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Alan Renwick
In Part 1 of this post, I outlined the basics of Hungary's new electoral law. Now I turn to the question of what we should make of the changes introduced.
Before I get going, I should say that others have been following Hungary's electoral reform debates over recent months and years more closely than I have. I offer my impressions here partly because I know many non-Hungarian-speakers want to know more than they can at present about what has happened, and partly in the hope of initiating conversation with those in Hungary who know much more than I do. I hope you will point out errors, omissions, and points that I ought to think about in more detail.
The key question in thinking about an electoral reform concerns whose interests it is designed to serve. Is it imposed by the government to protect its own interests (what I have elsewhere called elite majority imposition)? Is it agreed among politicians more widely (elite settlement)? Or does it reflect pressure from below, which politicians feel compelled in greater or lesser measure to accommodate (elite–mass interaction)?
A quick look at the final parliamentary vote on the bill shows that this was not a case of elite settlement: the governing parties (the centre-right Fidesz and its Christian Democratic vassal, the KDNP) were united in support of the new electoral law, while the opposition parties were equally united against it. One opposition party – the far-right Jobbik – voted against the bill. The other two – the socialist MSZP and the green/liberal LMP – boycotted the session and headed instead for a demonstration outside parliament.
That's not to say, however, that all aspects of the bill were contested. The opposition parties all supported a sharp reduction in the number of deputies: as government supporters frequently pointed out during the main debate on the principles of the bill on 2nd December, Hungary's parties have long promised a reduction in the size of Parliament without delivering. There was also general agreement on the introduction of special representation for minorities. Four of the five parliamentary parties – all except the LMP – supported the shift to single-round elections in the single-member districts. And all agreed that, if single-member districts were to be retained, there was an urgent need to redraw constituency boundaries. No redistricting had taken place since 1990, with the result that the largest districts were three times the size of the smallest. The Constitutional Court had ruled in December 2010 that the prevailing district structure was unconstitutional.
Nevertheless, two aspects of the bill appear designed to serve Fidesz's own party interests. The first is that the new system is more majoritarian than the old. As I noted in Part 1 of this post, that is partly because the proportion of single-member districts (SMDs) is greater than in the old system and partly because winners' surplus votes are now included in the transfer of remainder votes from SMDs to lists. One estimate, which seems to be widely accepted, is that, whereas the old system translated Fidesz's 53 per cent vote share in 2010 into a 68 per cent share of the seats in Parliament, the new system would have given it 76 per cent of the seats.
Fidesz justifies this move in two ways (I'm drawing again here and in the next few paragraphs on the parliamentary debates on 2nd December). First, in terms of the mechanics of the new system, it argues that including winners' surplus votes in the transfer ensures that all "wasted" votes from the SMDs are treated equally. Fidesz's Lajos Kósa said:
The goal of the new method of counting remainder votes is that no vote should be lost – that every citizen's vote should count. The bill thus treats all votes that are not used in the single-member districts equally. Only some of the votes cast in single-member districts are needed to win a seat. The bill's goal is that every vote should be used: those cast for losing candidates in the same way as those cast for the winner that were not needed to obtain the seat.
This part of the bill was ridiculed by opposition deputies: the MSZP's Zsolt Molnár, for example, likened it to giving social security benefits to bank directors. And, indeed, the government's reasoning is very strange. If the equality of votes is an aim, that surely needs to be gauged across the outcome of the election as a whole: few voters pay much attention to how their votes are treated at particular stages of the count process. And in terms of the outcome of the election, the new system manifestly treats votes more unequally than the old: disproportionality, as already noted, is markedly higher.
Of course, disproportionality can be justified if it produces more effective or more accountable government. And this is Fidesz's second argument. Lajos Kósa continued:
The question of proportionality and governability is a key question for every electoral system. In considering it, we must recognize that each of these values can be realized only at the expense of the other. Increased proportionality endangers the formation of a governing majority, while realization of the majoritarian perspective reduces proportionality. … I believe that the bill offers an appropriate solution to this.
But none of Fidesz's speakers explained why governability requires even greater disproportionality than already exists in Hungary. Every parliament in Hungary over the last twenty years has lasted its full four-year term. No election has been followed by problems in government formation. Voters have been able to throw out the existing government and replace it with a wholly new coalition in four out of the five elections since the first post-communist election in 1990. As the far right's Dóra Dúró said in Parliament on 2nd December, "Election results have not caused problems for governability in Hungary, whereas proportionality – or, rather, disproportionality – has been much more of a problem".
Fidesz points out that some European countries have entirely majoritarian systems, and if these are classed as democratic then, a fortiori, so too must be a system that combines majoritarian and proportional elements. But this argument is again tendentious. The UK – the example most commonly cited – has relatively entrenched parties that retain stable bastions of support even in lean times. As a result, no government has commanded two-thirds of the seats in the House of Commons since 1945 – never mind the three-quarters share that Fidesz could have won under the new Hungarian rules in 2010. By contrast, the parties' weaker entrenchment and the greater homogeneity in voting patterns in Hungary mean that a popular party can virtually sweep the board in the SMDs: Fidesz won all but two SMDs under the old rules in 2010; the MSZP and their allies won all but ten in 1994.
In Hungary's circumstances, therefore, a pure SMD system would be wholly indefensible: it could at some elections prevent the existence of any meaningful parliamentary opposition. The new mixed system also risks leaving Hungary without adequate checks against majority power. No justification has been offered for why that might be needed.
The second highly contentious aspect of the system that seems designed to serve Fidesz's interests is the new structure of single-member districts. Article 4 of the new electoral law states that SMDs must not cross county boundaries, must comprise contiguous territory, and must contain roughly equal numbers of eligible voters. It goes on to state that district electorates should deviate by no more than 15 per cent from the average (unless that is necessary to respect county boundaries and maintain contiguity) and that Parliament must act if any deviation rises above 20 per cent. An annex to the bill then sets out each district in precise detail.
The general principles set out in the bill are perfectly reasonable. As government speakers repeatedly pointed out during the parliamentary debate, they conform to the principles laid down by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission in its Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters.
What none of those speakers cared to point out, however, is that the Code of Good Practice goes on also to suggest procedures for drawing up precise boundaries. It says:
When constituency boundaries are redefined – which they must be in a
single-member system – it must be done:
- impartially;
- without detriment to national minorities;
- taking account of the opinion of a committee, the majority of whose members are independent; this committee should preferably include a geographer, a sociologist and a balanced representation of the parties and, if necessary, representatives of national minorities.
The third of these points has not been followed: there is no information at all on how the government has drawn the map described in the new law. Furthermore, it appears that the first principle has been violated too. During the parliamentary debates, the LMP's Gergely Karácsony showed two graphs: you can watch the clip here and see the graphs here. The first graph plots Fidesz's share of the votes in 2010 in the new SMDs on the y-axis against each SMD's population on the x-axis. It shows that the districts are smaller where Fidesz's vote is higher, suggesting that the boundaries have been manipulated to Fidesz's advantage. Interestingly, the second graph (obtainable by clicking on the arrow to the right of the first graph), which plots the same data using the old SMDs, suggests that, although variation in district size was much greater under the old system, the bias against Fidesz was smaller than the bias in Fidesz's favour that has now been introduced.
I have not been able to verify these figures – which do, of course, come from one of the opposition parties. Nevertheless, they fit closely with others: analysts writing on the Haza és Haladás blog find, simulating 2006 election data with the new SMDs, that the average number of voters in districts where Fidesz were ahead by more than 5 per cent is 74,639, while that in districts where the MSZP were ahead by the same amount is 80,428. They find evidence of various other boundary manipulations in Fidesz's favour and conclude, largely on this basis, that "this is not a democratic electoral system".
To draw up district boundaries in a non-transparent and partisan way is a gross abuse of democratic principle. Fidesz will probably get away with it: such abuses are common in several other SMD-based systems, and Hungarian politicians have a depressing tendency to compare Hungarian practice with what happens elsewhere rather than with what should happen. But we should be clear all the same that Fidesz is skewing the system to its own advantage. Furthermore, by placing the district boundaries in the electoral law – a law that can be changed only with a two-thirds parliamentary majority – it is seeking to entrench its unfair advantage for the future.
Overall, then, this is basically a case of reform by elite majority imposition: the government has designed an electoral law that will serve its own power interests against the opposition of all parties outside government and with little real involvement from the wider public. Everyone agreed that an overhaul of the electoral system was necessary, but the government has used this opportunity ruthlessly for its own purposes.
The only possible qualification to this picture concerns the reduction in the size of Parliament from 386 to 199 members: why would Fidesz deputies back such a change if they were thinking only of their own electoral interests?
I look forward to hearing others' thoughts on this. One point may be that the unanimous support for the bill from the government benches shows how far Fidesz is controlled by its leadership. But is there also a concession here to public opinion? In other countries, including the UK and Ireland, reductions in the number of deputies in the past year have been justified on the basis that, when public services are being cut sharply, politicians should feel the pinch too. The same reasoning was expressed in the Hungarian Parliament on 2nd December: Fidesz's Gergely Gulyás, for example, said, "At a time when the country's difficult economic situation demands sacrifices from numerous parts of society, it is particularly justified and rational for Parliament to set a good example". More often, however, Fidesz deputies simply pointed out that parliamentary downsizing has been promised for twenty years but never achieved. This justification appeals to a populist discourse according to which Fidesz is the party that can slice through the lethargy of a corrupt and self-serving elite to act in the interests of the ordinary people of Hungary.
In this respect then, Fidesz is pandering to popular distaste for politicians. But it is doing so in a way that does the party's leadership no harm. To use the language introduced by political scientists Steven Reed and Michael Thies, act- as well as outcome-contingent considerations matter here. In all respects, however, it appears that the government has worked out what will serve its own power interests and has taken as much of this as it thinks itself able to get away with.
28 comments
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Alan, this is very valuable. Thank you.
You ask, about the reduction in size of parliament, "why would Fidesz deputies back such a change if they were thinking only of their own electoral interests?" I am not sure I understand the puzzle here. A smaller parliament, all else equal, produces less proportional results (Taagepera, various, including his 2007 book). So this fits well with the party's overall move towards greater majoritarianism. (Interestingly, the reduction brings Hungary close to the "cube root rule" of assembly size–Taagepera and Shugart, 1989. The old one was one of the most over-sized, relative to population, in the world.)
Another question: Regarding the boundary delimitation process, you comment that "abuses are common in several other SMD-based systems". Other than most US states and non-democratic Malaysia, where else do we find such gross abuses of this process as what you detail in the new Hungarian law?
Many thanks, Matt. The puzzle from my point of view regarding the reduction in the number of deputies concerns why the deputies themselves would accept this, given that many of them will lose their jobs as a result. I agree with your point about proportionality, but I might expect the party leaders to have an interest also in not antagonizing their members unnecessarily. The ease with which the government was able to do this might just reflect the dominance of the party leadership over the rank and file. It should be said that the reduction in the size of Parliament was already foreshadowed by a constitutional amendment passed in May 2010, just after the Fidesz government entered office, which set the maximum size of Parliament at 200.
Regarding boundary delimitation, I was thinking also of France, where the 2010 redistribution (like the previous redistribution in 1987) seems to have been strongly politicized. If France had a formalized mechanism for regular, independent boundary review, I think it would be far harder for the Hungarian government to justify what it has just done.
Reduction of the size of the political elite was one of the major campaign promises of Fidesz. Like with some others, they did come good on this promise. This was one of the reasons why many gave them 2/3: we believed that they would do it, unlike all other parliaments before.
Yes, thanks Alan, this is very useful.
I completely agree that it is a puzzle why Fidesz would wish to reduce the number of MPs. I wonder if it isn't just about improved control over the party. I'm not sure what Fidesz's candidate selection procedures are like, but I presume it's pretty essential to promise loyalty in order to get nominated or be put on the party list.
Aren't they also changing the incompatibility laws, too, so that you can't be a mayor and an MP simultaneously? I'm not sure what motivates that – although can imagine it might fall disproportionately on different parties – but it might as a consequence mean there are fewer loyal MPs to go around. It might also change the ease of access to political power for parties of different sizes.
How would you expect Jobbik to fare under the new system, and does that tell us anything about Fidesz's real attitude to them?
Many thanks, Liz. Yes, there has certainly been a lot of talk about stopping people from being mayor and MP simultaneously. I can't see anything saying that this has happened yet, but it would be interesting to find out more about it.
The Haza és Haladás simulation suggests that Jobbik would have won 9 per cent of the seats in 2010 under the new rules, compared to 12 per cent under the old rules. Both Jobbik and the MSZP are now a bit higher in the polls than they were at the election, but they would still both presumably struggle to win in many SMDs. Jobbik and the MSZP have both been arguing for a German-style MMP system.
They want to reduce the number of MPs because it is their populist (and to be honest partially legitimate) answer to the electoral dissatisfaction with the post-transitional status quo. The anti-political, anti-elitistic sentiment of those Hungarians who are dissatisfied with the way how things are going, were going in our country.
It was accepted by all parties even during previous electoral terms that the number of MPs should be limited, but there was no two third majority in the Parliament to have a succesfull vote on any possible reform and reduction.
They now introduce new incompatibility laws too, a mayor cannot be an MP anymore (after the next elections). This is more important than the reduction, because during the last 20 years succesful lobbying of mayors was able to stop crucial reforms.
