska's Cook Inlet
Not to be confused with "The Bridge to Nowhere" connecting the City of Ketchikan to its airport on Gravina Island, the 1.74-mile Knik Arm bridge cuts travel distance between Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, and its suburbs in Matanuska-Susitna Borough from 74 to 10 miles. The project also includes 19 miles of new roads. At press time, three consortiums were on the short list for a finance, design, build, operate, and maintain (FDBOM) contract. Construction could begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2016. Map: Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority
The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority is required to detect the presence of a beluga whale subspecies for at least one season before beginning construction as well as during construction. Until the agency proved otherwise, the engineering community assumed acoustical monitoring was more effective than optical monitoring for locating the endangered species. Photos: (top) Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority; (inset) Rock Solid Products | iStockphoto.com
Early-morning traffic builds on the Glenn Highway as 10,000 daily commuters make their way from the suburbs into Anchorage, Alaska's largest urban center with nearly 300,000 residents of its own. In addition to providing an evacuation route during emergencies, the Knik Arm Bridge will relieve congestion by providing another route to and from these communities. Photo: Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority
Who: Alaska DOT's Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority
What: Acquiring National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) approval for a waterway bridge over endangered-species habitat
Engineering/environmental: HDR Inc., URS Corp.
Engineering/surveying: PND Engineers Inc.
Geotechnical engineering/hazmat exploration: Shannon & Wilson
Necessary research: $5 million
Standing in downtown Anchorage one can gaze across Cook Inlet and clearly see Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley just two miles away. But despite its proximity and the waterway's narrowness, getting there takes at least an hour. That's because no one's built a bridge across it.
Wedged between a federal military installation, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Chugach Mountains to the east, and the Chugach National Forest to the south, Anchorage is essentially out of developable land but remains the state's commercial and financial hub. People and businesses have been moving further north to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where land and houses are less expensive. Though the region contains 54% of the state's population, it's connected by one road, the Glenn Highway. Not surprisingly, congestion is a problem.
A crossing was first proposed by railroad engineers in 1923, a few years after Anchorage was established, to shorten the distance between Anchorage and Fairbanks, an active mining town 358 miles to the north. As Cook Inlet evolved into the state's main shipping route and became a focal point for oil and gas exploration, the crossing had been proposed a half-dozen times since then. In 2003, after years of planning and studies, the Alaska Legislature formed the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority to enable continuing economic development and provide an alternate evacuation route.
Our main concern was a beluga whale subspecies that uses the inlet to get to and from breeding areas. So the first thing we did was ask state and federal regulatory agencies — in particular the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — to become cooperating organizations.
"We wanted to identify all areas of concern, but specifically we wanted to know what considerations the Cook Inlet belugas needed since the species was listed as 'depleted' under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 2000," says Authority Executive Director Andrew Niemiec. The service was concerned that assessing potential impact would be virtually impossible because there wasn't enough information on how the whales use the inlet.
In June 2004, we kicked off a six-month direct observation program around the Port of Anchorage that was expanded to 12 months at the service's request. We learned how the whales react to in-water structures, their seasonal patterns, and what prey species they prefer; and mapped high-value/high-sensitivity habitat such as summer feeding grounds within the inlet.
Because other whale species have shown some aversion to passive in-water structures, the service was also concerned that belugas may hesitate to swim under the bridge, impeding their travel to and from feeding grounds. Not only do they tolerate them, they pass back and forth under 14 other bridges in Southcentral Alaska and at least 15 additional bridges worldwide without harm. Our finding reassured all parties that the species habituates to a variety of circumstances and was unlikely to abandon the inlet after a bridge was built.
We also discovered patterns of use. Beluga numbers are greatest from August through October, when the whales come in on the flood tide and leave on the ebb tide. And while they feed primarily on salmon during spring and summer, they're opportunistic feeders that eat whatever is available —from squid to sole and cod to clams.
This baseline work allowed us to produce a Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2007. A year later, the whale's status was changed from "depleted" to "endangered."
In general Alaska's beluga populations are healthy, but legal subsistence hunting had halved Cook Inlet's numbers. Between 1994 and 1998, the population fell from 653 to 347. Even though hunting's been regulated since 1999, their numbers hadn't rebounded. Having established Cook Inlet's stock as a distinct genetic population, the service recategorized the subspecies under the Endangered Species Act.
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All the excitement, power and history of New York City seem to gravitate around the Holiday Inn® Hotel New York City - Wall Street. After all, we are close to the engine that drives the country's economy: Wall Street.
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Hello I'm a Malagasy/French Graphic designer. I live in France and spend some of my spare time trying to progress into designing patterns and doing tee-shirt designs :)
Bells (small print)
Submit a fabric design using bells as a design motif and arranged as a small print. Preview will be sized at a swatch (8" x 8"). Deadline for entry is Tuesday, Dec. 13.Voting has ended. See results
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A pictorial of Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia.
Photograph is a little like theater, except it tells a story in a single frame. My photos have been exhibited in various venues in San Francisco and Northern California. A selection of my work has also been published in such books as Blue Muse, Manatomy and Dreamboys in Australia; Male Nude Index in Germany; and Romantic Male Nude in the USA.
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Dan & Nicole Published September 30, 2013
TANGO! Published March 19, 2011
SUPERCLÁSICO Published March 19, 2011
LA ESTANCIA VILLA MARIA Published March 15, 2011
RECOLETA CEMETERY Published March 14, 2011
THE JUNGLE ROCKS! Published March 14, 2011
STONE TITANS Published March 14, 2011
PSYCHEDELIC A-GO-GO Published March 14, 2011


