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Rated 3.2 out of 5 by 868 reviewers.
Rated 4 out of 5 by ND08 Great location and staff I have stayed in this hotel before due to the location and modern feel. April 17, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by mmcc22 value for money Of course Manhatten is an expensive location. But you still expect value for money. My room was so small, I thought the booking was wrong. W upgraded me after I complained so that I could swing the cat.....but not in the bathroom. Ridiculous small bedrooms...and that was the "wonderful". Will not stay again. April 17, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by Bella Staff is great Staff is always friendly and helpful April 12, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by TravelingMonkey For the price, I expect more I'm a big W fan. However, this location doesn't meet my expectations. Air conditioner unit is extremely loud. Even on auto, it pretty much runs all night long. Requested a new room, which I got, but the second room had the same AC unit that's just as loud. The room key readers in the elevators are a pain. They don't read most times so you'll be sitting there along with a whole elevator of guests trying to get to your floor(s). The wifi speed is a joke. I'm a SPG platinum member so I get wifi for free. If I was to pay for that, I would demand a refund. Half the TV channels probably run off the same network because most were pixelated and weren't watchable. Skip this property and go elsewhere. April 11, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by Khuddle Great service from Tang at W bar! Tang is excellent and always takes care of his customers. I have been to the W bar several times and he is always friendly and provides great service. I enjoy my stay even more because of the great service he provides. Keep up the great work on excellent customer service! April 9, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by Mace Fantastic staff I dealt with a lot of the staff at the W during my stay including the manager Michael, reception desk, the engineer, security, restaurant staff, the cleaners & concierge desk. Every single person I dealt with was beyond helpful & they made my stay a very comfortable one! Thank you. April 9, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by kel3388 No thanks, no comfort here The hotel had completely uncomfortable furniture in the sitting area.It was impossible to just sit down and relax on anything. The Bathroom door is a sliding glass door, next to the bed, which lacks any and all privacy. I can't think of anything more more ridiculous and inappropriate ! You can't even turn on the light let alone use the toilet without disturbing your partner. No thanks, never again! April 8, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by 1travelerKC this hotel has a great staff David, especially, was incredibly courteous, helpful, and kind (W Hotel on Lex.) April 7, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by apcatsbyjones Oasis in Manhattan Excellent staff Very helpful April 6, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by Laura311 Ok Experience I travel frequently for business and pleasure. I was not very impressed with this W location. The battery in the AC unit was broken prior to arrival. We are able to get this resolved after 2 phone calls to the front desk. Upon check in, I was not greeted in a friendly manner. Due to the music/noice in the background, I had to shout my responses at the receptionist, and she exhibited frustration at my inability to hear her replies. The concierge provided quality dining recommendations and directions. However, I was not pleased with my overall expeience. April 4, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by dctony staff needs improvement staff not very accomodating and had an attitude April 4, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by jg2013 Frustrating despite the hip pretensions, this hotel must be 90%+ business travelers. my room had no desk...of any kind. i have stayed in some very small rooms, smaller than this one. there is always at least something to put a computer on. Also, no bottle opener for anything in the mini bar. little things matter when your flight is 2 hours delayed on a monday at the start of a road trip. April 3, 2013
Rated 1 out of 5 by Traveller123 Dark, small rooms - poor temp control The hallways are poorly lighted as are the rooms. The thermostats do not respond and I had a 76 degree room - the engineer's solution was to open a window, which is not ideal in a big city in winter (noise and cold0. The shower did not have hot water at all - nor did the sink, even after 5 minutes of running it. March 27, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by Orely Menu card and hair dryer not there Hôtel staff should look twice if everything that needs to be available in the room actually is! March 27, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by BH9786 It was a comfortable stay. I have stayed at the W Hotel for a number of times before as it was my preferred hotel in the city. However, i must admit this is the first time I'm slightly disappointed with the service. The reception lady wasn't welcoming at all but the check in process was very quick. The room is not tiny but I guess it's not too bad for NYC hotel. For some reasons it was quite noisy (stayed in room 314). My laundry wasn't returned on time despite the same day request and I called them to pick them up at 8 AM. Plus, I got locked out of my room as the lock was magnetized! But to their credit, they gave me a voucher to have 2 drinks as a result of that issue. Interestingly, the friendliest people at the hotel happened to be the housekeepers as opposed to the ones you see on the lobby. I still like the concept of the hotel, but will I return? At this stage, I'm not really sure as there seems to be better options in the area when it comes to service. March 26, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by Alan Great service staff is very guest oriented. Great service especially David in the Lexington Ave New York W hotel. Thanks David! March 25, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by amelia2001 Great Location With Unique Caveats I enjoyed staying the centrally-located W New York, though I found the service somewhat lacking and the fitness center pretty outdated (no hand weights under 15 lbs?). The clubby atmosphere wouldn't work for all and I actually found the rooms, though small, quite nice. My parents stayed in a comparably-priced hotel on the West Side, with three times as much room, so you are certainly paying for the location here. March 25, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by SKL15 Not what it use to be... I've stayed here numerous times in the past, maybe 3-4 years ago and everything was perfect. This stay was my first in a little over a year and the rooms just did not meet my expectations. I was staying here for 5 nights. I had to change room 3 times in the first 2 nights. The first room the shower did not have any water pressure. Think of showering under just drops of water. The second room was next to sons water pipes in the room and at 2AM and 5AM I was startled by loud banging. They sent an engineer up and he said there's nothing he can do. My third room was ok. The walls were very thin and I can hear everything in the adjacent rooms from a dog barking to the couple next door... But the room was at least clean and comfortable. When the staff realized how inconvenienced I've been they offered to make it up so I do at least credit the staff for their attentiveness. March 23, 2013
Rated 1 out of 5 by FrequentTraveler13 A NO NO NO NO W. MY MOST FAVORITE HOTEL BRAND IS THE W. I TRULY LOVE THE Ws. I never thought that I would rate a W. as unsatisfactory. It breaks my heart to write this review but I HAVE TO BE TRUTHFUL TO EVERYBODY OUT THERE WHO RELY ON HOTEL REVIEWS. I tried checking in and there was trouble FINDING my reservation and I was told that the hotel was booked to capacity-COME ON GUYS! I am very meticulous about checking all my reservations and would not take the trouble of flying from sweet old Midwest to my most favorite place in the world NEW YORK CITY without a hotel reservation. It was late in the evening and I was tired. Well then a room became available and it was assigned to me. ABSOLUTELY NO SPG RECOGNITION AND THE SPG 50-75-100 GUYS FORGET IT, ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR YOU GUYS. Then somehow I got to my room, OH MY GOD, IT WAS TERRIBLE. The room was as small as a bathroom of many SPG hotels that I have been in.EXTREMELY CLAUSTROPHOBIC. I had my child with me and there was NO WATER IN THE ROOM. My child was THIRSTY and NO WATER WAS PROVIDED. HOTEL STAFF please have mercy on your guests, especially ones with children and provide them at least with a bottle of water. We guys work hard to attain SPG 50-75-100 status and at least deserve some water to drink. We were hungry and my child wanted the W chocolate that he is accustomed to at the other Ws but the top of the minibar was not stocked. I called the front desk without avail. Finally, I had to take my sleepy and groggy child out of the hotel and brought water and chocolate off the street in MANHATTAN. I apologize in advance to the Ws for saying this but this W is hardly a Category 6, its CATEGORY -100. Having said all the above, I would very much like to see this W improve and live up to the W reputation so that I can once gain proudly review it and say that this is one on the best Ws in NYC. Ws REMEMBER I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE THE BEST. March 23, 2013
Rated 1 out of 5 by Eyedoc Worst hotel experience EVER! We had reserved a triple occupancy room. Upon arrival we were placed in a VERY small room with ONE queen size bed--three adults DO NOT fit in one queen size bed! After speaking to the manager we were told there were no other rooms available but they could send up extra pillow and blankets??! This was certainly not satisfactory, but several hours later we were moved to another VERY small room that would accomodate a roll away. Problems with this room (1706): Impossible to to walk around roll away to get to bathroom; telephone did not work; bathroom door did not close; room temperature was impossible to regulate;bathroom lighting is terrible; no "do not disturb" sign; service charge at bar not posted until after receiving bill and already tipping server. We were offended when as compensation for our inconvenience we were given 3 cookies and one bottle of water?! It's a terrible business practice to victimize consumers who have saved for months for a special trip, especially in this day of rampant social media, which I can assure you this review will be on! Horrible experience! March 21, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by DallastoNYC21 Room not clean When I pulled back the conforter, I found a blood stained sheet. Because I checked in late, I slept on top of the comforter. The next day, my room was not cleaned once during the entire day so I had one towel left and bed sheets that were not clean. This was by far my worst experience at a W Hotel. March 20, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by Stammy very attentive staff though the hotel rooms need a bit of an upgrade, the hotel staff was more than accomodating to my needs (e.g., food, room quality, heating, etc.) during my extended stay. the whatever/whenever staff was also very helpful all hours of the day. March 16, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by trance3030 Great Stay! Great comfortable room! If you needed something, you just had to make a phone call and the staff was very friendly. But, don"t touch the food on the Munchie Bar in the room! And, I mean don't touch... it is automated! If you pick it up, you pay even if you put it back. But, I think they understand very well that people are going to look and gave a full refund with no questions asked. I will definitely stay here again! March 5, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by Mel03 Comfortable, Stylish, Friendly I just came back from a stay at the W at 541 Lexington Ave NYC. The hotel is gorgeous, the staff is very professional and friendly, and the room was very comfortable. I stayed there 3 years ago, and have returned to NYC twice since then, and stayed at other hotels, but had to come back to this one. It's a treat. March 4, 2013
Rated 1 out of 5 by mike59 Everything went wrong The reservations for my son's wedding were all wrong - my 89 yr old mother's room had no heat - the staff was not helpful - our heater was so loud it was hard to sleep - and it took forever to check in - finally, every time we called for help - no one ever responded - required several follow-upo calls. Very bad experience! March 4, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by Tray867 Poor response from front desk I love the W, but this experience was not good. I decided to go with a "Cozy" room since I would literally only be in it to sleep since I had plans all day and night. When I got back to the room late that night, the heat/air system was so loud and was not properly working, I could not get the temp of the room below a balmy 76 and could not get the jet engine noise to stop. When I checked out the next morning, the front desk asked how was my stay and I informed the woman that I did not get any sleep due to the heat/air. Her response: We are having major issues with our HVAC, that was it. I asked her why I was not told. She asked why I did not switch rooms. I told her I was not going to do that in the middle of the night. She just looked at me and offered no form of compensation such as a restaurant credit for future use or additional SPG points. Very disappointing for such a great brand. I will not let one bad front desk clerk ruin the W brand, but something should have been done. March 4, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by Xander432 Fixed Our Problem... The staff here is amazing. We had a little issue on our first night, the fire alarm went off. After sending up an engineer to fix the issue two times, we gave ended up unplugging it and going back to sleep. The following day, I let the front staff know about our problem, and after apologies, they sent up an engineer again to fix the problem, this time it worked. The were very sorry about the problem and gave us tickets for drinks at the bar and they also gave us some points for our SPG membership.This staff is excellent and we will be staying here in our future travels to NYC and elsewhere. Thank you. March 3, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by FreqWestinGuest Wi-Fi problems The W on Lex is in a great location and is generally a nice place to be. But the rooms could be cleaner and every time I go I find it difficult to obtain Wi-Fi access. Their efforts to monetize Wi-Fi access on a per device level are obnoxious in and of themselves, but it adds insult to injury when you cannot gain access without calling a third party and working with the access provider for 30 minutes. March 2, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by Ojako All around disappointment I'm hugely loyal to Starwood and stay at W's pretty often, but this property is an outlier (and not the good kind). Upon arriving, staff was friendly and I got an automatic upgrade for SPG plat. Great start. Upon getting to the room, though, there was an intermittent beeping- think Tell Tale Heart. Not what one wants arriving late after long travel. Engineer comes up, says its a glitch in a new motion sensor they put it to shutoff the thermostat when you're not in the room (couldn't answer what the point of having it beep at all was), and said the manager would be by in 5 minutes to drop off keys to a new room. After 30 minutes, no one showed up, so I called again. They put me on with another engineer who said the hotel was at capacity and the best he could do was disable my heat. Not the best solution... So then I had to call platinum concierge just to get a manager call me, and lo and behold, they found another room. Someone came up to bring me the key, then ran off before asking if he could help me move my stuff (I had partially unpacked already). I get to the new one, and the thermostat actually worked, but still, it was tiny even by Manhattan standards. The bathroom door opens so tightly to the sink that you have do a little dance to shut it and slip into the tiny nook between the wall and sink to be able to stand in front of it. The room was generally grimy, with visible dirt on many surfaces and walls that were thoroughly beat up. The desk is not functional at all, with a horrible chair, and weird protrusions coming out of it, one of which my ultrabook power adapter caught on and broke, leaving me unable to work for a week and having to special order a 120$ part. Your mileage may vary, but I will avoid this W like the plague. March 2, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by SES1 In progress renovations clearly needed One of the worst nights I have spent in a hotel. Arrived at my room and the door was open because of In-progress HVAC upgrades. System not working but maintenance was able to restart. Unfortunately once it was turned on it would not turn off as neither the auto or manual switches worked. I alternated between the hold and cold to self regulate which made for a sleepless night. Left shoes for overnight shine but they were not returned so had to inquire to locate. Scaffolding in front of window blocked all light and view. Could hear leaky faucet dripping and water was all over the countertop as a result. Friendly staff not enough to make up for all the operational and physical limitations. March 2, 2013