About Jobbik.
Fidesz is afraid of a strong far right in Hungary. Mainly not because of their ideas but of their capability to attract volatile voters on the right.
Because of this in 2010 Fidesz partially reformed the municipal electoral system to institutionally limit the success of Jobbik during the Autumn on the municipal elections.
Jobbik has good grassroots so the collection of qualification card will not be a problem for them. Until Jobbik does not become either the biggest or an above 30 percent second biggest party of the Hungarian political system they will be disprefered by this new system. Because the "winner's compensation" system decreases the influence of their proportional votes (because the winning candidates will also create votes for the system of compensation and these votes will compete against the party list votes for the mandates on the national list).
Here is our paper in English, and on the 13th page you can find the explanation of this: http://lapa.princeton.edu/hosteddocs/hungary/Beyond%20democracy%20-%2027%20Nov%202011.pdf
Jobbik is the second most popular party in the rural areas and some former socialist cities, especially on the poorer North-Eastern part of our country. I belive that there are still some electoral limits of Jobbik's success, and centrist-volatile voters would rather stay away from elections than vote for them, so because of this Jobbik in the future might become capable to win some single electoral districts (on the North-Easter part of Hungary) in tight races against Fidesz but on the Western part in Transdanubia even in the rural areas it would be hard for them to win seats. And the proportional arm of system with its 93 seats disprefers Jobbik until they do not rise above 30 percent.
With due respect, Jobbik took over from MSZP in areas where people would not vote for Fidesz under any circumstances. Now they would not vote for MSZP either. Again, quality of government. Fidesz needs both MSZP and Jobbik as deterrents to middle-of-the-spectrum voters.
Yes, I would say that this is a very disciplined party, in which the deputies are the agents, not the principals, of the leadership.
Such a party surely will take care somehow of its MPs who might lose seats as a result of the reduction in parliament. It would be interesting to follow up after the next election and see what jobs former MPs who are not renominated end up with.
It should be noted that there are probably not many examples of such large reductions in assembly size in history. Other very large reductions came at the fall of the USSR, for example. Communist parliaments tend to be oversized, and in fact Hungary's oversized parliament up till now is itself a vestige of the communist era. The only surprise is that it took so long to bring it back in line with the cube root rule.
(The UK might now be the most oversized, in terms of deviation from the cube root rule of assembly size.)
Removing the incompatibility may be a clue: will many former MPs now become mayors?
Is the job of mayor at all attractive? I would tend to doubt it, because Hungary is quite centralized (isn't it?). But this would open up more political jobs to go around…
No they cannot become because Fidesz won with a landslide in the Autumn of 2010 on the municipal elections. So there will be lot of former MPs who will have to find positions in the powerless county municipalities of fight with local (and incumbent) mayors for new candidacies. But Fidesz used to be capable to manage this internal disputes, and many MPs after the landslide of 2010 were aware of the fact that this is their first and last term in the Parliament.
And you are right? Under this government the country became more centralised so the job of mayors will not be that powerfull.
Dear Alan,
many thanks for your posts indeed. In the vain hope that this may benefit other readers, let me repeat here some points that we already emailed about.
The reduction of the size of parliament was indeed supported by a widespread popular mood and (consequently) an inter-party consensus. The 199 figure is also broadly in line with Taagepera's fornula for assembly size (see http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0049089X72900841). But by achieving this figure in the context of a predominantly majoritarian system, Fidesz created major obstacles to the effective participation in the work of parliament even by parties with as much as 10 percent of the popular vote. With possibly as few as 5-7 seats each, their opportunities to participate in committees will be hugely limited. Even if each of their deputies obtains multiple assignments, what will they do if two their committees meet at the same time (which, with the current government setting rules of conduct, would presumably be the rule rather than the exception)?
I am also concerned about the special arrangement for minority representation. As it is, I think this is only good to provide a further tool for corruption in – and executive dominance of – the legislature, as well as to cultivate a culture of ethnocentrism in public life and political culture. Romania's experience with a similarly non-sensical system of minority representation (where the only politically relevant minority, the Hungarian, gets represented through the normal mechanisms of PR, and such ethnographic curiosities as the Italian, Albanian, "Lipovan Russian", Turkish, Tatar, Polish etc. minorities of Romania get 17 seats under the special rules for minority representation – see http://www.cdep.ro/pls/parlam/structura.gp?idl=2&idg=5) shows that these deputies nearly always find themselves voting with the government of the day (in the current parliament for 96-97% of the time, according a quick and partial check that I just made on the parliament's website). I imagine that these people, typically elected with a few thousand votes and formally only associated with organizations like the "Democratic Union of Turkish-Muslim Tartars in Romania" may also be quite dependent on powerful donors in their campaigns, and possibly also in their recruitment in the first place. Which of course does not prevent them from becoming, say, vice-char of the legislative committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (currently held by a deputy from the "Cultural Union of Rutens in Romania"). In other words, the cheapest way to become a legislator in Romania is to run under the banner of some fanciful minority that you invented and then get a few thousand people vote for you.
As far as I can recall, no Hungarian party ever dared to speak out against the ethnocentric and completely impractical constitutional requirement, enshrined in 1989, to add such representatives to the Hungarian parliament. (That there has not been any such representative in Hungary as yet is down to the fact that the previous parliaments never managed to set rules for the election of these minority representatives, i.e. remained in violation of the constitution for 20 years.) Yet the size and political significance of ethnic minorities in Hungary hardly justified retaining this rule in the 2011 reform, except possibly in the case of the Roma, who are so numerous and so divided politically that awarding them a single "Roma" seat in parliament will do no justice to their fair representation. The whole idea of adding such specially designated minority representatives to parliament has only ever been meant to provide some further arguments for Hungarian foreign policy asking for similar privileges for the Hungarian minority in neighboring countries and in defending itself from charges of nationalism. But even if you share those concerns, you will notice that Hungarian ethnic parties regularly obtain parliamentary seats in all neighboring countries without any special arrangements everywhere where ethnic Hungarians live in significant numbers. So I imagine that Fidesz' only remaining reason not to drop the requirement for a privileged representation of ethnic minorities in the Hungarian parliament was that they see quite precisely how useful this arrangement will be to further reduce the number of list seats awarded to smaller opposition parties and to provide some extra votes for the government of the day.
By the way, Kim Lane Scheppele has a new posting at http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/hungarian-diplomatic-protest/ and raises an interesting point re districting: "I know of no other system [than the new Hungarian] that allows an incumbent party to embed the specific boundaries of districts in a law that requires a 2/3rds vote for alteration and that has no independent body to determine whether the electoral districts have been fairly drawn in the first place." I do not know such example myself either (DOES ANY READER DO, BY ANY CHANCE?), but, as a devil's advocate, I was wondering whether a partisan of the Hungarian government could legitimately counter that in the American legal tradition partisan and pro-incumbent gerrymandering are in fact accepted by the courts (I am not sure whether that is the case in every state or just some), and by prohibiting non-contiguous districts the Hungarian system actually goes further in preventing such gerrymandering than US state laws (while the Hungarian law has admittedly a much-much greater tolerance for inequalities in voting age population between districts, even within counties)?
Happy New Year,
Many thanks for this, Gábor – and sorry that I've only just noticed it!
What you say about absolute numbers of MPs for smaller parties is very interesting – it's an aspect of the change that I hadn't really thought about, but you are clearly right.
On the representation of national minorities, my suspicion was that the government was gathering ammunition for foreign policy purposes, so I'm glad to see you mention this. During the parliamentary debate on 2nd December, Fidesz's Gergely Gulyás said "From the perspective of Hungary's national political interests, it is particular justified that the national minorities living here should have an enhanced position and that they should be subject to positive discrimination" – which sounds to me more or less like an admission of this point. We'll see to what degree the minority reps may be manipulable in the future.
I agree that there are other examples of really unjustifiable districting around the democratic world. As I mentioned in the post, I find it exasperating that Hungarian politicians constantly refer to what happens or doesn't happen elsewhere in the world in order to justify their position – when what happens elsewhere is indefensible, using it in this way really shouldn't be allowed!
Gabor – "I know of no other system [than the new Hungarian] that allows an incumbent party to embed the specific boundaries of districts in a law that requires a 2/3rds vote for alteration and that has no independent body to determine whether the electoral districts have been fairly drawn in the first place."
The US senatorial system
Alan, very nice and balanced analysis, easily the most fair and intelligent of all that I have come across in English. I have a few minor additions only: (1) we did have a census in 2011 which is the basis for redistricting as is the county system. (2) Haza és Haladás is the blog of Gordon Bajnai and Mr. Szigetvári above, one defeated premier, one campaign chief, so I would be careful with their analysis. What I do not get here is (3) how could they extrapolate the 2010 results onto the new law? 176 to 106 SMDs, 386 to 199, with possible minority representatives, and the party list votes of the Hungarians who are willing to vote and who live outside of Hungary? How can they claim that HUs outside of Hu would all vote for Fidesz? The law is now up and available from Magyar Közlöny. (4) Fidesz are also reducing the number of municipal governments, so incompatibility or not, many of them will lose lucrative jobs. As for MSZP-SZDSZ complaiing about the Fidesz victory, it was self-imposed both by style of government and two sets of austerity measures within 3 years (2006 and 2009).
Many thanks for these comments, Tibor. Yes, I realize that the impartiality of the Haza és Haladás blog might be questioned. I felt I could use it because I haven't seen anyone – including anyone from Fidesz – offer any evidence to suggest that their figures might be incorrect. The comments of various Fidesz speakers in the 2nd December parliamentary debate suggested that they accepted the numbers. But do let me know if I've missed any alternative analyses: it'd be really interested to see it. My understanding is that the Haza és Haladás analysts have used voting data from the many thousands of polling districts, which allows them to get at least quite close to the votes cast in 2010 in the boundaries of the new districts.
Alan/Tibor – The Haza és Haladás blog analysis is fundamentally flawed. It refers only to valid votes. The correct comparison is electors. Here in the UK a south england vote is worth much less than in a northern england electorate because of turnout, let alone the larger size of the constituencies
Viktor: The fundamental flaw in your model lies in the attempt to project two-step election results onto a single-step election law which has not even been tested yet, and in also your unwillingness to factor in MSZP-SZDSZ cooperation. It would carry more authority if it did not come from the PM and campaign manager of a party thrashed by popular vote in a free election. Elegant and elegantly written in English, but wistfully manipulative IMO.
re 3.: we did not count at all with all the minority representatives (maximum the roma population will get one seat), and the votes of Hungarians without permanent residence in Hungary – we do not even know yet the number of these citizens, the all must be registered. But 500 000 votes from them (and this would be much more than we can foresee) would change less than 5 proportional seats given the fact that the proportional votes will be combined with the loser's compensation. Plus in our model we stated that we did not take into account this system of non-Hungarian residents. In the end it will have a very limited effect on any electoral outcome.
Here is a Nézőpont review: http://nezopontintezet.hu/aktualis/valasztasi-reform/ As regards H&H, a Bush-Rove blog on Obama would not convince me. I am under the impression that Bajnai is being built up as a challenger for 2014, and the blog is dangerously, intelligently manipulative. Scheppele is clearly connected, and some of her statements in the NYT are atrocious. Whatever way you look at it, MSZP had the living daylight beaten out of them by the electorate. This election law will be better than the previous one.
What nobody has raised so far is what I see as the two biggest discrepancies in the old system: (1) 1990 districts totally disregarding population movement and (2) defeated candidates still making it to the Parliament and deciding about people who specifically said, "NOT you". You could run in an individual district and lose and still make it from the party list. Nagy Sándor, MSZP, 3 times out of 3 elections in my district in Debrecen.
Envelopes were also used in large-scale cheating by MSZP in 2006, and when some promises were unfulfilled, one of them went public with the method. A Fidesz modifier to the law asking for the repeal of the envelope system was defeated by MSZP-SZDSZ. Nails in the coffin.
I am less worried about redistricting than Mr. Szigetvári, as this is NOT a winner-take-all system, but there is large-scale compensation. I fully agree with you that compensating the winner is weird, but it does open doors for any party winning an election. H&H should be explaining why they would stand no chance even today, with the HUF at 320 to the Euro. I posted on some of these things on facebook, and there is an excellent PEW survey from 2009 on post-communist countries and democracy.
Again, congrats, this blog was a relief to read, with no political agenda, and thoughtful analysis. I was beginning to lose faith that I could read anything like this in English anymore.
Only confession on video, as you, as campaign manager, certainly know. Envelopes, investigation blocked by "independent" (=MSZP-SZDSZ controlled) Országos Választási Bizottság. Viktor, excuse me but this is not a campaign but an analytical blog, and the very fact that you and Haza és Haladás are posing as "independent" is already misleading readers. Having said that, you scored a major media and campaign success with this analysis, but with Bajnai stepping up as a supposed alternative to the elected government of Hungary, the whole thing smells foul. It is like Ms Scheppele analyzing over 4000 pages of legislation in a week but the EU commission still reading one out of 30+ laws before passing judgment.
Let us not destroy this blog, as later on, when you may be back in power, you might need an impartial analyst, when Orbán and co. pull a H&H on you. I would be willing to discuss party rhetoric in private. Here, however, we are trying to discuss actual concerns, such as the ones I have raised above. Best, GT
Electoral cheating in 2002, on request: http://www.fidesz.hu/index.php?menu=nyomtathato&Cikk=53363 Was repeated in 2006, Fidesz proposal to remove envelopes rejected by MSZP-SZDSZ: http://www.fidesz.hu/index.php?Cikk=53726 and continue search from here.
A new set of calculations came out. The author(s) take issue with the Haha analysis, using their raw numbers but applying different assumptions. There is lively debate, too, in the comments section, alas, all in Hungarian.
The (pseudonymous) post is in the right wing, pro-government but not uncritical blog "Mandiner". http://mandiner.blog.hu/2012/02/03/nem_csak_a_fidesz_a_haza_es_haladas_hibas_modellje