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Swarms of Clevelanders descend upon Municipal Stadium, leaving their posh offices and suburban homes with hope in their hearts. It's a new beginning, they think - the suits, the steelworkers, the bubble-blowing kids - as they anticipate the sound that to them is like no other: the crack of a baseball smacking a bat.
Below them, Mayor Dennis Kucinich waits outside the Indians dugout, his famous mop of hair lilting with the wind. His chest is tight on this 43-degree day - not only with anxiety, but within the protective vise of a bulletproof vest he strapped around his body only hours ago. He's had countless death threats. And he's prepared. All he wants now is to throw out that pitch.
"When they called my name, I got a standing boo from about 75,000 people," he recalls.
It's 18 years later, and Dennis Kucinich, on the campaign trail, has traveled back to that moment - his mop of hair thinner, his face marked by time. The 49-year-old state senator sits next to Claudia Jabo, the lifeblood of his congressional campaign, and digs into a heap of Chinese food at one of his regular West Side haunts.
"There were police sharpshooters ringing the roof of the stadium," he says, dragging his chopsticks around the edge of the dish. "So I very calmly went up there, took a windup and threw a strike.
"I really thought about that," he continues. "It would have had great symbolic significance had the ball gone in the dirt or had it been a wild pitch." He looks away and grins. "It was pretty funny. 'Cause then I got some cheers."
Jabo's eyes shift. She appears uneasy with her hopeful's candor. But Kucinich is self-assured, at peace with what he's saying and even more with himself. So why did they boo?
"They had good reason to!" he declares. "I had just fired the best police chief in the United States. And why was he the best police chief in the United States? Because only a month earlier, that's what I told everybody!"
And then Kucinich laughs. He grabs Jabo's arm and they laugh loud together, enjoying a moment of an era that's finally gone by. "If I wasn't the mayor and ... a mayor did what I did, I'd probably be in the stands booing him too," he later says. That s part of politics. You have to learn to accept criticism. A lot of it was deserved then."
So why did they cheer?
"Because that's how sports and politics are," he says. "I crossed through two worlds though. I went through the political world into the sports world. The only difference is I could throw the strike and truly, when I walked off that mound and into the stands, I was a bum again."
He threw a strike. Yet only moments before, 75,000 people rose to their feet, cupped their hands to their mouths and booed - some laughing at the mayor, others exchanging the twisted look of satisfaction children share when they collectively tease.
But it didn't matter, did it? That chorus of disgust and disapproval they showered over him that day did not defeat him but fueled him instead. Because in the face of adversity - like he felt as a kid when his family was broken up; like he's felt over the last two decades as the crown prince of Cleveland's default; like he felt with each loss before his political comeback - Dennis Kucinich throws a strike.
No wonder he's back. After a 10-year ride through Cleveland politics that culminated with his 1977 mayoral win and crashed with his defeat two tumultuous years later, Kucinich exited the scene, leaving behind a city in default. His two-year term was marked by explosive confrontations with virtually every powerful entity of the city, revolving mostly around an issue that erupted on Dec. 15, 1978, when Kucinich refused to yield to bankers who gave him a choice: Sell the Municipal Light System to the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. or the city will go into default. The mayor said no. And the city went down. And the legacy has been his ever since.
Amazing thing is, this fateful decision that nearly destroyed every aspect of his life has since turned around and kissed him on the mouth. Even his detractors admit that as brash and as confrontational and as arrogant as he was, doggone it, the boy mayor was right.
"Here's a guy who got carried out of the ring on a stretcher, who walked back in and they strapped the belt on," says William Burges, president of Burges & Burges, a Cleveland marketing and political strategy firm. "Now he has re-emerged wearing the championship belt of Muny Light."
So now, in the midst of a political comeback even he never thought possible, Kucinich is considered a real threat against incumbent Martin Hoke in the race for the 10th Congressional District seat. Oh sure. Plenty are still booing. But to that Kucinich simply shakes his head. In the words of his good friend Shirley MacLaine, he says, "What people think of me is none of my business."
It rook many years for Kucinich to reach this equilibrium. Through the default, the defeat, the destitution and the divorce, he privately, painfully searched deep inside himself and has emerged a changed man. "Life for me is very good," he says. "I've never been happier."
These are surprising words from a man who - 18 years later - is still crucified for Cleveland's default. Even today, the business establishment says Kucinich's name like it's a dirty word. In fact, their version of history has branded him so deeply with the onus of default that generations of Clevelanders who know nothing of its events say Kucinich put the city into default like it's a mantra. Even the sacrosanct Citizens League wouldn't break this corporate code: In 1994, in a rare and secretive move, it reversed its endorsement of Kucinich for the 23rd state Senate District seat, awarding the prized nod to his opponent instead.
But a closer look at the events that preceded the default reveals that it was not the work of just one man: It was the culmination of a war between CEI, Muny Light, the business community and the mayor.
A satisfied grin spreads across Kucinich's face as the group bubbles over with laughter, while intermittent shouts of "All right!" and nods of support fuel his charge more.
"I'm the only member of the Ohio Senate with a 100 percent labor-voting record. And that doesn't happen by accident," he says. "My father was a Teamster, a member of Local 407 for 55 years. I understand what it is like to grow up in the inner city and to be part of a family that had to struggle to make ends meet. I carry a union card. I'm a brother. I'm not a missionary for people who are of labor. I am of this community."
As Kucinich's sermon approaches its dramatic end, hands reach out to shake his or to sign up to help in his quest for the Hill. This is Kucinich's most powerful talent.
"I'm telling you this is all within this guy. It's all inside him," says Burges. "He has a knack for connecting with a constituency and then being energized by that. And he doesn't give up."
"One of Dennis' greatest talents as a politician is that people like him, they genuinely like him," says veteran politics reporter Mary Anne Sharkey. "He's exactly like a rock star. People just spot him and they'll come running out of their front doors just to shake his hand. I've been around a lot of politicians, and that's rare. Very rare."
"Dennis is almost like a cult hero," says Republican state Sen. Gary Suhadonik. "We were at a national conference of state legislators last year in Milwaukee and people were coming over like ..." He slips into a dramatic whisper. "Are you Dennis Kucinich? Are you the former mayor of Cleveland? Even people from other states. He has a nationwide following out there. It's just unbelievable."
This core group of disciples who collectively sighed with each loss - his attempt for secretary of state in '82, his killing against Mary Rose Oakar for the 10th Congressional District in '88, his bid for the 19th Congressional District in '92 - has grown tremendously in recent years.
While some were temporarily sated by his election to Cleveland City Council in 1983, not even his most devout followers would have believed that in 1994. 15 years after he practically crawled out of the mayor's office, he'd cause the president of the United States to sit up and take notice. In a year when Kucinich was one of only three Democrats in the country to defeat a sitting Republican state senator, it's no wonder President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Congressman Dick Gephardt have each met with him with one goal in mind: Let's get this guy to give Congress a go.
"They should!" Burges practically shouts. "He's like a damned rock star. His name identification is better than any of theirs in that district."
But others cringe at the possibility of Kucinich going to Congress. "I just go back to what he did to this city with the default." says Paul Russo, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party. "He did enough damage to Cleveland in those years that to send him to Washington would be a disaster."
So how did the Democratic populist Sharkey says was "as low as a snake belly" in 1979 rise like a phoenix from beneath the ashes of Cleveland's default? Combine the city's recognition of the value of Muny Light (now Cleveland Public Power) with the workingman's fear of a Newt Gingrich-led Congress and you've got a climate most politicians "would fall to their knees for.
But according to Burges, Kucinich's springboard to office was put into place in 1992, when he challenged Eric Fingerhut in the primary for the 19th Congressional District seat.
"If you recall, '92 was the year of the reformer, '92 was the year of 'throw the bums out,' '92 was the huge freshman class," Burges says. "So in that milieu, I think there was a natural convergence of who Dennis was and what people were looking for. And he played the bounce off that very skillfully into the state Senate race."
But Kucinich's resilience was wearing thin after that loss. "Bruised and battered and bloodied," Sharkey says, "the guy kept getting back in the ring." What did it take to convince the lightweight to wipe off the blood and climb over the ropes one more time? State Rep. Barbara Pringle picked up the phone. "She says, 'You've got to come over right away. I've got to talk to you,'" Kucinich recalls. Pringle, who served on Cleveland City Council when Kucinich was mayor, was studying a map of the newly redrawn 23rd state Senate District in her home. In it, she saw a Kucinich gold mine: three of his former city council wards.
"She says, 'You're going to the state Senate. I'm telling you you've got to run for this,'" Kucinich remembers. "I just laughed. She says, 'No. I'm telling you this district was made for you.'"
So in a race that never quite became the bloodbath that people expected, Republican incumbent Anthony Sinagra, the well-respected former mayor of Lakewood, dodged Kucinich's allegations of corruption at Lakewood City Hall as Kucinich deflected Sinagra's finger-pointing about Cleveland's default. Exactly 1,062 campaign stops, 1,000 volunteers and 10,000 street signs later, Kucinich embraced his then-12-year-old daughter, Jackie, with the news that he'd won.
At his swearing-in ceremony, Kucinich traveled back to the moment when it all began, a moment immortalized in a black-and-white photo he would hang behind his state Senate desk. There, a frightened 13-vear-old boy stands behind a podium at Tremont's St. John Cantius High School, dressed for the occasion in his Uncle Lenny's suit. The night before, his uncle had dropped the suit off so Kucinich "would look proper for this audience, the ninth-grade class that had chosen his nephew to deliver their freshman induction speech.
Nearly 35 years later, as Kucinich took his oath of office behind that same podium, he spotted some of the people who had applauded him in that gymnasium three decades before.
Before he turned 18, Kucinich lived in 21 places - including a car.
Sitting in Dimitri's, a 24-hour Greek joint located in Cleveland on Lorain Avenue, Kucinich brushes a lemon wedge off the paper place mat in front of him and jots each address down. He starts with the home he lived in as a baby, and painstakingly - pausing for minutes between some - he adds each address.
That first address was his grandparent's house on Carnegie Avenue, an old wooden home that Kucinich's mother carried him into after she gave birth in October 1946. She demonstrated her devotion to her firstborn through hours of reading. By age 3, Dennis could read, and by adulthood, whenever he felt lost, the words of the greats that he first heard through his mother's soft voice would guide him.
As the oldest of seven, Kucinich was thrust into a position of leadership early in life. When his father, a Croatian truck-driver, was ill or out of town, it was Dennis who made sure that his siblings excelled. "He'd be the one who was out there under the streetlights late at night passing the football with me," says Gary Kucinich, a former Cleveland School Board member and one of Dennis' brothers. "Before a football game, Dennis used to get me pumped up. He used to hit me on the shoulder pad and say, 'Do you want to win this game? Do you want to win this game? Go out there and win!'"
As the family continued to grow and Kucinich's father's income didn't, they were forced in and out of homes all over Cleveland's inner city, with Catholic schools being the children's only stability. At St. Clair Avenue's St. Aloysius School, Sister Leona Nieberding took special notice of Dennis.
"I just had one pair of pants that I wore for a whole year," Kucinich remembers. "They were turquoise pants with black stitch piping on the side. Finally, some kids caught on that I was wearing this pair of pants every day. It was not a lot of fun.
"The good Sister caught what was going on and she immediately had boxes of clothes sent over to the house. Also, she gave me an opportunity to work off some of the fees that we had at the time."
Handing him a floor scrubber and a metal bucket brimming with soap water, Sister Leona watched as Dennis dunked his 12-year-old hands in the water and maneuvered the machine that dwarfed his small body. "They still tell stories at St. Colman about the time when I went to use the floor scrubber and it took off with me," Kucinich says, with a laugh. For 60 cents an hour, the young Dennis scoured grime off the floors of these schools and many others to pay for his and his siblings' tuition.
In 1957, the family endured one of its hardest times. Kucinich recalls sitting with his three brothers and sister in the backseat of the car at age 11, combing the newspaper ads to find a new home. Few, if any, at that time would rent to a family of seven. "But we needed a place. We couldn't find anything."
His father got around it the only way he knew how, leaving three kids behind when he signed the lease. "When the landlord came," Kucinich recalls, "three of us would go clown the back stairs and run a couple yards away until he made the rounds. At least one time, two of us ended up hiding in the closet waiting for the landlord to leave."
Just before that, they lived in their car. "I was always jockeying for positions to sleep on the floorboards of the backseat," Kucinich recalls. But that was OK, because they were together, and less than a year before that they were not.
It was Thanksgiving 1956, and Kucinich's mother, hospitalized for months after giving birth to her fifth child, was ill with what Kucinich now thinks was postpartum depression. While their father worked to try to put things back together again, the kids were sent to Parmadale Children's Village, a Catholic orphanage and receiving home. Christmastime stands out in Kucinich's memory.
"I remember I hadn't seen Gary for weeks and I felt really bad about it," he says. "We went out to play and it was a very cold winter day. They had these hills in the back and kids would be making snowmen and having snowball fights. I was looking for Gary and I thought I saw him; I remember running across this field to go and see him. I ran and ran and ran up to this kid. And it wasn't him. It was horrible."
Three months later, the children were taken in by some relatives in Michigan, and eventually, after their mother recovered, she joined them. Each week, they'd wait for their father to visit from Cleveland, when they'd take drives out to the country to a place Kucinich describes as magical, a place where adults would dance and children would play.
"I remember sitting in the backseat as we were driving there thinking, God, I hope we can keep this family together. Just literally praying that would happen," he says. "What it was like to just be there and watch my parents dance ..." Kucinich's voice trails off and he looks away. "It was really neat," he adds, shaken by the memory. "The idea that we were all together again.
"There was a lot of poverty," he later says. "As life goes on, it strengthened me."
"I didn't want to disturb you. I just wanted to say hello because I was with you for a whole lot of years."
A craggy old man has approached Kucinich at Dimitri's, his hand outstretched and his voice booming with a slight drawl.
"My name is M.J. McNeeley," he says. "And I did work for the Illuminating Company."
Kucinich smiles. "I'll be darned," he says.
"And all the guys from the U.W.U.A. were right there with you," McNeeley says. "And you're still there," he adds, his voice fading as he walks away. "God bless."
That a former CEI employee would go out of his way to thank Kucinich might be considered ironic to some. But McNeeley is a workingman, and Kucinich has always been their champion.
Kucinich's efforts to prevent CEI from taking over Muny Light is as much aligned with him as his fight for the working poor. To Kucinich, his fight to save the city-owned utility defines not only his mayoral term but explains much of his political strife. To others, it was that and much more.
Chuckling affectionately, former Cleveland Press editor Herb Kamm relays his lasting memory of Kucinich: "It was just the picture, the constant picture every week of Dennis walking into the rather impressive chamber of city council," he says. "And this little cocker, as we call him, this little pisser walks into that room where great men of previous eras had achieved great things for Cleveland. And he's like the little boy with a horn who's going to blow down the walls of Jericho."
With his fists clenched and an in-your-face style, Kucinich waltzed into the mayor's office eager to defend the rights of working people at any cost. The youngest big-city mayor in the country at the time, this 31-year-old urban populist all but ended the fox trot the business community had enjoyed with previous mayoral administrations. All over Cleveland, business leaders clutched their hearts with each bold move: He said no to tax abatements; he transferred funds from the corporate sector to inner-city neighborhoods; and he took what they considered to be irresponsible risks, such as forbidding Republic Steel Corp. to build an ore dock in Cleveland's port even as they threatened to leave.
"This was well before the renaissance. Cleveland was in a valley," says Kamm. "And here comes this cocky, irresponsible boy mayor whose mere image made people laugh. They said, 'What the hell is this kid doing running a city?'"
But it was more than just that. Kucinich's personnel choices made him so vulnerable that even if his loyal cadre had sat down and behaved themselves they would still have been criticized.
Most famous for their youth and their gall - his assistant director of public safety was just 21 years old - Kucinich and his administration provided great fodder for the media to sink its teeth into, chewing up stories and spitting them out in newspapers all over the country. How could they resist such temptation as the time when the head of the city's board of education was fined for "mooning" his brother on an interstate highway? Or the time when the feisty and media-hungry mayor fired police chief Richard Hongisto during a live press conference on WJW TV-8?
"I gave them the excuse to push the recall forward which had already been planned," Kucinich admits, "when I rather unceremoniously fired the chief of police live on the 6 o'clock news on Good Friday. When people were in a very forgiving and penitential mood, I was going in the opposite direction."
As Kucinich and his then-wife, Sandy, fled to Chautauqua, N.Y., after he barely won a recall election in August 1978, people hungry for his exile in Cleveland recounted the votes. Though the recall was supported by virtually every powerful group in the city, 236 votes of 120,000 cast saved him. At least for the moment.
"He had tete-a-tetes with everybody," says Tom Campbell, a retired Cleveland State professor and one of the leaders of the recall movement. Kucinich and Council President George Forbes had shouting matches. He and the oft-striking police department were at odds much of the time. He even had skirmishes with neighborhood groups. Most damaging and most dangerous, however, was his and his administration's biting rhetoric against the establishment of the city- what most people blame for the mayor's eventual demise.
A mischievous look lights up Kucinich's eyes as he reflects on these confrontations. It's clear that his sense of humor is about to come to his aid.
"It certainly would have been better if all discourse could have been conducted in a manner of the politesse of a social tea," he says. "It would have been lovely if someone could have been there at the appropriate moment to say: 'Pass the biscuits, please.' If you could hear people clucking: 'Here, here. Tut-tut. Cheerio' in the background. We're talking Cleveland!" he roars. "It was raucous and it was contentious and it was confrontational and it was difficult! And welcome to democracy, warts and all!
"Were we perfect? No. Would some of that rock 'n' roll have been better not happening? Sure. Did I like everything that went on? No. You live, you leam. I'm not copping a plea, but I was 30, 31, 32 years old through that time and I've learned a lot about life. And there were a lot of things happening at the time that I just didn't understand."