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Feb 7, 2013 8:00 AM
These Wall Bubble Aeriums ($29) have a totally space-age coolness. We love the notion of a tiny forest living in a futuristic bubble on our wall. And it probably will actually live, since the moss, lichens and air plants inhabiting it are easier to maintain than our hair color.
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On June 20, 1991, Mike Fetters was in the visiting bullpen at Tiger Stadium when the Angels' Luis Sojo was beaned by Detroit's Dan Gakeler in the fourth inning. Angels personnel in the clubhouse at the time were incensed because TV close-ups showed Tigers catcher Andy Allanson giving the infamous "flip" sign before the pitch.
Although Chuck Finley hit Mickey Tettleton in the bottom of the inning, there was no direct retaliation against Allanson. But Fetters was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers during the winter, and among his new teammates was Allanson.
During a camp game in Chandler, Ariz., Fetters hit Allanson with a pitch — and only the two of them knew why. Word got back to the Angels: Score settled.
"I had to hit so many guys in my career, it's hard to remember all of them," Fetters said, 22 years later. "That one was different. We turned out to be pretty good friends that season, too."


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The summer is here and Sin City knows how to throw a summer party or two or 20. The Strip is the center of attention when it comes to heating things up and cooling things down during the summer months.
Looking for the hottest gay pool party in Sin City and arguably in the US? Head on over to the Luxor hotel and casino for the 4th season of Temptation Sundays pool party. The summer fun happened every Sunday and goes through September 8, 2013. The sizzling fun poolside starts at 1:00pm and goes till 7pm. To get on the guest list for free entry from 1:00pm to 2:00pm text the word VEGAS to 77948. Cabanas, daybeds and VIP chairs are available for rent and can be reserved at VegasGayPoolParty.com
The summer fun continues Sunday nights after the pool party at Revo Sundays inside the Mirage casino and resort. The party has become a main stay for LGBT locals and visitors alike. With hot gogo dancers, amazing DJs and surprise performances you won't want to miss this party.
The weekend starts on Thursday in Vegas and you can party like a rock star at Share nightclub for Thirst-Days $10 liquor bust, Piranha nightclub hosts Glow Thursdays or take it easy at a local bar like the Garage or Charlie's.
Friday nights are always happening at Share nightclub for Stripper Circus. The hottest event from West Hollywood invades Las Vegas each Friday. See what all the fuss is about and your jaw will hit the floor when you see how much meat these sexy guys are packing. This is not the circus from your childhood, this is the circus full of your naughtiest dreams.
Looking for a main stream nightclub that is gay friendly? Hakkasan is the newest hot spot on the strip and the music and vibe fits any lifestyle. Featuring the newest technology, one of the best sound systems, every light design aspect you can think of and world renowned DJs and entertainment. The line may be long but it is well worth the wait. You will have so much fun you will leave with many great memories and a desire to go back again.
Enjoy your summer in Las Vegas and make it fun filled adventure every time you go out.


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When nationally syndicated newspaper comic strip writer Tom Batiuk was in grade school, he once saw a girl bullied by his peers and did nothing.
The memory has stuck with him and will be echoed in a "Funky Winkerbean" storyline next year.
"My whole life, I've thought what it's like to be that person," Batiuk said in an interview at his Medina Township home Wednesday. "I've always wondered if by not doing anything, am I equally culpable?
"If I do nothing, have I done something wrong?"
Batiuk said he's been touching on the issue of bullying since the comic strip's beginning in 1972 — and that's why he was asked to contribute to "Bullying Is No Laughing Matter," a compilation of anti-bullying newspaper comics.
In earlier strips, one of Batiuk's character was threatened by a bully to fight after school. As the comic grew and matured, he said he was able to touch on more contemporary and serious issues like the 2012 strip he contributed to the book.
The storyline focused on a gay couple wanting to go to prom together only to be harassed by students and staff. In the strip, the school's principal intervenes and says bullying the couple won't be tolerated.
Batiuk's comics have covered other contemporary issues, including teen pregnancy, suicide, alcoholism and cancer.
He said teens and children today have an especially hard time dealing with bullies.
"The Internet has made bullying so much worse," he said, explaining it's made teens unable to escape their peers. "I hope this book does something to spread awareness."
The Medina County community has worked to combat bullying after several teen suicides last year. Efforts have included the county's chapter of the United Way and District Library working with schools to have every sixth-grader in the county read an anti-bullying novel over the summer.
In addition to contributing his work to the book, Batiuk also wrote a preface to a full-length issue of Kurt Kolka's "The Cardinal," a superhero who deals with bullying and other social issues affecting teens.
"Comics today are accused of presenting a dystopian view of the world, but the first dystopian world I ever encountered was called a junior high school," Batiuk wrote. "Junior high is where social and physical bullying are distilled and refined and turned into an art form.
"It's where you run smack into the real world and learn that people can do things that are not always nice, not always fair, and which are sometimes downright evil."
Batiuk said it's hard for teens because their problems seem very important to them.
"While it's happening, it's hard to sort it out," he said, "but things do get better."
Contact reporter Nick Glunt at (330) 721-4048 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @ngfalcon.