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- Response to request for information and quoation from Architects, Designers, Homeowners, general contracts, etc.
- Visit clients to their office or home to present our products and services and prepare estimates.
- Organize, prepare and manage workshops dedicated to Green building Materials.
- Provide input for the update of the website content (in French and English).
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- Identify growth opportunities for the business.
- Work in close collaboration with the internal departments (Marketing, Contact Management, Finance, HR) to develop business growth.
- LEED or / and Passive House certification
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- Knowledge of the Quebec construction and renovation code.
- Experience in retail and Green building materials sales.
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- Excellent communicaiton skills in French and English (Verbal and Written)
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To respond to this job offer, please submit your CV and motivation letter to email@example.com or by submitting your profile to the form below.
We appreciate your interest in working with us, but please note that only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
We thank you in advance for your time.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hanappi, Gerhard (1986) How Useful are Future Scenarios. In: The International Conference on "Technology Alternatives and Employment Policy Options to the Year 2000", March. (Unpublished)
Full text not available from this repository.
|Item Type:
|Conference or Workshop Items (Paper)
|SOAS Departments & Centres:
|Faculty of Law and Social Sciences > Department of Economics
|Depositing User:
|Huei-Lan Liu
|Date Deposited:
|07 Mar 2011 10:49
Item downloaded times since 07 Mar 2011 10:49.