Pacing back and forth behind his state Senate desk, Kucinich recalls the headline on the front page of The Plain Dealer the morning of Dec. 15, 1978: "Cleveland Trust: Pay Up. Bank Would Relent If Muny Light Were Sold, Forbes Believes."
"I looked at it as being the most subtantial collection notice I'd ever seen in my life," Kucinich says. "Talk about a dun letter."
Ahh, the default. Even today it's a divisive issue. The only thing people seem to agree on is what a gift the default truly was.
"In the end, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Cleveland," says Richard Pogue, retired managing partner of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. "It traumatized the community and brought everybody together and got people to say, 'Hey wait. We can't let the city go down the drain this way. We've got to do something.'"
James Biggar, president and CEO Glencairn Corp., agrees. "If you look back in history," he says, "we probably ought to give Dennis Kucinich the MVP award for Cleveland's comeback."
But what people are in complete disagreement over is what role Kucinich played in Cleveland's default. While some say he is totally to blame, others - including members of a 1979 congressional staff who conducted a study of the default - suggest the bankruptcy was politically motivated. In short, some say Kucinich's attempts to save Muny Light put his foot in the grave, while his confrontational style with the business community caused them to push him in.
Throughout his political career, Kucinich's battle cry had been to save Muny Light. The brainchild and dream of Kucinich hero and populist Cleveland Mayor Tom L. Johnson, Muny Light was born in 1914, and from its inception, fought off CEI's efforts to put it out of business.
Until 1968, Muny Light enjoyed success, generating $31.5 million in profits. But between 1969 and 1977, things went downhill: Poor service, frequent outages and a marketing blast by CEI on its weaknesses caused it to lose customers and money: $31.1 million in the hole, the city's general fund was forced to subsidize the utility.
Tempers flared over whether the city should sell Muny Light to CEI. Some thought it ridiculous to hold on to Muny, an ailing plant that, in 1975, could no longer generate its own power. Others saw the city-owned utility as the only way to provide a check against CEI's electricity rates.
Meanwhile, in 1975, the Perk administration filed a $330 million antitrust suit against CEI based on charges that the company was trying to undermine Muny as a competitor. Then, in January 1977, a ruling of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission all but saved Muny Light. Stating that CEI had "deliberately rigged the interconnection policies to cause Muny Light's power failures," it demanded CEI "wheel" power from the Power Authority of the State of New York (PASNY) to Muny over its lines - a condition to its granting CEI licenses to operate nuclear power plants. This action was a huge Muny Light victory: Prior to this, Muny couldn't purchase electricity from outside sources. Because PASNY power was cheaper, the ruling was Muny's ticket to getting out of the red.
Furious, CEI took the city to court. During Carl Stokes' and Ralph Perk's mayoral terms, Muny had built up a $16 million debt to CEI, and the company wanted its money. After city council's attempt to raise property taxes to pay the debt failed at the polls community pressure mounted to sell. In May 1977, city council approved the sal of Muny Light to CEI for $150 million. That's when a 5-foot-7-inch, 135-pund obstacle stood in everybody's way.
Clerk of Courts at the time, Kucinich created the Save Muny Light Committee, collecting nearly 30,000 signatures to put the decision of whether to sell Muny Light on the ballot. While a court battle ensued over the legality of the petitions, his efforts successfully froze the sale until he stepped into the mayor's office in November 1977 - based on the campaign promise to save Muny Light.
As the deadline approached, Kucinich appealed to the banks with a most unpopulist-like offer, asking for time to hold a special election proposing an income tax hike to pay off the loans. Each bank consented but one: Cleveland Trust Co. chairman and CEO Brock Weir refused to go along with the deal.
On Dec. 15, 1978, Kucinich could pay Muny's debt to CEI, but had no funds to pay the banks. Then, Weir made Kucinich an offer: If the mayor agreed to sell Muny Light to CEI, his bank would not only roll over the notes, it would loan the city another $50 million. Still, Kucinich's answer was a resounding no.
Later that day, city council agreed to put an income tax increase before the voters if the mayor would sell Muny. Kucinich refused again, but offered a compromise: Certain that Muny Light would now be profitable because PASNY's interconnect, he suggested thev wait 18 months to see if the utility made money. If it didn't, he'd sell.
"I remember him standing one time in the mayor's opulent office," says Sandy Kucinich. "And him saying, 'If I have to go along with this, I might as well resign.' And I remember sitting there and looking at him and saying, 'But you can't do that.' And he said, 'No, I can't. So my other option is to stand up for what I believe in and say no.'" She pauses. "If we only knew it wasn't that easy."
What wasn't easy was the predicament Kucinich was in. "The city was in no worse financial shape under Kucinich than it had been under his predecessor, Ralph Perk," says Todd Swanstrom, a former Cleveland city planner who is now associate professor of political science at the State University of New York at Albany. "He became a scapegoat for the failures of the economy.... And his career was based upon defending Muny Light. So when they insisted that he sell Muny Light or go into default, he was really up against the wall."
So why was Muny Light brought into the negotiations? Some say that because Perk had sold off major municipal assets while he was mayor - including the sewer and transit systems - to try and balance the books, Muny Light was one of only a few assets left in the city and Kucinich had no choice but to sell. But others suggest that the situation presented a marvelous opportunity for CEI to win its decades-long battle to obtain Muny Light.
"[CEI] had a window of opportunity," says Michael Konicek, director of the Department of Public Utilities for the city of Cleveland. "The city was going into default, it needed money. Muny Light had just gone through some rough years with reliability. CEI probably believed that they could 'rescue' the city, pick up [Muny Light] for a song and eliminate competition. They eliminate competition, they add 50,000 customers to their customer base, and they look like 'heroes' to the city by saving it from going into default."
But Pogue, legal counsel to Cleveland Trust bank during the default, scoffs at that notion. Furthermore, he says selling Muny Light to CEI "had nothing to do with" the default. This, even though Pogue's client — Brock Weir — was the person who made selling Muny Light a condition of rolling over the notes.
"Any skillful mayor could have found a thousand ways to pay off those notes," Pogue says. "Selling Muny Light might have been a good way to do it. But there were many other ways to raise the money. The point is the notes were not paid. People try to hook it up with the Muny Light deal. It had nothing to do with the fact that he put the city into default making us look like, well, we were the laughingstock of the country for a decade."
Eyebrows were also raised over ties between CEI and the six banks involved. Swanstrom points out that five of the six banks held almost 1.8 million shares of CEI's stock. And of the 11 directors of CEI in 1978, eight were also directors of four of the six banks. And four directors of Cleveland Trust were also directors of CEI, including Herb Strawbridge, retired chairman of the board and CEO of The Higbee Co.
"It's hogwash," Strawbridge says of the contention that the parties were working together. "Brock Weir never even consulted with the three or four of us who were on both boards at that time." Strawbridge doesn't hesitate, however, to verify Weir's interest in Muny Light.
"Brock was saying to him, 'Look. You have the opportunity to straighten up some of your house by selling your losing Muny Light plant. If you're going to ask us to roll over these notes, you've got to show some financial responsibility.'... That's all. Simple.... So Brock didn't force the city into default. It was Dennis who forced it."
But Swanstrom contends it was corrupt for Weir to make such demands. "That is an illegitimate exercise of power," he says. "The elected mayor of the city is the one who decides what to sell or not to sell in order to meet the financial obligations of the city."
Swanstrom also says Kucinich's anti-capitalist attacks against the bankers to come to the aid of the people of Cleveland and roll over the notes sealed his fate with the powerful group. "What happened was he got hoist by his own petard," he says. "Basically, it was his love of confrontation that eventually forced him into this ultimate confrontation over default.
"The banks decided they were going to get him," he continues. "And the way they got him was to push the city over into default. They saw this as an opportunity to squeeze him and, in part, force him into a dilemma. Sell the Muny Light system or go into default. Either way, he would lose points politically and it would be very difficult for him to be re-elected. ... The default really became an albatross around his neck. He was tarred and feathered with it."
Former Cleveland Press editor Herb Kamm agrees: "They helped him commit suicide," he says. "What they did was refuse to give him support when support might have saved his neck cause they were mad as hell at him. The city was becoming the laughingstock."
William Silverman, chairman of William Silverman & Co., a public relations firm that, except during the Kucinich era, has represented the city of Cleveland since 1968, also agrees: "The business interests of the city that were tied to CEI and believed that Mayor Kucinich was not a good mayor for Cleveland used this as an opportunity to, at the very least, embarrass the mayor but certainly, with the power of The Plain Dealer behind it, to drive home the fact that he — Dennis Kucinich — had put the city into default," he says. "The bank, in an unusual request, put the city into default.... And [Kucinich] has worn that jacket all these years. I don't think it's fair."
There is little debate, however, over the value of Muny Light today. Now Cleveland Public Power, it is a proven asset to the city that between 1985 and 1995 saved its customers $195,148,520 over what they would have paid CEI. But the cloak of default is still wrapped around Kucinich's shoulders, even to the Citizens League, a group whose political endorsements are considered the most unbiased in town.
In 1994, a Citizens League Candidate's Committee — made up of members of the general public — voted to recommend Kucinich for the 23rd state Senate seat over his primary opponent, Cleveland Councilman Dale Miller. "They voted 13 to 3 to recommend him," says board member Jon Ferrell, vice president of sales and marketing of the Victor S. Voinovich Co. and chairperson of the Candidate's Committee involved.
But in a heated and controversial meeting, the board of the Citizens League overturned the decision and endorsed Miller instead. "At that point I resigned from the Candidate's Committee on principle," Ferrell says.
Janis Purdy, executive director of the Citizens League, says it is the board's right to overturn recommendations, but concedes that it is very rare: Only three committee recommendations have been reversed by the board in her decade-long tenure. She would not reveal, however, why Kucinich's endorsement was reversed, stating the information was confidential.
Ferrell, however, alludes that Kucinich's role in the default played into the decision. "My position when I talked to the [board] was contrary to popular belief, one person didn't put the city into default. It took a large cast of characters," he says. "That guy has suffered more because of those two years than any single living or dead individual. How many years is enough? We're talking basically 20 years of penance for him."
Laced with humor and boyish formalities — "Thank you for your leadership as chairman of that committee, Sen. Drake. It's always a pleasure to serve with you" — Kucinich has just concluded an especially academic oration on the Senate floor. He moseys backward with a sense of great pride (two bills he sponsored have just become state laws), but is quickly deflated by the frustrated but humored expression on his neighbor's face. "You certainly haven't blown the place up," ribs Democratic state Sen. Robert Burch. "You're so collegiate, it's almost annoying."
What's also "annoying" is any attempt to find discontent with the senator in these hallowed halls. If you look for the turmoil, the tumult, the tragic errs of his ways, what do you find?
"When I first started talking to Dennis about running for state Senate, a lot of people were telling me: 'Dennis Kucinich is a demagogue; he uses issues for his personal gain; he's a loner; he doesn't work well within a group; he won't take advice; he's headstrong; he knows it all,'" says Democratic state Sen. Robert Boggs. "I found out not only were those not true, but that Dennis is probably one of the most conscientious, effective members of the legislature that I've seen in my over 20 years there."
Impressive. But Boggs is a Democrat. In this era of partisan politics, he's supposed to like him. Let's look more.
"My first blush was, Oh no," says Republican state Sen. Grace Drake, chairperson of the Health Committee Kucinich serves on. "But it turned into 11 nice friendship and knowing a very, very nice person. He's an excellent legislator. And has proven to me in the Health Committee that he cares about people." Another?
"Well, I'm not going to do your article any good, cause I really like Dennis Kucinich," says Republican state Sen. Richard Finan, chairperson of the Ways and Means Committee Kucinich serves on. "Now, we don't agree on a lot of issues, but I couldn't have a better committee member than Dennis."
"I fight the liberals tooth and nail," gloats Gary Suhadolnik, chairperson of the Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Committee Kucinich sits on. "I've been picketed by animal rights people, homosexuals, labor unions. I've had environmentalists dump garbage in my office. So I've had my share of confrontations with liberal activists. When Dennis rolled in, people thought that this would be the ultimate in personality clashes. And it hasn't been. It's been issue clashes. Dennis has not made it personal, he's made it philosophical and ideological."
He pauses then adds: "Philosophically, he's awful, OK? But I trust him. Does that make any sense? And, of course, I'm in an awful quandary here. I'd like to see him get out of the Senate, but then he'll be my congressman!" He laughs heartily. "What do I do? How do I win this one?"
Suhadolnik's inadvertent acknowledgment of Kucinich's strong chances against Hoke in November's congressional race is not without merit. In the March primary race, Kucinich trounced North Olmsted Mayor Ed Boyle, earning 78 percent of the vote.
A vital win to both parties, insiders predict this classic showdown is guaranteed to attract network reporters hungry for a sexy race that's sure to be brutal. Hoke releases a robust chuckle at the possibility of network attention, and concedes that indeed, the campaign will be ugly.
"He was a dismal, dismal failure that brought humiliation to the city of Cleveland and to the region of northeastern Ohio when he was mayor," Hoke says. "It seems to me that you can run from that, but you can't hide."
"I'm not a stranger to political combat," says Kucinich. "But over the years, I've learned that there are number of ways to accomplish things and it's just not necessary. It's not advisable for oneself and the community to engage in negativity."
This metaphysical-speak is woven into virtually every conversation Kucinich has. Undeniably, spirituality is a part of his fabric, a force within him that drives his every move.
This bedrock of support was born through the most difficult but vital period of Kucinich's life, when just after he had lost the mayoral election to George Voinovich in 1979, he stood alone in a park in California and realized that his life had washed away.
"There was a terrible kind of isolation about it all," Kucinich says. "The life of the city at that time was so intense that when it was all over, I was the one who was left with the feeling of all that stuff, all that energy.
"All this work I'd done over so many years. The tens of thousands of doors I'd knocked on, the thousands of little things I did to take care of people to try to help. All that was blown up. So, in a way, the people of Cleveland gave me something I wouldn't have given myself. They gave me a break from public life, which turned out to be a tremendous benefit because it gave me an opportunity to regain my sense of proportion about things and to look inward instead of looking outward. To look inward first so that when I look outward later, I can understand a few more things about the world and myself. It took a long time, though, to regain my equilibrium. I still functioned, but I was wounded. And I knew it."
What he found in the coming years was much more valuable than what he had mourned that day in the park. He developed an unconquerable spiritual core that through each challenge in his life never left him. "Without that, I'd be nothing," he says. "I wouldn't make it for a day. But with it, I can endure. I can survive."
Surviving the loss of his political career, financial devastation that was so severe he came within a few payments of losing his home and the pain of his second divorce in 1987, he emerged stronger personally and eventually, politically.
"I would say that I saw the world in more black and white terms," Kucinich says, about his views in the past. "Polarities between good and evil, rich and poor. Are you for me or against me? That's kind of the way it worked. And in my readings and studies I came to the conclusion that dichotomized thinking which leads to polarities also leads to war. And if there really is going to be peace in this world, it has to begin with oneself."
"There was a lot of fire in Dennis, in his gut, that came from a lot of unfairness that he observed when he was a child," Sandy Kucinich explains. "But he realized that it was not his job to rid the world of those injustices. He grew up and became a man and he realized that in order to get things done, he couldn't approach it in a pugnacious way. He had to be more understanding of the other side so that he could therefore change things.... It's not just my windmills that I have to conquer."
His life has changed in other ways, as well. "Dennis used to wake up at 6:30 in the morning and call me with the latest press release in tow," says Gary Kucinich. "He doesn't do that now. While politics is very important to him, its not everything. There's other things that are more important."
One of those "other things" is the only topic Kucinich is hesitant to discuss. He will say, however, that he's been in a committed relationship for more than a year, and — for the first time — is giving that part of his life what it deserves. "I've learned a lot about life and relationships and what's important in life," he says. "Our relationship is more important to me than holding office, than running for office, than anything. It's a cohesive force in my life."
Standing in a parking lot late at night after a full day of campaigning, Kucinich says he wouldn't change a thing about | his past. "You've got to learn from what you do. If you start saying, 'I would have done it differently,' you nullify your experience. I've learned a lot from all this. But as with most knowledge, it comes with a certain amount of pain."
Well thank God it all happened. But he might not put it that way.
"Actually, that could be the way," he says, stopping abruptly.
"In a way, that's kind of brilliant hyperbole or great black humor. But, in a sense, hyperbole and black humor have their truths."
A plane roars overhead.
"You can say, Yeah," he whispers as he begins walking again. "Thank God."
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|WBB takes streak on the road
The Idaho women's basketball team will take its three game win streak and four game road winning streak to Logan, Utah on Thursday for a 6 p.m. (PT) date with Utah State.
Idaho will have a chance to tie the Aggies for second place in the Western Athletic Conference with a win, as USU (10-10, 7-2 WAC) sits just one game ahead of the Vandals (9-11, 6-3 WAC) in the standings.
The Vandals have held each of their last three opponents to at 30.0 field goal percentage or lower, and 60 points or less, and have won those games by an average of 16.3 points per game. In that span, Idaho is shooting 44.0 percent from the field and holding opponents to 29.1 percent, and also owns a +9.7 rebounding margin.
The Aggies, however, are on a winning streak of their own, as they enter the game having won four straight and eight of their last 10 overall. Their 75.1 points per game are the most of any WAC team, but so are the 78.5 per game they allow.
Utah State was victorious in the first meeting between the two teams this season, overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit to win 91-86 in Moscow earlier this month. Idaho, however, holds a 12-11 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.
Fans on the Palouse can catch the action on KMAX 840 AM or VandalXtra, with the pregame show beginning at 5:45. Live stats and a live video feed will also be available at www.UtahStateSports.com.
Idaho will wrap up its road trip at San Jose State on Feb. 1 before returning home to host New Mexico State on Feb. 7 and Denver on Feb. 9.