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Trustees approve
$1,250 hike for
New timekeeping plan to save money, paper
University marks milestones with sustainability
(919) 962-7124
The Gazette staff is always looking for ideas for
interesting feature stories.
Do you have one to share?
University Gazette
Exhibit documents North Carolina through
the lens of photojournalist Don Sturkey
'Death of Innocents' chosen for summer reading 2007
State budget
ideas mirror
campus priorities
Faculty research spawns spin-off company success
Toxicology ranks first in productivity
Winter make a brief appearance
Question & Answer: APPLES extends its reach into Mexico
What ITS About: GRADS supports course planning efforts
@ your library: Online tutorials prepare students for study abroad
Exhibit documents North Carolina through
the lens of photojournalist Don Sturkey
'Death of Innocents' chosen for summer reading 2007
State budget
ideas mirror
campus priorities
Faculty research spawns spin-off company success
Toxicology ranks first in productivity
Winter make a brief appearance
Question & Answer: APPLES extends its reach into Mexico
What ITS About: GRADS supports course planning efforts
@ your library: Online tutorials prepare students for study abroad
Exhibit documents North Carolina through
the lens of photojournalist Don Sturkey
A young, unrecognized Elvis Presley being turned away from
the Charlotte Coliseum. The ladies auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan in hoods and
robes. Children living in poverty, the public moments of government officials,
the grief of ordinary citizens who have lost their jobs, their homes, their
loved ones.
As a photojournalist in North Carolina from 1952 to 1989,
Don Sturkey was witness to history writ large and small. Beginning Feb. 15, 39
of Sturkey's photos will be on exhibit in the North Carolina Collection on the
main floor of Wilson Library, with an additional 14 images in the entrance area
of Davis Library.
"Carolina Faces: An Exhibit of Photographs by Don Sturkey"
will run through May 31. The exhibits are free and open to the public. Sturkey
will give a free public lecture in conjunction with the exhibit on March 22 at
5:45 p.m. in Wilson Library. A reception will precede the program at 5 p.m. For
exhibit and event information, contact Linda Jacobson in the North Carolina
Collection (962-1172 or firstname.lastname@example.com).
Sturkey, a Georgia native and long-time North Carolinian,
discovered his calling while serving in the Navy during the Korean War. His
photojournalism career in North Carolina began with the Shelby Daily Star and
the High Point Enterprise. In 1955, he joined the staff of the Charlotte
Observer and was promoted to chief photographer in 1963, a position he held
until his retirement in 1989. Sturkey won the National Press Photographers
Association's Newspaper Photographer of the Year award in 1961 and was Southern
Photographer of the Year in 1962 and 1963. He was inducted into the North
Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 1991.
In 2005, Sturkey donated his archive of 104,000 photographic
negatives to UNC's North Carolina Collection where they are preserved and
available for consultation and use. Sturkey himself selected the images to be
displayed, and they reflect his wide range of interests as well as defining
moments in the history of North Carolina, said Bob Anthony, curator of the
North Carolina Collection.
"Sturkey prided himself on capturing the emotion of the
moment," said Anthony. "Looking at these photos is like being allowed a glimpse
of the subject's most inner self."
'Death of Innocents' chosen for summer reading 2007
Members of the University's 2007 Summer Reading Program Book
Selection Committee have named "The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account
of Wrongful Executions," by Sister Helen Prejean, as their choice for incoming
undergraduates to read and discuss.
As part of its summer reading program, UNC asks new students
to read a book over the summer and participate in small group discussions led
by trained faculty and staff. The non-credit assignment is voluntary. Next
fall's discussions will be Aug. 20; fall semester classes begin Aug. 21.
"The Death of Innocents," published in 2005, is Prejean's
nonfiction account of her relationships with two death-row convicts, their
families and individuals on either side of the death-penalty debate during the
time leading to the convicts' executions. Prejean maintains that both were
wrongfully given the death penalty.
Prejean details the trial and execution, in 1999, of Dobie
Gillis Williams, a black man from Louisiana with an IQ of 65, who was accused
of rape and murder. She recounts the story of Joseph Roger O'Dell, executed in
1997 after a Virginia murder conviction, which she says might have been
overturned by forensic evidence the state destroyed after the execution.
A Roman Catholic nun and anti death-penalty activist,
Prejean has delivered hundreds of lectures nationwide. Her 1993 book, "Dead Man
Walking," about a presumably guilty death-row convict, was adapted to a film
nominated for four Academy Awards in 1996.
"This was the committee's clear choice," said Douglas Kelly,
chair of the nine-member selection committee and professor of statistics and
operations research. "Members praised it as a narrative that, while compelling
and moving, is told calmly and with tolerance for all sides of the contentious
issue of the death penalty in the United States."
Of the five books that made it to the final round of the
committee's selection process, only "The Death of Innocents" was in the top
three on every member's list. Other finalists were "Honky" by Dalton Conley,
"The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan,
"The Wal-Mart Effect" by Charles Fishman and "With These Hands: The Hidden
World of Migrant Farmworkers Today" by Daniel Rothenberg.
State budget
ideas mirror
campus priorities
Chancellor James Moeser likes what he sees in the proposed
budget that UNC System President Erskine Bowles has prepared. He likes it so
much that, when reviewing it with the University Board of Trustees last month,
he said, "In previous years we would all have cheered and declared victory. ...
This is the most impressive approach that has ever been presented to the
General Assembly by the system "
Still, Moeser said, much work remains to be done to see
The proposed budget has the right priorities, Moeser said,
and for the most part, the appropriate numbers plugged in next to them.
Need-based aid is the top priority in Bowles' budget — an
area that Carolina has attended to on its own with programs such as the
Carolina Covenant and the longstanding policy of reserving 35 percent of
revenues from campus-based tuition increases for need-based aid.
The next priority is faculty pay that, under Moeser's
leadership, has been the number one priority at Carolina.
Bowles is seeking $43.8 million in recurring funding for
faculty salary increases in 2007-08, followed by a request for another $43.8
million in additional funds for 2008-09.
If those requests are funded, Carolina would receive $20.7
million over the next two years. The increases, across the UNC system, are
intended to push faculty pay at each campus to the 80th percentile of its
Additionally, Bowles has asked for $70.9 million in
recurring funding for 2007-08, following by an additional $72 million in
2008-09, for merit-based increases for faculty. Those figures represent a 4
percent increase in each year of the biennium.
Moeser said the Board of Governors' calculation used a
different set of peer institutions than those that were applied here. Peers
were chosen based on each school, each discipline and each department rather by
That different methodology in selecting peers is reflected a
greater gap of $40 million that would be needed to get University faculty
members up to the 80th percentile with their respective peer counterparts.
Moeser said he was not about to quibble over this
difference, however, because Bowles' proposal was so aggressive. "This moves
the ball down the field," Moeser said. "It is more than a first down. It would
be a huge advance."
The budget priorities after faculty pay, in order of
priority, are research, engagement and capital needs. The proposal includes $15
million in each year of the biennium to establish a competitiveness fund to
support investments in key emerging industries in the state. One impetus is to
encourage UNC campuses to collaborate in research.
Bowles has asked for $76 million to fund projects here
growing out of a chancellor's task force on engagement with the state,
including $35 million over two years to address health workforce shortages and
$21.7 million to produce more math and science teachers and improve
low-performing schools. Nearly $20 million would be devoted to economic
transformation through programs to support communities and high-growth
In addition, Bowles is seeking $20.2 million in recurring
funds and another $15.8 million in one-time allocations for the North Carolina
Research Campus in Kannapolis, where Carolina will have a major presence
through its top-ranked nutrition program.
The budget proposal also calls for $5 million in 2007-08 and
an additional $5 million in 2008-09 for the Renaissance Computing Institute
(RENCI), which collaborates with other campuses to support research efforts
Additional support for top faculty is being sought by
raising the state's matching fund for distinguished professors from $8 million
to $10 million in 2007-08. That is significant, Moeser said, because of the
University's fundraising success. Matching state money has already allowed the
Carolina First campaign to create 193 new endowed professorships — seven shy of
its total goal of 200.
Finally, Bowles is also seeking $5.1 million in 2007-08 and
$5.1 million in additional funds for 2008-09 for graduate student recruitment
and retention — money that would add 215 new remissions at Carolina.
With regard to capital projects, the budget proposal seeks
$119.6 million for a 210,000-square foot Genomic Sciences Building; $96 million
for a 216,000 square-foot Oral Sciences Building for the School of Dentistry;
and $12.24 million for first phase planning for Carolina North.
Nobody believes that everything that has been asked for will
get funded, Moeser said. "Our mandate is to get funded what matters most to
us," he said. "If we don't succeed, we are going to have to reopen the whole
question of the 6.5 percent cap for undergraduate resident tuition. Given the
leadership of the president and the support in Raleigh right now, we will have
a shot at this, but it will take a maximum effort."
Faculty research spawns spin-off company success
The University's Office of Technology Development has helped
launch 38 spin-off companies, including 31 since 2000.
One reason for the rise of start-up companies is the faculty
members' increasingly entrepreneurial spirit. But the starting point is the
high quality research faculty members continue to produce, said Associate Vice
Chancellor for Economic Development Mark Crowell.
Crowell detailed the office's progress at the Jan.25 meeting
of the University Board of Trustees.
Crowell cited Chancellor James Moeser's goal to increase the
level of research at Carolina to $1 billion by 2015 — a goal that builds upon
the University's already strong position in attracting both talent and funding.
UNC ranks 20th in federal support from the National Science
Foundation and 15th in the amount of funding it receives from the National
Institute of Health.
Crowell said his office brokers relationships between
faculty members and investors. His office has had success in that role, Crowell
added, because of partnerships his office has forged with the College of Arts
and Sciences, Kenan-Flagler Business's School and the School of Law.
Basic research leads to technology transfer, which in turn
produces jobs and economic growth through the state. Consumers benefit from
products based on new knowledge.
Asklepios, for instance, is a company that holds the promise
of offering a novel method of delivering gene therapy for Duchenne's Muscular
Dystrophy, an inherited disease that usually affects only males. A Phase I
trial has been funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Leading the
research effort is Richard Jude Samulski, professor of pharmacology and
director of the Gene Therapy Center.
Immtech, in partnership with the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and using University compounds used as
anti-fungal and antibacterial applications in the developed world, is
conducting a Phase III trial in Africa to fight sleeping sickness and
leishmaniasis. Leading the
research effort is Richard Tidwell, professor of pathology and lab medicine in
the School of Pharmacy.
Liquidia, a company that uses nanoparticle technology for
targeted drug therapy, was a key factor in the University winning a nanocancer
grant. Leading this research effort is Joe DeSimone, the William R. Kenan Jr.
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Carolina and
N.C. State.
Qualyst Inc. offers technology useful in streamlining drug
discovery and development that has been licensed to many major pharmaceutical
companies. Leading its development was Dhiren Thakker, associate dean of the
School of Pharmacy.
Inspire Pharmaceuticals, one of North Carolina's leading
biotechnology companies, is the first University company and the only one to
have an initial public offering to outside investors. In the early 1990s,
Richard Boucher and his colleagues at the University's Cystic Fibrosis Research
Center discovered the potential of the molecule uridine triphosphate (UTP) to
act like a natural hormone in cystic fibrosis cells, which cannot produce the
moisture required to line a person's airways with mucus.
Crowell said these companies represent a rich pipeline of
research and innovation that generates 120 invention reports each year. The
returns on that innovation can be measured a myriad number of ways, from
national prestige to faculty satisfaction to student interest. One measurement
that has becoming increasingly important and relevant — both to the University
and the state — is the connection between Carolina's research and North
Carolina's economic development efforts, Crowell said.
The impact and results of those efforts have been felt
throughout the state, from the small microscopy business in downtown Carrboro
to the web-based Spanish curriculum being offered for health workers. Such
efforts helped the University to be ranked 25th in the world in the Milken
Technology Transfer and Commercialization Index. Crowell said that the 24
universities ahead of Carolina had started technology transfer programs before
Crowell said the challenges and opportunities for the Office
of Technology Development can be found in Carolina North because it can provide
the space for growing industry partnerships, start-up company incubation and
translational research. To help make that happen, Crowell said, a proposed
Business Innovation Center would add up to a 70,000 square-foot incubator with
offices, labs, management and seed capital to help launch companies with high
growth potential.
Carolina is one of the few public universities without a
research park or incubator. Their presence at Carolina North, Crowell said,
would help to take the University to the next level of technology transfer.
Toxicology ranks first in productivity
Carolina's Curriculum in Toxicology was ranked first under
the 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.
The annual index offers a new standard for measuring
doctoral programs that ranks departments according to their scholarly input.
Its use was the subject of a Jan. 12 story in The Chronicle for Higher
The toxicology ranking was part of a table that listed the
top departments in 104 fields. The 2005 index also compiled overall
institutional rankings on 166 large research universities as well as 61 smaller
research universities.
Carolina, with its 56 Ph.D. programs, ranked 25th among the
large research universities.
The index is partly funded by the State University of New
York at Stony Brook and produced by Academic Analytics, a for-profit company.
The index rates faculty members' scholarly output at nearly 7,300 doctoral
programs throughout the country. In doing so, it examines the number of book
and journal articles published by each program's faculty as well as journal
citations, awards, honors and grants received, the Chronicle reported.
UNC's toxicology curriculum is an interdisciplinary program
that is administratively based in the School of Medicine.
Winter make a brief appearance
Weather forecasters correctly predicted snow early Feb. 1
that sent grounds crews to make building steps safe(above) and students to McCorkle
Place (below) to take advantage of the rare opportunity to make a snowman. The snow
later shifted to rain, avoiding a long predicted frozen mix. Employees are
reminded of the University's adverse weather policy, which details related
operating and work schedule issues. For more, refer to hr.unc.edu/hottopics/adverseweather.
APPLES extends its reach into Mexico
Editor's note: APPLES (Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in
Service) is the student-led program at the University that engages students,
