text:
MOBILE, Alabama – A group of Mobile Public Service workers are seeking a temporary restraining order against Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Finance Director Paul Wesch to prevent them from refusing to give a 2.5 percent pay raise that was originally included in the fiscal year 2014 budget.
A lawsuit filed in Mobile County Circuit Court Tuesday requests a judge to issue the temporary restraining order against the mayor and finance director. On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Sarah Stewart denied the request "because there is no evidence of immediate and irreparable injury," but scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for 9 a.m. Jan. 29.
The lawsuit claims that that the pay raise was eliminated by Stimpson despite the 2014 budget being "properly proposed and adopted" by the Mobile City Council, that an employee pay raise constitutes a legal benefit to which they are being "wrongfully deprived" by Stimpson and Wesch, and that "no concrete evidence" has been provided by the mayor's administration to show that there is a negative balance in the city's general fund.
"We are aware of the complaint and the City Attorney's office is in the process of reviewing it," city spokesman George Talbot said Wednesday. "The decision not to implement the raises at this time was dictated by the discovery of significant shortfalls in the current city budget. The law clearly states that the budget must be balanced and the administration is working diligently to return the city to solid financial footing."
Stimpson, on Dec. 30, rescinded the 2.5 percent pay raise for city employees after a preliminary audit showed a $4.4 million deficit in the general fund. The mayor's administration has since said it plans to redo the 2014 budget and has been meeting with department heads in recent weeks.
The pay raise was included in the 2014 budget introduced by former Mayor Sam Jones and adopted by the council in September. The raise was for all full-time city employees, and was expected to cost the city around $3 million. The city's fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
The deficit, according to Wesch, is the result of the city spending more money than what revenues generated from Sept. 30, 2012 to Sept. 30, 2013.
The 2012 year began with an $11.4 million surplus in the general fund, preliminary audited figures show, but fiscal year 2013 ended with a $4.4 million deficit, resulting in $15.8 million in excessive spending over what was originally budgeted during the 12-month span.
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Phillip Leslie, who could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Public Service Workers, which includes about 70 city employees, politically backed Jones during the contentious 2013 mayoral election, which Stimpson won.