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Augmenting the MSAA API
Enhancing Accessibility and Multi-Platform Development
(presented at CSUN 2007)
- Pete Brunet
- IBM Senior Software Engineer
- SWG Accessibility Architecture and Development
- 11501 Burnet Road
- Austin, Texas 78758
- firstname.lastname@example.com
- Larry Weiss
- IBM Software Accessibility Architect
- SWG Accessibility Architecture and Development
- 11501 Burnet Road
- Austin, Texas 78758
- firstname.lastname@example.com
This session introduces a new accessibility API which complements Microsoft's earlier work on MSAA. This API fills critical accessibility API gaps in the MSAA offering. The new API, called IAccessible2, was built out of necessity to produce a usable and accessible OpenDocument Format (ODF) based office suite for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. IAccessible2 is an engineered accessibility interface allowing application developers to leverage their investment in MSAA while also providing an assistive technology (AT) access to rich document applications such as the IBM Workplace productivity editors and web browsers such as Firefox. The additional function includes support for rich text, tables, spreadsheets, Web 2.0 applications, and other large mainstream applications.
It is important to note that IAccessible2 has been harmonized with the Linux accessibility APIs to allow for efficient multi-platform development. This was done through close collaboration with accessibility architects who have intimate knowledge of the Linux accessibility APIs.
Equally important is that IAccessible2 was a joint effort with the leading AT vendors. These vendors saw the need for an enhancement to MSAA and worked closely with IBM architects and engineers during the definition of the API as well as the implementation of the API in the IBM Workplace productivity editors and the screen readers.
MSAA – Enhancements Needed
The Microsoft Active Accessibility API, MSAA, was released in 1995 and was a long needed advance of the state of the art at that time which allowed application vendors and AT vendors to provide engineered solutions to the problem of providing accessibility on the Windows platform. Over the years it has become clear that additional engineered interfaces are needed. Some notable deficiencies in MSAA are significant shortcomings in the support for text controls, tables, hyperlinks, and relations between accessible objects.
To provide for the missing function AT vendors were forced to use OS hooks, heuristics, reverse engineering, Off Screen Models (OSMs), and many other non-engineered solutions. This resulted in very brittle code and solutions uniquely created on an application by application basis. Solutions would often have to be reworked in response to updates of the applications and updates of the OS software.
In addition to these requirements, a recent requirement is the need to support AJAX web based applications, i.e. the ability to dynamically add new roles, states, and relations.
Basis for Improvement
After the release of MSAA the state of the art continued to advance on other platforms. First on Java in 1998 when the Java Accessibility API was developed in a joint effort by accessibility architects from IBM and Sun Microsystems. That work was further improved by OpenOffice.org when the UNO Accessibility API was developed and by the GNOME community when the Linux Accessibility Toolkit (ATK) and its companion Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface (AT-SPI) was created.
Any improvement would be influenced by those post-MSAA developments. Another major requirement for IBM and many other vendors is the ability to efficiently create applications for multiple platforms. Therefore any Windows based accessibility solution would have to be harmonized with solutions for other platforms.
Another important requirement for a software interface is that it must be standardized so that any number of applications can be assured of support by the AT vendors and AT vendors can be assured that they will support any number of new applications with minimal effort.
Comparison to the Linux ATK
Of the several reference APIs examined, the Linux ATK has several advantages: It encompasses the features from the others, it is general purpose for multiple application types, and it is still evolving in an open environment. It also includes several advanced features to support new kinds of applications.
So a detailed comparison of MSAA to ATK revealed some missing interfaces, events, roles and states. The roles unique to ATK reflected greater support for rich document content. The states unique to ATK reflected support for richer controls and richer interactions with those controls.
The AtkAction interface adds support for multiple actions on a single control, and also provides a method to reveal the keyboard equivalent. Though multiple actions on a single control may seem excessive, most of us have experience with a browser back button that can either single step through prior pages or display a history. By supporting multiple accessible actions on a single control, the rich semantics of this kind of control can be revealed to the assistive technology user.
The AtkImage interface adds a means to reveal information about an image in a control or in rich document content. While many controls only supplement or replace textual content with a graphic, there are some that reveal semantic information in addition to the text. The implementation of AtkImage provides a way for the application author to reveal the semantic meaning of the image.
Many applications and rich content documents present content in the form of a table. The AtkTable interface provides an engineered interface to clearly reveal the table context of a specific cell. For example, the table caption and summary, the row and column numbers, their headers, and their description. It also provides a streamlined means to determine row, column, and cell selection.
The AtkText interface provides engineered access to rich text contents, layout, selection, attributes, and caret position without having to rely on hooking text drawing calls in the operating system. AtkHypertext and AtkHyperlink are added to expose substrings that perform document navigation or other actions. These interfaces, and some thoughtful structuring, enable applications to expose the rich semantic experience of complex interactive documents.
The concept of exposing a semantic relationship between two or more controls is exposed by AtkRelation. An AtkRelation has a type and a description to expose the semantic relationship to the user. The relation is set on one accessible object and also has a reference to another accessible object to define the parties that have this relationship. The "labelled by" and "label for" relations are the easiest to understand. And since the "other control" only has to be an accessible object, the user interface is free to use non-text objects like check boxes and radio buttons as labels for other input controls. This also has the benefit of removing placement restrictions on labels that were needed to give a hint to the AT that a specific control is a label for another.
New kinds of applications are enabled through the ATK features that allow an application to create and expose custom roles, states, and relations.
Filling the Holes
Windows application authors and assistive technology vendors are already familiar with MSAA and their COM implementations. And for the information provided, it is reliable and works well. So an important feature of this new interface is that the implementation and semantics of current applications and ATs should not change. In fact, it builds on the existing COM foundation to expose only new interfaces, roles, states, and events.
These design foundations guided the specification of the current set of IAccessible2 interfaces that are based on the difference between MSAA and ATK. Application vendors can incrementally add IAccessible2 interfaces as needed to provide improved accessibility to their application. And AT vendors can keep much of their current design, only adding a check for these new interfaces before using their legacy heuristic code.
Implementations on Both Sides of the Interface
After the problem was understood the new interface IAccessible2 was designed. It was recognized that a key factor in the success of IAccessible2 would be close collaboration between the interface designers, the application developers implementing IAccessible2 and the AT vendors using IAccessible2.
On the application side, IBM's Workplace Productivity Editors needed to provide the leading ATs access to their significantly advanced function which includes the creation of word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. These are very complex applications and a significant accessibility challenge. The IAccessible2 interface was very well suited to this challenge and the IBM development team has implemented the IAccessible2 interfaces in menus, dialogs, and client areas.
In addition, AT vendors saw the advantage of IAccessible2, i.e. the means to create a robust solution usable across many different applications. The leading AT vendors have added IAccessible2 support to their screen readers. These vendors and the IBM productivity editors accessibility engineers were deeply involved during the definition of the IAccessible2 interfaces and the implementations of the productivity editors. IAccessible2 is very well proven as a result.
Note that IAccessible2 is complementary to MSAA. The AT vendors continued to use their existing MSAA code. Their rework consisted of replacing fragile non-engineered solutions with engineered IAccessible2 solutions.
Open Standars
In order for the IAccessible2 API to be attractive to the widest audience it must be standardized and that standardization must be open for review and improvement by any interested party. IBM has donated the IAccessible2 specification to the Linux Foundation (LF). Participation in this group is open to all interested parties. Note that IAccessible2 is not source code and is considered to be an open standard rather than open source. That means that it can be used by both proprietary vendors and open source communities.
The IBM donation includes the following:
- The IAccessible2 IDL.
- Documentation of the interfaces. This is autogenerated using Doxygen.
Further work is underway to include the following:
- A Developer's Guide which includes details on how to map between the Linux ATK and Windows MSAA and IAccessible2.
- Interface testing tools equivalent to MSAA's Inspect32 and AccEvent but including support for the IAccessible2 interfaces. These tools will be 100% IBM developed code and contributed to LF.
Multi-platform Examples
A significant result of the comparison between MSAA and ATK is that adding the IAccessible2 events and interfaces to MSAA yields application accessibility semantics that are very similar on both Windows and Linux. This is important to applications that run on both platforms and need to be accessible on both platforms. Some examples of applications that will benefit from this similarity are IBM's Workplace Productivity Editors, Firefox, and Eclipse.
- IAccessible2 complements and augments MSAA responding to new requirements.
- IAccessible2 was designed to enable efficient multi-platform development.
- IAccessible2 supports Web 2.0 (AJAX, DHTML).
- IAccessible2 is a proven solution. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated on both sides of the interface; by large applications like the IBM Workplace Productivity Editors and Firefox and by the leading AT vendors.
- IAccessible2 is a royalty free, open standard; free for use by all; open for review and improvement by all