faculty and community agencies in service-learning partnerships. Its goal is to
foster socially aware and civically involved students through participation in
an enriched curriculum and hands-on experiences that address the needs of North
Carolina communities. Recently, APPLES Director Jenny Huq sat down with Deborah
Bender, a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in
the School of Public Health and APPLES' Faculty Fellow for Global
Service-Learning, to discuss the Global Service-Learning Program that they
started in Mexico in 2003, as well as its recent expansion.
Gazette: Dr. Bender, can you talk a bit how your work led
you to this new mentoring program?
Bender: I have worked with APPLES for the past six years. I
served as a member of the APPLES Advisory Board. I began to wonder why APPLES didn't do any
international service-learning projects. Although I didn't want to diminish
APPLES' longstanding commitment to serving the people of North Carolina, I
thought that the growing immigrant populations in the state provided multiple
possibilities. Jenny and I talked
about the possibility, and in 2003, we partnered with the International
Partnership for Service Learning and sent the first group of UNC students to
Mexico to improve their Spanish language skills and do service learning. This
past year, Jenny graciously created a more formal position — the Global
Service-Learning Faculty Fellow, in response to the program's rapid growth and
rising participation.
Gazette: The idea behind this service program is to tap into
the insights these students return home with after studying abroad, with the
understanding that their international experiences better equip them to work
with people from other countries who have come here to live and work. Is that
Huq: That's exactly right. Students returning from our
abroad experiences engage in local service-learning with newly arrived immigrants.
Dr. Bender's involvement in this program began as an extension of her board
role, but she quickly became deeply integrated into its development and
evolution. In 2002, she approached me with the idea of global service-learning,
encouraging us to really think about its value. Simultaneously, students
returning from their traditional study abroad experiences began to inquire
about opportunities to serve and study abroad. They were encountering students
from other universities taking advantage of service-learning opportunities that
at the time were not approved UNC programs.
Bender: When I approached Jenny about the possibility of
developing global service-learning experiences, one of my concerns was that we
not let an international program overwhelm the domestic service-learning
program. International travel is always romantic — you can get on an airplane
and go some place different and, wow, everybody wants to hear about it. That
doesn't meet our goal of serving the population of North Carolina, which is
part of the core mission of the University and APPLES.
Gazette: How did you overcome that concern?
Bender: We decided to develop global service-learning
opportunities in countries where people were leaving to come to North
Carolina. Mexico was an obvious
first choice since 63 percent of the Spanish-speaking immigrants in North Carolina come from Mexico. The
U.S. Census reports that from 1990 to 2000 the Hispanic population in the state
increased by 394 percent. The change is huge because the infrastructure wasn't there to respond. So it was this surge in the
Latino and Spanish-speaking population that helped us to focus on what we
wanted in a global-
local service learning initiative.
Huq: We noticed an increase in the number of Spanish major
and pre-med students who were seeking out opportunities to serve in communities
abroad in an effort to inform their work with local immigrants. The
experiences, the development of language skills and the opportunity to work
with immigrant cultures are extremely valuable for students' professional
Gazette: How does APPLES identify those students who may be
interested in participating?
Huq: Some may have already participated in one of our
courses, internships or fellowships, but the majority of them hear about global
service-learning from the Study Abroad Advisers.
Gazette: Jenny, tell us about your first project.
Huq: The program is at the Universidad Autónoma de
Guadalajara, or UAG as it is called. It's the first private university founded
in Mexico and they have a sizeable language school where they teach students
from all over the world all year long. That's set up at about eight different
levels of language learning. They have other students, including our own, who
are offered service-learning experiences. These students go to grammar and
conversation classes for three or four hours in the morning and then in the
afternoon they go to their service-learning sites.
Gazette: What kind of servince learning projects are
students doing?
Huq: The majority of service-learning placements for our
students in Mexico focus around working with youth in a variety of ways. The
children they work with tend to be elementary to middle-school age. Some are
boys in residential home facilities where they are away from their parents
doing the week, returning home on weekends. Some live in orphanages. When
placing our students, we identify a variety of opportunities to meet the varied
interests of the students. We encourage them to consider up front the connection
between the work that they will do in Mexico and the work they will do once
they return.
Gazette: What insights do you think most of them bring back?
Bender: I think the range of experiences they have teach
them very valuable life skills. For instance, spending time side by side with a
child really makes a tremendous difference in a child's life. These experiences
facilitate relationship-building which is a critical skill when working in and
with communities.
Gazette: I understand many of the students when they come
back to campus participate in a seminar to share their experiences with other
Huq: The reflection seminar is designed to create a space
for students to continue to engage in their abroad experience from a local
standpoint. The course provides students personal debriefing opportunities to
help them reflect on their experiences as well as move forward with their
lives. They also learn a lot of new information about how they can apply their
abroad experiences to working with local immigrant communities.
Bender: All the students who come back from the projects are
placed in a local service setting during the semester following their trip.
They are also taking the one credit hour seminar that focuses on various
aspects of migration transition, including health, education and social
justice. Nationally, there are strong opinions on both sides of the fence about
undocumented immigration, but at the individual or family level, the issues are
much clearer. Families want a
better life for their children.
Gazette: Do any of your students work with Latino
populations in any of the local schools?
Bender: We've worked at Chapel Hill High, East Chapel Hill
High and with the students at Carrboro Elementary. What is most powerful to our
students is to discover the migration paths of these students — how much their
hopes and dreams parallel those of the families they met in Mexico. The
families coming here now come for economic reasons, by and large. Many of the
women I've interviewed talk about
their hopes and dreams for their families. What many of them miss the most
about Mexico, no matter how you ask the question, is family.
Gazette: So much of what your students learn is that there
is a new pattern of immigration that represents a twist to the American Dream.
Bender: What Jenny and I are working on is to create
learning and living situations where students' academic knowledge can connect
to the local community. I want them to see the patterns of migration where
sending remittances back home keep them connected to their families in Mexico.
Many families in fact, are sending money home to Mexico to buy a piece of land
and build a home.
Gazette: How do the experiences these students gain from
this program help them to figure out what they want to do with their lives? Are
their experiences laying a foundation for future careers?
Bender: It helps students to think about their professional
careers and where they want to go and how they would like to integrate this
global experience into their future plans. As a professor of public health, for
instance, my interest is health care access for immigrant populations. For an
immigrant without health insurance, prescription medicines are quite expensive
through the formal health-care system. If a physician understands that from a Latino's perspective, he or she
is going to be much more careful to ask questions about what other medicines
they might be taking. Have you asked anyone to bring medicines for you across
the border? Are you taking any
herbal medicines? A doctor should know answers to these questions before prescribing any other medications to
prevent possible adverse drug interactions.
Gazette: Are there other countries where this program will
be tried?
Huq: We now offer global service-learning programs in
Central America, Southern Africa and Vietnam.
Gazette: Both of you have been involved in putting together
a delegation of University faculty to represent Carolina at the International
Service-Learning Institute at Elon University later this month. What is the
significance of that conference in terms of pushing your service-learning model
to the next phase?
Huq: The conference will allow institutional teams to come
together and talk about opportunities for undergraduate students to connect their
academic coursework to serving within global communities. We are interested in
providing more access for students interested in this global-local approach, so
we've begun dialogue with many constituents across the campus engaging in this
type of work. Deborah and I know that on this campus there are a lot of things
going on. The UNC delegation is comprised of 15 representatives from various
disciplines and administrative roles across the campus. The conference will
provide momentum for our initial conversations around increasing
collaborative efforts and sharing resources to create more opportunities for
students in
the future.
GRADS supports course planning efforts
Beginning this month, UNC advisers can spend less time doing
paperwork and more time advising students with ITS' new Graduation Requirements
Advising System (GRADS). GRADS helps students plan which courses to take in
order to meet their graduation requirements. Students will be able to use the
system to aid their spring advisement sessions to plan what classes they will
take this summer and fall.
"Previously, advisers spent a lot of time filling in a
worksheet by hand with all the classes a student had taken and how they met
requirements," said Joe Bray, applications development project supervisor.
"This system gives advisers more time to actually advise, because GRADS fills
in the worksheet for them and updates automatically when the student registers
for a course and again when the course is completed."
"The quality of the advising process should be improved,"
said Donna Redmon, associate registrar. "When you take the mundane requirements
tracking out of meetings, then you can discuss career objectives, programs of
study and satisfaction of the students' selection of their primary program or
major. You've moved advising to another level. Your meetings become less
quantitative and more qualitative."
The system is part of a larger yearlong project to renumber
courses and revise the undergraduate curriculum.
"Because of the work that has been put into the development
and analysis of this system, I believe it is far superior to any degree audit
system that I've seen," said Redmon. "This system is tailored to UNC's very
distinct academic programs. And that doesn't exist on a lot of campuses
elsewhere. That's what makes GRADS so effective."
GRADS can be accessed using Student Central and
Faculty/Staff Central.
Reminder: Update Symantec client to protect from malware
A type of malware that exploits Symantec desktop security
products can compromise computers and computing systems. To protect your
computer from this combined worm and botnet, all UNC users are asked to
immediately update their Symantec client to the Symantec Antivirus 10.0.2.2002
version available free at https://shareware.unc.edu.
To make sure you are using a protected version and to learn
about updates, visit help.unc.edu/?id=6058. If you need assistance or require
any additional information, call 962-HELP.
Games for learning:
The conversation continues
Interested in using games for learning in your curriculum?
ITS Teaching and Learning has a new resource for the UNC. Games4Learning is an
online forum set up as a Google Group. To join a conversation about educational
games on campus, contact email@example.com or point your web browser to
googlegroups.com and search for Games4Learning.
"Edu-gaming" was featured on the front page of the December
2006 issue of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The article
described an October 2005 summit on educational games sponsored by the
Federation of American Scientists, the Entertainment Software Association and
the National Science Foundation that focused on the aspects of learning that
could be supported by video games; research needed to guide effective use of
games; market barriers; and changes in the educational system that might be
needed to incorporate games for learning. View the NSTA article at www.nsta.org
by searching for "edu-gaming" and materials from the educational games summit
at www.fas.org/gamesummit.
Listserver tip: list attachments
The maximum size of messages sent to lists using
listserv.unc.edu is 5 megabytes. If you send attachments, the total size of the
message (body text plus attachment) cannot exceed 5 megabytes. If you have
large documents to distribute to list members, consider making the document
available online and using the list to let subscribers know where to access the
Online tutorials prepare students for study abroad
Picture this: Your starry-eyed student has just been
accepted to study abroad for a semester in Paris, France. Baguettes! Berets!
Head-butting soccer players!
But how well prepared is your student to live and study there?
Even years of classroom exposure to the language or discussions about culture
and history may not be the key to navigating everyday student life.
Enter the University Library's online Study Abroad Research
Tutorials. Created in fall 2006, the tutorials are web-based, self-paced
learning modules designed to teach students how to research their destination
before going, as well as how to conduct research while they're studying abroad.
Lisa Norberg, director of public services for the library,
said the tutorials serve three purposes. They provide general information about
the country, advice on how to conduct research while there and instructions for
connecting back to UNC library services and resources while abroad.
"We'd like students to use them as part of their preparation
for their study abroad experience to help familiarize themselves with the
country and the information resources that are available to them," Norberg
The tutorials were created in response to the University's
Academic Plan and the recommendation to expand study abroad opportunities for
both undergraduate and graduate students. "As more and more students go abroad
during their course of study," said Norberg, "the library's tutorials can help
them make the most of these opportunities."
Students can currently access tutorials on France, India,
Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom. Tutorials about
studying in Argentina, China, the Czech Republic and Germany are also in the
works. Each tutorial was written in consultation with natives from the country
and offers a multi-faceted approach to becoming familiar with a study abroad
Take, for example, France. In the "Getting to Know ..."
section, students can find information about the country in links to the CIA
World Factbook, The Library of Congress Portals to the World and the BBC News
Portal. There are also listings for books in the library's holdings about the
country and its culture, as well as French and international newspapers. Travel
guides, travel websites, maps and French films round out the mini-tour.
The "Conducting Research in ..." section introduces students
to the French library system. In "Accessing UNC's Resources Abroad," students
will find links back to the University Libraries' homepage, connecting them to
a wide array of online resources and a qualified staff of librarians.
Though the tutorials are relatively new, Norberg said, she
hoped they will be helpful to students.
"We'd like
students to know that even though they are abroad, the UNC libraries are still
accessible and available to provide research assistance and support," she said.
highlights library services, collections, events and news of special interest
to faculty and staff. Questions about this feature and requests for future
topics may be sent to Judy Panitch (firstname.lastname@example.com), director of library
communications. The website for the UNC Libraries is www.lib.unc.edu. This
month's column was written by Margaret Hair.