text:
Christian writer's pilgrimage to 'repent' of homophobia
Post your comment
Comments on this article are now closed.
Reader comments
He'd be better ceasing to believe in the malevolent sky fairy he calls 'god'. As is witnessed time and time and time again, religion and belief in 'god' has a far more negative impact on society than a positive one.
""I was fine with homosexuality and bisexuality before I became a Christian in my late teens. But after my conversion, I thought that opposition to same-sex relationships was 'part of the deal"
And in that he has just about summed up the whole XIAN ethos.
Religion. A corrupting ideal if ever there was one.
shove it
Religion isn't going anywhere fast – and while it's still here, the world needs more people like this guy.
"Religion isn't going anywhere fast"
Indeed. And that's the problem with religion, it never goes anywhere, its insular and closed, trapped by circular arguments, threatened by logic, reason and an inquiring mind, but you're right, more like him condemning homophobia within their ranks is a good thing.
I think it's perfectly fine to have religious beliefs as long as they do not negatively impact anyone else.
Good job this guy!
Why wait until June for the warmer weather? If his 'God' really is there then [s]he will no doubt protect him from being frozen to death on his pointless pilgrimage. He sounds like like he's just another religious nutter. Sad.
Nice try but will he also beat his head against the brick wall he'll ultimately find at the end of his pilgrimage…
Any benefits one finds in using religion as a crutch come at great personal cost as Symon Hill is only now beginning to realise.
Religion isn't going anywhere fast – and while it's still here, the world needs more people like this guy.
You are right Oscar. They know which buttons to press to stay put. The main one being fear of death.. People like this guy should be encouraged.13
you're in the wrong job mate! get a life!
Wow, what a great guy! Theresa May, take note! I do wish he'd embrace his bisexuality (I'm guessing it's that), rather than using flowery language to describe it, but apart from that, I'm very impressed. I wish him the best of luck – and I also wish there were more "repenters" out there like him!
I agree with Peter Tatchell.
Whereas the hate spewed by some of you is no better than the hate spewed by the christian fundamentalists.
And if Simon does read pink news, good luck to him on his journey, it takes more guts to do what he is doing than anonymously writing 'get a life' on pink news.
SHAME ON YOU MR HILL, you cannot say you're Christian and embrace un-Godly practices. You know well that God does not approve of certain lifestyles because they are destructive, even if some decide to live'em. You push them further into madness.
@Pumpkinpie: I too am "not exclusively heterosexual" or as I sometimes say "not quite straight" or just "straightish". It's not flowery language, just more nuanced and closer to the truth than "bisexual" which is a rather simplistic, blunt and confusing label. I'm sure Symon like me has spent a lot of time figuring out the best words to use. He is a very forthright campaigner for LGBT rights and certainly has no qualms over being open about his sexuality!
Once again, Sottom feels strangely moved to hang out with us. Funny way for a straight boy to spend a Friday night…
Surely 'Sottom' has misspelt his screen name, and that S should actually be a B?
Now that's what I call making amends.
It would be very easy for someone to change their mind and just pretend the past never happened, or try to hide the past. I can think of numerous MPs who suddenly had a 'road to damascus' experience about gay acceptance and Clause 28 who come into such a category.
Here is someone who is prepared to say he was wrong in the most public way possible. I applaud this, and I hope his initiaitve is an inspiration to others. I wish him success, and I would be delighted to buy Symon a pint somewhere along the way.
I would also suggest Symon might do a little stont of volunteer work with e.g. Stonewall Housing, Albert Kennedy Trust etc. And get to understand how religious-inspired homophobia can be so damaging and hurtful.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to see politicians show such candour? I'd love to see William Haig, Iain Duncan Smith and David Cameron join him on the way.
sottom wrote
"SHAME ON YOU MR HILL, you cannot say you're Christian and embrace un-Godly practices. "
Sottom . . . Which Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian church do you belong to?
sottom wrote
"SHAME ON YOU MR HILL, you cannot say you're Christian and embrace un-Godly practices. "
You can, Symon Hill has done which kind of makes you untruthful, a sin by the way.
There are lots of christians who all seem to believe different things, it is funny how nasty they can be to each other never mind to people who think the are deluded.
"You know well that God does not approve of certain lifestyles because they are destructive"
LOL! Indeed. As you seem to "know well" what god wants, he must talk to you much then, sottom? Are these voices regular or do they scream at you? The only person here going against christian teaching is you, sottom. But you won't accept that. The voices will tell you want you want to hear,
Actually, folks, if you look at the way this "sottom" nut enters his web address as "http://n/A", its identical as how that "other" freaking basket case "Cormra" does. They're the same person. But then again, why would this paragon of religious insanity having split personality disorder surprise me?
> shove it
What? For changing his mind?
mmm..ofc, Peter Tatchell is right on..
As a bisexual girl who also identifies as a Christian (albeit one who refuses to go to Church or buy into the dogma and corporations that have nothing to do with original meaning) I think that some of the attitudes towards religion here need to be rethought.
It's not the religion that spreads hatred but the people who utlilise and manipulate it to their own end.
I was an atheist until I studied philosophy at A Level, and was persuaded that there is something "more" out there. And, after actually reading the Bible, there was much I agreed with in what Jesus said. It's all about love, and I believe that I have been made this way – bisexual – because that's exactly what God wanted me to be. I've never had to compromise one or the other because that's a truth that can't be denied. There is not a natural conflict between religion and sexuality, but there is a man-made conflict which is perpetuated by BOTH sides. We judge the normal, every day Christians who actually have no problem with people who are non hetero-normative, by the same standards that we judge the nutters. My Aunt is fully accepting of my sexuality and yet she is a Catholic born and raised – she dislikes the dogma that dominates the Church and thinks it should go back to the ideals of truth and love. She doesn't tolerate me, she celebrates me. Because thar's what true Christians do.
You can be a supporter of LGBT rights and you can be a Christian (or any other religion). You can be LGBT and a religious person. The President of our LGBT Association helps at a Sunday School in his home town.
So what this man is doing is emphasising the fact that there doesn't have to be a conflict. What he is doing is wonderful and I applaud it, as his message is important. Fighting for LGBT acceptance is not about crushing religion or getting rid of it, it's about bringing religions back to the original ideologies of love and acceptance. Yes, I have received religious-based biphobia and homophobia, before anyone comes down on my for that, and have been made to feel unwelcome by religious people for no other reason than my sexuality. But by jumping on all religious people, calling them stupid and mocking their beliefs by making comments about "sky fairies" we are continuing a conflict that is, considering the fact that Christianity is about love and the LGBT movement is about tolerance, so, so wrong.
Well done, sir. Good luck to you, and I hope your mission is as successful as it can be.
"Actually, folks, if you look at the way this "sottom" nut enters his web address as "http://n/A", its identical as how that "other" freaking basket case "Cormra" does. They're the same person"
Well spotted Will Dublin! You are right, both names use the same "n/A" type URL. Well, I always suspected Comra was some sad lonely twat sitting in a dark room getting cheap kicks form a gay site, and the fact that he has to use another name to make it seem there are more of these freak out there, well, that speaks volumes. What a odious individual he must be.
"As a bisexual girl who also identifies as a Christian …. I think that some of the attitudes towards religion here need to be rethought."etc.
The bible says you have to hate fags (and jews, etc) – Fred Phelps is right.
You just push the problem one stage back and are no nearer the truth than I am, or anyone else. The very best you can do is say there is a force, you can appeal to deism, but you can go no further.
the fact that you have managed to reconcile your sexuality with the works of simple palestinians who knew no science, no meteorology, no medicine, no astronomy, no natural science and attributed it all to a dictator in the sky – male as well – says nothing to support your position.
> the fact that you have managed to reconcile your sexuality with the works of simple palestinians
That is a bit unfair and takes the argument at its lowest. If you wish to take the argument at its highest then you should be making reference to Augustine and his works The Confessions, On Christian Doctrine and The Trinity, Aristotle, Kant and his Critique of Pure Reason, Wittgenstein and his work Tracatus Logico-Philosophicus, Heidegger and his works Being and Time and The Principle of Reason.
The discipline of theology as a branch of philosophy is rigorous and scholarly. There is more to the concept of the divine than immediate dismissal or invocation.
'I was an atheist until I studied philosophy at A Level, and was persuaded that there is something "more" out there—' etc…
'….The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever…'
Lady Bracknell.
…………"The bible says you have to hate fags, and Jews" – Really? Where? Show me the lines from the bible you are referring to. Or are you just repeating what the uneducated Fred phelps and other fundamentalists tell you? And why would think it says in the bible you should hate Jews, it was written by Jews.
……….."the fact that you have managed to reconcile your sexuality with the works of simple palestinians who knew no science, no meteorology, no medicine, no astronomy, no natural science and attributed it all to a dictator in the sky"
the writers of the bible weren't Palestinian, they were Israelites. And your history on science, meteorology, especially astronomy needs a little more research before you make those claims. It is true that science and art were secondary to the early Israelites, as they were not conquerers of nations, survival was their primary objective. But, I assure you the most important scientists throughout time, (Einstein, Plank, Newton, Mendel, Faraday, Gallileo, Bacon, Copernicus, Darwin) that have come up with the most fundamental theories that have changed the world, all believed or contemplated the existence of God.
No God(s), No civilisation.
"I assure you the most important scientists throughout time, (Einstein, Plank, Newton, Mendel, Faraday, Gallileo, Bacon, Copernicus, Darwin) that have come up with the most fundamental theories that have changed the world, all believed or contemplated the existence of God."
Actually, you're wrong.
Firstly, this is a correlation fallacy. Just because one person who is a scientist believes in god, does not make it a fact, most scientists are atheists. 93% of the members of the |National Academy of Sciences in the US reject the concept of god [The Nation – 2007]. So don't try to validate your religious convictions by using this fallacy, its only makes you look weak minded. At least have the strength to have your own convictions without bending the truth.
Secondly, most people you quote did NOT believe in god, you simple misquoted their Pantheistic view of nature. Lets take ONE example:- Einstein was in fact an atheist. Lets look at some examples:
"From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist." – Albert Einstein, letter to Guy H. Raner Jr, July 2, 1945
"I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth." – Albert Einstein, letter to Guy H. Raner Jr., Sept. 28, 1949
Religious types like you are constantly misquoting out of context a few Pantheistic quotes.
"No God(s), No civilisation."
Actually, no god, better civilisation. Point in case: the dark ages. If it wasn't for them, we'd probably colonised half the solar system by now.
I have nothing against religion, but you haven't a clue what you're talking about Toby, just re-spouting the same tired old cherry picked nonsense.
It's interesting because I was a Christian until I studied philosophy at A-level and thought, wait, this doesn't fit. Having said that, though, I agree with a lot of your comment. Christianity itself, at least according to the New testament and Jesus, shouldn't perpetuate hate and it is the people who do that through flawed interpretations of 'love'. And I do think there is very little conflict between religion and sexuality.
But, you've been lucky. You have accepting family members and you've seen the combination of religion and LGBT first-hand.
Most of us, I suspect, have not. All I've heard from the Christians I've met has been, for example, "if you don't get out of this relationship you're going to hell" and "it's hypocritical to be gay and a Christian" – and that has far more of an impact on a person than one man's crusade to preach acceptance to churches.
I agree with what this guy's doing and I applaud him for it. But it's going to take a lot more than this to undo centuries of insititutional homophobia and, really, there's only so much that one guy can do.
@ Will Dublin: wonderful comment :) I couldn't agree more.
Ps. Einstein reiterated his views on 'god' in another letter to the philosopher Eric Gutkind:
"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."
Albert Einstein, letter to Eric Gutkind, Jan. 3, 1954
"I DO NOT share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth."
Sounds like einstein wouldn't share your professional atheism. And you saying you have nothing against religion. LOL. Have you read in your other comments what you say to people who are religious. You're just an angry guy who has got a lot of issues with the irrational, spiritual, religious.
and btw, I keep telling you, I'm not religious.
I'm kinda bored of trying to show you that all the best thinkers in the world have a relationship with god in some manifestation. Here's some more of Einstein's thoughts on God……
"A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty – it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man."
"I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings."
"The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, IS AS GOOD AS DEAD. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms – this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."
"You're just an angry guy who has got a lot of issues with the irrational, spiritual, religious."
Interesting response given you were proven wrong. Interesting.
Do you even KNOW what pantheism is? Seems not.
Next time try some fact, back up your quotes with dates and figures, it help you look that one bit less the fool when proven wrong.
It's great how many people in the "gay community" complain so much about the hammering we recieve from religious fundamentalist types and show a complete lack of disrespect and tollerence towards people of religious faith themselves which is pure hypocracy. I am an out gay man in a loving relationship with my partner of 7 years, and we are both Christians. My relationship with God is as central to my identity as my sexuality, if not moreso.
I commend Symon Hill and all others like him who have turned from their destructive hate filled interpretations of scripture to take a more inclusive attitude. The ONLY way to move society forward is to reject all forms of hate mongering on all sides and have a fundamental respect for each human individual whether or not we always agree with their viewpoints.
Jeez, blarney stone or what. Where exactly did you prove me wrong?
I gave you quotes from Einstein where he says he was not an atheist, that he considers himself religious, and that…….. "The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science."
btw, Pantheism is a religious tradition.
As for the dates and names. I'm too old for that, gave up on those after my PhD. But you know Einstein said all those things, if you know anything about Einstein.
Oh, and you think I'm a fool. LOL. Who cares? I know I'm a fool. I'm certainly a fool for sitting here writing this to you.
and btw, if all those scientists in my list had bothered about being made a fool of, they wouldn't have come up with incredibly original thoughts.
I like what Shakespeare thought about fools………………
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
And you think you are so wise, don't you Will?
You know, you can be a believer AND homosexual or bisexual. There's a protestant church in my hometown where a huge group of heterosexual and homosexual people come together the celebrate mass. Like "Erin" I believe and I have a right to do that, because this isn't about black or white, it's about being yourself and standing up for that. There are lots of straight people who are catholic and go to mass every Sunday and yet use condoms, work on Saturday or Sunday and shave, and all of that is wrong according to the book of Leviticus as well.
Admittedly I haven't been to church for a very long time but I don't remember this obsession with homosexuality or this hatred against it in any sermons etc …I don't remember a deep analysis of biblical text to give an analyis on whether being gay is wrong – we might have been told that murder and theft was wrong but not being gay …… I must be lucky but I can't relate this attitude against gays to the Christian people that I know,,…it's good to see a mini rebellion happenniing from the inside, I can't really see these anti-gay sentiments being really popular , aren't they out of touch with the general/majority christian public?? .. It's such a shame that the leaders of the church and the relgious academics can't keep up with changing times, given time I hope they'll become even more irrelevant in the UK than they are now…
If religious institutions had been a force for good in the world, we would not need the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to rid us of homophobia.
Well as long the reilgious orgs' human rights of freedom of speech and expression don't interfer with my humann rights to be treated equally and without discrimination then that's ok but when the Bishops and govt adapt the British laws to continue discrimination and water down my human rights eg giving us CPs instead of marriage then I think there is a problem and a severe clash of human rights!
To Toby, I am astounded by your arrogance in calling someone "irrational" when you have been shown to be poorly informed in matters you claim to have knowledge about, and yet reply in such offensive terms. I suspect your so called PhD was not in a science field. Really, you should have some grace in defeat. That last little tantrum just shows up your mental age.
And you claim not to be religions? Please. You demonstrate all the twisted truths of the religious. Pantheism is the view that the Universe (i.e. Nature) and God are identical. Its is not a belief in the devine in the same way as Christians. And besides, Einstein was at best agnostic, and self admitting atheist, and claimed many time not to be a believer. So was Darwin. You clearly know little about Einstein's work, otherwise you would not make such stupid remarks in defence of religion, or your own religion that you claim not to be.