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Friday, May 4, 2012
May: Stack-a-holic Template Challenge
84 comments:
Love love love!~ Both the sketches!!!! They will be on the top of my to do list for tomorrow!ReplyDelete
I left a comment on xyroninc facebook page. I'm going to try this challenge this monthReplyDelete
I left a comment on Xyron's FB page! Have an excellent weekend!ReplyDelete
Love both of these!!!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the Xyron giveaway, Erin! I recently discovered their products and I am IN LOVE!! They make it SO easy to adhere just about anything.ReplyDelete
Thank you for the xyron prize, that's awesome. thanksReplyDelete
These sketches look like a lot of fun! AND I went over and said hi to Xyron. Can't wait to see what the big prize for tomorrow is!!!ReplyDelete
Those sketches look awesome! I also told Xyron HI!!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing ,ReplyDelete
Love the sketches! Went and "liked" Xyron. Thanks for the chance to win.ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for the link to the Xyron page which gives me a chance to win some really nice items! I love your products and use them often. Have a great weekend!ReplyDelete
Left a comment on FB page at Xyron!!!!!Thanks for this chance to win!!!!ReplyDelete
Migdalia Rodriguez
Love the sketches! I also said hello to Xyron on FB.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the chance!
Can't wait to see what's up tomorrow :)
The sketches look fun! I liked and commented on Xyron's FB page too! Have a great weekend!ReplyDelete
Love the sketches for this month!!!ReplyDelete
Beautiful layout and sketch. I said Hello to Xyron on FB. Thanks for the chance to win. :)ReplyDelete
Delighted to post on Xyron's FB page! Love the Create a Sticker and would love to try their runners! Thanks, Erin! Great new May card sketch,too!ReplyDelete
- JulieKelleyMay 4, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Great inspiration...I need more time to scrapbook and play with my stacks. I need some ME time! :)ReplyDelete
Awesome examples. Love these new sketchesReplyDelete
Thanks for the great sketches!ReplyDelete
I stopped by Xyron and said hi!ReplyDelete
Cute sketches -- will have to try them out!ReplyDelete
Love the sketches and the fun giveaway!! :)ReplyDelete
Already love Xyron, so stopped by and shared some love!ReplyDelete
I entered on Xyron facebook. I'd love to win!ReplyDelete
Carla from Utah.
- Janet Fisher CobbMay 4, 2012 at 2:56 PM
Jumped over to Xyron and told them "Hi" and wished them a nice weekend and great National Scrapbook Day! Same to you!ReplyDelete
OMG! I love this lay out and i love how it says "FOXY"! The card is also great can't wait to give it a try.ReplyDelete
love the sketches .. i went to xyron n told dem you had sent themReplyDelete
lovely layout .. your boys are so cute
- Lisa SMay 4, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Love the sketch and am looking forward to finding the perfect pictures!ReplyDelete
Love the sketches. I am going to have to try to use them both!ReplyDelete
These are GREAT sketches and I can't wait to play along! I love your FOXY girl page! So fun that you got to do a girl page! :) And your "You did it" card is so fun! Love the colors you chose!ReplyDelete
I like Xyron on FB and I told them you sent me over! Thanks for a chance to win some goodies!ReplyDelete
Love this layout. It's great.ReplyDelete
that is so awesome, thanks for the chance to win!!ReplyDelete
Great sketches and projects.ReplyDelete
craftymom205 at yahoo dot com
Awesome sketche and thanks for the inspiring projects.ReplyDelete
great projects! Thanks for the heads up regarding the Xyron giveaway!ReplyDelete
I love the layout of your family and Foxy. So sweet!ReplyDelete
thanks for the link to the xyron giveawayReplyDelete
I am a FB follower
I didn't realize you guys had a FB page for blue moon beads. So many ideas! (I liked it)ReplyDelete
great projects. tfs.ReplyDelete
littlen44 at gmail dot com
Love the sketch. Hope to play along.ReplyDelete
I left a comment on Xyron FB page.ReplyDelete
I have liked DCWV fb page thanks of the chance to win for the National Scrapbook DayReplyDelete
Love Love WCWV
liked DCWV Deals fb page, thanks for the chance to winReplyDelete
i liked blue moon Beads thanks for the chance to winReplyDelete
Happy Scrapbook day
Such fun sketches...can't wait to try that chevron technique!!ReplyDeleteReplies
This comment has been removed by the author.Delete
I already like Xyron on FB, and left them a happy message today!ReplyDelete
These are great sketches! I plan to put them to use!ReplyDelete
I follow your blog thanks for the chance to winReplyDelete
Working on mine right now!!! :)ReplyDelete
These are wonderful sketches, thanks for including the card. I will be working on mine soon.ReplyDelete
Love your layout of your family and Foxy! I'm hoping to be able to participate in the challenge this month.ReplyDelete
I love all of your papers. Thanks for the wonderful designsReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
I 'Like'd Xyron on FB, told them DCWV sent me & I was showin them some love!! ChelleReplyDelete
Beautiful layout and card. I must try this wonderful card sketch.ReplyDelete
Shared your post on FBReplyDelete
Shared on twitterReplyDelete
Great sketches and I love your projects - fantastic colors!! I liked Xyron on Facebook and told them you sent me!ReplyDelete
#1 Already am HUGE stalker {I mean follower} on your blog! Love this new sketch!ReplyDelete
Beautiful sketches, maybe I will try to do the challenge this month! I said hello to Xyron. :)ReplyDelete
I said hi to Xyron! Can't wait to do this month's card sketch. :)ReplyDelete
wow this looks like such a fun sketch! hopefully I'll have time to take part in both challenges this month!ReplyDelete
Loving all the sketches! I liked Xyrons facebook page.ReplyDelete
Just left a message on Xyron's facebook... thanks for the chance to win!!!ReplyDelete
Cathy van de Bruinhorst
Love this sketches. Will leave a message at Xyron (I have 4 xyron machines!)ReplyDelete
Just visited Xyron's page and left a comments, thanks for the change to win.ReplyDelete
I love these sketches, it puts all my DCWV pads to work!ReplyDelete
Left a comment for Xyron and thanks for the chance!ReplyDelete
Thanks for a chance to win...I love the sketches..........I love DCWV and about 90% of my paper is that.................Endless Possibilities.............................ReplyDelete
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Like Xyron and let them know you sent me ♥ReplyDelete
Thanks for the opportunity!
- Cyndy
I posted on the Xyron FB page!!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous inspiration!! I left Xyron some love!ReplyDelete
I left a comment on Xyron's Facebook page. And I can't wait to use these awesome sketches. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win.ReplyDelete
I love these sketches. I can't wait to get started.ReplyDelete
- Michele WashburnMay 7, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Stopped by Xyron's Facebook page to say hi! Thanks for the awesome sketches and thanks for the chance to win!ReplyDelete
I posted on Xyrons facebook page!!ReplyDelete
- bozenaMay 7, 2012 at 10:56 PM
great projects! Thanks for the heads up regarding the Xyron giveaway!ReplyDelete
I thought I posted but I didn't see it come up so here it goes again. Love the sketches.ReplyDelete
- Lisa ScMay 10, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Great sketches for the layout and card. I'm looking forward to working with them!ReplyDelete