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The Great Food Fight: Round 2
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thump. Fall back onto side and keep going with the momentum: Roll. Dodge the next incoming foot. Find your strong side, roll back and use that momentum to Get back up.
It's a common drill at my kung fu school. We break out the mats, and start tossing each other around. It's important to be tossed around by different folks, too, because you never know what size and shape your attacker is in. (Or, if you do, you need to leave the bastard. )
And now, with my birthday and my friends' birthdays and summer barbecues and luncheons with friends... now it seems like it should be part of my food-fight arsenal.
Because while I don't want to crouch my lifestyle in terms of a fight, it's an apt metaphor.
I have to dodge bad decisions. Sometimes, they catch me in an arm-bar and it's better to go down than to get my shoulder dislocated.
Case in point: I had to bring dessert to day: and I could have gone all out to bring a nice Tiramisu with all the trimmings. All 400 calories per spoonful of it. Instead I got the low-carb chocolate pudding mix, and the low-carb cool whip and made a really pretty chocolate trifle without the cake. As I showed up and saw the _enormous_ spread, I felt like doing a victory dance. I had seriously dodged a bullet. Not only did I have a desert that I liked and could eat a serving of without guilt, so did my friend Susie.
Okay. Hm.
So if I treat my next barbecue like a sparring match, and consider my portion sizes to be like my boxing gloves, and my witty conversation skills like the ring... and if I can just STAY IN THE RING and KEEP MY GLOVES ON.... I can win!
Because honestly, that's what got me through today. I had a quarter cup of white rice, some home-made Thai stirfry on top of that - peppers, chicken, soy sauce, etc. I also had half a cup of chillie - also home made. And I had a small cup of my dessert. And that's it.
I was there for hours! I could have had burgers and hot dogs and Suddenly Salad (no. It's not salad. It's pasta with sauce. Do not call it salad you jerks.)
But I didn't have those things.
I kept my gloves on. I stuck to my portions of two favorite things for the lunch, and I had one desert item.
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I practice a blend of martial arts, and I really found that fighting translates easily to living. Good luck, girl, and make sure that you remember the power of momentum!
1840 days ago
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good for you. thanks for sharing your victory.
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The National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras Signed Cooperation Agreement
Tegucigalpa, May 6, 2008. – An interinstitutional cooperation agreement was singed today between the National Institute of Statistics (INE for its Spanish acronym) and the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras in order to develop surveys on household, farmers, and prices and products .
The Agreement states that INE will apply a survey to heads of households (men and women) at a national level, and also to leader farmers and beneficiaries trained by MCA-Honduras Farmers Training and Development Activity (FTDA), using the same instrument applied for the household survey and the agricultural module of the National Survey on Living Conditions (Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Vida -ENCOVI).
In addition, INE will collect information on prices and products in the markets of the communities where the households and farmers are located.
On the other hand, MCA-Honduras will design and provide to INE the sample of the communities to be used in the household survey, as well as those of the leader farmers, beneficiaries, and the list of leaders.
The Agreement was signed by Mr. Antonio Rene Soler, Deputy Director of INE, and Mr. Martin Ochoa, General Director of the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras, and will be valid from this date until the end of the Compact in 2010.
The Government of Honduras and the Government of the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), signed the "Millennium Challenge Compact" aimed at implementing the Millennium Challenge Account-Honduras Program, which is addressed to contribute to the country´s development and to support poverty reduction through economic growth.
This web site was made possible through a grant given by the people of the United States to Honduras through the Millennium Challenge Corporation under the terms of a compact signed between the two countries. The information provided on this Web site is not official
U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Government or
the Millennium Challenge Corporation.