I'm sure you will come back with a child like retort, but really, the only one that is a fool here is you. Grow up.
Toby, that PhD you claim to have, you must have bought on the internet for $5.99. When Einstein says "From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist", what do you think that means?
What's more important is that you seem desperate to defend the existence of a god by any means, including silly insults. What's new? We get you kind in here all the time…. and I don't think you're a fool, you have demonstrated that all by yourself.
I notice on another thread, anyone that disagrees with you is the "same person". Seems to me that the only PhD you'll see is on the doctor's wall when you go for therapy for schizophrenia. Good luck with that.
Adrian T and Will Dublin, nice post gentlemen. At least someone is making sense.
Toby, spiteful and hateful religions and people that support them are ten a penny in here. Even if the most important scientists in history are god believes, which we have seen to the most part its usually religious propaganda to say they were, it means absolutely nothing other than you are desperate to spread your lies in here. Please, don't let us keep you.
I have two words to say:
"Well done".
He's trying and that's a lot mroe than most of us would do.
@ Linda. Why would you commend AdrianT's comment? Toby revealed AdrianT was repeating what a religious fundamentalist thinks; and his opinions are bigoted lies. And as for commending Will, I've watched him bullying others. Whilst at the same time trying to make out he is an educated genius. He is as nasty as all the religious people he condemns. Very ugly character. As someone who works in mental health, I know that suggesting someone else is a schizophrenic, when they show no signs of shizophrenia (as Will has done on other comments) is pretty low. And his other attacks are personal and hurtful. I don't see anywhere that his nemesis Toby has been so rude, or hateful.
@Will. Do you really think if we live in this glorious age of science and reason that you yearn for, that the world will be a better place? Religion doesn't cause hate, or bigotry. It's just an excuse for it. Perhaps you will turn on science, when science becomes the new religion and begins to be used to justify the bigoted man's hate of homosexuals. And quite why yourself and Toby are arguing over a man who contributed towards inventing a bomb which wiped out 250,000 people in 6 seconds, I have no idea. Einstein is part of the reason that we have lived in fear of nuclear annihilation for the last 50 years.
@ Toby. If you want to continue being attacked then continue leaving comments on this site. Trying to change the 'pink news' bitterness and anger of some Pink News readers is a miracle that perhaps even Jesus wouldn't have been able to manage though.
Brian, thanks for that wonderful comment, much appreciated.
Einstein did not invent the bomb, his research was used towards it. Very different. By your own flawed logic, all science can be rejected as "bad", as it has the potential to do harm. In fact, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics, so that computer that you use wouldn't be here without his studies quantum theory. But by all means carry on believing what you want, including biased statements like "science as a religion".
I ignored the rest of your comments, if you can't, or refuse, to see Toby's insults on other threads when someone disagrees with him, that's your problem.
And by the sound of the rest of own comments, you could do with a healthy dose of your own medicine.
I never said Einstein invented the bomb. Don't misquote me. I would provide quotes (as I know you love quotes) showing that Einstein urged Roosevelt to make the bomb (based on science he had discovered), but I really have better things to do with my time.
"but I really have better things to do with my time."
But not pressing enough for you to launch a tirade of abuse. Thank you, you're just want this site needs more of.
Oh, and I will take the time to quote, despite your bitchy little insults:
"I have always condemned the use of the atomic bomb against Japan." (Otto Nathan & Heinz Norden, editors, "Einstein on Peace", pg. 589)
Brian, with respect, you're wrong about Will being a bully. He's not. He frequently engages in patient and courteous discussion with those who hold opposing views to his own. I don't see why AdrianT's posts annoyed you either really. He wrote politely and intelligently.
We're all entitled to our opinion and I'm sure we all try to express it respectfully, but no-one has endless patient if they're being pushed and provoked as sometimes happens on PN when fundies visit to cause trouble.
NB – Toby, I am NOT saying YOU are a fundie. My above comment was a general one.
Well Brian, I have to disagree with you there. While Will might have a particular cynicism in addressing people, and I do not always agree with his comments, I have always found his comments intellectually based, which is more then I can say for Toby. I find it ironic in the highest that you would accuse someone of bullying, when you yourself do the same with your comments. I might add Linda is entitled to what she thinks too. So is everyone else. But that does not mean they are right in a factual sense. Toby has regularly come in here with comments that may not be entirely factual and at the first sign of someone disagreeing with him, he launches himself at them. I have read over Will's comment on his initial response to Toby, and it makes perfect sense to me. It was neither insulting or bullying as you say, but factual. You saying otherwise is of some curiosity.
Iris and James, thank you for your comments, its much appreciated. James, I'll take note of what you said for future reference, perhaps my comments are too acerbic…. the problem with having a sarcastic sense of humour I guess, nothing more sinister than that.
Brian, if Toby feels victimised, then by all means I will apologise to him for that.
However, that does not change the fact he was wrong in his assertions, and his views are those usually used by Christian right wing individual to dispel evolution and other facts, including the right of gay people to exist. He does not have to agree with me, but at the very least, make an effort to address in kind.
….er…I wouldn't change at thing, pal…
You're doing alright.. :D
Its fairly obvious to me that Brian and Toby are the same person, the vitriol they use against Will is almost identical.
To Will:- your posts are just fine the way they are, mate. They're smart and clever. And when you do get "acerbic" they're very funny. They make me laugh, but maybe that just makes me a freak too :) As jonpol just said, you're doing alright.
All these comments just because Toby can't debate with civility. I'm impressed.
To Brian, I thought Adrian T's points were well made. Is that a problem for you? If Toby gets it wrong, and we're all human after all, then to point that out is not "bigoted lies" as you put it. I quite like Adrian's comments, they're insightful. And on that point, I find your comments to others on this site offensive and crude, particularly towards Will in Dublin. It seems I'm not the only one. Unless you have something constructive or challenging to add, then I see no reason for me to defend my comments to you Brian. My comments stand as they are.
Is this still going on? And so much defending from all the haters.
Linda, what exactly did I get wrong? AdrianT said the bible was written by palestinians and that the bible told you to hate Jews, and you think that's a good point made? It was written by the palestinians arch rivals, the israelites, and it is a Jewish book, so why would it tell you to hate Jews?
btw, I think when I suggested Will had multiple names on another thread he suggested I was a schizophrenic? So be careful Dave. Although because you agree with him, I suspect you're fine.
And Will…. "However, that does not change the fact he was wrong in his assertions, and his views are those usually used by Christian right wing individual to dispel evolution and other facts, including the right of gay people to exist."
………what exactly are you going on about? What have I said that is used by the christian right wing? And I am not wrong in my assertions. All I have suggested is that all the greatest scientists in history who have come up with important theories have either believed in, or CONTEMPLATED THE IDEA OF GOD. That is true. Wether you like it or not. Not only scientists, but writers, musicians, artists. You may want to take the essence of spirit or god out of life, so you can, as you said on another thread, 'go and colonise the solar system'. (Why would you want to take over the entire solar system?)
Religions do a lot of bad in the world, but they also do a lot of good. Will, you may live a life where you don't need a religion, a belief in a spiritual life, a belief in an afterlife, a belief in a moral code that helps you through life. And neither do I, but a lot of people do. And whilst I may not be a christian, I know how it gets others through some very dark times.
Science does a lot of good in the world, but it also does a lot of bad too. And don't be deluded to think that when we get rid of monotheism, and rationalism takes over that the LGBT quest for equality and understanding will finally be achieved. Hate is not caused by religion or science. Will thinks that religion is bad, and that science is good. But both science and religion can be used to justify hate. Neither is good, and neither is bad. That is my only point. I just don't look forward to when the homophobes become scientists. You think the religious homophobes are bad. Just wait to see what the scientists have in store for us.
What makes me laugh though is that you lot gang up on me, as if Will's this nice guy, who doesn't launch at people with a tirade of abuse. The only reason I've left a comment is because he was attacking others with a tirade of abuse. I'll take Linda's very 'civil' advice and leave, although I am not spreading lies. Will's bullying has succeeded. (And Iris, I hope you don't let your school children call one another schizophrenics when one of them feels threatened by another – that's bullying in my eyes)
Well Toby, I'm sorry that you see everyone here as "haters", a difficult position to come from to win over people, isn't it? I assure you, I have encountered Iris and Adrian T here before, and they are anything but haters. In fact both of them in particular have made me change a lot of how I look at things, they are both rational and very intelligent people. And I speak from my experience of them in here. As for me being a "bully", think you're on your own on that one…. its called projecting.
But lets clear up some things, you seem compelled to seek clarification, and I am happy to give you that.
"Just wait to see what the scientists have in store for us."
Sorry, this is just a paranoid view of science. Science doesn't have anything "in store" for us, other than to help us understand the world around us. But when people, usually religions people with biased agendas, cherry pick pieces and titbits of scientific study to defend their position, that's when it gets "bad". Science is merely the application of logic, it is not "out to get us", as you maintain. I say this because I have taken the time to educate myself in this area (and I make no apologies to you or anyone for that), I suggest you do too.
"greatest scientists in history who have come up with important theories have either believed in, or CONTEMPLATED THE IDEA OF GOD."
While they "may" have contemplated, they did not necessarily believe in god. I have already shows you the statistics on this. This is a mute point, as its irrelevant. They certainly did not make their discoveries BECAUSE they might have believed in god.
"and it is a Jewish book, so why would it tell you to hate Jews?"
The bible, or the new testament, has parts that are, and have been, arguably used to defend attacks on Jews. Adrian T is right in this. For many years the Catholic church used the "christ killers" as an excuse to victimise Jews. Such passages include:- "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets" (Matthew 23:30) and "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell… thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee" – Matthew 23:33. Hitler himself mentioned the same, "In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison." – Hitler, in a speech on 12 April 1922
In fact, I can find a passage in the bible that supports murder, rape, cannibalism, genocide…. you name it, and I can find a "valid" reason to do it from the bible. That is what Adrian T was referring to. The bible is a collection of contradictory and quite frankly, bizarre, stories that one can use to do just about anything.
"Science does a lot of good in the world, but it also does a lot of bad too"
No, it doesn't. People use the results of science to do bad things. It in itself is not an entity that is culpable. But you have already alluded to that in your comment.
"Will thinks that religion is bad, and that science is good"
No, that is an insulting simplification, and I think we have already covered why.
What amazes me is because you have some "essence of spirit or god out of life", then we all have to. Sorry, but that's not the case. Believe what you want, but don't expect others not to put that under scrutiny. And is certainly not a valid reason for accepting the dark ages, they were a shameful episode in humanity's history, as with all times where theocratic dogma imposed oppression of learning and discovery.
"(Why would you want to take over the entire solar system?)"
This is a stupid statement. Sorry, but it is. Why would you go to the moon? Why discover America? Why would you invent the wheel? Not everyone is as insular in their world view, Toby.
Just a point, if everyone "gangs up on you" as you put it, then maybe there is something in YOUR attitude that needs fixing, rather than playing the victim card. And I would suggest you go educate yourself on science, maybe then you wouldn't have such an insular view of it.
Toby Comment: "Just wait to see what the scientists have in store for us."
Brian's Comment: "Perhaps you will turn on science, when science becomes the new religion"
Is it too much of a coincidence that both Brian and Toby have this view that science is something out to get us? I think not.
I think Dave is on to something, its clear to me that Toby decided to invent the alter ego of "Brian" to defend himself when he couldn't by himself. Childish? Perhaps.
To Will: God bless (no pun intend) your patience with this one, you're comments are far more civil than mine would be after listening to the anger and insults coming out of Toby/Brian! Great last comment, but I think you're done here.
"Great last comment, but I think you're done here."
You might be right there, Linda. In another thread our erudite friend Toby said he likes to "laugh hysterically" at comments (his words). I suspect he has that reaction to anyone that supports a different view of science that he does. Anyway, you can only bring a horse to water… and I suspect this horse too intransigent and too inflexible, not to mention the fits of "hysterical laughter" that over take him from time to time, to be able to drink :)
That is different approach to the matter. Good on him and good luck as well. Would be interesting to hear him and to hear reactions of the "believers".
Toby, I always try to see both sides of any disagreement and err on the side of caution. However, your first comment here was somewhat confrontational which may have led to the tone of some of the replies to you. I don't consider it bullying – more of a misunderstanding on both sides.
Will's amended his tone, which I believe was making you feel picked upon even though he's commonly cynical as others have confirmed for you here, and he's taken the time to responded courteously to points you made and to give examples of things that you disbelieved when they were initially raised. I know you've elaborated a little on your points in your last post but there's no need to leave if you have something further to say.
I don't know if you've posted on PN before but you seem to have a preconceived idea of people here which surprises me. Again, a misunderstanding maybe? You don't need to prove yourself here. I'm sure that no-one bears you ill will. Why not try again and see that most people aren't as bad as you think?
This man is not a true Christian because his views are going against the infallible word of God.
….damn shame I didn't see this discussion going at the time!
Toby – Newton, Copernicus and countless thinkers through the century believed in god. So what? Newton was an alchemist. Shall we throw away our chemistry books?
Darwin was a Christian and creationist until he looked at the masses of evidence (see John Gribbin's excellent biography of him, 'a life in science'). His discoveries, notably the way wasp larvae eat their paralysed prey alive from within, and the death of his daughter destroyed his faith. They are to be excused, after all, until 1859, the best explanation around would have been William Paley's 'natural theology'. Until that time, people had an excuse. Now, 151 years agter 'Origin of Species', after the findings of Hubble and the DNA code, great thinkers do not.
Brian – grow a thicker skin. If you can't take the heat, run along and make us all a cup of tea or something, and leave the discussion to the big boys.
de Villiers – again, we have better information about the universe. Aristotle would hold his head high in an ethics class. But a five year old would be able to astound him on the knowledge of the solar system alone. We stand on the shoulders of giants. We know what causes hurricanes and supernovae and earthquakes and black deaths. We know about microbes. natural explanatoins have replaced supernatural ones since then – the heavens get emptier all the time. Don't need to wade through Kant to reach that conclusion.
('Discipline' of theology? contradiction in terms)
On 'fundamentalist atheist' – look, I'm willing to change my opinions. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The second coming of the supposed Jesus of Nazareth televised in the middle of Match of the Day, or at the emirates Stadium to a full crowd of spectators would suffice.
I'm not being a bigot. You seem to say, believe what I say based on no evidence. I will not respect that. I suspect it deeply, and I'm not going to let any of you ringfence your precious little beliefs. Get used to defending yourselves without whining about 'hurt feelings' because – I don't give two hoots about them!
BIg kiss xxx
These comments are un-moderated and do not necessarily represent the views of PinkNews. If you believe that a comment is inappropriate or libellous, please contact us.
More like this
Most commented this week
- Christian bakers lose court appeal in 'gay cake' row 160
- Trans teen refused service because staff didn't believe his ID belonged to him 139
- 7-year-old put into father's custody after mother 'raised him as female' 114
- More than a billion people are still living under British anti-gay laws 97
- Gay couple receive death threats after showing support for Donald Trump 67
- Russian embassy mocks Westerners as 'gay pigs' 58
- Trans student found hanged after filing complaint about bullying 56
- Straight people getting AIDS is a 'left-wing lie', pro-Trump radio host claims 40
- Jazz Jennings gets real on dating as a trans teen 40
- Bishop of Liverpool: Gay Christians have a right to be angry with the Church 36

