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It's always good advice: collect what you love.
Photo: Dora Pete, SXC
Book collectors use the term 'modern first editions' for books published within the last 100 years or so, and it's currently one of the top genres for collecting. It's an area with a number of advantages, but does that make them a good investment?
Modern first editions are usually available in larger quantities, making them more affordable for collectors. Even some of the most famous and sought after modern authors, like Steinbeck, Faulkner, or Hemingway, can be found in good condition with dust jackets for under $100. Unknown authors can catch public attention and become highly sought after. Their books may become classics, causing value to climb.
But collecting modern books or authors can have drawbacks if you're considering collecting for its investment value. It's difficult to predict whether a popular author is a passing fad or if a book will be considered literature. Consider the 19th century author Marie Corelli, who published under the pen name of Mary Mackay. She was one of the best selling authors of her time, but she's practically unknown today.
For modern first editions, the condition of the book will be one of the most important issues. It's important that the bindings be attached and all pages and illustrations be present. The cover must be clean, and there should be no underlining or tears. If the books was issued with a dust jacket, the dust jacket needs to be present and in good condition as well. Otherwise, the value of the book drops dramatically.
When it comes to modern first editions, collect according to your passions and your interests, not for investment value. Consider it an added bonus if the books you love increase in value as well.
- Books 101
- Biographies and Memoirs
- Mysteries and Thrillers
- TV and Movies
- Useful websites


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On July 21, 1861, 35,000 Union troops led by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell faced off against more than 20,000 Confederates under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard near a railroad junction at Manassas, Virginia, 25 miles from Washington, D.C. The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as Manassas, was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. To commemorate the battle's 150th anniversary, we asked HISTORY's chief historian Libby O'Connell about its significance and what every American can do to help preserve our shared history.
What events led up to the First Battle of Bull Run?
The war had begun three months earlier at Fort Sumter, but since then there had only been small-scale clashes between the two sides. Abraham Lincoln decided to strike first. The Union strategy was to deal a crushing blow to Confederate forces near Manassas, Virginia, and quickly march on Richmond, the Confederate capital. Union General Irvin McDowell, worried that his untrained troops were unprepared for such an endeavor, protested the plan, but Lincoln overruled him. Why did he do this? Well, there was enormous pressure in the North, primarily from the press, for a quick, decisive action to end the war. More importantly, however, the 90-day term of enlistment for most of the soldiers who had joined the Union Army after Fort Sumter was set to expire. Lincoln believed that this might be his only chance to use this massive military force before he lost it.
What exactly happened during the battle?
At first, the Union Army seemed on the verge of victory, pushing back P.G.T. Beauregard's forces at Warrenton turnpike, while one Southern brigade, led by General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, desperately tried to hold the high ground at Henry Hill House. The tide of the battle turned later in the day, with the arrival of Confederate reinforcements under the command of Joseph E. Johnston. The increasingly disorganized and overwhelmed Union Army collapsed under the pressure of the Confederate counterattack, resulting in a frantic retreat. However, the Confederate troops were just as exhausted and disorganized, and they were unable to mount a pursuit of the fleeing Union Army.
What happened in the aftermath of the battle?
It took the shattered Union Army nearly 36 hours to get back to Washington, D.C., marching almost without rest or food. As one soldier put it, this army that was supposed to crush the Confederates limped back into the capital "more dead than alive."
Meanwhile, Lincoln grasped the severity of the situation immediately. Just one day after the battle, on July 22, he signed a bill that called for the enlistment of 500,000 additional soldiers for a length of service of three years. Lincoln also quickly removed Irvin McDowell from command, replacing him with George B. McClellan. McClellan would prove instrumental in reorganizing the Union Army into a competent, well-trained fighting force, but he would soon clash with Lincoln over the idea of actually using this army in battle.
Confederate leaders had conflicted reactions. P.G.T. Beauregard was hailed as a hero and promoted to full general by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. However, there was a fair amount of finger pointing and squabbling within the military over the failure of Beauregard and Johnston to pursue and crush the Union Army during their panicked retreat.
Why is the battle known by two different names?
The two armies chose different naming conventions for military engagements. The Union Army usually named them after natural resources like rivers or bodies of water (in this case, Bull Run Creek), while the Confederate Army named them after nearby towns, farms or even railroad junctions (hence, Manassas). You see this throughout the war, with differing names for battles such as Shiloh, also known as Pittsburg Landing, and Antietam, also known as Sharpsburg.
What are some interesting things about Bull Run that people might not know?
It's hard to imagine this today, but the First Battle of Bull Run was in many ways a spectator event. Northerners were pretty sure this would be the first—and last—significant battle of the war, and they wanted to see the action for themselves. Hundreds of people—including reporters, government officials and even average citizens—traveled out to watch the battle. They made a day of it, bringing picnic lunches and wine, almost as if they were attending a modern-day tailgate party. Unfortunately, once the tide of battle turned, this civilian crowd was caught up in the frenzied retreat of the Union Army as they all made their way back to Washington, D.C., along the same crowded roads. One northern Congressman, Alfred Ely of New York, was even captured by Confederate forces during the retreat, and he spent more than five months in a Richmond prison before being released.
Also, the Civil War has often been called a clash of "brother against brother" to emphasize how close the relationships were between soldiers, but this was also true among military leaders. Nearly 900 West Point graduates fought in the Civil War, with many of them facing each other on the battlefield not long after graduation. Bull Run is a perfect example of this. Irvin McDowell and P.G.T. Beauregard had been classmates at the U.S. Military Academy, both members of the class of 1838. Speaking of soldiers, many who would go on to serve with great distinction saw their first major combat of the war at Bull Run, including William T. Sherman and Thomas Jackson, who would earn the nickname "Stonewall" due to his bravery during the battle.
Another thing to note about Bull Run is the role of technology. This was the first battle in American history in which railroads were used to transport soldiers—in this case, Confederate reinforcements—to the front lines. The railroad would go on to play an enormous tactical role during the war.
What is the significance of Bull Run?
You could almost say that Bull Run signaled an end to the innocence and naïveté both sides had about the war. It was the bloodiest battle in American history up to that point. There were almost 850 deaths and more than 4,000 missing or wounded. The Union defeat was a huge shock to the North, which had been sure of its massive military—and moral—advantage. Any hopes they had of a quick victory were dashed. Some in the South rejoiced over the triumph at Bull Run, which they felt proved that a Confederate soldier was the equal of any Union soldier, while others shared the feeling of most Northerners: that this was going to be a very long struggle.
What has happened to the area where Bull Run was fought?
Much of the battlefield is under the control of the National Park Services' Manassas National Battlefield Park, although some acreage is still subject to modern development. However, many other Civil War battlefields are at extreme risk due to planned commercial and residential development, and there are a few ways Americans can help save these sites. The Civil War Trust is America's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of these endangered battlefields. In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the war, HISTORY has partnered with the Civil War Trust and the National Park Foundation to launch the Give 150™ campaign, which gives Americans an opportunity to donate money or their time to preservation projects. Click here to find out how you can help.
Note from Libby: I don't want the world to think I claim encyclopedic knowledge of Civil War battles. As much as I'd like to pretend I knew every detail off the top of my head, I was given time to research these answers, so now I have no excuse if you find errors. And given the topic, I'm sure someone will find a mistake, Civil War fans being notoriously hard to please. But I want to give a shout-out to our digital team, because they've put such great material together on our site. Keep exploring—enormous riches lie within.

subset: commoncrawl


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How Does Inequality Define the Health of a Nation?
Research is showing that some of the wealthiest countries also have the greatest equality gaps between rich and poor as well as the highest rates of health problems and mental illnesses.
Richard Wilkinson has done extensive research on the effects and consequences of inequality.


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Georgia Theatre Tickets
If you have found our site, you have found an exciting way to enjoy all the events you have been waiting to see without paying hefty prices. At our site, we make do without conventional marketing, thus running the risk of being inaccessible to potential customers. But cutting down on advertising is precisely what helps us to offer the cheapest tickets for Georgia Theatre and other exciting events. You can now enjoy Georgia Theatre and other popular shows and events even with a tight budget! Its the word-of-mouth advertizing that keeps us going, so do tell your friends about us! No more delaying the excitement!
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A:You can buy Georgia Theatre Tickets at anytime you want before the event.
Q:Can you buy kip moore tickets at the georgia theatre?
A:Yes, you can buy Georgia Theatre Tickets from the arena itself if you find that convenient.