text:
Tuesday, November 16, City Council meeting; 6:30 p.m., City Hall
Items of interest on the agenda included:
Watch the entire meeting.
The next City Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of City Hall at 102 North Third Street. Parking is available in the Thalian Hall parking lot, or in the City parking deck which is located directly across from City Hall. Meetings are also broadcast on GTV (Time Warner Cable channel 8), simulcast on the city's website, or are available on demand following the meeting by clicking "Online Videos."


text:
"If I can't change the world, I'll change the world within my reach." ~ Catie Curtis, songwriter
The Maasai American Organization (MAO) is a small nonprofit
organization that promotes education and community health in the Siana
Group Ranch in the Narok District of
Kenya .
Founded as an international partnership between people from
the United States and Kenya, the MAO finances its projects through donations,
grants, and the sale proceeds of Maasai jewelry and other Kenyan crafts.
through our web site to learn more about our mission and projects,
to view how the Maasai people live, and to find out how you can support
the Maasai American Organization.
Kenya Night Dinner
Sat, September 26th, 2009
WUU Sancturary and Terrace
Tickets $15
More Info
Past Event
"Build a Library"
Craft Show and Dinner
Sunday, April 22nd, 1-4 p.m.
Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Avenue, Williamsburg
Through scholarships for girls we support the education of women.
When girls are educated, the whole community benefits. When women
are literate, they marry at a later age. Their children are healthier.
Maternal mortality decreases. The family income rises. Harmful traditional
practices, such as female circumcision, diminish.
Through clean water programs we help improve community health.
These women are learning to purify their
drinking water with Water Guard, a chlorine solution developed
by the CDC and Care
Kenya and marketed by PSI. Our scholarship girls are
helping their mothers learn this new system.
marketing of Maasai beaded jewelry we help to empower women economically.
The Karimatisho
women's beading group
has bought 8 goats and sponsors three of their own
daughters in school.
Through volunteering see how you can help the Maasai by doing work in the field on projects.


text:
Have you ever watched Kylie and Kendall Jenner on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and wondered just what they look for when they go shopping? Well, you'll find the answer here.
MTV News got the chance to hang out with the reality show princesses and Seventeen magazine fashionistas on Robertson Boulevard in sunny Los Angeles, where they dished all about cool summer styles and what they wear when the weather gets boiling hot. They picked out some of their choice looks at L.A. staples Alice + Olivia and Kitson.
"Some of the big trends for summer? I love colored shorts and I think those are coming back, just bright things," Kendall shared. "I have so many bright-colored jeans now."
Kylie agreed about the color trend for this summer, adding that "color blocking, just a bunch of patterns and crazy stuff" top her favorite-looks list. "Jumpers are just, like, amazing for summer," she said. "So easy. You can throw it on, go to the mall, who knows?"
Meanwhile, Kendall weighed in on her other must-haves. "These shorts [are] so cool," she said. "The pattern, the American flag, and just how they're different [and] no one really has them. I think that's sick for summer." Another sick piece? "I love mullet dresses," she said of dresses with a high-low hemline. "I think they are so cute. They show off your legs."
Kylie, who chooses Blake Lively as her fashionista of choice, had a preppier pick for her summer go-to staple. "Also for the summer [are] collared shirts. You can get the craziest collared shirts and put them with simple jeans … and it's so cute and classy, and it's such a great look."
Lively may be Kylie's favorite style icon, but Kendall kept her pick in the family. "My sister Kourtney , she's been wearing lots of bright colors 'cause she's so cute and little and pregnant," she raved about her big sister.


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Catalyst January/February Issue 2007, Front Page
As this issue of Catalyst details, the annual Christmas war with secularists continued in 2006. The good news is that our side fought back with greater determination this past Christmas season than ever before. Our ad in the New York Times (see the November Catalyst), got us off to a quick start. The Christmas war impacts everyone. Battles were... [Read more...]REWARDING BIGOTRY
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007, Front Page
The Thomas More Law Center, representing the Catholic League, is appealing a decision by a federal judge who declared that an anti-Catholic resolution passed last year by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was constitutional. The resolution, which was adopted last March, was one of the most vitriolic condemnations of the Catholic Church ever made... [Read more...]WE DON'T HAVE TO LIE
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007, From The President's Desk
William A. Donohue Those of us who are pro-life have two major advantages over our adversaries: a) the scientific evidence is on our side—life begins at conception, and b) we don't have to lie. It is this second advantage, the moral advantage, that is the subject of this article. The other side has a difficult time just honestly describing who... [Read more...]THE SECULAR CRUSADE AGAINST RELIGION
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007, Essay
Dinesh D'Souza This article is adapted from Dinesh D'Souza's new book The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, just published by Doubleday. Is Osama Bin Laden right when he alleges that America is a pagan society, the "leading power of the unbelievers"? Bin Laden and the Islamic radicals... [Read more...]ANTI-CHRISTMAS FEVER ABOUNDS
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
Like most Jews, Olympic skater Sasha Cohen is not offended by Christmas carols. But that didn't stop a government employee from trying to protect her. While Cohen was skating at a rink in Riverside, California, a high school choir started singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," immediately sending Michelle Baldwin into orbit. She summoned... [Read more...]SEATTLE AIRPORT CHRISTMAS DEBACLE
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
A rabbi from Seattle threatened to sue the Port of Seattle if an eight-foot menorah wasn't erected at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) to "balance" Christmas trees there. Airport officials responded by removing the trees. Don Feder of Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation and Bill Donohue issued a statement to the press.... [Read more...]HANDS OFF SANTA!
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
At Brandeis Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky, a teacher asked her students to make a Christmas tree out of paper; it was put on her bulletin board. But when a Jewish teacher said she was offended, she complained to the principal, Shervita West-Jordan, and got her wish. According to a news report, "She, and the teacher who complained,... [Read more...]CRECHES ON PUBLIC PROPERTY ARE LEGAL
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
Note: At press time, the Supreme Court of the United States had yet to decide on whether it would hear the case on allowing a crèche in New York City public schools. On December 18, the Catholic League erected a nativity scene in New York's Central Park; it was located on the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, right near the Plaza. As we... [Read more...]BABY JESUS EVICTED FROM MICHIGAN TOWN
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
In December 2005, the ACLU threatened a lawsuit against Berkley, Michigan unless a crèche outside the city hall was removed. This past November, the Berkley City Council voted 6-1 to remove it, angering many of the residents who packed the building. There is a lot of blame to go around. First, there is the ACLU, an organization that is so terrified... [Read more...]SUPPORT FOR BISHOPS
Catalyst January/February Issue 2007
A recent poll of American Catholics shows a 71 percent approval rating for U.S. bishops. In the fall of 2001, before news of the scandal hit, their rating was 83 percent. Post-scandal it hit a low of 59 percent in 2003 and 58 percent in 2004. The pope received an approval rating of 83 percent. Read More →


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More Londoners spend second Christmas on the dole
08:08 20 December 2012
The majority of London boroughs will see more than 1,000 residents spend their second consecutive Christmas on the dole, a union claims.
The TUC has published the results of research which shows 27 out 33 London boroughs face increases in long-term unemployment.
Leaders used the figures to criticise the government's Work Programme, which it said was poorly funded and failing to get people back to work.
The most recent figures suggest London had 64,785 people out of work for more than 12 months.
General secretary Brendan Barber said: 'While the recent fall in unemployment has brought some seasonal cheer, it's very concerning that 400,000 people are set to spend their second successive Christmas on the dole, with many more out of work and unable to claim.
'There is never a good time to be out of work but it's particularly tough at Christmas when there is a lot of pressure to buy presents for the kids and big family reunions that add to food and transport costs.
'These long periods of unemployment not only carry a harsh financial penalty, they can knock people's confidence and cause permanent damage to their career."