subset: commoncrawl


text:
JUVENILE COMPLAINT, MAYFIELD ROAD: At 3:20 p.m. Sept. 13, police were told of a fight taking place in the lot on the northeast corner of Mayfield and South Green roads involving 20-25 youths. Police saw the combatants were split into groups. One youth had taken off his shirt and a girl, 14, was exhorting him to continue the fight that had apparently just stopped. Police told the girl to stop encouraging the fighters.
The girl continued to yell and when an officer told her he wanted to know her name, the girl walked away. As she walked away, she told the officer, "I didn't even do nothing. What the (expletive) do you want?" After more commands from the officer, the girl stopped walking, but continued to use abusive language to police.
The girl was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct. As police had her in custody, she laughed and told her friends who were milling about the police car, "I'll see you in a minute."
It was found the girl had been arrested twice before in a disturbance and a domestic violence case.
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, FRANCIS COURT: A woman was asleep Sept. 13 when a man whom she was allowing to stay at her home took her car. The man and woman have had an on-again, off-again relationship the past nine years and the woman allowed him to stay at her house since August because he was in need of shelter.
The woman said the man had taken the car in the past, when their relationship was stronger, but this time, he did not have permission to take the vehicle. Although she called his cell phone, the man did not returned the woman's calls.
FALSIFICATION, MAYFIELD ROAD: Police stopped a man on a routine traffic stop at 12:43 p.m. Sept. 15. The driver claimed to have no identification on his person and gave police a name and date of birth. Checking the information given, police were able to call up on their computer a driver's license image of the man supposedly driving the car. The image did not match the driver's appearance.
Officers subsequently found a wallet in the car and were able to determine his true identity. The Cleveland man, 22, told police he did not give his real identity because there are warrants out for his arrest issued in Euclid and Twinsburg. He was arrested and cited for falsification.
COUNTERFEITING, MAYFIELD ROAD: At 9:50 p.m. Sept. 18, a worker at Panda Buffet, 4503 Mayfield Road, called police stating she had received a counterfeit $20 bill. A woman of about 22 years of age, accompanied by a man, was suspected as the bill's passer.
JUVENILE COMPLAINT, PROFESSOR ROAD: Police investigated a report Sept. 18 a Memorial Junior High School student, a girl, had brought a gun to school. No gun was found on the girl or among her belongings.
The rumors started when the accused girl allegedly threatened another girl with a knife. As police spoke to the involved parties, the story changed and had the accused girl threatening to hit her rival with a brick. The accused girl denied making any threats.
RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY, EAST ANTISDALE ROAD: A Cleveland Heights woman was driving down the street at 6:10 p.m. Sept. 12 when she noticed in a front yard a bicycle stolen from her son. She called police who accompanied her to the yard where several youths were gathered.
A boy, 15, said the bike was his, but then recanted his story and said it was given to him by a friend whose name he gave to police. The boy didn't know how to spell the name of his friend and, later, could not show police where this "friend" lived.
Meanwhile, it was proven the bike belonged with the woman as she was able to open the combination lock on it, while the boy could not. The boy told police a confusing story about his friend and police, convinced they weren't being told the truth, drove him home.
The boy's mother told police her son has several pending cases pending in South Euclid Municipal Court, including several for theft. Police are seeking, through juvenile court, a charge of receiving stolen property against the boy.
THEFT, OKALONA ROAD: A man complained to police he paid an auto repair shop manager by check and in advance, $2,950 to repair his auto. The man left his car at the shop about three months ago.
When the man tried to contact the manager, he found his car was not fixed and the manager could not be reached.
Police investigated and found the manager had been fired about two months earlier. The man found his car on the repair shop lot. It had not been repaired and, in fact, was without its transmission.
FRAUD, GREENVALE ROAD: The owner of a company informed police Sept. 17 an employee had used the company credit card without authorization to charge $900 worth of merchandise. Police left messages for the employee, but those calls were not returned.
BREAKING AND ENTERING, GREENVALE ROAD: Someone forcibly opened the rear door of a vacant side-by-side duplex and stole copper pipes from the basement.
The home's owner reported the theft Sept. 15. The other side of the duplex has been broken into twice.
See more South Euclid news at cleveland.com/south-euclid.