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LE1 is a book and body of photo-graphical work which was produced and developed throughout the year of 2013 - 2014 for PHVP 3409 module Major Project. In this book, reader will find all information about how project was developing and reaching current status. Inspired by Milton Rogovin, Daniel Meadows and Humans of New York, I made a decision to create a series of photographs which would consist of black and white portraits of strangers who I have met within LE1 postal address area in the centre of Leicester city. The reason for this body of work is that we see or encounter with so many people during the day and we tend to forget them all straight away, however some faces get stuck in our memories and you cannot remember where you have seen them. From my own experience and perspective of ordinary people, humans remember various strangers or people who look different and cannot be seen in the middle of mass of others so easily. This is the reason why I tried to capture such people which might get stuck in someone's minds and show them from closer and that they are really not that strange at all. All images in this project are taken on different kind of Black & White films and various medium format cameras, developed, scanned and printed by the author.
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Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) is a program within the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. This flexible program offers students the ability to earn a degree in civil or architectural engineering while gaining a specialization in construction management.
The undergraduate program enables students to select a focus in architectural engineering, taking courses with a vertical or building emphasis, or civil engineering, taking courses detailing horizontal or infrastructure engineering. In either discipline, students balance their core requirements with a concentration in construction management that includes course work in areas such as contract administration, scheduling and planning, cost engineering, construction equipment and methods, and construction surveying. Operating with this flexibility, the program bridges both architectural and civil engineering degrees with construction management and provides students a more well-rounded educational experience.
At the graduate level, the CEM program is available as an emphasis within the Civil or Architectural Engineering disciplines. Many of our students are pursuing additional degrees to enhance their current careers with advanced construction topics. Students are able to balance core construction courses that range from globalization to project controls along with business and technical electives allowing them to focus their education on specific career objectives. Graduates who are preparing for a career in academia or research are able to participate in research projects, establishing a strong foundation for success in a research-focused career.


text: hello everybody! im going to start my own terraria texture pack, but i don't know what to put in it exactly. that is why i am asking you guys to see what you would like in this terraria texture pack. i would like to know what themes, mini-changes and what not. currently i changed the bunny to being a cat (maybe nyan cat in future if enough people want that ) , the moon has a creeper face in it, and i made the grass dark brown color to make it look dead.... as you can see...im just doing random things, and i would like to know what im aiming at.... Themes, NPCs, Monsters, Projectiles, Tiles, weapons


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ROH executive promoted by Sinclair
Nov 14, 2013 - by Steve Gerweck
Sinclair promoted Joe Koff to Vice President of Training and Development. It's a role where he oversees and trains new ad salesmen for the network. He will remain Chief Operating Officer of Ring of Honor at the same time.
credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
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Blue Tooth Virgin Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Blue Tooth Virgin Write a Movie Review for Blue Tooth Virgin
Release Date: 2009-09-25 (NY)
Genre: Comedy,
Rating: R
Duration: 1hr 19min
Two writers must face a dilemma that is common to anyone who has ever had an artistic friend: What happens when you have to give feedback, and the news isn't good? Sam, an aspiring screenwriter, and David, a successful magazine editor, have been pals for years. When David doesn't appreciate Sam's latest script, it opens a fissure in their friendship, one that spreads through the rest of their lives. Ultimately, both men must reevaluate their motivations to write, their need for praise and validation, and what it means to see yourself as you actually are.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Tom Gilroy, Bryce Johnson, Austin Peck, Roma Maffia, Lauren Stamile
- Directed by Russell Brown
- Produced by Russell Brown
- Written by Russell Brown
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Designed and optimized for use on toolbars and tab bars in OSX Lion & iOS apps – and I am sure you will find other uses for them as well.
If you like these icons, why not share this site with your friends on twitter, a digg would be awesome too.
All icons has been created for iPhone, iPhone 4 and iPad. Scaleable photoshop PSD file included.
If you already bought Tabs Epic, you will get a $10 discount on Tabs Colors here.
There are many uses for the icons, but here's a quick overview of what the uses might include:


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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford sophomore tight end Luke Kaumatule has been named to the John Mackey Award Watch List.
The John Mackey Award has been awarded since 2000 to the most outstanding Tight End in FBS college football. In addition to demonstrating outstanding athletic prowess on the field, the award also stands for positive sportsmanship-like behavior, good academic standing & exceptional leadership abilities.
- Complete Mackey Watch List
The award recipient is determined by confidential balloting of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee, which is composed of respected members of the media and former NFL players.
The award is named after Roosevelt native and NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey.
The midseason Watch List will be released Oct. 14 with eight semifinalists named Nov. 18. One week later, the field will be narrowed to three finalists and the recipient will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12th.
Kaumatule is an intriguing addition to the list, which includes 37 names. At 6 foot 7, 260 pounds, he played behind a pair of NFL draftees last season in Zach Ertz (Philadelphia) and Levine Toilolo (Atlanta). Stanford has garnered the nickname of "Tight End-U" in social media circles and Kaumatule received praise throughout the spring practice season. In last season's victory over USC, it was Kaumatule who delivered a pivotal downfield block on Ertz's game-winning touchdown reception. All told in 2012, Kaumatule played in nine games.
Ertz led all FBS tight ends during the 2012 season with 69 receptions and 898 receiving yards, both school records at the position, while adding six touchdowns. He teamed with Toilolo (24-393-4) for 93 receptions for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012 as Stanford led all schools nationally in tight end productivity.
Kaumatule's upside can be massive and the Stanford pedigree is in place with the program boasting seven tight ends in the NFL - Ertz, Toilolo, Coby Fleener (Indianapolis), Jim Dray (Arizona), Konrad Reuland (N.Y. Jets), Alex Smith (Cincinnati) and Evan Moore (most recently with Philadelphia).
Mackey is often regarded as one of the all-time greats to ever have played the tight end position. He played in the National Football League for 10 years, was elected to the Pro Bowl five times, was a three-time All-NFL Player, was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team and to the league's 50th Anniversary squad. He also played in two NFL Championship games and two Super Bowls, including the victorious Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V where he caught a pivotal 75 yard touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas.
Stanford's season opens Sept. 7 with an 8 p.m. (PT) home game against a San Jose State team that won 11 games a year ago. The game will be televised nationally on Pac-12 Networks.
Season ticket holders are now able to purchase individual game tickets for all 2013 home games. Single-game tickets go on sale Aug. 1 with availability based on remaining interest after season ticket sales, which are at an all-time high with nearly 32,000 already sold. Fans are encouraged to visit GoStanford.com to buy season tickets.
-- #goStanford --