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Career Academy
The Career Academy initiative in Completing the Dream is a course that assists students in exploring career options while identifying an academic major that will help students reach their goals.
The course will include:
- Career exploration
- Career planning
- Resume/cover letter writing
- Mock interviews
- Job search tips
- Interview preparation
- Service learning
- Job shadowing
The course creates a learning community to serve all students, but it is especially focused on assisting veterans and students who have been historically underserved in higher education. Career Academy will be offered beginning in the spring 2015 semester.
Team leaders Tracy Ballinger, Director of Student Development at TCC Southeast Campus, and Eunice Tarver, Director of Student Development at TCC Metro Campus, will research the impact of Career Academy. They will gather data to determine whether identifying a career path and major and connecting with peers improves overall retention, graduation and gainful employment rates.


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Psychopathy theories do influence judges
A multidisciplinary team has surveyed nearly 200 state trial court judges in the US, showing that their decision making is swayed by a neurobiological explanation for psychopathy.
Read more on our Research Digest.
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Due to the wintery weather Tuesday in Lincoln, the Kansas State and Nebraska baseball teams have elected to move their midweek contest to Wednesday night at 6:35 from Hawks Field.
The game can be heard in the Manhattan area on SportsRadio 1350 KMAN.
Following Wednesday's game, K- State returns to Tointon Family Stadium for a three-game series against TCU, Friday through Sunday.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | The Manhattan Mercury, 318 North 5th Street, Manhattan, Kansas, 66502 | Copyright 2012
Reproduction of any kind is prohibited without written consent.


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Expedition 36 Crew
The Expedition 36 crew has completed its mission to the International Space Station. Crew members were from the United States, Russia and Italy.
On March 28, 2013, Alexander Misurkin, Pavel Vinogradov and Chris Cassidy launched in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. They docked with the space station later that day and joined the Expedition 35 crew. They stayed aboard to make up the first half of the Expedition 36 crew.
Cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov was the Expedition 36 commander. He is from Russia. This mission was his third trip into space and his second visit to the space station. He already had spent more than a year in space!
Astronaut Chris Cassidy was an Expedition 36 flight engineer. Before becoming an astronaut with NASA, he spent 10 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL. This mission was his second visit to the space station. He went to the station in 2009 as part of a space shuttle mission on Endeavour.
Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin was an Expedition 36 flight engineer. This was his first trip to space. Before becoming a cosmonaut, Misurkin was a pilot instructor in the Russian military. He likes to play basketball and downhill ski.
On May 28, 2013, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano rode to the space station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. They joined the other three members of the Expedition 36 crew already on the station.
Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin was an Expedition 36 flight engineer. He is from Russia. He stayed and became the Expedition 37 commander. Yurchikhin wanted to be a cosmonaut from the time he was in elementary school. Now this mission was his fourth trip into space and his third stay on the space station!
Astronaut Karen Nyberg was an Expedition 36 flight engineer. She is from a small town in Minnesota. This mission was her second visit to the space station. She went to the station in 2008 as part of a space shuttle mission on Discovery.
Astronaut Luca Parmitano was an Expedition 36 flight engineer. He is from Italy. When he was little, he knew that he wanted to be an astronaut. After school, he joined the air force in Italy and became a test pilot. In 2009, he was selected to be an astronaut. This was his first trip into space.
The Expedition 36 Mission Patch
The Expedition 36 crew designed a mission patch before flying into space. The names of the six crew members are written on yellow rectangles that look like the space station's solar panels. The flags of Italy, the United States and Russia seem to wrap around Earth.
Click here to learn more about other missions.


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For my birtday, I got the book, Star Wars: The New Essential Chronlogy. Based for the begin of time to the distant future. Interesting book so far.
I have a question...what does <3 mean?
(I went ahead and split this into a new thread since it didn't have too much to do with NJO)
I actually just bought that too (along with the paperback version of Labyrinth of Evil). I like all the pictures they have. I'll be sure to read it in the following weeks.
To continue this thread: Does anyone else have the [i]Essential Guides to _________/i]?
I have everyone they've come out with, and I'm glab they're making new versions of them.
I have that one too. Love it.
Yes, so far it's quite interesting.
It's been a while since I posted in this small thread. But, anyway, I have finally read through most of the book. I find it quite interesting. The drawings are fantastic. Anybody else have this one? What do you think of it?
Is this the big fat book that has all the entries (dealing with pretty much everything in Star Wars) in alphabetical order? I was eyeing a book at a bookstore that seems like this book.
Does it look like this?
Actually, no. The book I saw had a mostly plain cover, though I've never seen this one. Is the chronology worth the moolah? I have The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, and I enjoyed that, so I would assume ths one is worth it too.
IMO, it is nice because you can get a good overview of everything that has happened in the EU and movies up until the Dark Nest series. It saves having to read everything to get an idea of the overall history.
The downside is that some of the stuff is IMO complete garbage and it is a disappointment seeing it as a part of the overall continuity. But that's just me...
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Who do you believe is lyrically close to Lupe? Right now
Lupe's Lyrical Competition?
Who do you believe is lyrically close to Lupe? Right now
Forum category:
Define "Lyrically". Because a lot of people throw that around, and either don't know what it means, or have completely different meanings for the word.
Eminem. Then you got the whole Slaughterhouse movement. But it depends what you wanna look at, i mean, Nas gets on the similar shit Lupe's on, i just think Nas is a legend, while Lupe gotta build it.
Gundamn I pretty much agree LU above all, but charles is the only other dude that has me catching lines l8 sometimes. I don't think hes @ lus level but he is above Ye on the lyrical competition for lupe. Ye can make a better song, but bar for bar charles>ye.
Lots of people above Lupe, like Aes Rock, for example, but there isn't much competition in the mainstream
*pause* im a big charles fan but he's not fucking with lupe and i dont see anyone that is, call me a stan bt he's like the shakespeare of hip-hop he's too damn clever. bt i do love charles he's really misunderstood
Had to make an account to comment on the fact that people are saying Kanye. I love kanye almost as much as I love Lu, but LYRICALLY he isn't on the same boat as Lu. Nas, buddens, mos understandable but kanye? CMON SON. BTW my vote is Charles hamilton here comes the hate PEACE.
I was basing it off of Lyrical content, that gives me space to mention dudes like Nas, and Black Thought, Mos Def (The Estatic) artist you can't gauge an artist off of stuff they put out monthly or yearly that gives the impression of fickleness too. Lupe's last album was in 07, who put out the most recent albums shouldn't be a factor.
No shots brezzz, I was just basing it off both. Jay and Nas are both top lyricists, well established already and don't really put out stuff that isn't a brand new album or a single. Untitled was last year, and there's been barely any Nas buzz in 2009, but he's still one of the best / the best lyricist of all time. Like I said I was just keeping it current.
I didn't realise it was about being current also?? Hmm content is the main factor here for sure, can't argue with that.
so, I thought we were basing this off of lyrical content not current relevance. and if you think Jay is of that caliber why not? I don't understand your rational.
j.cole is a freshman, no comparison lyrically to lupe. but one day im sure he will be up there, esp. if he has jay z backing him like he does.
....I just noticed that 4ZIATIC, T.I...I don't see how he could be Lupe's Lyrical Competition fareal...
vv Oh and I was trying to keep it as current as possible; when's the last time you heard Nas put out a track? and haha at T.I.
Who's Joe Budden?? jk.. In this generation it's hard to say who it would be without falling into some other category (T.I).. I wanna say Talib Kweli, Common, NAS or Kanye (not his auto tune shit though), oh and because I'm Canadian K'NAAN T.O represent!! because he is just dope lool.. but to me they all have the deepest lyrics.


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Henrico's Top Teachers – Kenyatta Smither
Rolfe M.S., Instructional Assistant
Kenyatta Smither does not consider his position as an educator to be a job.
"It is my mission," he says. "It's my mission to help give [students] the spark to learn and develop the tools that will make them successful in life."
As a special education instructional assistant at Rolfe Middle School, Smither sees "a great disconnect" in the lives of many children, who often lack motivation to achieve because of the limited expectations others have for them. "They face obstacles daily," Smither says of his students, "and education may not be their primary motivation."
Noting that he became an educator because he wanted to be a positive influence, Smither counters those limited expectations with his own. He strives to inspire his students by posting special "power" messages on the classroom door and blackboard.
"Respect, responsibility, and reward is my personal motto that I live by in the classroom," he says, "[and] the expectation I have for every student I encounter."
One of his most rewarding moments as an educator, says Smither, was seeing the "magnificent job" his students did on a science project last year about the solar system and George Washington Carver.
Working on their projects for weeks, the students designed elaborate displays of the planets, built space shuttles, and created shadow boxes featuring Carver's inventions. In addition to a display, each student completed an oral presentation describing his or her project.
The results, according to Smither, were "awesome."
"Teachers and administrators come to our class just to view the students' accomplishments. The students were very proud of their work [and] eager to share with people how hard they worked on their projects."
"Some people couldn't believe the students were capable of doing the projects," he recalls. "Others stated they had never seen the students so motivated."
None of this comes as a surprise to Smither's admirers, one of whom writes, "He will always go above and beyond to encourage and support his special needs students. He will always challenge them to their fullest, but understands that every child learns differently – [and] given the chance will soar."
Smither never misses an opportunity to instill the "Knowledge is Power" message in his students, says a nominator, adding, "Kenyatta Smither is Rolfe's hidden treasure. His encouragement, his teaching, his mentoring, his ideas, his energy and his tough love should be modeled throughout the HCPS school system."
County plans Fourth of July event
Henrico County Recreation and Parks will present "Red, White, and Lights" at Meadow Farm Museum/Crump Park July 4.
Henrico County has hosted a Fourth of July celebration annually since 1981, but this year's event will offer a later start time and expanded hours and be highlighted by new entertainment.
The free event will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will feature the Richmond Symphony, a laser-light show, patriotic performances, and family activities. > Read more.
Tuckahoe YMCA to host Refugee Community Resource Fair
The Tuckahoe Family YMCA and ReEstablish Richmond will host the third-annual Refugee Community Resource Fair Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at the YMCA, 9211 Patterson Avenue in Henrico. The event is designed to provide refugees in the region information about jobs, local businesses, housing, health care, education and more.
As part of its strategic plan, the YMCA of Greater Richmond works to identify, address and eliminate economic, geographic and cultural barriers. > Read more.
Weekend Top 10
For our Top 10 calendar events this weekend, click here! > Read more.
Virginia man arrested with gun at RIC checkpoint
Community celebrates opening of Short Pump Park
Henrico Police seek woman involved in suspicious situation
Flying Squirrels, Sciencetellers kick of summer reading programs at Henrico libraries
Henrico Restaurant Week raises $2k for VHBG
- More News
Print Edition
Jun. 16, 2016Click here to read the print edition.
Weekend Top 10
Muse Paintbar opens at Willow Lawn
Weekend Top 10
Restaurant watch
Weekend Top 10
- More Entertainment
Obituary – Paulette McLennan Smith
Obituary – Robert W. Dement, Sr.
Obituary – Blanche T. Cerveny
- More Obituaries
County plans Fourth of July event
Tuckahoe YMCA to host Refugee Community Resource Fair
Short Pump Park grand opening planned June 25
- More Community
'Good old days' were good – for some
Of character and parenting
Opinion: Rename school for late Henrico officer
- More Opinions
Varina HS to host Basketball Skill Development Academy June 20-23
Strawberry visits Tuckahoe Little League
- More Sports
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CalendarThe Summer Nature Series at Three Lakes Nature Center, 400 Sausiluta Dr., begins with "Predators of the Sea: Sharks" from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Nature center staff will open… Full text