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
Bastyr to host 2014 Aronoff Festival Concerts
Bastyr University is inviting the public to their 2014 Aronoff Festival Concerts at Bastyr University Chapel.
The concerts are June 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. and June 29 at 4 p.m. Bastyr Chapel is located at 14500 Juanita Dr. in Kenmore. All concerts are open to the public with a suggested donation of $10 per person.
Featured guest artists are Kurt Kruckeberg, tenor, and Miriam Shames, cellist. They will join Aronoff Festival faculty, Nancy Roth, Ellen McGlone, Scott Ligocki, Joyce Ramee and others in three programs of chamber music for strings, piano and voice. The concerts also feature a display of visual art by local artists from Parklane Gallery, Kirkland.
For more information, visit www.viola.com/aronoff or contact Joyce Ramée, co-director of the Max Aronoff Viola Institute, at email@example.com.
Latest news, top stories, and community events,
delivered to your inbox.
Trending Stories Oct 14 - Oct 21
Read the Oct 21
Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Browse the archives.


text:
If you are still looking for a nice place for a summer family vacation, take a look at the Playacar Palace Wyndham Grand resort that is located in the Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun. This area is a stunning stretch of coastline filled with scenic and natural wonders. It is bordered by craggy limestone beaches of sugar-white sand lined with swaying palm trees. The surf is calmer in the Mayan Riviera, which is perfect for the under-12 set. Resorts here are mostly all-inclusive and confined to a few pockets of developed areas, leaving acres of jungles and ruins and ecological parks so that you can have the perfect Mexican/Caribbean getaway.
The Playacar Palace is a beachfront all-inclusive resort with spa and golf near Quinta Avenida, Playa del Carmen's "5th Avenue." This is a pedestrian promenade with shops, galleries restaurants and a variety of street performers. The Cozumel ferry is within walking distance of this property, making it easy to explore the nearby island, including its fabulous reef.
The large guest rooms are all housed within a whitewashed 5-story building and all feature a 2-person Jacuzzi and a balcony or ground-floor terrace. Most rooms have views of the ocean. Nightly shows and themed parties provide entertainment after dark.
This resort is popular with families, and kids 12 and under stay and eat free this summer. Right now you can book 5 nights at this nice all-inclusive property for as little as $815 per person double occupancy plus taxes and fees. Airfare is additional and passports are required for travel to Mexico.


text:
Hike to a deserted bald.
If you want iconic Smokies scenery–an orange sun lighting the famous haze
in shades of purple and blue–without sharing, the comparatively people-free,
531,000-acre Nantahala National Forest awaits across Fontana Lake to the south.
Ninety miles from the park border lies Tusquitee Bald, a grassy, 5,200-foot
crown where you can spy the folded ridges of the Nantahala Mountains stretching
into the clouds. Get there via a calf-busting five-mile out-and-back under a
canopy of red oak so thick the sun rarely touches bare ground. Take the Far
Bald Spring Trail and gain nearly 2,000 feet in 1.9 miles to link to the Fires
Creek Rim Trail. You'll track half a mile through thinning forest to the Chunky
Gal Trail and a short scramble to the summit, the tallest of three balds on
a two-mile-long open ridge.
Area hikers rave about the lemon- pepper local rainbow trout at Cottage Deli
in Hayesville. (828) 389-8473
The Way
From Hayesville, make lefts onto Tusquitee St., then Fires Creek Rd. Then go
4.5 miles to a right on SR 1344, which leads to the trailhead.


text:
DOTHAN, Alabama -- A Dothan woman is accused of injuring her 7-year-old daughter by biting her on the cheek.
Al.com reported on Tuesday that Dothan Police had arrested Camille Dorit Fields, 28, and charged her with torture and willful abuse of a child under the age of 18 by a responsible adult. She is being held in the Houston County Jail on $50,000 bond.
According to Fields' arrest warrant, authorities were notified of the suspected abuse after the child came to school with the injuries to the face and torso.
Dothan Police were notified following a Department of Human Resources complaint.


text:
See more:
Product info
WEB ONLY DEAL, but choose Click & Collect at the checkout to pick up from your local store!
The Play-Doh Doc McStuffins Doctor's Kit is just the thing for medical-mad modelling fans.
Kids aged three and up will love putting on the life-size stethoscope and using the clever satmp at the end to mould their Play-Doh.
They'll also get:
- 3 tubs of Play-Doh
- Doc, Lambie and Stuffy stamps
- Doc's notebook and needle
Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 8 reviewers.
Rated 4 out of 5 by lall Excellent for McStuffin Fans I bought this for my 5 year daughter who loves playdoh and doc mcstuffin. She was really excited to receive the gift. It does contain mould casings of all the main characters however she begun to lose interest once she made all the moulds. So within an hour she was bored of the toy. I guess nothing can compete with an iPad! Overall i would recommend this toy however kids wont be glued to it for long. 09 May 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Mia 7 Doc mcstuffin playdoh set my daughter loves this, keeps her busy for hours Whilst pretending to be doc mcstuffin 05 May 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Samsamsamsam657 Nice for the kids Daughter loved it as she is a PlayDoh fan and loves playing Doctor 24 April 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Verified Reviewer emma Very sweet toy. Good quality hours of fun with it on Christmas day! 24 January 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Lee318 Great gift. Bought this for my daughter for Christmas as she loves doc and play doh. Hours of fun, lots to do. 01 January 2015
- Age
- 3 years +
- Manufacturer
- Hasbro
- Manufacturer Number
- Our Product Number
- 515498


text:
In Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Casey Affleck stars as an escaped convict who sets out for home to reunite with his wife (Rooney Mara) – who is also his former partner in crime – and meet their daughter, who was born while he was in prison. Promising writer/director David Lowery won accolades at the Sundance Film Festival, where his movie received winning comparisons to the early work of Terrence Malick.
Saints is getting a special critics screening this week at the Cannes Film Festival, and will open in U.S. theaters on Aug. 16.
In an exclusive video from the movie, Affleck's Bob chases down Mara's stubborn – and apparently insecure – Ruth. Watch it below.
Read more:
EW summer preview: 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints'
Sundance Film Festival awards


text:
10/11/2010 at 7:24 PM
This profile appears to be misplaced. There is an actual Leonard Calvert, father of George Calvert, but this person is not the husband of Anne Brent. This older Leonard Calvert is husband to Grace Crossland.
Ref: http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/002100/002...
The mix-up between Leonard Calverts I suspect is a mix-up resulting from a mistake in another person's composition of their family tree:
Would welcome seeing this profile placed in its proper position on the tree (apparently this is my ancestor as well).
-Ben M. Angel
10/11/2010 at 7:38 PM
Ben M. Angel@ben
If your talking about Hon. Leonard Calvert, 1st Prov. Gov. of Maryland
it is a Master File and you need to send your info to
Private User
to get it fixed
10/11/2010 at 7:45 PM
Sorry, still getting the hang of this communication thing... thought the discussion option on the profiles focused on the individuals connected to the profile. I guess it doesn't. Oops.
And, no, this isn't related to Leonard the Governor. This is related to Leonard the grandfather of the Governor. Apparently his profile is mis-connected into the tree.
10/11/2010 at 7:49 PM
Kim, if you wanted to use your curatorial super-powers to save the day, the profile is at:
Should be father of George (Governor Leonard's father), wife of Grace.
10/11/2010 at 7:50 PM
Private User
10/12/2010 at 1:54 PM


text:
LAS VEGAS -- Oscar De La Hoya has checked himself into an unspecified treatment facility and the former boxing great won't be at the Floyd Mayweather-Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fight, which he is promoting this Saturday.
De La Hoya, who went through rehabilitation for alcohol and cocaine abuse in 2011, announced in a statement today that he has entered a treatment facility for unspecified reasons.
Following is the complete text of De La Hoya's press release:
"Canelo Alvarez and I have big fights coming up this weekend. His is the ring and mine in treatment.
"I will not be at the fight to cheer Canelo to victory since I have voluntarily admitted myself into a treatment facility.
"I explained this to Canelo and he understood that my health and longterm recovery from my disease must come first.
"Thank you for your understanding. I ask for your support and privacy during this difficult time for me and my family."
-- David Mayo has covered Floyd Mayweather throughout the boxer's career. Contact him at email@example.com