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Research Matters Blog
This week's infographic comes from Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), a youth-led organization in Los Angeles dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students. They estimate that between 320,000 and 400,000 LGBTQ youth experience homelessness in the US each year and 40% of youth who are homeless in the US identify as LGBTQ. In New York, the average age at which a lesbian or gay youth becomes homeless is 14, while the age for transgender youth is 13.5 years old.
There is a connection between youth homelessness and family dynamics. 68% of LGBTQ youth who are homeless have experienced rejection from members of their family, and 54% say they have experienced family abuse. The exposure to rejection among LGBTQ youth is not limited to their families but also support services such as shelters, where 1 in 3 transgender people say they have been refused a bed.
There are not enough services available to help LGBTQ youth who are homeless. 15% of homeless shelters reported helping LGBTQ youth is "not central to their mission". However, research has shown helping and housing LGBTQ youth would be far more cost effective than other alternatives. The infographic states that it would cost US taxpayers $54,000 per year to incarcerate a youth who is homeless, compared to a cost of $6,000 to permanently move the same youth off the streets and prevent them from becoming incarcerated.
In Canada, 25-40% of youth who are homeless identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning and 2-spirited (LGBTQ2S). There are currently minimal supports to meet specific needs of LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness in Canada. However, there are ongoing efforts to change that. Canada's first transitional housing program for LGBTQ2S youth opened in Toronto earlier this year and a queer-exclusive transitional home, run by Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, is expected to open in the fall of 2017.
Pride is a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S) communities around the globe celebrate who we are, how far we have come, and how hard we have fought in order to be able to be our authentic selves. During Pride we also reflect on the oppression and violence that our community has faced over the years and continues to face today, especially the most marginalized members of our communities; including youth, trans women of colour and racialized and indigenous LGBTQ2S people. It is absolutely essential that we make space for and amplify the voices of those who struggle the most in our communities, due to intersecting oppressions.
There is something extra meaningful and political about this year's Pride celebrations, as LGBTQ2S people around the world unite to mourn the lives that were lost and damaged by the recent horrific tragedy in Orlando. A gruesome act of violence that has shaken us to the core and reminded the world why Pride started in the first place and why we still celebrate Pride in 2016.
We understand that these events affect us all in different ways, but we need to ensure that the voices of queer and trans people of colour are amplified and centered in the conversations that we are all having about what has occurred.
Violence against queer and trans people is something that happens every day and everywhere around the globe, and it is something that threatens our freedom any time, and every time it occurs. Now more than ever, we must fight for LGBTQ2S rights globally. We must continue to show the world that we will not be defeated because we are not just a community, but a diverse family of many communities, and we will always come together in solidarity to fight hate.
Although many would describe Canada as a relatively safe country for LGBTQ2S communities, there is still much work to be done. Homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia remain rampant in most institutional settings, including schools, health-care facilities, and shelters and housing programs. LGBTQ2S youth remain largely overrepresented in the homeless youth population, with estimates as high as up to 40 per cent of homeless youth identifying as LGBTQ2S.
Here is how one young trans person interviewed by Abramovich (2015) described what it is like to be trans and homeless in Toronto:
"Try living in a world where it's hard enough to love yourself, but even harder to be accepted, going into a place where you think you can be safe, going into a place where you assume you can get help but every door you try to open is locked or sealed shut, you're trying to walk back to where you started but that door is also locked.
You try very hard to break down that door.
Once you get through you realize you cannot be you."
Until we end LGBTQ2S youth homelessness and ensure safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments in all support programs, the fight will be far from over.
Even though we still have a long way to go, we must acknowledge how far we have come. It has been an eventful year with important milestones for LGBTQ2S communities across Canada. Great strides have finally been made in the area of LGBTQ2S youth homelessness - something we have fought hard for over the past decade.
Canada's first transitional housing program specifically designed to address the unique needs of LGBTQ2S youth opened in Toronto in February 2016 - YMCA, Sprott House. Sprott House offers a 25-bed safe home to a diverse group of LGBTQ2S young people, an essential and long awaited service.
Shelters and housing programs are often unsafe for LGBTQ2S youth, due to homophobic, transphobic, and biphobic violence, which is why specialized housing with integrated supports should be a key component of our national response to addressing and ending LGBTQ2S youth homelessness across Canada.
The City of Toronto, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration officially launched updated shelter standards for the first time in 12 years, as a result of years of advocacy efforts. LGBTQ2S cultural competency training was made mandatory for shelter staff for the first time. The 519 and Dr. Alex Abramovich worked in partnership to develop the curriculum, with the goal to help staff and organizations become better allies of LGBTQ2S youth. However, in order to do this, we also need to create welcoming and affirming spaces (social, physical and cultural) for LGBTQ2S youth.
In March 2016, the Government of Alberta's LGBTQ2S youth homelessness report was released, which outlines a provincial response to LGBTQ2S youth homelessness. The report details six core recommendations on how to prevent and reduce LGBTQ2S youth homelessness:
- Support the delivery of LGBTQ2S-specific housing options.
- Support the delivery of population-based programs for LGBTQ2S youth that foster an intersectional approach.
- Create provincial housing/shelter standards that focus on working with and meeting the needs of LGBTQ2S youth.
- Develop integrated, provincial training solutions for expanded staff training for all aspects of LGBTQ2S cultural competency.
- Develop a prevention plan that focuses on early intervention, awareness raising and education for parents and children in the school system.
- Develop the capacity for research that frames new approaches and solutions to LGBTQ2S youth homelessness.
These are critical recommendations that can help guide a national response to LGBTQ2S youth homelessness. We desperately need a national strategy to end LGBTQ2S youth homelessness and to ensure that all of our youth have access to safe beds and safe spaces where they can bring their full authentic selves and celebrate who they are.
This Pride our communities will unite to celebrate our diverse identities, and remember all that we have achieved and still have to fight for. Thousands will join The 519 during The Green Space Festival to party for a cause and to raise funds that enable The 519 to deliver essential programs and services. This support helps sustain The 519's efforts to advocate for LGBTQ2S youth and to build vibrant and equitable communities for all.
This post was republished with permission from the Huffington Post.
With contributions from Kym Hines, Terrie Meehan, and Emily Paradis, on behalf of the Lived Experience Advisory Council.
Today—as all eyes turn toward the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Housing Ministers' meeting and the Super Intent City court decision in Victoria, BC—a network of lived experience leaders from across the country is calling for the leadership and inclusion of poor and homeless people in all efforts to end homelessness in Canada.
Determined to claim space for voices of lived experience in the upcoming National Housing Strategy (NHS) consultations, the Lived Experience Advisory Council is today launching Nothing About Us Without Us: Seven principles for leadership and inclusion of people with lived experience of homelessness.
We believe it is critical that the NHS consultations include meaningful input and direction from diverse people facing homelessness, because the usual decision makers are not living our realities. Researchers, politicians, and service providers may be coming from good intentions, but most lack first-hand knowledge of what it is like to have insecure housing. In order to be effective, the NHS must be inclusive to and led by those directly affected by poverty and homelessness, including Indigenous people, women, families, single men, survivors of violence, people with disabilities, people who have been criminalized, and illicit drug users.
Super Intent City (SIC)—the autonomous homeless community that has been thriving in Victoria since last spring—is an amazing example of leadership by people facing homelessness. The success of SIC demonstrates that, like anyone else, homeless people need and want community, choices, and the freedom to access supports that respect their rights and dignity. The input of lived experts will strengthen Canada's long-awaited National Housing Strategy with effective, outside-the-box solutions, such as micro-housing villages, for people who can't afford the housing market to set up their own self-governing, healthy communities.
LEAC members know from experience that inclusion and leadership of people facing homelessness can contribute to world-changing solutions. We are each involved in initiatives in our own communities that have created meaningful, lasting change through the engagement of people directly affected by homelessness, poverty, and violence. These include Ottawa's Alliance to End Homelessness; Waterloo's STEP Home Participant Advisory Group; Winnipeg's Lived Experience Circle; the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry; Vancouver's Carnegie Community Action Project and the Committee to End Homelessness in Victoria. We have pushed for change through social media campaigns, music, blogging, court challenges, United Nations reports, and national advocacy organizations.
We first brought our web of networks together in 2014, at the National Conference to End Homelessness in Vancouver, B.C. The Conference included a myriad of lived experience folks, all there to advocate for grassroots voices to be heard at a national setting. The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) had awarded 20 scholarships to Lived Experience advocates, panelists, and workshop facilitators from across the country, and 20 more to local lived experts, to be included at every level of input during the conference.
This was not my first time being invited to attend a conference or meeting as an expert of lived experience. Often throughout my life as a single Inuk parent, I have been invited to speak at events and share my story to policy makers and folks who generally don't get to hear much about what happens at ground level with the programs they design to help the impoverished and marginalized populations of this country. I've always taken this responsibility very seriously and I was delighted to know that this CAEH National Conference valued lived experience input enough to make space and accommodations for more than just a handful. We were represented at this conference by many well deserving and successful members of lived experience from across the country, all willing to tell their personal story to help with the processes of inclusivity at policy making levels.
On the way to the conference, I and other delegates received a heads up from some front line folks that there would be a protest happening at the Wall Centre—the prestigious hotel complex hosting the conference that year—in which homeless folks from Downtown Eastside and all over the Vancouver area would organize and protest the conference. Many of us joined the protest, marching and wheeling in solidarity with the protestors and homeless of Vancouver. We were defying protocol and polite etiquette, in protesting the very meeting that we had been invited, and paid for, to attend.
You can imagine the tension created in those hours of protest. It was surreal. Indigenous land rights activist Audrey Siegl was among the organizers of the protest and we quickly met with her and let her know that we were lived experience folks standing in solidarity with the homeless. We walked in the rain as they chanted and we chanted with them. A few lived experience folks marched on either side of the group through the streets of Vancouver, and when we caught each other's attention, we stared in a way that acknowledged that we understood why we were here.
This was not a stance in defiance of the CAEH, but a civil action through which we could assist in creating some sense of inclusion and solidarity. We wanted to allow the people who were making the decisions to see first hand the people that they were representing and aimed to help. We intended to show that we would stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who were now going through the actual lived experience, the school of hard knocks. We knew that we could be connectors, bringing activists and managers together to challenge homelessness.
And so we marched. We marched and wheeled to the Wall Centre where we were met with security guards locking us out of the hotel. We were met by lineups of police at the opening of the hotel doors. It was a disheartening process to watch, and very hard to navigate through, but we all did it, civilly, peacefully, and respectfully. The attendees of the conference hadn't seen anything like this before: participants in the event that was the target of the protest actually standing alongside and in agreement with the people protesting, who had some very valid input and direction to give to the professionals filling the seats in the workshops and speaking events. This was a momentous time, and the energy filling the air that evening and for the rest of the conference was buzzing with new possibilities.
The next morning, the allies in lived experience who joined the protest would unite and gather in a meeting room provided by the conference to talk about our experiences. That conversation was the beginning of the Lived Experience Advisory Council, a dynamic group of amazing advocates and voices from across the country, coast to coast to coast, who have created a constant ally-activist dialogue to ensure that grassroots voices are included and have full participation in processes that implement change in ending homelessness across Canada. We are a great intersectional voice with combined years and years of professional, academic and lived experience knowledge, and we pull together the threads of vibrant networks and visionary projects from our local organizing across the country. We know that sometimes, we need to step outside protocol and etiquette to ensure all voices are heard.
We left Vancouver determined to continue working together. In spite of distance, lack of access to technology, precarious housing, poverty, and the complications and crises that beset our daily lives, we stayed connected. In 2015, thanks to funding from CAEH and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, we would find our way to the National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Montréal where we presented several workshops: a session on autonomous housing options with Take Back the Land Movement leader Rob Robinson; an activist-ally dialogue in which we connected with lived experience activists and professional allies from across Canada; and a session focused on the Nothing About Us Without Us principles that are being published today.
Out of our experiences as invited guests to CAEH conferences and many other such meetings, we have also created a Checklist for Planning Inclusive and Accessible Events, to alert event organizers to the big questions and little details that make the difference for us and members of our communities.
These documents provide the blueprint for meaningful engagement of people with lived experience in the National Housing Strategy consultations. The consultations must include lived experts at the table at every stage, and the NHS must incorporate mechanisms for ongoing participation of people facing poverty and homelessness at every level: in service delivery, program planning, policy making, and monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy.
Homelessness and poverty are not just about inadequate housing and incomes. More fundamentally, they are about exclusion. Members of our communities have been silenced, disregarded, and shut out for too long. It is only by opening the doors to equal participation by all that we can finally put an end to homelessness in Canada.
Securing reliable employment and having access to adequate and affordable housing are critical first steps in the immigration settlement process. Newcomers, including immigrants and refugees, often face increasing barriers to affordable housing. This puts many newcomers at risk of homelessness because of various factors, including poverty, discrimination, racism, cuts to social programs, unrecognized foreign employment and educational credentials, delays in work permits and/or health related issues. As a result, more immigrants and refugees are requiring shelter, drop-in and housing assistance in addition to settlement services.
The vast majority of foreign-born population live in larger urban centres in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta. However, it is important to note that homelessness among newcomers is not exclusively an urban, inner-city phenomenon. Research studies focusing on homelessness in rural and northern communities highlight the importance of recognizing the distinct needs of newcomers in these settings. However, the high prevalence of hidden homelessness, precarious housing and overcrowding adds complexity to the issue, making it difficult to properly measure its extent. Although the total number of newcomers experiencing homelessness is unknown, communities across Canada are including questions in their point-in-time counts to get a greater sense of the figures.
The needs of newcomers experiencing homelessness are often different than of those who are Canadian-born. Many are adjusting to a new language and culture, lacking in social capital and/or facing unique challenges with respect to housing, employment, health and legal issues. Newcomers struggling to secure employment and housing often adopt survival strategies to navigate their new host society. Should these coping systems fail, they may not only feel an intensified loss of their home but also anxiety, isolation and/or separation from their limited networks, culture, family and history.
In terms of service provision, a study in Toronto found that in general, clients felt that the settlement agencies were supportive and sufficient in numbers. Many, offer a range of programs including housing assistance, youth programming, employment counseling, language training and/or health services. Despite also offering one-on-one counseling, employment services and life-skills programs, a study in Vancouver concluded that shelter providers and their staff tend not to have the necessary skills and/or resources to effectively serve newcomers. On the other hand, rural communities not only lack rental housing, emergency shelters and other essential services for people experiencing homelessness, but may not have settlement agencies to effectively support them. Although there have been no broad systemic attempts to develop accessible and responsive shelter and drop-in services, this is increasing, especially in urban areas.
As part of our multicultural Canadian identity, it is in Canada's best interest to welcome, support and learn from newcomers, rather than expect them to learn from Canadian society.
Photo Credit: Grade 6 class at St. Joseph School in Acton, Ontario | Welcome cards for Syrian refugee children
Homelessness can be tough to discuss with children because it can lead to conversations about many other complex topics, but it is possible. How we talk to children about homelessness depends on their age and how they best learn, as well as the discussion context (home with family or caregivers; or at school with teachers).
Talking with children as parents/caregivers
Of course, the "best" tactic here is the one that the parents/caregivers are most comfortable with – they know the kids best! That said, these early talks have a profound effect on how kids understand homelessness and people experiencing it. As Betsy Brown Braun wrote for The Huffington Post blog last year, many kids haven't yet formed opinions about homelessness, so these conversations are crucial:
It is important to understand that homelessness is not a "loaded" issue for the child... yet. His questions about a homeless person usually stem from genuine curiosity. That person doesn't fall into any of the categories of people with whom he is familiar. He is not passing judgment; he is wondering. The young child's initial impression is heavily influenced by the parent's affect, actions, and responses to his questions. And it is by observation of the parent that the child first gets his cues about how to react and feel. So, as you answer your child's questions, be aware of the attitude you may be projecting.
Further on in the post, she states that we should aim to convey compassion and empathy in our responses. Given the immense degree of stigma and discrimination that people experiencing homelessness face every day, I completely agree. So what might those kinds of responses look like?
With younger children, I've been told that the simpler the answer is, the better. For example, here is how my sister responded to my six-year-old niece when she first asked why someone was sleeping on the sidewalk:
I explained to her that they are just like us but things have happened in their lives that have brought them to this point. I told her that we are lucky to have the resources and support we have; and that they sometimes need support, so that's why we give them money or food when we have it. I didn't have to go much further than that, but more questions tend to come later.
My niece probably isn't fully ready to understand concepts like poverty, family conflict, class inequality, trauma, and all the other major pathways to homelessness; but she is able to understand the need to help people and not blame them for their circumstances. In a few sentences, my sister conveyed that homelessness isn't caused by any one thing, that it can happen to anyone, and that housing in our society is a privilege. As children get older and ask deeper questions, responses can grow accordingly.
Talking to kids as educators
The Homeless Hub's Education section has a number of lesson plans and suggested activities for children of all ages. (Many of these resources will be helpful to parents and other caregivers as well.) In 2009, the Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group (HHUG) created a number of resources for educators in the Waterloo, Ontario region. Though some of the materials are area-specific, they can be customized for any municipality. Similarly, its general guidelines for classroom discussions about homelessness are appropriate for any education context:
Encourage open discussion about what students know about homelessness and about any questions they might have.
Address stereotypes as they arise with facts (i.e., The Truth about Homelessness, p.6-8).
Help students become more aware of what their home means to them. Link what their home means to them to how they might feel if they did not have a home.
Explain that being homeless means that one does not have a place to call home. It might be for a day or two or for many weeks or months. Talk about how difficult it is.
Help students understand that being homeless doesn't mean that someone has done something wrong. It isn't an illness and it certainly isn't anything someone wants. It can be a result of difficult times in a person's life.
Discuss the different places people might live if they don't have a home (i.e., shelter,car, with friends).
Explain that there are single people, families, and children who do not have a home.
Read stories and books about people from all walks of life and/or about homelessness (p.37). Help students to realize that in spite of differences, people experience many of the same feelings.
Conclude discussions of homelessness with ideas about how students and communities can help people who don't have a home (p.37).
In terms of specific activities, primary-level students need to build a basic understanding of poverty and homelessness. This integrated unit was developed in Toronto in 2008 and can be used in a variety of classes and grades. Activities include reading picture books like Fly Away Home and reflecting on the characters and the meaning of home, true/false exercises, mock food and utility budgets, creating multimedia and/or poetry quilts, and more.
At the secondary-level, students can gain a deeper understanding of homelessness through more advanced activities. One example is this unit on learning about homelessness through drama (grades 9-12, can be modified for 6-8), which includes a simulated emergency relocation and other exercises that have students imagine what it might be like to be homeless. These activities all encourage empathy through experience. To see how some Markham, Ontario students responded to learning through drama, check out their five Street Stories.
Do you have any suggestions or favourite resources on addressing homelessness with children that you'd like to share? Leave us a comment here or post them in our Community Workspace.
This post is part of our Friday "Ask the Hub" blog series. Have a homeless-related question you want answered? E-mail us at email@example.com and we will provide a research-based answer.
Photo: "Home" drawn by Eleanor in 2003 at Edmunds Elementary School, Unsheltered Lives: An Interdiscplinary Resource and Activity Guide for Teaching About Homelessness in Grades K-12
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text:
Janne Carolyn (Harper) Berscheid died May 24, 2013, at the age of 66.
She was a resident of Coarsegold for 11 years.
Mrs. Berscheid was born Nov. 6, 1946 in Fairplay, Colo.
She was a master homemaker who enjoyed baking, arts and crafts, and reading. She was an active member of Lighthouse Assembly of God.
Mrs. Berscheid was preceded in death by father Teddy Albert Harper Sr., and mother Estelena Mabel (McKinney) Harper.
She is survived by husband Dannis Berscheid of Coarsegold; children Sarah Haile of Corona, Sheila Fowler of Bossier City, La., Sonja Rose of Tualatin, Ore., and Dannis Jason Berscheid of Concord; grandchildren Tiffany Haile of California, Stefanie Haile of Arizona, Brookelyne Fowler of Louisiana, Julianna Fowler of Arizona, Steven Baca, Shaelyn Baca, Adam Baca and Scott Rose, all of Oregon; great-grandchild Adalyn Heim of Arizona; twin sister Jeanne Harper, brother Teddy Harper, and sister Diana Greenhalgh, all of California.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. July 13 at Lighthouse Assembly of God, 45543 Road 415, Coarsegold CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lighthouse Assembly of God, P.O. Box 1510, Coarsegold CA 93614.