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National marine sanctuaries are special areas that protect important marine ecosystems around the nation. Some sanctuaries are breeding and feeding grounds for endangered whales, others contain thriving coral reefs or kelp forests, and many are home to historic shipwrecks and other archaeological treasures. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages a national network of such places, encompassing more than 150,000 square miles of U.S. ocean and Great Lakes waters. The goal of the sanctuary system is to protect important natural and cultural places, while still allowing people to enjoy and use the ocean. In total, NOAA manages thirteen national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument.
Sanctuaries protect many species that are threatened or in danger of extinction. Through the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, regulations at each sanctuary specify the types of activities that are compatible with stewardship of marine life and habitats. Sanctuary staff also conduct education programs to teach responsible behavior as a way to prevent harmful impacts. Marine species in these special areas are monitored so that best management decisions for their protection can be made. For example, in 2008 the staff of Stellwagen Banks National Marine Sanctuary, in cooperation with other NOAA agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard, convinced the International Maritime Organization to shift Boston's shipping lanes to reduce the risk of collisions between vessels and endangered whales.
Sanctuaries are dynamic, constantly changing places where diverse marine ecosystems are affected by both natural and human-caused events. NOAA scientists and resource managers closely monitor water quality, living resources, and habitats within the sanctuary system to better understand ecosystem health and detect trends over time. Each sanctuary conducts research and monitoring activities tailored to the specific needs of site. Research expeditions are frequently launched to gather more data to help protect these fragile areas. For example, the 2009 Gray's Reef Expedition focused on acoustic fish tagging and tracking, monitoring marine debris, and mapping the seafloor. Most of these expeditions combine research with education by also including teachers or students.
Many of the sanctuaries harbor historic shipwrecks or artifacts from indigenous cultures. Protecting this heritage is a critical mission of NOAA's sanctuary system, but the mission doesn't end there. Sanctuary staff also work to preserve documents, oral histories and traditional knowledge encompassing our historical connection to the sea. Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is an example of a site that was specifically created to preserve maritime heritage. This sanctuary is home to the wreck of the USS Monitor, a Civil War Ironclad that lies off the coast of North Carolina. Researchers there continue to monitor the deterioration of the wreck, stabilize the hull, and restore artifacts collected from the site—all to better understand and preserve the history of this important vessel.
Through diverse education and outreach programs, sanctuary staff teach people of all ages about the importance of marine conservation and stewardship. Using hands-on field experiences like the LiMPETS program and MERITO Watershed Academy, engaging exhibits and visitor centers such as "Lost on a Reef" at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, and ocean science-themed classroom visits, sanctuary education efforts bring the ocean to life for students across the nation. In addition, teacher training programs like Down Under, Out Yonder at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and a wide array of volunteer programs help improve ocean education and involve citizens in ocean stewardship in communities throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System.
The National Marine Sanctuary System exists to protect and preserve natural and cultural treasures, but sanctuaries are open to many activities compatible with resource protection. Balancing public use and conservation is a challenge that requires careful planning. For example, in 2008 Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary updated its management plan, which addressed key issues specific to the region like vessel traffic and its potential threats to wildlife. The plan included a provision to expand the sanctuary by 775 square miles to include the Davidson Seamount—one of the largest known underwater mountains in U.S. coastal waters—and modified regulations for the region to better protect white sharks, prohibit discharges from cruise ships and reduce the potential for invasive species.
Did you know?
National marine sanctuary staff conduct research and use that science to better understand the marine environment at all 14 sites. This knowledge is necessary to establish an effective strategy for protection.


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While speaking with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Judge Andrew Napolitano said impeachment is the only way to stop President Obama from ruling by executive fiat, Newsmax reported Thursday.
"The president is doing the opposite of what he was elected to do," he said. "At some point he is totally frustrating what Congress has written."
He also told Cavuto that when Obama takes unilateral action, picking and choosing what laws -- or portions of laws -- to enforce, he is actually telling people how to avoid the law.
The president has unilaterally delayed portions of Obamacare without going through Congress, and he has taken other executive actions on issues like the minimum wage, gun control and immigration.
Although some Republicans have threatened impeachment, Napolitano said that as a whole, neither Congress nor the American people have the guts to see it through. Another problem is the current makeup of the Senate. Even if Obama were impeached by the House, a Senate controlled by Democrats would never vote to convict or remove him from office.
Napolitano had an explanation for that as well.
"There's sort or a cult around him in the Democratic Party that he's 'our guy' and he can do whatever he wants," the former New Jersey Superior Court judge said.
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh also weighed in on the issue, telling his audience Wednesday the "lawlessness" of the Obama administration "knows no bounds."
"There's nothing stopping this man from doing anything," Limbaugh said. "If he wants to raise marginal tax rates, he can just do it. Nobody's gonna stop him."
"Here is the latest," Limbaugh added. "As you know, the Regime recently delayed the implementation of the employer mandate for three years, until 2016. This means that employers who have a hundred or less employees will be subject to the mandate."
But the change ordered by the president includes a clause specifically designed to prevent employers from firing people because of Obamacare, essentially turning staffing decisions into potential crimes.
"So what the Obama Regime has done, is said firms and businesses are going to be required to certify to the IRS -- under penalty of perjury -- that Obamacare was not a motivating factor in their staffing decisions," Limbaugh said.
"I mean, this is absolutely lawless. It is against the law," Limbaugh added.
Recently, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sued the Obama administration over NSA surveillance of telephone calls, but Napolitano said that a lawsuit over the president's executive actions could be tossed out of court, explaining that a judge would tell a member of Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings.
But, he added, that won't happen.
Moreover, there's no guarantee Obama would obey any order handed down in court.
As we reported in February 2011, the Obama administration was found in contempt of court for refusing to obey a judge's order lifting a drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill.
- Barack Obama summarized: 'I am the law'
- Liberal think tank says President can use military to push progressive agenda
- Obama Administration found in contempt of court over drilling moratorium
- Obama threatens more executive action: 'I've got a pen and a phone'
- Admin unilaterally changes law, lets immigrants with limited terror ties in U.S.
- Viewers say Obama stoned during Olympics interview with Bob Costas
- Obama promises more dictatorial action in 2014: 'I've got a pen and a phone'
- Retired Army officer calls for 'American Spring' to oust Obama, other leaders
If you like this article, you can follow Joe on Twitter @jnewby1956, visit and like his Facebook page, or subscribe to receive email updates when a new article is published.
For hard-hitting conservative commentary, please visit Joe's blog, the Conservative Firing Line. You can also find Joe's articles at Tea Party Tribune, Newsbusters, Liberty Unyielding and PolitiCollision.
Suggested Links
- The case against re-electing Barack Hussein Obama, part 4
- Liberal Daily Kos diarist calls for 'benevolent' Obama dictatorship
- Obama Executive Order would seize US infrastructure, citizens for nat'l defense
- John Podesta: Obama 'warming up' to idea of ruling by executive fiat
- Valerie Jarrett: Americans 'hungry' for Obama to act like an imperial president


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Women's SOREL 'Tivoli Go High' Sneaker, Size 8.5 M
A sporty mesh overlay and bold contrast detailing liven up a stylish calf-hair high-top sneaker that features a comfortable, contoured footbed and molded rubber pods at the sole for excellent traction. 1" heel (size 8.5). 4 1/2" shaft. Lace-up style. Removable insole. Genuine calf hair (Burma) upper/textile lining/synthetic sole. By SOREL; imported. BP. ... Learn More


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Disney Animation Collection Volume 3: The Prince and the Pauper DVD
Double trouble
Mark Twain's famous tale gets a merry makeover in a fun-filled featurette of lookalikes who swap places to learn about life on the other side of the palace gates. Starring Mickey Mouse and a star-studded cast of Disney cartoon favorites. See more