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
'Best Christmas Pageant Ever' opens Friday at San Juan Community Theatre
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" opens Friday, 7 p.m., in the San Juan Community Theatre.
Tickets are $14 for adults and $8 for student reserved, with $5 student RUSH available at the door.
Director Merritt Olsen said the true sense of "community" comes alive on the stage with sons, daughters, moms and dads sharing the limelight together.
The play focuses on poorly-behaved children of the Herdsman family, who participate in a church play about the birth of Jesus.
The Herdsman encounter Sunday School children performing in an annual Christmas pageant. Drawn to the hopes of eating a free dessert at church, the Herdsman children find themselves performing the lead roles in the Christmas story.
Through the eyes of the Herdsman children, the cast in the Christmas pageant learned to see the story differently and with new meaning.
"Our impression of people change when we get to know them for the better," Olsen said.
This family show is sure to generate some laughter and tears. The pageant is a touching tale inviting everyone to gain a renewed understanding of the meaning of Christmas.
Latest news, top stories, and community events,
delivered to your inbox.
Trending Stories Oct 16 - Oct 23
Read the Oct 19
Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Browse the archives.


text:
Enter your Email address:
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed
to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without
your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Clark, Wesley MPH; Bracken, Hillary PhD, MHS; Tanenhaus, Jini PA-C, MA; Schweikert, Suzanne MD; Lichtenberg, E Steve MD, MPH; Winikoff, Beverly MD, MPH
From Gynuity Health Projects, New York, New York; Planned Parenthood of New York City, Inc., New York, New York; Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties, San Diego, California; and Family Planning Associates Medical Group, Chicago, Illinois.
Supported by grants from The David and Lucille Packard Foundation and an anonymous foundation.
Presented at the annual meeting of the National Abortion Federation, April 7–8, 2009, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Corresponding author: Hillary Bracken, PhD, MHS, Gynuity Health Projects, 15 East 26th Street, Eighth Floor, New York, NY 10010; e-mail: email@example.com.
Financial Disclosure: The authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of women and their providers to assess abortion outcome without the routine use of ultrasonography.
METHODS: This multicenter trial enrolled 4,484 women seeking medical abortion at 10 clinics in the United States. Women received the standard medical abortion care with mifepristone–misoprostol in those clinics and blinded clinical assessments before follow-up ultrasonography. Data were collected prospectively on abortion outcomes, receipt of additional treatment, and clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound assessments associated with the procedure. We constructed five model algorithms for evaluating women's postabortion status, each using a different assortment of data. Four of the algorithms (algorithms 1–4) rely on data collected by the woman and on the results of the low-sensitivity pregnancy test. Algorithm 5 relies on the woman's assessment, the results of the pregnancy test, and follow-up physician assessment (sometimes including bimanual or speculum examination).
RESULTS: A total of 3,054 women received medical abortion and had adequate data for evaluation. Twenty women (0.7%) had an ongoing pregnancy; 26 (0.9%) received curettage for retained tissue, empiric treatment for possible infection, or both; and 55 (1.8%) received additional uterotonics or other medical abortion–related care. Screening algorithms including patient-observed outcomes, a low-sensitivity pregnancy test, and nonsonographic clinical evaluation were as effective as sonography in identifying women who received interventions at or after the follow-up visit.
CONCLUSION: Relying on women's observations, a low-sensitivity pregnancy test, and clinical examination, women and their providers can accurately assess whether follow-up care is required after medical abortion without routine ultrasonography.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00120224.
Guidelines for early medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol include a follow-up examination 7–14 days after mifepristone administration.1 At the follow-up visit, a clinician performs a pelvic examination and ultrasonography to confirm that the uterus is empty and no further treatment is required. However, sonography at the follow-up is not stipulated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved mifepristone label2 and is not used routinely in many countries.3 In some circumstances, routine use of ultrasonography at follow-up has been deemed to lead to unnecessary surgical completion procedures.4
Evidence suggests that clinicians and women can accurately determine expulsion of the gestational sac during medical abortion with mifepristone–misoprostol without the routine use of ultrasonography or a physical examination.5,6 Rossi et al6 found that when both the clinician and patient felt that the gestational sac had passed, expulsion was confirmed by sonography in 99.1% of the cases. Low-sensitivity qualitative urine pregnancy tests are also a promising technology that could be used at home by women themselves to verify a successful medical abortion.7,8
Reducing the routine use of ultrasonography would result in substantial time and cost savings for women and providers. In acceptability studies of mifepristone–misoprostol medical abortion, many women report the number of required office visits as a reason for not choosing the method.9,10 In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that in routine clinical practice, a large percentage of women do not comply with standard protocols and do not return for their follow-up visit. Substantial staff time is often used in attempting to reach clients who have missed their follow-up appointments.
This analysis evaluated the success of algorithms created from data collected by the clinician and woman to predict the need for additional follow-up care after mifepristone–misoprostol medical abortion.
The multicenter study was conducted at 10 clinics within three clinic networks: Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside County (six clinics), Planned Parenthood of New York City (two clinics), and Family Planning Associates Medical Group of Chicago (two clinics). All women presenting at study sites seeking first-trimester termination of pregnancy were offered a chance to participate. Women who returned for and completed the follow-up visit received $25 as compensation for time and travel expenses. The Allendale Investigational Review Board reviewed and approved the study.
Women giving informed consent received the standard medical abortion care provided at each site up to 63 days from the last menstrual period according to on-site vaginal ultrasonography. Eligible women ingested mifepristone 200 mg in the clinic verified by direct observation. Each woman then self-administered 800 micrograms misoprostol. The route (oral, buccal, or vaginal) and timing (6–72 hours after mifepristone administration) of misoprostol varied according to local clinic protocol.
Depending on the clinic, women were advised to return 7–10 days (Chicago) or 7–14 days (Planned Parenthood clinics) after mifepristone administration. Before returning for their follow-up visits, women completed a symptom diary documenting their medical abortion experiences. Each woman was asked to record whether and when she saw expulsion of the pregnancy tissue and to indicate when she experienced heavy bleeding (ie, bleeding heavier than a normal period), pain, or cramps. On the self-administered questionnaire, each woman indicated whether she still "felt pregnant" or exhibited any pregnancy symptoms (breast tenderness, nausea or morning sickness, frequent urination, or exhaustion/tiredness) on the day of her follow-up appointment.
At follow-up, clinicians reviewed the women's symptom diary and, at the Chicago and San Diego sites, conducted a physical examination (a speculum or bimanual examination or both). At the Planned Parenthood of New York City clinics, a clinician met with the woman before sonography, but did not physically examine her unless indicated. At all sites, the clinicians documented their final assessments of the status of the abortion based on the patient interview or physical examination or both before viewing the results of the ultrasonography and urine pregnancy test. Clinicians then requested a urine sample from each participant. A laboratory technician performed a low-sensitivity urine pregnancy test, Immuno Pregnacol (Immunostics, Ocean, NJ). (A low-sensitivity test was used because a standard over-the-counter high-sensitivity test is likely to give a positive result at 7–14 days after treatment even in women who have had a successful abortion.) A clinician then performed vaginal ultrasonography to assess whether the abortion was complete. The result of the ultrasound examination was also documented on study forms.
Sample size calculations were based on the least common outcome of interest: ongoing pregnancy after medical abortion. Based on routine service statistics collected in two of the three clinic networks, we assumed ongoing pregnancy would occur in approximately 0.5% of early medical abortion cases. Given an assumption that sonography, as the gold standard, diagnoses 100% of ongoing pregnancies, the sample size was set to allow us to be 95% confident that screening methods that do not rely on ultrasound examination are able to identify 85% of ongoing pregnancies, ±15%. To do this, we required 22 cases of ongoing pregnancy, or a target enrollment of 4,400 study participants overall.
Data were collected on several post–medical abortion clinical outcomes, including ongoing pregnancy, receipt of curettage, empiric treatment for possible infection, administration of additional uterotonics, and other medical abortion–related care (eg, reassurance, expectant management, provision of ibuprofen or iron supplement). Final diagnosis of ongoing pregnancy was based on findings from the ultrasound examination. Data on additional follow-up care were collected up to 1 month after mifepristone administration. Only women who attended the follow-up visit and did not have a uterine suction evacuation or other additional treatment before this visit were included in this analysis. Women who returned to the clinic before the scheduled follow-up visit and received additional treatment were deemed to be "self-referred" cases who independently identified a need for additional care; their experience was thus not germane to our principal study question.
The clinic standard of care included data collected from the follow-up visit physician assessment, physical examination (if performed), and ultrasound examination. Women were identified as potentially needing additional treatment based on the results of the ultrasonography and the clinician assessment. Women who were missing data from the postprocedure ultrasound examination or in which the provider viewed the results of the ultrasound (n=6) were excluded from the analyses comparing the algorithms.
We constructed five model algorithms for evaluating women's postabortion status, each of which used a different assortment of data, but none of which used data from ultrasound examination. Table 1 indicates the conditions under which a woman would be referred for further evaluation under the five algorithms. Four of the algorithms (algorithms 1–4) rely on data collected by the woman and on the results of the low-sensitivity pregnancy test. Algorithm 5 relies on the woman's assessment, the results of the pregnancy test, and follow-up physician assessment or examination or both. In approximately one third of cases (n=1,012), women did not undergo a physical examination at the follow-up visit, because this was not the standard of care at the Planned Parenthood of New York City clinics. For these women, algorithm 5 includes physician assessment, without physical examination data. All cases in which the provider viewed the results of the pregnancy test before interviewing the woman or performing the physical examination (n=43) were excluded from analysis in algorithm 5.
The analyses compared the ability of each model to identify women who received additional post–medical abortion follow-up care. We classified post–follow-up care into three groups based on key medical abortion outcomes in descending urgency: treatment for ongoing pregnancy, receipt of curettage for other indications than ongoing pregnancy or empiric treatment for possible infection, and other medical abortion–related care (eg, additional uterotonics, provision of ibuprofen or iron tablets as part of expectant management). The principal analysis compared the results of each algorithm to the clinic standard of care using the McNemar χ2 test. Independent t tests were used for continuous variables. The χ2 or Fisher exact test, as appropriate, was used for independent nominal data. Confidence intervals were used where appropriate, and statistical significance was defined as a P value less than .05. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software v15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).
From June 2005 through February 2007, 4,484 women were enrolled in the study at the three study sites (Fig. 1). Three women were excluded from analysis because of unanswered data queries. Of the remaining 4,481 women, 390 were determined on examination to be ineligible for medical abortion. The remaining 4,091 enrolled women received medical abortion treatment. Approximately 20% of women (n=795) who received mifepristone did not return for the postabortion follow-up visit. The sociodemographic characteristics of women who received medical abortion treatment, including those who returned and did not return for follow-up, are shown in Table 2.
Forty-nine women returned to the clinic for treatment before their scheduled follow-up visit (Fig. 1). As noted previously, these women were excluded from the evaluation of the algorithms because they received treatment for their condition based on a self-assessed problem (before any ultrasound examination or clinical evaluation). One hundred ninety-three women who returned for follow-up were missing laboratory, ultrasound, or patient assessment data required for the algorithm analyses. The cases with incomplete data included two women who required a surgical evacuation for an ongoing pregnancy, seven who received curettage for other indications or empiric treatment for possible infection, and one woman who received other medical abortion–related follow-up care. This left 3,054 women with complete data for our analyses.