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Tignes is one of the highest resorts in the French Alps, linked to Val D'Isere to form the enormous Espace Killy ski area.
I've just returned from another foray to the Espace Killy but this time I stayed up at Tignes Le Lac rather than... read full
Maybe we were lucky, being among the first visitors, but we had a terrific week at Chalet Cairn. The chalet was... read full
You do not currently have any holidays in your shortlist.
You currently have in your shortlist.


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YOTEL New York is the largest NYC hotel opening in 2011. And Giant Step is welcoming the revolutionary hotel brand stateside with the YOTEL New York Weekender Series, taking place the last weekend of each month through November.
The weekenders will be a unique party experience in three parts; beginning Saturday evening with a late-night, world-class DJ event, continuing for a Latin themed Sunday brunch and closing the weekend right with an early evening sunset soiree.
Part One of the inaugural weekender kicks off Saturday, June 25th, at 10pm, with music by DJ Louie Vega and special performances by Anané (Nulu Music) and Josh Milan, of Blaze fame.
The next day, return for Part Two, a Sunday prix fix brunch of unlimited Latin-Asian small plates and free flowing cocktails at Dohyo for $35 per guest. DJ Bobbito Garcia will provide added Latin flavor, in between exclusive live sets from the legendary Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers. The perfect Sunday continues into evening with Part Three; the massively popular Libation Party, hosted by Manchildblack and Afro Mosaic Soul, and featuring a special sunset DJ set by Ian Friday.
RSVP is a MUST for Parts One and Three, and reservations are strongly recommended for Part Two – the Sunday Brunch. For Sunday Brunch reservations, please call 646-449-7790.