text:
JERSEY CITY — A northern New Jersey university is getting a federal grant of nearly $600,000 to help revitalize distressed neighborhoods in its community.
New Jersey City University announced Friday that it is one of 11 Hispanic-serving institutions across the country to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The money will help fund a public-private partnership that provides support to small business people through training, mentoring and low-interest loans.
The goal is to revitalize Jersey City neighborhoods by helping low- and moderate income entrepreneurs start business ventures and keep them going.
Related coverage:
• Newark receives $2M in federal funds to rehabilitate, resell 47 foreclosed homes
• U.S. HUD secretary says housing crisis improving, but not over
• Housing and Urban Development secretary announcing $9.7 million grant for Jersey City public housing


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A leader has moved on in Dunkirk.
During Tuesday evening's Board of Education meeting, school board member and President Roosevelt Haynes announced his resignation. His decision was unexpected by many, if not all, in attendance.
Haynes was very much a father figure in representing the city's schools. He spoke softly, but sternly as the president and always listened to concerns as a board member. While an audience member during the tumultuous years of then Superintendent Carl Militello, he voiced his opinions numerous times.
In an interview with the OBSERVER in 2010, Haynes spoke of his dedication to the schools.
"My first experience of being on the Dunkirk school board of education was in 1979," Haynes said. "I've always been interested in education and quite frankly, I could not get over the absence of any ethnic minority on the Dunkirk Board of Education. There are those who knew me in the community and asked me if I was willing to run, which suited me just fine, because I feel groups like the board of education should be reflective of the population of any community."
Haynes served on the board for three different terms for a total of 16 years before being voted president in his final terms.
"That was a very humbling and pleasant surprise. I'm very honored to have that much appreciation and respect by the board members, that means a lot," he said.
His service to the schools is greatly appreciated - by students and the community of Dunkirk.


text:
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text:
[Return to Directory Listing]
Professor and Program Leader of Environmental Studies BA
Phone: (239) 590-7169
E-Mail: email@example.com: WH 220
Research Interests: Examining the impacts of disturbance, including exotic invasions and anthropogenic activities, on forest communities and ecosystems.
Current Projects: The technological interface between the techniques of simulation modeling and geographical information systems and their applications toward understanding the impact of and recovery from disturbance and land use changes.
Select Publications
Extended C.V.


text:
One of the saddest things I've seen in my lifetime is the intentional dumbing down of America by the radical left and their minions in the federal government. Don't even think for a second they haven't been doing it. How else do you explain Hispanic Transgender Studies? Or Jerry Springer? Or the professors of our elite institutions teaching our kids that socialism is the way to go … it just hasn't been done right; but it's still an ideal worth fighting for … and dying for in droves, apparently. It is hard to believe Americans would send their kids to colleges that teach such criminal nonsense, where the Constitution that guarantees their freedom and liberty is treated like so much toilet paper. But such is life in this upside-down world we live in.
As result, many Americans are no longer familiar with the real history of America and its Constitution. From my perspective, as just an everyday, ordinary citizen, I see an all-out assault by the radical left and progressive movement to abolish the U.S. Constitution. I believe progressive means to progressively move the federal government away from the U.S. Constitution and replace the entire system with a new one. And G-d only knows what that would be, but you can damn well guarantee it won't be free enterprise.
Any new economic system created by the radical left will be the complete and total collusion of big government and big business under the guise of "uplifting the community," when, in fact, the community becomes trapped between the steel jaws of government and big business, as if in a bear trap. The citizen becomes a slave to the state and must pay for the privilege for living in the state; and will only be given what the state thinks they "need." Of course, any new economic system requires the destruction of the present one.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
—Karl Marx
Notice the from-to paradigm in the famous quote by Marx above? Something will be taken from you, and then you will only be given what the state determines you need. It is that simple. All wealth is confiscated and centralized under one authority—an oligarch of elites—who are themselves fabulously wealthy, yet they demand ever more service and sacrifice from the masses in order to sustain their riches and power.
The problem is the money runs out because the incentive for individuals to work and produce in such a system is wiped out; no real revenue is generated by the people. It is just not worth it to try and create businesses when there is no pricing structure or any value given to anything but labor. Under this scenario, the people are completely dependent on the state. The masses are forced to produce for the state in order for the state or provide for their need (see slave labor), or what they perceive as need. Like Margaret Thatcher famously said, "Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money."
If there is no supply and demand to accompany the labor, then there can be no pricing structure. Under this scenario, the people are completely dependent on the state. But if the government cannot provide , they will steal it, or force the masses to produce it (see slave labor).
It all reminds me of a saying I grew up with; and it starts with a question: what do you get when you work your fingers to the bone? Answer: bony fingers. John Locke wrote, "All wealth is the product of labor." But labor, for labor's sake alone, is an exercise in futility if the goal is to create wealth and prosperity for all. One must apply labor to that which will prove profitable, not labor in exercises of madness, like Mao's Great Leap Forward, or Pol Pot's agrarian nightmare, which killed millions.
It was Karl Marx who brought us the whole Labor Theory of Value in his interminably boring work Das Kapital. It is interesting to note that about 90% of what Marx wrote was about economics. Yet it was his ideas about a utopian workers' state brought about by revolution and struggle that captured the imaginations and hearts of so many who would employ his atheistic, anti-Western ideology in future bloody Marxist insurrections–always bloody.
What I keep hearing from the administration and the progressive radicals in Congress is we need to tax the rich more; we need to continue our massive unrestrained spending; we need to continue to stimulate the economy by having the Federal Reserve pump out money in perpetuity; we need to stimulate the economy by providing food stamps and endless unemployment benefits—and on and on and on. This approach to economics might as well be straight out of the pages of the Communist Manifesto. Oh, wait a minute! It is!
I realize some people are bothered and made quite uncomfortable by the direct comparison of the Administration and the Democrats in Congress to a bunch of Marxist-Leninist ideologues. If that describes you, well, at the risk of sounding condescending (and maybe I am), I'm sorry. I'm sorry you didn't read the Communist Manifesto, or the Soviet Constitution, or Alinsky's Rules for Radicals (required reading in some public schools), etc. … yeah, I'm real sorry that reality makes you squirm. But don't feel alone, it really makes me squirm, as well.
I didn't intend to write so much on the left's penchant for Marxian socialist-style economics, but I felt it necessary to present my case, since so many are creeped out by any references to de facto Marxism, despite the fact that the Democratic Socialists of America and the Communist Party USA wholeheartedly support Obama's policies. I guess I'm just supposed to ignore that. Fat chance. Homie don't play dat!
So, we have a "movement for social change" pouring down from the president and the democrats and crashing down on the American people … a movement for social change—the quintessential definition of Communism with a capital "C," or in its modern-day incarnation: community organizing.
So, in order to bring about this collectivist utopia where we spread the wealth around by stealing the wealth of others, we'll need to start dealing with this pesky Constitution, sayeth the leftist radical. The best way to do that is to attack the very foundation of the U.S. Constitution—the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights guarantees the private U.S. citizen protection form an invasive and intrusive federal government; it enshrines these rights as inalienable rights that no earthly power can take away from the individual. Yet that is exactly what the radical left wishes to do!
When I say radical left, or progressive, I do mean "communist." I make no apologies. It is what it is. I believe one must filter everything the Democrats and Progressives do through the filter of Marxist ideology.
For example, communism is an intensely atheistic ideology. In every Marxist insurrection in history, the communists have gone after religious people and institutions with fanatical and brutal zeal. For many years now, the left has viciously attacked people of faith and religious institutions—namely, Jewish and Christian—attempting to create a paradigm whereby Americans begin to believe that the First Amendment means freedom from religion, not freedom of religion.
This shift in thinking by the populace has been reflected in numerous court decisions which take the position that the freedom of exercising one's religion is a violation of the separation of church and state. NONSENSE! A court decision to prohibit the free exercise thereof is a violation of the First Amendment! Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it mention a "separation of church and state."
The whole notion of "separation of church and state" originated from a letter penned by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Society in 1802, whereby Jefferson stated he believed there should be a "wall of separation between church and state." James Madison also reflected these sentiments when he stated that "a line should be drawn between church and state."
What is fascinating, at least to me, is the very next day, after writing his famous letter to the Danbury Baptists, Jefferson attended church services at the House of Representatives. Although Jefferson believed in a line separating church and state in respects to the establishment of a state-sponsored religion, clearly, he did not believe in prohibiting the free exercise of religious faith—even within the halls of Congress.
Remember, what the First Amendment clearly states, in regard to religious expression, is that Congress SHALL MAKE NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion. For example, if the Congress passed a law respecting the establishment of Islamic Sharia Law, this would be a gross violation of the First Amendment; but Americans are free to exercise their Muslim faith. Jefferson did not say that the free exercise of religion could not be practiced in the public forum. Anything contrary, goes against the Constitution itself. So, we can clearly see that the radical left has a serious beef with the very first clause to the First Amendment itself. In fact, they they really have is a big problem with religion, period.
But it doesn't end there. It is the progressive liberals who have brought us the whole notion of Political Correctness (i.e. Cultural Marxism) in the first place. The whole goal of P.C. is to get citizens to censor themselves and deny their own inalienable right to free speech. The democrats know that if they just came right out and said they would prefer to ban free speech, or severely curtail it, it would be political suicide. By introducing the notion of Political Correctness into the culture at large, the left conditions people to accept the concept of limiting free speech, even embracing it in the spirit of so-called fairness.
Along with the inalienable right to free speech, the First Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press. But when one sees the Justice Department refer inquiries to Soros' funded Media Matters, or the White House regularly meeting with representatives from MSNBC, or issuing strict parameters to the mainstream media on what questions can and cannot be asked, or disseminating instructions manuals on how to report on Obamacare to journalists, then one must question whether the free press has become a de facto state-run press. It is hard to come to any other conclusion, unless you are part of the state-run press.
Lastly, the First Amendment guarantees the right for citizens to freely assemble and peacefully petition their government for redress. This means citizens have the right to protest their government non-violently. And yet it is now a felony to protest anywhere where the Secret Service is present—which means anywhere the president is present. It is the radical left who has turned protest into a religion, but they dare not allow anyone to protest them; it terrifies them.
Now, following the horrific mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, at Sandy Hook Elementary, the White House and congressional democrats are on the warpath to curtail the rights of citizens to bear arms. This whole lexicon of "gun control" was first introduced by FDR in 1934. Since 1968, there has been a torrent of anti-Second Amendment legislation that has poured forth from the likes of fanatical anti-gun zealots Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Chuck Schumer, and other prominent democrats.
What must be understood is the Second Amendment is equal to all other rights; it is an inalienable right. So, if one attacks the Second Amendment, then they are, in effect, attacking the Bill of Rights itself. According to the Constitution, these rights are inalienable and are endowed by our Creator.
Which brings us to what I believe is the crux of the matter, and where the real lines have been drawn. The radical left does not subscribe to the notion of inalienable rights that were endowed by a Creator, as enshrined in the Bill of Rights, because they don't believe in the concept of a Creator. Instead, they propose their own version of rights referred to as "human rights." This is what the United Nations, European Union and the radical left in the United States wish to supplant inalienable rights with; and why the U.S. Constitution poses such an impediment to their goals.
"Human rights" are not endowed by one's Creator, but are, instead, granted by the capricious will of men. They are arbitrary rights drawn up by elite councils of individuals who can add and remove these so-called rights as they see fit, depending on what is expedient for the "common good." Although "human rights" sounds like a noble and worthy thing, it is, in reality, diametrically opposed to the concept of inalienable rights, which are derived from "the laws of nature and of nature's God" This is an actual legal term from Blackstone's Commentaries on Law (1766), which forms the basis of why we find these truths self-evident and God-given.
So, in conclusion, it appears the real divide is between those who believe our rights are inalienable and endowed by our Creator, versus those who believe man is the ultimate authority on the Earth. I doubt this controversy will end anytime soon. The problem for the radical left is the U.S. Constitution is the law of the land. The progressive left may not like it, but it is what it is. By attacking the very pillars of our Republic enshrined in the Bill of Rights, they are, without any shadow of a doubt, attacking the very foundations of the United States of America. In my mind, that's called TREASON!