text:
Alysia Montano is 34-weeks pregnant. She is nearly eight months along and surely ready to give birth and welcome her baby to the world. She isn't ready to just sit back and wait though so she decided to be active in the last weeks of her pregnancy. On June 27, 2014, ESPN reported that Alysia Montano ran the 800-meters at the U.S. track and field championships.
She did it in an impressive time too.
Montano finished Thursday's race at 2 minutes, 32.13 seconds. Yes, it's a lot slower than the personal best of 1:57.34 she turned in back in Monaco in 2010, but she's not running alone.
"I've been running throughout my pregnancy and I felt really, really good during the whole process," Montano said after the qualifying heat.
Alysia Montano is 28-years-old and finished dead last in her heat, but that didn't seem to matter to her. She was thrilled to be out there doing the sport she loves so much. It didn't matter to those in attendance either as she was cheered on from start to finish and almost got a full standing ovation when she crossed the finish line.
While trailing throughout the majority of the race, Montano wasn't close to being lapped or embarrassed by other runners.
She wasn't necessarily expecting to win or break records. Montano enjoyed being out there, running at a relaxing pace, and being in competition again.
"That took away any fear of what the outside world might think about a woman running during her pregnancy," Montano said. "What I found out mostly was that exercising during pregnancy is actually much better for the mom and the baby. ... I did all the things I normally do ... I just happened to be pregnant. This is my normal this year."
Since running her very pregnant race, Montano has been the subject of much discussion across numerous social media outlets. People are calling her an "inspiration" and a "Superwoman."
Others have come down hard on Montano saying that the running and bouncing is not good for her soon-to-be-born child. Doctors have spoken up for the runner and said they see no reason why Montano can't keep running as long as she's cleared by her medical team.
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text:
|Me. Glasses. With science on my mind.
|Me. Glasses. With science on my mind.
I am an artist of many media and a personality of many facets.
Current Residence: WA
Favourite genre of music: rock n' roll
Favourite photographers: Sarah Schoenberg and Andria Detzler
Favourite style of art: nouveau
Operating System: Ubuntu
Favourite cartoon character: Kaname Chidori