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Author(s): Kane, Kathy Mast; Uhas Sauer, Doreen
ISBN: 9781607100102 / Hardcover / 11/17/2009
Marketplace Disclaimer:
Edition, Cover Design, etc may vary from the eCampus.com description. Please refer to the seller's comments before ordering. Marketplace sellers are required to ship by the end of the 5th business day. Items are not returnable to eCampus.com. Orders cannot be cancelled by eCampus.com.


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Almost a year ago I had an epiphany of sorts. I will blame it on the whole 'turning 40' thing. I took a big step back and really analyzed where I was in my life, what I wanted and where I wanted to go. This ordeal sent my mind spinning in crazy directions, leaving me truly wondering what did I want? It was at that moment I decided to walk away.
Now, any of you that know me realize I do not do change well. I stayed at the crappiest job ever for 12 years because the thought of change scared me more than the toxic people I worked with. After much prayer and a gift from God, I was able to leave that job for a new one I truly loved. Fast forward two years and change would have its way with me again as we up and moved from Chicago to the grand ole state of Texas. New town, new state, knowing no one. I couldn't even get to the grocery store without my navigation in my car. But I trudged on and am now getting quite familiar with this new land and have been able to do so without relying solely on Google Maps. Yeah me!
I tackled turning 40 with my bestie by taking a girls surfing trip to Barbados. It was amazing; the food, the surf, the stories – oh the stories! I think this picture sums it up quite well.
Now Kat, weren't you talking about walking away? Yes, yes I was. I decided in my pre-midlife crisis moment to walk away from writing. This included my blog, Blissfully Domestic, my journal and every other writing platform I was working on or posting to. Seems easy I know, but when something has been a part of your life for eight years it is hard to walk away. Through writing and blogging I have made fierce life long friendships, I have met amazing people, been inspired over and over again, have finally been among people that 'get' me – how could I walk away from everything I loved and cherished. These guys.
And Hubby, I can't forget Hubby. I had caught myself one too many times saying, "Just give me a minute to finish this up" and "Can you please quiet down? Mommy need to get her work/writing/post done". I was actually convicted by Monkey who said, "I know Mom, you always say that." Whoa. THAT is not what I wanted to hear. I didn't want them to remember me as some crazy haired person hiding behind a laptop. I wanted them to remember me; that I spent time with them, was fully present in their lives, that I cared about them more than the internet, that I loved them with all my heart and soul.
So after a heart to heart with Hubby and his assurance that the world would go on if I didn't blog, I took a break. To say it was easy would be a big fat lie. I was like an addict – "If I just quick put up this haiku I just wrote people wouldn't forget about me, maybe if I do just one more 100 Words…." The list went on and on. I made a conscious effort to leave my laptop out of plain sight. I actually hid it in my closet. Pathetic, I know. But I missed it. I still miss it. But by walking away for a bit it made me realize how much time I was truly spending on it. Time that I could never get back with my family.
So now our family rule is no laptops after dinner. Internet time has been replaced with mandatory family snuggle time on the couch. And even though it is cramped and squishy and full of boy madness, I wouldn't trade it for the world. But I am trying to find a way write more. Because life has to be about balance right?


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WHEN I arrive at Mariska Hargitay's apartment in New York City, I am afraid I have the wrong address. Next to the door is a beat-up Spider-Man scooter, and as soon as I ring the bell, feet pound and a woman screams, "Just a minute!" When the door finally opens, I am greeted by a baby's butt.
"Come in, come in," Hargitay calls out in her husky-lusty voice. She swings the infant, a coffee-colored dumpling in a pink gingham sundress, to her hip and offers me her free hand to shake. I take it but step back. Unlike any other famous person I've ever met, Hargitay is bigger than I expected—basketball player tall, with swimmer's shoulders and Michelle Obama biceps. And unlike the emotionally damaged detective she plays on TV, Hargitay is smiley. Super smiley. Or maybe the baby has cast some sort of spell on her, because when I introduce myself, the Emmy winner responds by introducing not herself but her six-month-old daughter, whose name is Amaya.
Of course, Hargitay is within her rights to be a little dazed right now. A new baby is only one of the changes she's adjusting to. The other is the near-total revamp of the TV series she has starred in for 12 years, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Last spring her costar and close friend Chris Meloni left the show; his absence was filled by not one but two actors, Danny Pino and Kelli Giddish, each at least a decade younger than Hargitay. Andre Braugher, whose most recent credit is TNT's Men of a Certain Age, also joined SVUas a defense attorney. And with the exit of executive producer Neal Baer, Warren Leight took over as an executive producer andshow runner.
With all the transitions, there were even rumors that Hargitay's own role in the series might change. But as she settles onto a sleigh sofa in a sitting room painted the red-orange of a Hawaiian sunset, Hargitay really wants to talk about what is literally pressing on her heart: her daughter.
Read the rest of Mariska's story in the November issue of More, on newsstands now!
AMANDA ROBB wrote "To Hell with Inner Beauty" in the October issue of More.
Read: Mariska Hargitay Talks About Her Surprise Baby
Read: Mariska Hargitay: The Sexiest Cop Alive
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Jacques Callot, Le Bohémiens en marche: l'arrière-garde (The Gypsies Marching: The Rear Guard), c. 1620–29, etching with engraving, Albert A. Feldmann Collection.
Beck Building
5601 Main Street
Jacques Callot was one of the most accomplished and inventive printmakers of the 17th century. Immerse yourself in Callot's two worlds—court life and street life—as you learn more about a few etchings in the exhibition Princes & Paupers.
► Admission is free when you purchase lunch from that day's on-site food truck or from the MFAH location of Cafe Express, so make Lunch + Look part of your routine! General admission is always free for MFAH Members.


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ZF-5608: [CLOSEME] No way to pass ListSep parameter to Zend_View_Helper_FormMultiCheckbox
When rendering multiCheckboxes or radio, the list separator is defined in function itself, not {{$options}} array.
It makes it impossible to use {{Zend_Form_Element_Multi}} with custom separator (instead of default {{
In class {{Zend_View_Helper_FormMultiCheckbox}}
public function formMultiCheckbox($name, $value = null, $attribs = null,
$options = null, $listsep = "
return $this->formRadio($name, $value, $attribs, $options, $listsep);
The {{$listsep}} should be part of {{$options}}. It should be then propagated to {{Zend_View_Helper_FormRadio}}.
The reason for this is {{Zend_Form_Decorator_ViewHelper::render()}} calls the View helper in the following way:
// Zend/Form/Decorator/ViewHelper.php : 241
$elementContent = $view->$helper($name, $value, $attribs, $element->options);
The rest of optional function parameters will never be called.
Well, apparently {{$element->setSeparator()}} does the trick. I was too deep in the code to notice that. A bit quirky, but works.
Closing per request from reporter.


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The highlights are oh-so plentiful, so let's get right into breaking this down, so you know where to be.
Friday: Blues royalty with Soul royalty opening up at Red Butte Garden on what's hopefully a warm, clear Friday night. Why no, it doesn't get much better than that.
Mavis Staples, of Staples Singers fame, is 71, but is also touring behind one of her stronger releases in several years. "You're Not Alone," which was produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy came out in February and contains several excellent songs including the Tweeedy-penned title track. Even if you don't have many Staples Singers releases - which is a sad situation if true - if you've ever owned a TV and seen a commercial, it's likely you're familiar with at least some of Mavis' well-known hits.
In what may be a unique pairing in their long careers, Staples will open up for Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy. If you've never seen Guy, but think blues music tends to be lethargic and repetitive, allow the legendary bluesman to set you straight. Having seen Guy multiple times since 1989, I'm here to tell you that he's routinely enthralling and often over-the-top. And wait for his time-tested maneuver of walking thorough the crowd while he plays a blazing guitar solo. Works every time. Especially when you're bad-ass enough that Eric Clapton loves telling interviewers that Guy's the world's best guitar player.
Here's a look at both of them, including footage of Buddy blowing up a Jimi Hendrix song, who happened to list Buddy as a key influence:
Saturday: One of the best venues in Salt Lake City, the grassy area due east of SLC's Main Library, gets its annual featured night of usage on Saturday. Why the powers that be basically only use this site one night a year - in addition to hosting relatively minor shows during the rest of the Utah Arts Festival and Living Traditions weekend - remains a mystery. So, basically the annual fund-raising show is the grassy lawn above the parking garage's one night to really shine. This year should be a real treat with Maine's country-soul troubadour Ray LaMontagne headlining. His backup band, the Pariah Dogs, are part of the reason that LaMontagne's 2010 cd "God Willin' and The Creek Don't Rise" is such a solid effort.
People also buzz about LaMontagne's two openers, Brandi Carlisle and The Secret Sisters. This promises to be a fun night on the lawn.
Here's Ray singing a real weeper, "Jolene."
Sunday: The Righteous Babe herself, Ani DiFranco, hits Red Butte Garden. (And no that's not a sexist comment, that's the name of her DIY record label she founded back in the early 90s) Ani will headline what should be a top-notch of folk music over at Red Butte Garden when she teams up with one of her influences, Greg Brown.
Most folks are relatively familiar with DiFranco, but Brown's the secret weapon on this bill as the unassuming Iowa folk singer has written more terrific songs than most singer-songwriters ever devise. Yeah, Brown's that good. Brown's latest "Freak Flag," continues his long string of touching, cutting-edge folk.
Here's an old Ani classic, "32 Flavors."
Also, this week:
Thursday: A chance to get your '90s on when rockers Cake play a sold-out gig at Red Butte Garden.
Sleepy-eyed Texas folkies Okkervill River will be at The Urban Lounge along with buzz-band Titus Andronicus, who may be the more compelling reason to take in this gig. It should be a crowded, steamy night in the UL.
Saturday: Rock-solid indie rockers, The Black Lips, will be at Urban Lounge, along with Cerebal Ballzy
Sunday: A rare chance to head to USANA Ampitheatre and check out a guy playing drums upside-down. Yep, Motley Crue's in town with Tommy Lee's latest toy. They'll also have a bizarre opening combo of Poison and the New York Dolls. One of these bands was seminal influence on countless bands and largely invented '70s glam rock. The other features Brett Michaels.
Whatever you do, have fun and we'll see you out there.
Follow Salt Lake Magazine arts/entertainment writer Scott Murphy on Twitter @murphyinfo.