Table 3 shows the postabortion treatment received by women who did not receive additional treatment before the follow-up visit, returned for follow-up, and had adequate data for evaluation. In total, of the 3,054 women with complete data, 96.6% did not receive any additional medical abortion–related treatment, besides expectant management, during the medical abortion process. A few women (n=12) received treatment not related to the medical abortion at the follow-up visit. These women, along with those who received only reassurance or expectant management (n=48), were not included in the category of patients who received additional postabortion treatments. Less than 1% (0.7%) of women were diagnosed with an ongoing pregnancy and consequently underwent a surgical evacuation. Less than 1% (0.9%) of women received a curettage for all other indications (for bleeding, debris, etc) or empiric treatment for possible infection. Slightly less than 2% (1.8%) of women received other medical abortion–related care.
Figure 2 compares the percentages of women who received postabortion treatments of various kinds that were identified by each model algorithm. The first image represents the clinic standard of care and each subsequent image represents one of our proposed alternate algorithms. Each woman is represented by one light dot. In the clinic standard of care image, red dots represent women with ongoing pregnancies, yellow dots represent women who received postabortion curettage for some other reason or who were treated for a possible postabortion infection, and dark blue dots represent women who received other medical abortion–related care. These red, yellow, and dark blue dots appear in one of two columns, indicating whether each model would have identified the woman as needing some sort of postabortion treatment. Those in the "needs identified" column were, indeed, "flagged" by the particular algorithm in question; those in the "not identified" column eventually received treatment, but were not (or would not have been) flagged as possibly needing such treatment. Dots encircled in blue, at the right of the image, represent women who would have been given ultrasound examinations under each algorithm. The percentage of the total receiving ultrasound examinations is also indicated in bold blue numerals.
The results obtained under the clinic standard of care appear in the top image of Figure 2. As specified, the diagram indicates that routine post–medical abortion ultrasound examination (the current clinic standard of care) identified all women diagnosed with an ongoing pregnancy (n=20) and 17 of the 26 women (65%) who eventually received curettage or empiric treatment for a possible infection. This model also identified 52 of 55 women (94.5%) who eventually received some other medical abortion–related care.
A total of 256 women were missing data from the provider assessment and were excluded from the analysis of algorithm 5. Algorithm 5 (the image at the bottom of Fig. 2), the screening algorithm based on three patient-reported outcomes plus a urine test plus a nonsonographic clinical evaluation, performed as well as sonography in identifying all women with ongoing pregnancies at follow-up. Algorithm 5 identified 19 of 24 women (79%) who received curettage or empiric treatment for a possible infection, a somewhat higher percentage of the same sample than was identified using sonography (16 of 24, 65%). The algorithm was slightly less effective at identifying women who received other medical abortion–related care, identifying only 39 of the 48 women with complete data (79.6%) who received such treatments compared with the clinic standard of care that identified 45 of the 48 women (94%). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of women who received any care identified by algorithm 5 compared with the clinic standard of care, although the percentage of women who received other medical abortion–related care approached significance (P=.07).
Whereas algorithm 5 would require all women to return to the clinic for a follow-up examination, algorithms 1–4 rely on data gathered by the woman herself together with the results of the low-sensitivity pregnancy test—which, although administered at the clinic in our study, could conceivably be performed by a woman at home. A purpose of algorithms 1–4, among other things, is to help investigate whether data gathered by the woman at home might safely and effectively identify which women should return to the clinic for follow-up and which women could skip this extra visit.
As Figure 2 indicates, the different algorithms offer differing tradeoffs between sensitivity and convenience. For example, algorithm 1 would require only slightly less than one third (31.7%) of women to return to the clinic, but would also miss 2 of the 20 women with ongoing pregnancies. Algorithm 4, which includes more detailed questions, would be more sensitive and identify percentages of women in the various categories comparable to those identified by the current clinic standard of care (20 of 20 ongoing pregnancies, 21 of 26 women who received curettage or empiric treatment for possible infection, and 43 of 55 women who received other medical abortion–related care). However, algorithm 4 would also require almost two thirds (64.0%) of all women to return to the clinic. Algorithms 2 and 3 fall in between. There was no statistical difference in the number of ongoing pregnancies, surgical completions, or cases receiving empiric treatment for possible infection identified with algorithms 1–4 compared with the clinic standard of care. Algorithms 1–4 were significantly less effective at identifying women who received other medical abortion–related care (P≤.05).
There was intersite variation in the performance of the five algorithms. At the New York site, algorithms 1–5 identified all women who received any type of care. Almost all (data not shown) women (95% or 52 of 55 women) who required other medical abortion–related care were recruited at the Chicago and San Diego sites, perhaps reflecting intersite differences in standards for who should and should not receive additional minor treatments. In San Diego, algorithms 1 and 2 were less accurate in identifying women who required other medical abortion–related care compared with the current clinic standard of care. In Chicago, there was no difference in the ability of the five algorithms to identify women who required any care when compared with the clinic standard of care.
Our study found that using patient-controlled diagnostics along with postabortion examination to determine whether a woman requires further evaluation after medical abortion can have effectiveness similar to that of a current clinic standard of care that includes sonography used for the same purpose. Women and their providers could identify all women with an ongoing pregnancy and as high a percentage of those who eventually received curettage or empiric treatment for possible infection as did ultrasonography.
The results of algorithm 5 suggest that clinics can safely forego routine ultrasound examinations at the follow-up visit. Although all women would still be required to return for follow-up, only one third would be referred for ultrasound examination. Moreover, the study findings indicate that with the use of a self-administered questionnaire and a home-administered low-sensitivity pregnancy test, women themselves may be able to accurately and safely determine their need for a follow-up visit after early medical abortion. As demonstrated by the comparison of algorithms 1–4, adding questions of increasing specificity identifies a higher percentage of women who might need additional postabortion care, although at the cost of requiring a greater percentage of clients to return for follow-up. Algorithm 4, the most comprehensive model, would require only two thirds of women to return for a follow-up visit, with effectiveness comparable to that of the current standard of care in these clinics, including routine ultrasound examination.
It is also worth reconsidering the gold standard we used for comparisons and the related concept of need with regard to postabortion care. The gold standard used in this study represents what is done now. Although an ongoing pregnancy after an attempted abortion clearly represents a treatment failure and needs to be addressed, it is extremely likely that ongoing pregnancies missed by postabortion diagnostics will eventually be identified in time to offer surgical abortion. Therefore, identifying 100% of ongoing pregnancies immediately after abortion, although certainly desirable, is not absolutely necessary. This is even truer regarding other postabortion problems: Curettage is often offered "defensively" to women with any signs of debris in the uterus or moderate ongoing bleeding, when such women might in fact not need this additional care. Women who do eventually need it are likely to self-identify in time for effective treatment to be offered. Thus, it is not necessary for a postabortion evaluation protocol to be perfect in order for it to be considered medically acceptable. Indeed, ultrasound examination, as demonstrated here, is itself imperfect in this regard, because it failed to identify all women who eventually received follow-up treatment.
As a comparison, it is interesting to consider the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) criteria, which are routinely used in emergency departments across the world to minimize the provision of unnecessary cervical spine x-rays.11 In a recent large study, the NEXUS criteria failed to identify 8 of 818 patients with cervical spine injury and would have resulted in avoiding unnecessary x-rays in only 12.6% of study patients. In this context, even our least successful algorithm (algorithm 1)—which would have missed 2 of 20 ongoing pregnancies, but would have relieved more than two thirds of women of the burden of returning for a follow-up visit, with an even greater reduction in the provision of unnecessary ultrasound examinations—looks promising.12
Although this study includes an extremely large sample of correlations between sonographic and nonsonographic diagnostic findings and clinical outcomes in medical abortion clients, it is not without limitations. First, loss to follow-up is a problem in any study of medical abortion. The loss to follow-up rate demonstrated in the study is consistent with that experienced at most clinics offering medical abortion and suggests the desirability to many women of finding a way to reduce the number of required visits for the treatment. Second, this study was a modeling exercise and retrospectively compared the results of the algorithm with real-life experience. As designed, it provides ample evidence that it is ethical to test alternatives to routine ultrasound examinations and follow-up visits for post–medical abortion follow-up prospectively.
The low-sensitivity pregnancy test used in this study was not 100%, accurate, correctly identifying only 16 of the 20 women with complete data who had ongoing pregnancies. Use of the test, however, significantly improved the accuracy of the diagnostic algorithms we constructed. Our test was administered in the clinic rather than at home, but it would be possible to design a home-administered model, as well as one that gave more accurate results. Indeed, there already are a number of low-sensitivity tests that may be administered by women at home and promise to be more accurate than the test used in this study.13 There is reason to hope, then, that a low-sensitivity test, together with self-assessment, could eliminate the need for a routine follow-up visit for a large percentage of women.
This study retrospectively compared the results of the ultrasound examination and other tests. However, the identification of the desirability of care alone may not result in the receipt of that care. Future research must test the algorithms in routine clinic practice and how best to administer them—whether via self-administered paper questionnaire, a phone interview, or other media. Different approaches may prove more effective at ensuring women's cooperation and the transmission of information to the clinic.
This study suggests that nonsonographic means of evaluating women after medical abortion may be practicable. In future papers, we hope to be able to demonstrate that routine use of ultrasonography before abortion is also unnecessary. If so, these papers hold out the prospect that future protocols could be developed to allow practitioners without ultrasound equipment to offer medical abortion and to allow women to evaluate the success of their medical abortions safely and effectively at home. This service delivery model would allocate follow-up visits and the use of ultrasonography to the minority of women most likely to benefit from them. Reducing the requirement for sonography would allow more practitioners to offer medical abortion, reducing the number of visits required would allow more women to opt for the treatment, and simplifying and lightening the demands of medical abortion on healthcare resources would contribute to containing costs and inefficiency in our increasingly strained health care system. The next step is to test these models in clinical practice and compare their results in terms of safety, patient and staff acceptance, burden on clinics, and cost.
© 2010 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Colleague's E-mail is Invalid
Your Name: (optional)
Your Email:
Colleague's Email:
Separate multiple e-mails with a (;).
Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Send a copy to your email
Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague.
Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time.
An Existing Folder
A New Folder
Folder Name:
The item(s) has been successfully added to "".
Login with your LWW Journals username and password.
Username or Email:
Forgot Password?
Enter and submit the email address you registered with. An email with instructions to reset your password will be sent to that address.
Link to reset your password has been sent to specified email address.
What does "Remember me" mean?
By checking this box, you'll stay logged in until you logout. You'll get easier access to your articles, collections,
media, and all your other content, even if you close your browser or shut down your
To protect your most sensitive data and activities (like changing your password),
we'll ask you to re-enter your password when you access these services.
What if I'm on a computer that I share with others?
If you're using a public computer or you share this computer with others, we recommend
that you uncheck the "Remember me" box.
Looking for ABOG articles? Visit our ABOG MOC II collection. The selected Green Journal articles are free through the end of the calendar year.
If you are an ACOG Fellow and have not logged in or registered to Obstetrics & Gynecology, please follow these step-by-step instructions to access journal content with your member subscription.
Save my selection
Article Level Metrics