text:
Cliptures #39 Fun Borders 4
(CD Disc)
Sorry, the CD is out of stock.
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A light hearted of borders clipart collection. All new, full page border designs. Includes a mixture of horizontal and vertical full page border designs for holidays, special occasions, home, office, school, and much more!
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text:
The movie version of "Order of the Phoenix" is scheduled to arrive in stores Dec. 11th.
Then I'll be able to bring my collection of Harry Potter movies on DVD up to date. I admit I haven't gotten back to a theater to see it since the night I saw a preview. I'd like to see it in an IMAX theater next time, though.
It will be out in four versions: single disc in widescreen and full frame formats for $28.98, 2-disc special edition in widescreen format for $34.99, HD/DVD combo for $35.99, Blu-ray disc for $35.99.


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North Hempstead (NY) Assisted Living Facilities & Senior Lifestyle Options
You'll find dozens of excellent North Hempstead assisted living facilities (ALF) in our database. Here's what you can expect from this Long Island town.
Within the town North Hempstead—population 226,322—there are about 50 towns and hamlets covering nearly 70 square miles. However, there is no actual village with the name of North Hempstead. Some of the villages include Great Neck, Kensington, Roslyn, and Mineola.
North Hempstead's overall cost of living is 90% higher than the national average. According to a Genworth Financial survey, a one-bedroom in a Long Island assisted living facility averages $4,335 a month.... Read more
Results are sorted by listings with images, then distance from the center of the North Hempstead. To search for just one type of care (like assisted living or nursing homes) enter North Hempstead or your zip into the search bar and then use the tabs to limit to a single type of care. See all New York senior living options.
State licensed: This North Hempstead organization was licensed when last updated. Check your local ombudsmen for the current status. All information on SeniorLiving.Org is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -Grand Rapids schools juniors and seniors can get introduced to some important skills, techniques and strategies to maximize their success on the ACT at a free workshop Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Grand Rapids Public Library.
The ACT Prep Workshop is limited to the first 50 students who register for the program that will run from noon to 4:30 p.m. Wendy Marty, a professional academic coach and former teacher, is conducting the workshop that includes content review, reading comprehension techniques, testing tactics and specific strategies.
"The workshop is a very intense four and a half hours," said Marty, who said students will also get a free copy of Barron's ACT 2012-13 to take home and continue to practice. "The test is really all about reading, making sure you read every question carefully and answering the questions asked. Students also need to manage their time because they are not accustomed to doing academics with a time limit."
Marty said the ACT is just one measure for getting into college and students have to try "to throw the stress and anxiety out of the window." She said scoring 18 out of a possible 36 is passing but a higher score can help with earning scholarships and getting into a school of choice.
"The prep workshop can be of tremendous benefit," said Marty, who said ACT is about what students have learned in high school. "The ACT is a different enough test that you need to learn how to take it."
To register students must be a resident of the city of Grand Rapids and have a Grand Rapids Public Library card. To sign up call 616-988-5402, extension 5477 or visit grpl.org/register and scroll down to ACT Prep and click attend and fill out the form.
Monica Scott is the Grand Rapids K-12 education writer. Email her at firstname.lastname@example.com and follow her on Twitter @GRPScotty or on Facebook.


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Loss of cracker is good news for Ohio Valley
Royal Dutch Shell's decision to drop plans for a natural gas cracker is good news for residents of the Upper Ohio Valley and Pittsburgh regions. Recently Shell was fined $115 million for regularly underreporting emissions of pollutants and carcinogens at a Texas cracker. Officials in Houston have found crackers to be one of the biggest polluters in the region, and companies have even decided NOT to locate in the city because of its air pollution. Crackers emit high levels of VOCs, which combine with water and sunlight to form ozone. High ozone levels have been tied to increased levels of cardiac arrest, asthma and childhood leukemia. We aren't talking about the ozone layer or global warming: These are real, known impacts on the health of us and our children.
The people of the valley deserve a clean, healthy place to live where residents, longtime or newly arrived, of all backgrounds and skillsets can find gainful and fulfilling employment. Politicians like to lavish tax breaks, financing and other enticements on huge international corporations like Shell, all paid for by the people who already live here. Instead of pandering to the gas industry, which is already here, we should focus our economic development efforts on creating a diversified economy that can withstand the boom and bust of any one industry or sector.
Instead of a cracker strikeforce, the Ohio Valley needs a high-technology strikeforce. Cities Pittsburgh and Detroit once belched smoke like Wheeling, but many there have realized that recapturing the industrial past is neither feasible nor desirable. Now they attract software developers, venture capitalists, and technology development firms that emit mostly shredded printer paper and $75,000+ salaries.
We even have workers to fill all these positions: Every Thanksgiving and Christmas they return to the Ohio Valley visit their parents or grandparents, eat DiCarlo's and a Coleman's fish, and maybe talk about how they wish they could find a job in their field here so they could move back home. Then they pack up and go back to New York, D.C., Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Boston and other points.
The Ohio Valley has the opportunity to move forward toward a diversified economy. Our elected officials have a duty to pursue every opportunity for the people of this region to flourish. They also have a duty to insure industries, especially those taking taxpayer money, are good neighbors.
Brandon W. Holmes


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St. Tammany bureau
Voters in the southern half of Ingram Estates subdivision southwest of Abita Springs will decide May 5 if they want to pay an annual parcel fee up to $60 for 10 years to turn on the street lights in their subdivision.
The homes in the second phase of Ingram Estates, along and south of Dana Street, are in the new 15th Road Lighting District of St. Tammany Parish.
The district was created after a majority of the residents in the newest phase of Ingram Estates signed a petition asking for a parcel fee to pay for street lights, according to Parish Councilman Marty Gould, who represents the area.
There are only 240 voters in the district.
The second phase of Ingram Estates was built with underground utilities and street lights on concrete poles. But the lights don't come on because the residents don't have a mechanism in place to pay for the electricity and upkeep of the lights, Gould said.
Gould stressed that although the proposition calls for a parcel fee up to $60, "We don't think it's going to be nearly that much. We're still working to get the figures together, but it probably will be $26 to $27."
The first phase of Ingram Estates along the southern side of Harrison Avenue was built without street lights. And Gould said residents in the initial phase aren't interested in paying a tax for street lights.
Unlike property taxes, a parcel fee does not fall under state homestead exemption. That means each lot or parcel in the district would be subject to the fee.