text:
case is about one thing. Deception."
Phillips, six-year veteran of the Cuyahoga County prosecutors' office, stood in
front of the jury and the Court TV camera broadcasting his final argument live
across the country.
with ex-football-player shoulders, confident and friendly, he connected with
juries right away. When he spoke, they'd sit up and listen, eyes fixed on him.
have the deception of Tonica Jenkins. Her first deception is the conspiracy
and his partner were trying to prove that Tonica Jenkins had plotted to kill
Melissa Latham and pass the body off as her own to avoid federal drug charges.
needs to get a victim. She needs to get somebody to be her."
and her co-conspirators found Latham in a crack house, asked her to join an
insurance scam, and had Latham go to a dentist for X-rays using Jenkins' name.
Then, Jenkins' cousin bashed Latham's head with a brick and Jenkins shot Latham
up with so much insulin it almost killed her. They thought the dental records
would fool police into thinking Jenkins was dead. But Latham regained
consciousness and escaped.
needs to get somebody to be her and have that person be killed."
was Phillips' big chance to prove his talent, to prove that county prosecutor
Bill Mason had been right not to fire him. He'd been disciplined three times
for getting involved in cases he wasn't supposed to touch. He came to work
late, left early and often winged it at trial. But Mason kept giving him more
chances. Phillips was just too good a lawyer.
else would Melissa Latham get a name like Tonica Jenkins? She gets it from the
deceiver, Tonica Jenkins."
deceive, deception; he repeated the words 22 times, to leave an impression.
knows how to stir an audience. He's an ordained Baptist minister who's been
preaching the Gospel since he was 5, in church with his father, one of Denver's
leading black pastors.
ladies and gentlemen, Tonica Jenkins is trying now to deceive you all."
even as he delivered his impassioned argument on TV, some of Phillips'
co-workers had begun to suspect that he, too, was a deceiver. There were rumors
in the county jail that a prosecutor named Aaron would fix cases for money.
wants you to believe that she had nothing to do with this. But her name, her
fingerprints, her face [are] all over this crime. She is a deceiver and she
wants you not to be intelligent enough to see through her deceiving ways."
bosses couldn't take him off the Jenkins trial on the word of a jailhouse
snitch. But they'd seen cell-phone records that showed Phillips had been in
contact with one of the inmates.
is the greatest country in the world to live in," he declared in his
commanding, cadenced voice. "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We
have great rights here. One of those rights [is], we have a right not to be a
deputies had convinced a judge to let their informant out of jail. He was
waiting for Phillips to return his calls.
matter who you are, whether you're a crackhead, whether you're an alcoholic,
whether you're black, whether you're white, we have a right not to be a
jury returned its verdict the next day: guilty. The judge sentenced Jenkins to
20 years in prison. Phillips talked about the verdict that night on Court TV's
"Catherine Crier Live."
A day later, he returned the informant's call. Meet me tonight at
5, he said.
Phillips' charisma always attracted people, always made him a
success. When he was 15, he started his own church. "He recruited young
men off the street and baptized them in our pool," remembers his father,
Rev. Acen Phillips, a past vice president of the National Baptist Convention.
"He had a tremendous desire to evangelize and tell people about Jesus. He
was not old enough to drive a car when he first started the church. I literally
drove him through a snowstorm to visit members." The church, Mount Calvary
Baptist, is still active in Denver, under a different name.
star running back in high school, Phillips turned down a college football
scholarship to move to Casper, Wyo., and become pastor of its Christ First
Missionary Baptist Church at age 18. He attended college and law school in
Casper, founded the local NAACP chapter and remained a pastor for 11 years. He
married just before he turned 20 and had three daughters with his wife. He was
already the father of a daughter born to a high-school girlfriend when he was
1996, Phillips left his family; moved to Cleveland; filed for divorce, citing
"irreconcilable differences"; and applied for a job with the
prosecutor's office here. "Sensitive to the needs of the downtrodden with
the intelligence of the elite," read his business card, which identified
him as a lawyer and minister. He became assistant pastor at the Original
Harvest Missionary Baptist Church on Kinsman Road in Cleveland. He married his
second wife in 1998. In 1999, he ran for mayor of Warrensville Heights,
finishing fourth out of five candidates.
and affable, Phillips was one of the most popular people in the prosecutor's
office. He emceed its annual awards ceremony. Co-workers laughed about his wild
suits: one checkerboard, one velvet, one purple.
a likable guy, friendly, almost always in a good mood," says Lou Brodnik,
who shared an office with him. "That's something we treasure here, [since
we're] always surrounded by the downside of humanity."
when sheriff's deputies told prosecutors they were investigating Phillips, his
bosses figured nothing would come of it.
didn't believe for a second that Aaron was taking money to affect a case,"
Mason says. "I get a complaint about my assistants every other month,
somebody saying someone is doing something wrong. We always check it out. It never
pans out."
prosecutors warned the deputies that Phillips had been in trouble before. He
was suspended in 2000 for defending an accused criminal in Garfield Heights
Municipal Court, a conflict of interest for a prosecutor. He also got a scolding
letter from his supervisors for intervening in another prosecutor's case and
not objecting when the defendant, who'd beaten someone with a bat, received
nothing more than probation. "Any further misconduct or misfeasance by you
... will result in your termination," the letter warned.
he wasn't fired. Not after a supervisor chewed him out for prosecuting a man
who'd hired his private-practice officemate, Donald Butler, as an attorney. Nor
after the court of appeals wrote that it was "troubled by the appearance
of impropriety" in that case. Not after a bad performance review in
January 2001 said he was "ill-prepared, inconsistent and unreliable."
And not after his bosses discovered that, even though Mason had told his
less-experienced lawyers to close down their private practices, Phillips was
still advertising his practice — and offering criminal-case referrals. He
served a one-week suspension for the ad in November 2002, as the bribery
investigation began.
liked Aaron," says Mason. "He had a lot of issues, but I worked with
him because he had a lot of talent. … He was able to get results in a
Aaron had a row of things that happened, I always balanced that with what he
provides for this office. The office was benefiting."
pauses. "I hate to venture into this, but it's very difficult to hire
African-American attorneys, period. Male African-_American attorneys — there's
a smaller pool of people to hire. The big firms pay an African-American
attorney $120,000 a year. I can't do that. Certainly, when you have tal_ent, I
try to keep it."
even gave Phillips a 33 percent raise, to almost $56,000, in April 2001, three
months after his bad review. Phillips' ex-girlfriend had just sued him for
child support and he was thinking he'd have to get a better-paying job.
"I'm going to give you the money, but I expect you to produce," Mason
recalls telling him. "The gist of our conversation was, 'You've got to get
on the ball.' "
month later, Phillips won one of his biggest cases yet, co-prosecuting Angela
Garcia for murder for setting a fire that killed her two children. Two previous
trials had ended in hung juries. Tom Shaughnessy, who defended Garcia, says the
prosecution's new theory about how the fire started made the difference, but he
gives Phillips credit for tying the case together in the final argument. He
could "summarize entire cases in a few but effective words to a
jury," Shaughnessy says. "He could break it down to an everyday-man
was promoted to community prosecutor for East Cleveland and, in 2002, he
successfully prosecuted two East Cleveland gang members for murder.
"With Aaron, I always believed I was turning him
around," Mason says. "I thought he was going to make everybody
On a
quiet Friday — Oct. 25, 2002 — Phillips went to Judge Nancy Margaret Russo's
chambers and asked the judge's personal bailiff, Deena Lucci, for a favor. He
needed to talk to an informant in the county jail.
just need to go over his statement for trial," Lucci recalls him saying.
"It'll be five minutes and I don't want to go schedule a jail visit with
him, because I waited until the last minute."
was "a trusted friend," Lucci says. She called the jail.
the inmate, Devin Conner, wasn't anyone's informant. Another inmate had told
Conner, who was awaiting trial on a drug-trafficking charge, that a friend
could get criminal cases thrown out for money. Conner said he was interested.
Conner and Phillips were alone in a holding cell on the Justice Center's 18th floor.
know what I'm here for," Conner remembers Phillips saying. "I can
help you out with your situation."
asked Conner for $20,000. "He was revved up, like he was ready,"
recalls Conner. "He was like, 'Man, hurry up, get with me. I can have you
out the same day you give me the money.'
said $20,000 was a little steep," Conner says. His cellmate had quoted
$5,000 to fix the case. Phillips insisted: He needed $20,000.
was very persuasive," Conner says. "Him being a prosecutor, if
anybody could do it, he can. … He told me, 'You didn't think I was going to be
able to meet with you in person. You see I got that done. … I could lose my job
for me even meeting with you. I just wanted to show you that I can do what I
say I can do.' "
told Phillips he'd try to get the money to him.
Moran, the sheriff's deputy who took Conner to the meeting and back, was
suspicious. "It's very unusual for a prosecutor to be locked up in holding
cells with inmates," he says. "It was a red flag."
would the prosecutor want from you?" Moran asked Conner afterward.
wouldn't answer. But he did say Steven Bradley was one of his attorneys. So the
next time Moran saw Bradley on the 18th floor, he told him about the meeting.
went to the jail and asked Conner about it. Conner denied meeting with
Phillips. So Bradley got a record of the visit from the sheriff's records
office. He sent the county prosecutor's office a letter on Nov. 4, calling the
visit "a matter of great concern" and "extremely
supervisor asked Phillips why he had met with an inmate without his attorney.
Phillips said he wanted to use Conner as an informant on a murder case. His
bosses believed him.
on Nov. 21, a county jail inmate started telling sheriff's deputies about a
prosecutor named Aaron who took bribes. Word got to Sgt. Michael Jackson, who
remembered chatting with Bradley about Phillips' suspicious meeting.
brought the inmate, Edito Rosa, to their office. Rosa, jailed on a
domestic-violence charge, claimed that a cellmate named Robert Carter had
bragged about paying off "Aaron" to fix his case. The deputies had
Rosa call Carter's wife, Michelle, to ask for help from "Aaron."
talked to him earlier this morning. He's actually looking for a phone call from
me," Michelle Carter said. She gave Rosa the number for Phillips' private
practice. "You can either ask for Donald Butler or Aaron Phillips,"
Carter added.
he does fix cases, though, right?" Rosa asked.
"You want to talk to Aaron," Carter replied.
Feb. 13, two days after the Tonica Jenkins verdict, Phillips took Rosa into his
private office and closed the door. Sgt. Jackson and his boss, listening a
block away at the Justice Center, tensed.
can't be offended, but I gotta ask you this," Phillips said. "Lift up
your shirt."
deputies had set up the sting like their narcotics busts. Rosa was wearing
wires and carrying marked cash.
patted Rosa down. "You ain't talked to no cops? You're not wearing any
wires?" he asked.
deputies sat outside the building, ready to bail Rosa out. But the wires were
hidden too well. Phillips didn't find them.
going to go out on a big, big limb," Phillips said. "So we've got to
be able to trust each other."
night before, in Phillips' office, the prosecutor had taken $1,000 from Rosa
and told him he could get his case "squashed" for $4,000 to $5,000.
But Phillips had been vague about what he'd do.
wasn't vague now. "You can't ever know or say that you ever met me,"
he instructed. "And I'm going to take your case and fix it and handle it
promised Rosa he would tell the judge in his case that Rosa was working as an
informant in East Cleveland. That way, the judge would go easy on him. But
Phillips didn't know that the judge had already given Rosa probation after
investigators told her about Rosa's work on their case.
ain't bringing you no bullshit. I'm bringing you some real shit. This is a real
guarantee," Phillips vowed. He told Rosa to warn the victim in his case
not to testify.
said he had a friend, arrested on a heroin charge, who needed help, too.
he makes bond, have him come and see me right away," Phillips said.
got plenty of business," Rosa offered.
bring me substantial business, I'll work that off of your bill. But it's got to
be substantial."
was time to close the deal. Rosa gave him 10 $100 bills.
"This is a deal with the devil," Phillips said.
the 12 years I've been doing it, I've never heard a more damning tape,"
says Sgt. Jackson. "And I'm in narcotics. We record everything!"
and his boss, Lt. David Bartko, played the tape for Bill Mason and his
lieutenants the next morning, Feb. 14. Someone at Mason's end of the table
sure I swore," says Mason. "I was completely disgusted with Aaron.
[I] felt like it was treason." Mason told the deputies to get search
warrants and get ready to arrest Phillips.
lunchtime, a supervisor asked Phillips to talk to him in the conference room.
Phillips walked in and looked around, confused at all the prosecutors and
sheriff's deputies gathered there. Bartko introduced himself, shook Phillips'
hand and told him he was under arrest.
eyes fell to the floor. Deputies patted him down, found $1,620 of their marked
money in his pockets, and handcuffed him. They sat him down and played him a
tape of his conversation with Rosa.
get one chance, Aaron, and one chance only to help yourself," prosecutor
Tim Miller told him. "You gotta come clean. You gotta say
answered their questions quietly, hardly ever looking up. He admitted asking
Devin Conner for money, but said he'd never taken any. They asked him about
Robert Carter.
were friends. He sold me my car. I was representing him on his music
stuff." Carter was a rap musician and Phillips was trying to get him a
record deal. "I didn't take any money from him."
remembered that Carter had allegedly said he'd "partied" with
Phillips. He asked Phillips if he'd ever taken drugs as payment.
you have a habit?"
I have to answer that question?"
asked Phillips how many bribes he'd taken.
is no case that has ever been compromised," Phillips answered evasively.
pointed out that he'd told Rosa he took money on Carter's case.
was lying to him," Phillips replied. "I told Rosa that to believe
that I had special juice."
you're saying," asked a detective, "this is the only instance you've
ever taken money?"
didn't use those words, no."
you tell Robert Carter, you being the inside guy, we're gonna take care of his
case?" asked Miller.
no, not like that. I told Rob his case was gonna be straight. All he had to do
was go to Butler." Carter had hired Phillips' officemate as his lawyer.
Butler know, Aaron, what you were doing?" asked prosecutor Kestra Smith.
he didn't know."
exactly was your plan, Aaron?" Smith asked.
don't know."
you were scamming on both sides?"
Phillips' defense was becoming clear: He'd taken money to fix crooks' cases but
never really fixed them.
accepted money for services that you can't give," Bartko said.
"That's a felony."