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May 16, 2013
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA junior guard Thea Lemberger was named First Team All-America by the Jewish Sports Review. She was one of five student-athletes on the First Team and was the only one of the five to help her squad advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Lemberger was the only representative from the Pac-12 on either the First Team or the six-person Honorable Mention squad. She joined Danielle Diamant (Sr., F, Northwestern), Naama Shafir (Sr., G, Toledo), Alyssa Baron (Jr., G, Pennsylvania) and Jacqui Kalin (Sr., G, Northern Iowa) on the First Team.
Lemberger spent the summer of 2012 playing on the Israeli Women's 20 and Under National Team. She competed with the team in a tournament in Prague, Czech Republic, and finished the tournament in the top 10 in 10 different statistical categories. She averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
This past season, she guided the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 26-8 and a third-place finish in the Pac-12 (14-4) while starting in 24 of 28 games she played. She missed six games due to two different injuries (one injury at the beginning of the season and one at the end). Lemberger finished fourth on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg) and was third on the squad in assists with 74 (2.6 apg), which ranked 14th in the Pac-12. Her average of 2.8 assists per game in league play, ranked 15th in the Pac-12 and her 32.7 percent shooting from three-point range in conference games ranked 12th.
She scored a season-high 20 points with a career-best four three-pointers (4-of-4) in the win over Saint Joseph's (Dec. 31, 2012). She also recorded season and career highs of nine assists and five steals in a home win over Arizona (Jan. 25, 2013).
Lemberger joins senior forward Atonye Nyingifa as one of only two returning starters for the 2013-14 campaign.
Making the Honorable Mention All-America squad was Sophie Bikopsky (So., F, Brown), Jamie Kaplan (So., G, Tulane), Camille Mahlknecht (So. C, Cal State Northridge), Lauren Polansky (Sr., G, Princeton), Camila Rosen (Sr., G, New Mexico State) and Carli Rosenthal (So., F, St. Mary's).


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The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a murder conviction and life sentence for a Jacksonville murder, rejecting the inmate's argument that a statement given to police turned jurors against him even though they weren't told what he said.
In a unanimous decision, justices noted Alonzo Watson was convicted on witness testimony, not interviews he gave to police after Daniel Harris was found dead in a warehouse district Sept. 3, 2010.
An ex-girlfriend testified at Watson's trial that he confessed to her while wearing a blood-spattered shirt about an hour after Harris was last seen alive but that he changed his story after she became upset. A man who gave Watson a ride the night of the killing said he heard him talk about killing someone, and when the two shared a jail cell later Watson said he'd beaten a man with a rock in a drunken rage.
Prosecutors said Harris was struck 26 times with a piece of steel-reinforced concrete.
Watson met with police twice. Prior to the trial, a judge rejected Watson's attempt to suppress his initial statement but prosecutors opted later to not present it to jurors. They agreed before trial not to bring up the second statement in court.
In arguing against Watson's appeal, prosecutors said he had no valid argument because his statement was never introduced as evidence.
"When an appellant's statement was not used at trial, he cannot demonstrate prejudice," Justice Courtney Hudson Goodson wrote for the court.
Watson told police he and Harris were confronted by two other men.
Location, ST | website.com


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by Jennifer Parker
Famed London acid jazz group the Brand New Heavies are set to make heads turn with their latest studio record in almost seven years, Forward, which drops tomorrow. Jan Kincaid, Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, as well as original vocal contributor N'Dea Davenport and Dawn Joseph, a new vocalist, create a high energy funk and soul groove with a twist of disco. If anything, BNH is indefatigable – they're constantly touring and always on the road. Check out what Jan Kincaid had to say:
On getting back in the recording game after an almost seven-year hiatus:
We were really motivated by a sense of frustration. We had been on the road for a long time and were reinventing our business, changing management, and many of us were starting families. So we were extremely productive. We have a live album but a studio record was long, long overdue. We were more than ready to go forward, but our frustration was the motivating factor. The title of the album is a reflection on moving forward into the new millennium. We're the same band, but this album is a fresh outlook. And it's uplifting.
On people's different reactions to funk music:
You can see a lot of new people coming into funk, especially a lot of young people. It seems there's a lot of interest in NY, especially in the Afrobeat scene. But it's mainly young people interested in the music – it's accessible, dynamic, exciting, and people can feel it. If you look at today's pop music and alternative, funk is the antithesis of that. As much as people want to plug into the matrix and be a part of the machine, there's a lot of people who want something more real.


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Christopher Jason Witten (twitter: @JasonWitten)
Position: TE
Height: 6-5 Weight: 257 lbs.
Born: May 6, 1982 in Elizabethton, TN
High School: Elizabethton
College: Tennessee (school history) (Witten college stats)
Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 3rd round (69th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 75 (456th overall since 1950)
10-time Pro Bowler & 2-time First-Team All-Pro (fine print)
Other SR Links: College Football at Sports-Reference.com
Like this page? Sponsor it for $50. Your message will replace this ad.


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[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/vD_M395n1f8" width="550" height="445" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]
"Wow!!! This is dope, Kero. I love it, I love it!" is what will.i.am has to say about the Bay Area's Rapper/producer/DJ Kero One's Early Believers, out today. Three years after receiving Remix Magazine's Best Hip Hop Album of 2006 award and collaborating with Talib Kweli and Mark Farina on his debut, Kero modulates from soulful jazz tinged tracks to upbeat synth-driven party bangers on his sophomore album.
Early Believers features some of his favorite vocalists such as Gilles Peterson protégé UK singer Ben Westbeech ("When The Sunshine Comes" and "Goodbye Forever"), Finland's answer to modern soul, Tuomo ("Let's Just Be Friends" and "Love and Happiness") and Portland's Ohmega Watts ("Stay On The Grind") all showcasing Kero One's growth and maturity as a writer, composer, vocalist and arranger. Enjoy a free download of the opening track to Early Believers, "Welcome To The Bay," with Jacqueline Marie.


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I am looking in the Ruger catalog at the different models of Mini-14 that they offer. Most look like workaday models that serve a purpose. I like them.
However, Ruger does offer two "Target" models. They come with a device called a "Harmonic Barrel Tuner." Supposedly you can tune this device to make the gun more accurate. To me it is just something more to go wrong! Also, the weight of these 2 "Target Rifles" is approximately 1.5 to 2.5 pounds heavier. They also cost a couple hundred dollars more. I personally see NO use for these rifles! I don't need a tactical gun that can shoot a gnat through his eye at 100 yards.
I prefer the regular models. They are lighter and handier and don't need special attention. I believe that the Mini-14s accuracy is sufficient for my needs just as it comes. I may have to try different kinds of ammunition to get the best accuracy with it, but that is also true of the target models.
If I want to target shoot with the .223/5.56, I can find a bolt action for far less money than the target Minis.


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John Claflin Movies and Career Information
- Movies Written by John Claflin
- Inhale 2010
- Fool's Gold 2008
- Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid 2004
Although updated daily, all theaters, movie show times, and movie listings should be independently verified with the movie theatre.
Contact mrmovietimes.com for information or comments. Please read the mrmovietimes.com Privacy Policy and terms of use. Enjoy the movie!
Copyright © 2016 Movie Times, Inc. Site Map | Google+


text:
I am doing research on uncertainty analysis and risk assessment for oil field development. For doing economic forecast and valuation I use Real Options theory, which is almost similar to theory used in finance. RO theory is used for valuation of a real, tangible asset etc. My question is as follow:
I have forecast of future cash flows for 20 years from my reservoir, which I get from flow rates and oil price. The flow rates came from Monte Carlo simulation. I compute Present Value (PV) from these future cash flows. In order to use Real Option Valuation (ROV), using Black-Scholes equation, I must know the volatility of the economic returns for 20 years from my reservoir. Knowing this information what could be the appropriate measure of computing volatility of the economic returns from my reservoir?
I have heard of stochastic volatility in finance, however as I am not sure how appropriate it would be to use the stochastic volatility in my case.
The distribution of PV for any particular year is coming out to be gaussian. There is no historical data known.


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Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society is the official undergraduate honor society of the National Communication Association and a member of the American Association of Honor Societies. Students are invited to membership when they meet the following criteria:
The Ferris Delta Epsilon chapter was chartered in 1996. It is also named in remembrance of Karen A. Paquette who was chapter president in our second year before her untimely death due to brain cancer.
Our chapter is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) with an average annual membership of 15-20 students. We hold induction ceremonies each semester, sponsor bottle and can recycling in Johnson Hall, and co-sponsor the fall Campus-Wide Public Speaking Contest with Pi Kappa Delta national forensics honorary. We also provide service to the Communication faculty as requested.