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The East Region Preliminary features the top 48 qualifiers for each event in both the men's and women's competition. The top-12 finishers in each event will join the top 12 performers from the West Region to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
Alabama senior Yanique Malcolm enters as the top seed in the women's 800 meters thanks to her SEC-winning time of 2:03.28. Senior Diondre Batson (men's 100 meters), junior Remona Burchell (women's 100m) and sophomore Elias Hakansson (men's hammer) are No. 2 seeds in their respective events.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Batson, seniors Akeem Haynes and Alex Sanders and sophomore Dwight Davis will enter as the No. 3 seed. All four members of the relay team also will compete individually. Batson, Haynes and Sanders will run the 100m and Davis will compete in the 400 meters.
The rest of the Tide's men's competitors include junior Alex Amankwah (800m), freshman Jacopo Lahbi (800m), senior Matt Airola (1,500m), sophomore Justin Fondren (high jump), senior Kamal Fuller (long jump), sophomore Josh McCullan (long jump), sophomore Imani Brown (triple jump), redshirt freshman Kyle Felpel (shot put), redshirt freshman Hayden Reed (discus), redshirt freshman Joe Williams (discus) and junior Charodd Richardson (hammer throw). Amankwah, Davis, Lahbi and senior Ken Taylor will compete in the men's 4x400-meter relay.
Joining Burchell and Malcolm on the women's side are junior Dominique Kimpel (200m), freshman Alex Gholston (400m), sophomore Kimberley Ficenec (800m), sophomore Katelyn Greenleaf (steeplechase), freshman Lakan Taylor (pole vault), sophomore Anna Rawles (pole vault), sophomore Autumn Conn (pole vault), freshman Quanesha Burks (long jump), sophomore Lacey Dent (long jump), junior Merilyn Uudmae (triple jump), junior Candicea Bernard (shot put) and junior Nia Barnes (hammer throw).
Burks, Burchell, Kimpel and senior Sarah Thomas will compete in the women's 4x100-meter relay, with freshman Brianna Sims as an alternate. Kimpel, Gholston, Malcolm, and senior Shani Chandler will compete in the 4x400-meter relay.


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Almost any northern New Yorker will tell you that cold weather is no reason to stay indoors, that outdoor recreation is here to be had year round and that one of the most exciting ways to enjoy winter recreation is on the thousands of miles of interconnected snowmobile trails found in northern New York. Snowmobiling provides great opportunities for family recreation during the winter months. It's a healthy form of recreational activity that combines sightseeing with adventure and is an awesome experience for people of all ages.
Snowmobiling continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. According to the international Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA), there are now more than 10 million active North American snowmobilers. Four out of five consider snowmobiling to be a first-rate family sport.
Almost all snowsledders experience the beauty and the freedom of the open trail on public-access snowmobile trail systems, like the ones found here in northern New York. And with that freedom and riding enjoyment comes a lot of responsibility. In fact, when operating a snowmobile, we are accepting responsibility not just for our own safety but for the safety of other trail users, snowmobilers and non-snowmobilers such as cross-country skiers, snowshoers and dogsledders as well. We know that being safety conscious and courteous to other trail users at all times is an essential part of snowmobiling.
Some of you will be operating a snowmobile and/or using our trail system for the first time this year. Before hitting the trail, it is imperative that you acquire all of the skills needed to safely operate your snowmobile. You must fully appreciate your responsibilities as a snowmobiler and behave accordingly. You must be willing to help foster proper attitudes toward snowmobiling, public trail systems and the environment, and have at least a basic understanding of the mechanical functioning of your sled. You must also understand and obey all of the laws governing snowmobiling, not just the written laws that carry penalties for noncompliance but the universally accepted guidelines as well.
Last, but certainly not least, you must recognize the value of and become familiar with fundamental winter survival skills. One of the reasons that snowmobiling has become so popular is that it takes you into such remarkably beautiful environments. But those environments also can be frighteningly unforgiving, especially when you are not properly prepared.
Whether you are a beginner or an old hand, things can go wrong. And even the most experienced snowmobilers occasionally make mistakes.
In order to legally operate a snowmobile on public-access snowmobile trails without adult or other supervision, snowmobilers age 10 through 17 must complete a NYS-certified safety training course. Upon successful completion of the course, safety certificates are issued by the commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Those who do not hold a certificate are subject to the same restrictions as children under the age of 10.
The primary objectives of any snowmobile-safety course are to decrease the potential for snowmobile accidents, injuries and fatalities, and to reduce the potential for conflict between snowmobilers and landowners, and between snowmobilers and other trail system and resource users. Conscientious snowsledders encourage and practice safe, responsible and ethical use of our trails, the environment and our natural resources.
Snowmobiling allows us to recognize, appreciate and respect the unequalled and unspoiled beauty of the Adirondack Mountains and the Champlain and St. Lawrence valleys while savoring the adventure, exhilaration and freedom of the open trail. If we all agree to adhere to a few basic guiding principles, snowmobiling can be a safe sport that everyone can recognize the value of and enjoy.
By sponsoring New York state-recognized snowmobile safety courses, which emphasize safe and responsible snowmobile operation, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County, and especially our 4-H educators, are taking an active role in assuring that children, as well as adults in our region, are given the opportunity to safely enjoy this exciting winter sport. Our 4-H educators recognize the importance of recreation and leisure in the lives of those they serve, and the fact that quality recreational experiences contribute to the overall growth of our communities' young people and their balanced development into responsible adults.
Extension-sponsored snowmobile safety courses are offered in two four-hour sessions. This season, our first course is being offered at North Country Community College in Malone on Dec. 13 and 14. That class is full. A second course is scheduled for Jan. 10 and 24 at the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center in Paul Smiths. If you would like to sign a child up for that course, please contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County at 483-7403. Registration is now being taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Class size is limited, and the course will fill up quickly.
Additional information and a comprehensive list of all of the state-certified snowmobile safety courses currently being offered in New York state can be found online at nysparks.state.ny.us/snow/edu_snow.asp. The list of courses is updated weekly.
See you on the trails!


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Father: Simon Warde
Mother: Maude
Marriage 1 Margaret Mortymer
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Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Zhang was in Taiwan for four days and three nights, a visit that triggered criticism and controversy over the DPPãs willingness to accommodate Zhang for a part of his trip. Student leaders Wei Yang and Lin Fei-fan have been sharply critical of the DPP's attitude. At the same time, notes Taiwan Brain Trust CEO Liu Shih-chung, the reaction from Washington has been that the DPPãs stance toward Zhang was "more positive" and more ãself-assured,ã leaving the US feeling somewhat less concerned. At the same time, however, Liu said the DPP seems to have been overly polite, and even if the US feels relieved in the short term following Zhangãs visit, many more and bigger challenges lie ahead in both the domestic and international arenas for Taiwan.
Koo recalled that when Sun Yafu, the Vice chairman of ARATS, visited Taiwan Brain Trust recently , he told Sun," If China's basic attitude does not change, then having ten people like Zhang Zhijun visit will do no good.ã
"But did the DPP say anything like that to Zhang? No. Did the DPP issue a formal position [regarding Zhangãs visit]? No." Thus Koo believes the students got it right when they showed up and protested. "The students came out and made themselves heard,ã he said. ãOpposition is normal."
Koo noted that when Zhang Zhijun visits Taiwan, he is a guest and should be treated as such, but it is essential to let him know that the party and the people are 100% opposed to statements he and his office have made in the past. This is the attitude the DPP should adopt, said Koo. The leaders of the DPP must drive public opinion and support it, and do more than just ãmake niceã when officials from the other side of the strait come calling.