asked Phillips why he took the money.
needed it."
you need it for?" a detective asked.
did you mean, what did I need it for?" he asked, defiant. "I needed
it to live. I make $55,000 a year. I pay $1,000 a month in child support. I got
a $800 car note. I paid $800 for rent, where I stay, and that's just regular
bills. My [paycheck] yesterday was $1,000. I need to have more than $1,000 in
bills. I need it to live."
asked Phillips if he'd pass a urine test. He wouldn't answer.
detectives told him they had search warrants for his house, offices and Ford
Expedition. They asked him what they'd find.
a black bag in my car. Zippered briefcase. There's drugs in there. Might be 3
grams powder cocaine," Phillips said, defeated.
much cocaine costs about $300, detectives say. The night Phillips took the
second payment from Rosa, prosecutors believe he put his wife on a late-night
train so she could attend her father's funeral, then spent part of his bribe on
deputies took Phillips down to the first floor. They draped his coat over his
handcuffed hands so he wouldn't be embarrassed as they walked him through the
Justice Center lobby. They took him to the county jail and booked him.
cocaine charge didn't surprise one local attorney, who asked not to be
identified. He remembers Phillips being sniffly and jumpy when the attorney saw
him at the Justice Center not long before the arrest. But his co-workers, who
learned about the arrest in an e-mail that day, were shocked. His supervisor,
Rich Neff, says the only hint of a problem he'd noticed beforehand was that
Phillips was coming to work tired, as if he'd stayed out too late.
Phillips got out on bail four days later. He went to his private
office, gave the secretary his receipt book and told her to destroy it,
prosecutors say. Instead, she turned it over to law enforcement.
phone rang and rang in the prosecutor's office the Monday after news of
Phillips' arrest broke. East Cleveland residents called to say they'd seen
Phillips at a crack house there -- probably, prosecutors say, while he was a
community prosecutor assigned to the city.
man named Dontel Jefferson came to the office with his attorney that Monday.
He'd bribed Phillips with $2,500 in October to get help on his criminal case,
he said. He had proof: He'd taped the conversation and gotten receipts.
just want to get it resolved and squashed," Jefferson says on the tape.
may be looking at another 15, up to a couple grand," Phillips tells him.
(Jefferson pleaded guilty to drug and forgery charges in April and received
brought Devin Conner before a grand jury. He admitted that Phillips had asked
him for a $20,000 bribe. Conner says he asked his mother and his ex-cellmate to
look into paying Phillips, but they backed out because Phillips seemed too
eager for the money. (His mother claims she rebuffed the cellmate and doesn't
remember talking to Phillips.) Conner was found guilty of trafficking in
marijuana in September and was awaiting sentencing in October.
Carter agreed to testify, in exchange for immunity, that despite Phillips'
denial, he had taken $2,500 from her and her ex-husband to fix his drug case.
Carter, in prison for the drug charge, was awaiting trial in October for
bribing Phillips. Rosa, the informant, was arrested again on Feb. 26, on
charges of burglary and violating a restraining order. He was sentenced to 14
months in prison in September.
a Garfield Heights police detective revealed that he'd told Phillips police
suspected a man named Henry Ivezzy of dealing marijuana and were going through
his garbage, looking for evidence. Phillips, who was representing Ivezzy in a
dispute with his ex-girlfriend, warned Ivezzy about the searches. Ivezzy
admitted to investigators that he'd rewarded Phillips with $1,000 for the tip.
the only time prosecutors can prove Phillips actually corrupted a case.
Phillips didn't really help the other guys who bribed him, concedes Steve
Dever, Bill Mason's top trial lawyer, who prosecuted Phillips. "This was a
swindle," Dever says, "to take advantage of desperate people looking
for any edge."
even soliciting a bribe is illegal. And Mason says that by letting word spread
among criminals that he could be bought, Phillips damaged the entire
prosecutor's office.
says prosecutors found no evidence of illegal activity in the cases Phillips
was disciplined for in 2000 and 2002. In fact, he adds, investigators looked at
every case Phillips ever worked on and found no other evidence of wrongdoing.
Still, Dever is looking into Ivezzy's allegations that he referred criminal
defendants to Phillips. And the five men named in Phillips' indictment did not
all know one another, so it's possible that Phillips developed a reputation as
a corrupt prosecutor based on more than five bribe solicitations.
Butler, Phillips' officemate, was never implicated in the bribes. Sheriff's
deputies say they saw no evidence Butler did anything wrong. Dever is more
careful. "Mr. Butler represented some of these people," he says,
meaning the men who bribed Phillips. "There's a few more questions that
need to be answered." Butler did not return phone calls for this story. (A
defense lawyer says Butler is "mad" at Phillips for making him look
June, Phillips pleaded guilty to all 12 charges against him: bribery, theft in
office, five counts of attempted bribery, two counts of attempted obstruction
of justice, _cocaine possession, possession of criminal tools and tam_pering
with evidence.
was about the show," says Sgt. Jackson. "He dressed well. ... He
drove a flashy car. ... But when you pulled the curtains back, he was in over
his head with his finances."
"Developing relationships with criminals, drug dealers, you
just travel over to the dark side," Dever says. He thinks the bribes
followed naturally. "You start to tell yourself it's no big deal."
months after his arrest, Phillips returns to the Justice Center for his
sentencing. About 60 supporters flood the courtroom: his parents, oldest
daughter and other relatives from Colorado, plus ministers from various
Cleveland churches.
20 members of Phillips' church, Original Harvest, come too. Ministers lead them
in prayer. A hymn wells up from the crowd. To them, he isn't disgraced
prosecutor Aaron Phillips; he's Rev. Phillips, their minister.
has been preaching on Sundays at Harvest for months, while the pastor is ill.
"He made an error, like the rest of us do," church member Ruth Harris
says forgivingly.
E. Theophilus Caviness, president of the local Baptist Minister's Conference,
will ask the judge to sentence Phillips to probation. Before the hearing,
Caviness says that Phillips has been speaking to church groups about how an
addiction led him to commit his crimes. "We need him here as an example to
show the horrendous and disastrous consequences of drugs," Caviness adds.
Phillips walks in, some in the audience applaud. He shakes hands like a
politician working a room. He's well-dressed, as always, in a conservative
black suit and a bright white tie with dark edges. He chews gum as he talks
with Caviness about which Bible verse is appropriate to the occasion.
as Judge John Sutula starts the hearing, Phillips sits with his brow furrowed,
hands in his lap. Sutula notes that he could get up to 16 years in prison.
While Dever retells the story of Phillips' crimes, Phillips closes his eyes for
a long time, then watches Dever with a hurt expression.
Phillips has lived a double life," says co-prosecutor Kestra Smith.
"[He] does what he wants to do, for whatever reason, and then acts
remorseful and looks remorseful, and says it's a slip of judgment. But then he
continues to do whatever he wants to do."
reads from the transcript of Phillips' meeting with Rosa, full of profanity and
bravado. When she reads Phillips' line, "This is a deal with the
devil," murmurs rise from the audience.
this court does not send Mr. Phillips to prison," Smith says, her voice
rising, "it will send a message to the community that this profession is
incapable and unwilling to discipline its own."
Dever stands again. "There must be a perception in the community that
assistant county prosecutors cannot be bought," he says. "I recognize
the danger he will be placed in in prison" — Phillips could end up
imprisoned with criminals he prosecuted — "but he'll have to
attorneys try to make the case for probation, a halfway house, anything but
prison. He's entered a drug treatment program, they note. "From the date
of his arrest, Mr. Phillips has been punished," Joan Synenberg says.
"He's about to lose his [law] license. ... How much hurt has to be piled
on Mr. Phillips before we say he has been punished?"
Phillips and Caviness, too, ask for probation.
Phillips takes the podium. He closes his eyes for a moment, then gives his last
courtroom speech.
this has happened, I have rolled it over in my head several times," he
says. "I blamed everybody: God, the prosecutors, people I was getting high
your honor, the fact of the matter is, I am the person to blame. I am a drug
addict and an alcoholic. There is not a day that goes by that I [don't] have
problems forgiving myself for my criminal behavior.
Smith is right. I initially went to treatment because I just thought,
'Jackpot.' ... I actually thought they'd teach me how to get high and get drunk
responsibly. But a miracle happened." Alcoholics Anonymous, he claims,
brought him to God. "Your honor, I was trying to fill a spiritual void
with natural solutions. It didn't work."
covers many of the 12 steps: He says he's powerless over drugs and alcohol and
that his life was unmanageable, then apologizes to Bill Mason, the whole
prosecutor's office, the legal profession, African-American lawyers, Don
Butler, law enforcement, the judge, Smith and Dever. He pauses to wipe a tear
grateful to Mr. Dever, because it could've been a lot worse than it is. But
they stopped me… .
honor, I have fallen, but with the help of God through Christ Jesus, I'm
getting up. I thank you."
Phillips were in church, he'd be forgiven after a speech like that. But the
judge is in the business of justice, not forgiveness.
a minister, aren't you?" Sutula asks. "According to Luke, at the time
of the crucifixion, what does one criminal say to another?"
Phillips stumbles over his answer. The judge quotes the Bible: "We have
been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our
sentences Phillips to 12 months in prison for eight of the counts. The bailiff
takes out a pair of handcuffs.
used the trappings of [your] office to victimize those that are in a period of
duress. ... They deserve to have their dignity protected."
bailiff handcuffs Phillips. The judge adds another 18 months for Phillips'
attempt to have his receipt book destroyed after his arrest. "That's the
worst of the offenses," Sutula says, adding, "I believe you have fallen
as much as anybody can fall from a position of respect, that you have betrayed
two noble callings: that of being a minister and that of being a lawyer. ...
What you do from this time forward will determine what kind of man you
As the bailiff leads Phillips away through a side door, some of
his relatives sob.
Phillips walks into the visitation room in the county jail, hands behind his
back as if handcuffed. Then he holds out his right hand, free after all, for a
handshake. He seems as self-assured as ever.
lawyers have told him not to talk about the case. "I'm not trying to dis
you," he says. "I'm just trying to get out of this orange suit."
says he won't appeal his sentence. "I took responsibility," he says.
about his ex-officemate, he says, "Don Butler had nothing to do with
sticks to 12-step maxims and a sin-and-redemption story to explain his crimes.
He claims he started drinking heavily around 1997 -- the year his divorce
became final. After that, he started smoking marijuana, then got into cocaine
three or four years ago -- around the time he started getting in trouble at
addiction is the reason he solicited the bribes, he says. He blamed his bills
after his arrest, he adds, because he wasn't yet admitting he had a drug
he think he'll be in danger in prison? "Could be. It's possible," he
shrugs. He says he isn't scared. "God is my protector."
he preached in his church almost every Sunday between April and September, he
says. "When you sin, you have to repent," he told the parishioners.
"You have to accept the consequences of your actions. You can't go blaming
anyone else."
he gets out of prison, he says, he'll serve as a minister again: "I'm
going to share how you can fall very low, but the grace of God is still there
to pick you up."
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text:
Yup, that's how it works.
Double thumbs up then!
Just on the topic of weapons; I've been modding the files a little, testing out various balance ideas and I just wondered two things, if you're able to shed any light on them please, Chris?
First up; is there any way to modify the damage a certain shot type does? I was thinking of adding a damage bonus to the most accurate/AP expensive shot option for the assault rifle, for example, to represent the trooper taking his time to aim for the head or something along those lines.
Secondly; Is there a way to give some sort of penalty based on a shot being taken at close range with the precision rifle? I've been tweaking the sniper as it seems too similar in use to the assault rifle at the moment. I really want it to be a weapon that you'd only be able to use effectively once you'd made it to a good position, for long range shots. If a sniper equipped trooper turns a corner and discovers an alien, I'd want his precision rifle to be at a real drawback at such close range.
Is the sniper set as a heavy weapon?
Heavy weapons suffer a penalty to accuracy when they have moved that turn.
If it is implemented at the moment that is.
That could help with the penalty you are looking for.
Devil's Advocate and forum moderator
Do they? I never knew that, thanks man. That's definitely a step in the right direction.
Update: New Uploads that fix most of the issues mentioned are up. If it cannot find the file it will ask you to type in its location and it defaults to what seemed common for most folks "C:\Program Files\Desura\Common\xenonauts\". You will only need to select the location once. I added in the weapon reload sound, isIntegrated, and reactionModifier variables to the form. Please let me know if you are still having errors.
Here are links so you don't have to backtrack:
Install:XenoArmory Install
Code: XenoArmory Code
Chris, are there any examples in the data file of the Fire and Gas/Smoke tags in action? I could not find a data element that used them so I didn't want to try fiddling with it until i had a good idea of what was going on. Thank You!
Last edited by Quartermaster; 04-24-2012 at 17:04.
w00t! Thanks QM, working now!
I'm not really one of those loony tinfoil-hat, black helicopter, UFO types... just not very creative.
Here are backups for the files in case you can't find the original ones and you need them:
weapons:Weapons XML
weapons_gc: Ground Combat Weapons XML (this already modifies the weapon.grenade.medikit to weapon.grenade.advancedmedipack to make it congruent with what is in the weapons.xml)
@ QM - The next update, due out tomorrow most likely, will contain updated grenades and rockets and a variety of new gasses. Light smoke, heavy smoke, stun gas, nerve gas etc. Also the fire settings will have been set up for the rockets and grenades too, so just take a peek at those when they come out.
@ all - I'm currently unsure as to whether "heavy" weapons are functional in code terms. It is intended that both the rocket launcher and the machinegun would be heavy weapons (and possibly the precision rifle too as mentioned above), and this would give an accuracy penalty if the user moves and shoots in the same turn. Maybe someone should have a play and see if it works.
Your program should support it, though, QM. If it's confirmed not working, we'll be implementing them pretty soon.
I was going to try it out but I can't remember where the 'heavy' flag should go.
I also can't get QM's program to run.
If I install it in my xenonauts folder it comes up with a window asking for my path but won't accept it (C:\Program Files (x86)\Desura\Common\xenonauts).
Devil's Advocate and forum moderator