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WESTFIELD – Four local runners picked the perfect way to start the New Year Friday by winning the Gordon Bates "First Race" at the Westfield Boys & Girls Club, with three winning their first road race.
Westfield's Brandon Mulligan (17 minutes, 20 seconds) and Enfield's Maura Burns (25:33) crossed first in the 5K, while Westfield's Matt DelMonte (41:00) and West Brookfield's Kelly Joyce (42:11) were tops in the 10K.
Mulligan, Burns and DelMonte enjoyed their first wins.
The races drew 83 runners to Westfield, with the sun popping out and roads clear on the calm 32-degree morning.
Mulligan won on his hometown streets, easily taking the 5K by nearly three minutes.
"I jogged here this morning," the 17-year- old Westfield High School senior said. "It's about 2 miles from my house. I'll jog back, too."
Along with Friday's race, Mulligan has run Holyoke's St. Patrick's Road Race, Westfield's Run for a Noble Cause, Springfield's Fourth of July Road Race, and Chicopee's Journey for Sight Triathlon.
"I like road races, maybe even a little more than high school races," Mulligan said. "They're more exciting. I like triathlons, too."
But none of those races were more exciting than Friday's race, where he won for the first time.
"It feels good," said Mulligan, who plans to major in pharmacy in college. "I'm happy I did it in Westfield. It's nice to win a race in your hometown."
Burns was happy just to be able to run while healthy. The 31-year-old fought injuries with her hamstrings, IT band and hips throughout 2009.
"I finally feel like I've found the solution I've needed, which is deep tissue massage to resolve the knots and everything," said Burns, a Chicopee native. "I tried physical therapy and chiropractors and orthopedics, and nothing seemed to help. I also started taking up yoga, which is very good for runners."
As for winning, Burns said, "That's a first. I've never won before. I hope that's a signal for more to come this year. I'm usually not at the top."
DelMonte had never been at the top either. The 37-year-old fought off Holyoke's Joe Wilson for the 10K win.
"It feels good," DelMonte said. "It's the first time I've ever won. I didn't expect to do it with that time, but I'll take it. A win's a win."
Joyce has plenty of wins to her credit, but not lately as the 42-year-old has stayed away from racing, partly due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
"It was good," Joyce said. "It was a nice race. It started out with an incline, it smoothed out and then we came back. It was a beautiful day, and I'm happy with my time."


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As the 2013 prep football opener fast approaches, area fans hit the ground running this week with the MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette Game of the Week poll for Week 1.
As of noon Friday, the poll had accumulated 3,685 votes. The crosstown rivalry pitting Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Kalamazoo Central, set for Thursday, Aug. 29, was the clear leader in the poll with 2,001 votes (54.3 percent).
Portage Central at Sturgis (Aug. 29) was second with 978 votes, followed by Fowler at Mendon (also Aug. 29) in third with 303 votes.
The Week 1 poll, which launched Monday morning, will remain open until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The winning game, which will be announced at that time, will receive top-notch coverage from the MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette crew, including a preview story, live chat, photo gallery and multiple postgame stories.
The Game of the Week poll this season will be leaning on fans even more than last year. This season, readers can nominate teams or specific games and make their pitch in the comments section.
You can vote every hour in the Game of the Week poll and do so here:
Scott DeCamp covers sports for MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. Email him at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter.


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Clegg, Rohrig
DON AND Cindy Clegg of Shadyside announce the engagement of their daughter, Erika Donelle Clegg to Joseph Robert Rohrig, son of Joseph and Cathy Rohrig of Wheeling.
The bride-to-be is a 2006 graduate of Bellaire High School and a 2010 graduate of Muskingum University with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology & child and family studies. She is employed as a financial aid advisor for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online.
Her fiance is a 2004 graduate of The Linsly School and a 2009 graduate of Muskingum University with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education & health. He is employed as a logistics coordinator for Rohrig Heavy Equipment Maintenance.
A May wedding is planned in Wheeling.


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The administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which has taken over the claims process previously handled by BP, will hold a town hall meeting near Slidell on Thursday to help residents file their claims.
Kenneth Feinberg, whom the White House and BP chose to administer the $20 billion fund established by the oil giant to pay victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, invites anyone with questions about the process to attend the meeting, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. at Northshore Harbor Center near Slidell.
Claims examiners from the GCCF will be available at the event to assist residents in filing their claims and answer specific questions. The organization set up a new claims office in Slidell last week at 1300 Gause Blvd., in Suites A5 and A6.
The organization's goal is making emergency six-month payments in 24 hours for individuals and no more than seven days for businesses. Applications for emergency payments will be accepted through Nov. 23.
The GCCF is the only organization that will be managing business and individual claims related to the Deepwater Horizon spill.
Though the GCCF has obtained claim information from BP, the organization is requiring those who previously filed a claim with BP to fill out a new claim form.
Anyone wishing to file a claim but who is unable to attend Thursday's meeting should visit the claims office, which is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, call 800.916.4893 or go to the organization's website at www.gulfcoastclaimsfacility.com.
Christine Harvey can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 985.645.2853.


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Man, I can't wait for it to come out! 2008 is so far away. Well, at least we'll have Metroid 3, SMG, and Brawl!
Source: http://computerandvideogames.comTold you, didn't we? But knowing that Mario Kart Wii was going to be announced at Nintendo's E3 press conference didn't make us any less excited.
When it came to the thing actually being revealed - in precisely 30 seconds of mouthwatering footage - we were cheering on the edge of our chairs just like you, gawping at the promising new tracks and classic old ones just like you... squeezing our eyelids shut and wishing that we could be transported ahead to 2008 in order to play it right now, just like you.
Of course, you want to know everything there is to know about Mario Kart Wii. So we've dug away with our info spades to uncover the secrets behind Mario Kart Wii - the characters, the vehicles, the tracks, the items, the online play - and brought the whole lot to you here.
Nintendo's E3 showing couldn't have delivered us a more exciting announcement. Drink it in, and try to come to terms with the fact that if Nintendo's plans work out, you'll be overtaking people on your big telly - online - in less than five months.
No kidding - as with Super Mario Galaxy, Mario's world seems happier than ever. The trees lining Mario Circuit here actually wiggle from side to side - part of the general visual bounciness that sees smoke rising from pipes and tubfuls of gold careering over your head in Wario Mines. The waterfall in Yoshi Falls looking about a bazillion times better than it did on DS, yessir. You can bet that Nintendo's saving the dreamiest tracks for revealing much later: including this generation's optically-overloaded version of Rainbow Road.
Hop! Hop! Hop! Forget Double Dash!!'s tarmac-glued karts. The briefest glimpse of Yoshi pogoing past Luigi proves that the ace jump/skid controls from Kart 64/DS are back. The Wii's 2 button would be the natural fit for it too, and it marks a return to gratifying last-minute foe-slamming, hours spent teasing out secret/glitchy trampolining shortcuts - not to mention boosting your way out of corners with that beautiful blue burst of blowtorch-exhaust.
Mario Kart wouldn't be Mario Kart without rainbow-shimmery '?' blocks dotting the tracks, and one section of Wario Mines shows them grouped in typical evil manner - a zig-zag across the track - that's just primed for those teeth-gnashing sliding-right-through-and-missing-them-all moments. Check the box right for the items we know of.
Yes - it's online. Properly. Race anyone you have a Friend Code for - or, if Mario Kart DS is the template, random worldwiders. Unlike on DS, Battle mode will also be online. And while Reggie told us to "wait and see" how many karters will be racing, the video screen behind him showed a dozen karts on the track! You'll understand if we don't get round to making the magazine any more.
Do the characters' heads actually turn to look at the vehicles they've just sent flying bonnet-over-exhaust with a perfectly-timed red shell? Looks that way, judging by Luigi's smug glance at Bowser - and Henman-esque air-punch. Perhaps there'll be Mario Strikers-style 'highlights' bits at the end of the race to really rub it in, too.
Don't blame the Goomba - it is a zebra crossing after all. But do get ready to curse more pesky kart-clattering obstacles than ever: happily bouncing cows at Moo Moo Farm, roving barrels of gold in Wario Mines, and inconveniently-placed treehouses at Yoshi Falls.
We're such devious gits, we're already planning a Mushroom-aided shortcut behind that lamppost and over the pathway leading past these houses. YouTube is going to be filled with videos of people finding evermore ingenious and unplanned routes over, around and through different bits of scenery. Mario Kart's back all right.
The tracks are choc-a-block with cutesy Ninty references, such as these NES-sprite lamppost placards (with 'MARIO KART' written like the Nintendo logo). The pipework of Wario Mines makes us wish we could leap out the kart and explore... even if ducking down the green chimneys would get you a singed 'ass' if the smoke's anything to go by.
Check out these screens and you'll see Wario performing the kind of 360-degree spin that will have Excite Truck players' wrists contracting in sympathy. But what's the point? Nintendo's keeping something back from these screenshots: we're predicting that repeated stunts like this - which are bound to involve waggling or rotating the Wii remote - will build up an SSX-esque boost bar that'll do... something. Extra speed maybe, like Mario Kart GBA's coins? Spontaneous powerups appearing in your grasp? We'll see.
So the end of Matthew and Greener's Big Cash Bet over whether Mario Kart Wii would appear at E3 ended how it should: with Greener a full £1.75 richer, and a brand new version of the greatest multiplayer series ever made roaring out of Reggie's triple-screen TV-mothership and into an applauding crowd. And - pick us up off the floor and shake us by our shoulders until we come round - we're getting 12-player online racing and battling. Aren't you glad you bought a Wii now?
So: best Mario Kart ever? Impossible to tell at this stage. But there's an unmistakeable aura of Nintendo returning to the series's standout instalments. In controls, design, items and tracks, Mario's tit-for-tat kart battles on Wii seem to marry the best of Mario Kart 64 and its handheld sibling Mario Kart DS - everyone's favourite MKs - and throw just enough new stuff into the pot to get us rubbing our hands and cackling like crook-nosed witches.
Dash it all
Personally, we loved Double Dash!!, but many didn't. And that was blamed partly on the ditching of the hop-and-skid mechanic of yore. Nintendo haven't just brought the old scheme back - they've thrown in tracks from DD!!, so we can experience that game's exemplary track design with the traditional controls.
The weapons look back to normal too - swapping characters and doubling-up weapons in DD!! was a pain for newcomers; now Mario Kart's back to its accessible best, and there's no excuse for nan not to ditch the Platinum Sudoku for a few blue shells up the ass.
Take it online
And online. After some early tantrums by Nintendo's servers, Mario Strikers Charged proved Wii can work as seamlessly over the 'net as DS - even if the game itself led to Greener putting his face through a window in frustration. With 12 players at a time (and possibly more), Mario Kart will be Nintendo's crown jewel of Wi-Fi - the game that puts Wii on the online map. No doubt there'll be official racing tournaments to keep us on our toes, loads of online leaderboards, and, hopefully, decent matchmaking.
But the really big deal is an online Battle mode - something that we didn't see in Mario Kart DS, and a tongue-dribbling treat for anyone who stayed up late with friends to play pop-the-balloon. Block Fort please, Nintendo. Block Fort.
But here's the best thing about Mario Kart Wii: it absolutely guarantees that all those people who were 'meh' about Wii before will go out and buy one. In some ways it's a better party prospect than Wii Fit - everyone knows it, everyone loves it, and without the double-kart, character-swapping befuddlement of Double Dash!!, it'll only be off-putting for people who've had some kind of debilitating real-life banana/kart tragedy in their past.
So: when, when, when? Rumours point to Mario Kart Wii hitting the US as early as January - and, even though the Nintendo of Europe release schedule has the game down for 2008, there have been continued rumblings about Nintendo's Euro HQ pushing hard to have it ready for Christmas 2007 (a plan that's also being enacted for Wii Fitness). A strange move, seeing as Wii isn't exactly short of big games in the immediate future - but when it comes to Mario Kart, even tomorrow isn't quick enough.
Can't wait for this one.
Currently Own:
Hardware: Nintendo Wii, 4 Wii Remotes, 2 Nunchucks
Games: Wii Sports, Wii Play, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero 3
Man, I can't wait for it to come out! 2008 is so far away. Well, at least we'll have Metroid 3, SMG, and Brawl!
Brawl Code: 3866-7670-3577 Name: Ali
Tell me if you added me if you haven't already!
I love WiiChat!
wowowowow sounds sooooo awesome. i really hope they dont do friendcodes, i doubt they will. but man cant wait for this! and i agree Wiisawesome, its so far away, but there are so many things to keep me occupied!
ThE QuI3t ThInGs ThAt No0nE eV3R Kn0wS
And Ill Scream With A Thousand Voices...
Xbox 360 Online Gamertag - Number1Newb
this sounds amazing, and it looks like its everything and more than i expected
They'll probably use friend codes, but not to the degree where you have to play only using friend codes. Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of friend codes, and they will just be used as a nice way to play only with your friends. Actually hopefully Brawl starts that.
Currently Own:
Hardware: Nintendo Wii, 4 Wii Remotes, 2 Nunchucks
Games: Wii Sports, Wii Play, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero 3
ya the games is gonna be better than anyother game on the wii by far
I wouldn't go that out of line and say that it's gonna be the greatest game on the Wii by far. But, it definantly could be, it and Brawl are gonna compete.Originally Posted by kevbomac05
Currently Own:
Hardware: Nintendo Wii, 4 Wii Remotes, 2 Nunchucks
Games: Wii Sports, Wii Play, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero 3
I said it was 12+ online before too, the other things though I didn't really pay attention too.
Nice of them to keep to organise and keep it simple. Sounds good.
OMG!!! It looks amazing... I really can't wait for this!
PM me and add me to ur address book...
Never played the one for Gamecube, I heard it wasn't too good.
This one however looks great, and I am not going to let my previous mistakes of not playing a lot of games happen this time, I will definitely rent this one.
Thanks for the info.
'I don't want to go back, I want a new day & age.'
Retired Moderator-[PM]
Brawl FC: 4682-8172-0512 [PM for add]
Originally Posted by Sumn0ob


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Actor Jeremy Bulloch may be best known for his four lines in the armor of the Mandelorian (sic) commando armor of Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back." He admits he flubbed one of those lines. He was asked to say: "Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold." But what came out was: "Put captain cargo in the solo hold." "Wrong line -- I'd messed it up," Bulloch says. But it wasn't anything that a little post-production couldn't fix.
Source: CNN


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| NEW ORLEANS — Repeat road matchups with NCAA Division I opponents Western Kentucky and Southern are included on the 2010-11 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball schedule.
Dannton Jackson, returning for his eighth season as head coach of the Gold Rush, announced Tuesday the schedule, which includes one exhibition and 30 regular-season games.
Xavier — picked first in the preseason coaches poll to win the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference — will visit Western Kentucky in a Nov. 4 exhibition and travel to Southern on Dec. 20 for the first regular-season meeting between Xavier and Southern since the 2000-01 season. The Gold Rush and Jaguars met in exhibitions each of the past two seasons.
For the second consecutive season Xavier will play 17 home games. Xavier will open its 73rd season Oct. 30 with a 4 p.m. game at The Barn against Webber International. XU's first six regular-season games will be at home.
The Gold Rush will play Philander Smith for homecoming at 4 p.m. on Nov. 20 and face Talladega — the 2010 USCAA national champion — on Dec. 3 at The Barn. The Gold Rush will play Talladega for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
The lone first-time opponent will be Dakota Wesleyan, an NAIA Division II member which was 28-6 a year ago. The Gold Rush will play the Tigers on Dec. 30 in the Miami Gardens (Fla.) Classic. It'll be the second straight year that Xavier plays in that event.
Xavier will play its GCAC opener Jan. 22 at The Barn against Tougaloo. The GCAC Tournament will be March 3-5 at Jacksonville, Fla., with Edward Waters as host. The tournament champion will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, which will start March 16 at Kansas City, Mo. Xavier reached the NAIA national tourney four consecutive seasons from 2004-2008.
The Gold Rush will play SUNO on senior night at The Barn on Feb. 19 and Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at The Barn on Feb. 26. XU's home matchup with Dillard will be part of Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend.
Xavier will play twice against 10 opponents, including St. Thomas (Texas), which appears on the schedule for the first time since 1984-85. The Gold Rush will play three road games in New Orleans: Dec. 6 at Loyola, Jan. 29 at SUNO and Feb. 5 at Dillard.
The Gold Rush's Feb. 22 game against St. Thomas (Texas) at The Barn will be an NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers game. Jackson and his staff will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their usual game attire that night to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and the fight against cancer. Fans also are invited to wear sneakers to that game.
Xavier returns seven lettermen from last season's 18-13 team, including All-GCAC and third-team All-Louisiana guard Michael Harvey. The Gold Rush in 2009-10 ranked second in NAIA Division I in field-goal percentage defense, sixth in scoring defense and defeated three ranked opponents. Xavier's 25 seasons of 20 or more victories are the most in the history of Louisiana men's college basketball.
Nov. 4: at Western Kentucky (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Nov. 6: CARVER BIBLE, 6 p.m.
Nov. 12: ST. THOMAS (FLA.), 7 p.m.
Nov. 18: JARVIS CHRISTIAN, 7 p.m.
Nov. 20: PHILANDER SMITH (DH) (Homecoming), 4 p.m.
Nov. 22: WILEY (DH), 6 p.m.
Nov. 27: Wiley (at Houston, Texas / U. of St. Thomas), 1 p.m.
Nov. 29: at St. Thomas (Texas), 7 p.m.
Dec. 3: TALLADEGA, 6 p.m.
Dec. 6: at Loyola, 7 p.m.
Dec. 18: at William Carey, 4 p.m.
Dec. 20: at Southern, 7 p.m.
Dec. 29: Webber International (1), 3 p.m. (4 p.m. EST)
Dec. 30: Dakota Wesleyan (1), 3 p.m. (4 p.m. EST)
Jan. 6: CONCORDIA (ALA.) (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 8: at Belhaven (DH), 6 p.m.
Jan. 10: WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 15: LOYOLA (DH), 7 p.m.
Jan. 17: SPRING HILL, 7 p.m.
Jan. 22: • TOUGALOO (DH), 7 p.m.
Jan. 24: MOBILE (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 29: • at SUNO (DH), 7 p.m.
Feb. 2: BELHAVEN (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5: • at Dillard (DH) (Bleu Devil Classic), 7 p.m.
Feb. 7: at Spring Hill, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12: • at Tougaloo (DH), 7 p.m.
Feb. 17: at Mobile (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19: • SUNO (DH) (Senior Night), 7 p.m.
Feb. 22: ST. THOMAS (TEXAS) (NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Game), 7 p.m.
Feb. 26: • DILLARD (DH) (Crosstown Classic and Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend), 7 p.m.
March 3-5: GCAC Tournament, Jacksonville, Fla.
March 16-22: Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, Kansas City, Mo.
• Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) - Doubleheader with Xavier's women
TBA - To be announced
All times are Central except where noted
(1) Miami Gardens Classic, Miami Gardens, Fla.


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Byron Hollinshead
About the Author
Byron Hollinshead is president of American Historical Publications, a producer of books in history for adults and for children. Previously, he was president of American Heritage Publishing Company and Oxford University Press, Inc. He was publisher of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and Time Machine: American History for Kids. He is a former president of National History Day and, currently, vice-chair of The National Council for History Education. Hollinshead has been a consultant to several PBS documentaries in history including, most recently, Freedom: A History of US, a sixteen part series from Kunhardt Productions. As an editor and publisher, Mr. Hollinshead has worked with many of the authors in this anthology on their previous books and articles.