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The survey asked parents of CSHCN whether their children had any of a list of 16 conditions. This list did not, of course, include all possible conditions that CSHCN might have. In addition, parents could report that their children had more than one condition, so any given condition listed may or may not be the cause of the child's special health care needs.
Overall, 91 percent of CSHCN were reported to have at least one condition on the list. One in three CSHCN have any two conditions on the list (32 percent) and one in four have three or more conditions (25 percent). Allergies, reported by parents of 53 percent of CSHCN, are the health condition most commonly reported by parents of CSHCN. Other commonly reported conditions are asthma (39 percent), attention deficit disorder (30 percent), and emotional problems (21 percent).
It is important to note that these percentages represent the percent of CSHCN who have these conditions, not the prevalence of the conditions in the population of children as a whole.


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Photo tips and critiques
Started Mar 22, 2013 | Discussions thread
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Steve Throndson • Senior Member • Posts: 2,702
Re: Photo tips and critiques
On the first page - the shot of the spectators at the fire is great! Good thinking to record that detail rather than just focusing on the fire. Their expressions tell the story - and you got a reflection of the fire in a windshield to explain what was going on.
The number of pictures in your gallery is intimidating. I didn't quite know where to start. You might try posting just a few at a time in this forum.
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College Hockey:Army faces season with big offensive holes to fill
The good news for Army coach Brian Riley is that he has 24 players back from last year's squad. The bad news is that none of them is named Owen Meyer or Eric Sefchik.
Those two, along with now-senior Cody Omilusik, saw tons of ice time and racked up almost 50 percent of the Black Knights' goals last season.
"I don't know if you can replace guys like that," Riley said. "They played in so many key situations. They'll be obviously missed, but other guys are looking to step up and increase their roles.
"Omilusik had a great year and Mike Hull is a very good offensive player who's ready to step up a little bit. Danny Colvin is ready to have a good year. Alvi [Marcel Alvarez] has shown he's an all-star player."
Goaltender Jay Clark is back for his senior season. Last year, Clark posted a 2.99 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 32 games.
"Obviously, Clark's the guy," Riley said. "But at some point you have to see what the other guys [sophomore Ryan Leets and freshman Anthony Cadieux] can do."
Cadieux is among four new Army recruits. Also coming in are forwards Mike Henderson and Brian Schultz as well as defenseman Dax Lauwers.
"Schultz is a hardworking, blue-collar guy, an energy guy," Riley said. "Henderson has offensive skills, and we need to find offense this season. Lauwers is a big tough kid that will give us size."
The Army schedule features 16 home games this season, including non-conference games with Colgate and Merrimack.
"We're fortunate to play in one of the best arenas around in front of some of the best fans around," Riley said.
The following is a self-policing forum for discussing views on this story. Comments that are derogatory, make personal attacks, are abusive, or contain profanity or racism will be removed at our discretion. USCHO.com is not responsible for comments posted by users. Please report any inappropriate or offensive comments by clicking the "Flag" link next to that comment in order to alert the moderator.
Please also keep "woofing," taunting, and otherwise unsportsmanlike behavior to a minimum. Your posts will more than likely be deleted, and worse yet, you reflect badly on yourself, your favorite team and your conference.


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This is a discussion on 1995 GMC Sierra 4'' or 6'' lift? within the Offroad 2WD forums, part of the Offroad category; Hey guys, i'm so confused right now... I want to lift my truck, which is a 1995 GMC Sierra 2wd ...
Hey guys, i'm so confused right now... I want to lift my truck, which is a 1995 GMC Sierra 2wd 1500. I like the way 18x9 wheels look with 33x12.5 tires. Question is, how many inches of lift should I lift it? I would buy from Canuck Motorsports. I was thinking either a 4'' spindle with 2'' blocks, or should I go with 2'' coil spring, UCA's, and a 4'' spindle with 3'' blocks in the back? Also, what backpacing and offset would be good for this? Thank you in advance for your help... Pics are appreciated.
96 C1500 ecsb body lift and 33s Volant, LTs, Spintech, BB tune, 5.13s and lockright
2000 Silverado 1500 Z71 ecsb RC keys leveled with rear stock block. Zone 1.5 BL sitting in a box. Airaid MIT, Corsa DB, BB tune.
Ok thanks... so the lower the backspacing, the less chance of rubbing and sticking out?
the lower the bs the more they will stick out
Would these fit? http://www.procompusa.com/prodDetail...0073&plID=3626
Heres my '95 C1500 2wd. 4" RC spindles, 3" blocks. 285-75-16 (33x11.25) on procomp 16X8. I had to do a little trimming up front, but it all fits. The only issue I had with the procomp's is that the centercaps were too short for the front (I still need to order some longer ones...)
Its funny you say that, I had the same issue with my Pro Comps on my 95C1500, had to get the longer ones.
Your truck looks beautiful man, did you have to regear it?
very nice 95 bro never saw 2wd lifted look so good
heres mine. 97 with 4" spindles, 2" blocks and 3" body lift on 31x10.50. switching to 4" blocks and adding a 2" spring lift this summer also, with 35's or 37's
Sorry - havnt been on the forum in a while. Thanks for the comments. I need to regear it, but havnt done it yet. It currently has 3.73's. Acceleration is a bit slow. Probably at least going to go with 4.10's.
2007 Classic Silverado, 3in RC with 2in spacers, 2in blocks, 285/70/17 TW Warden
More Photos: http://s1178.photobucket.com/albums/...ehrwein/Truck/


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A reported dog snatching in Lakewood, New Jersey last week has a happy ending, but police are still looking for the culprit.
On Thursday, April 3, someone entered the back door of a home on East County Line Road. Finley, the family's 7-month-old pit bull mix, was reportedly stolen, along with beer and a phone.
On Saturday afternoon, the dog was found barking outside the gate of his home, unharmed. How he got back remains a mystery, and he was wearing a collar and leash that did not belong to him.
The investigation is still active and anyone with information is asked to call (732) 363-0200 ext. 5317.
However it happened - whether he was returned or found his way home on his own - we're glad to see he is safely back with his family. Welcome home!
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