text:
We're moving fast and furious here in the Rose Garden basement. Next up is LaMarcus Aldridge, who's looking like he added a big of muscle in the offseason.
-- Clip 1: Aldridge talks about taking on a bigger role, being able to play faster and what he worked on in the summer.
-- Clip 2: Aldridge talks about his season goals, the differences between this year and last and improving his strength.
-- Clip 3:Aldridge talks about what it will take to make the playoffs, being a "go to guy" and leading by example.


text:
A letter from a reader, which is also being submitted as a letter to the editor:
My intial feeling was of of cautious optimism regarding Westin's
involvement with the plans for the Convention Center (Everson Museum
Hotel?) knowing of their recent partnership with Arquitectonica in
NYC. I was sorely disappointed with what has been released regarding
the plans for this project.
Now, I am wondering if the financial delay is a blessing.
The big box hotel design we had been presented with appears to be an
80's hand-me-down, better suited to Carrier Circle. What is the
concept behind this hotel beyond close proximity to the convention
center? Given the opportunity to be a landmark, more thought needs to
go into this project. Do we really want to settle for a multi-million-
dollar lodging box of "ho-hum"?
Here are some ideas:
1) Refer to it as the Museum and Convention Hotel. With the new
Everson director, maybe we'll finally see I.M. Pei's expansion happen.
2) Mixed use: Include a grocery store for those living downtown as
parking will be accessible.
3) Work with a great architect. Cornell grad Chad
Oppenheim is available. He's working with fabulous green design
4) A rooftop sculpture garden and restaurant for four seasons indoor
and outdoor dining.
5) Street level outdoor/indoor cafe that is planned into the design,
instead of an afterthought.
6) Have every hotel floor be a different theme.
7) High-end luxury penthouse suites.
8) Include green design apartments.
9) Reception area that is also an art gallery.
10) Art video projections on the exterior to give energy to the area,
especially in the dead of winter.
11) Exterior green lighting design.
If this hotel isn't special and exciting, it will be just another
disappointment of accepting the ordinary for my city.
Anne Cappuccilli
Respond here, at firstname.lastname@example.com or on the forum


text:
ACOA announces $600,000 funding for ADL's production and cheese cutting and packaging line
Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea made a major funding announcment Friday morning at ADL's Water Street processing facility in Summerside. Colin MacLean/Journal PIoneer
ACOA has announced more than $600,000 in funding for new technology for Amalgamated Dairies Limited in Summerside.
The federal government, though ACOA, will contribute $282,500 to support ADL with the purchase and installation of new technology used for its cheese cutting and packaging line to allow for product diversification in response to consumer demand.
As well, the agency is investing $325,000 in the company to assist with the purchase of specialized equipment to expand capacity and increase the production efficiencies of ADL's cheese line.
"ADL board members and management team are pleased with recent investments in cheese processing technology at the Summerside plant," said ADL business development manager Chad Mann. "The installation of the new equipment will improve production capacity and diversify our product lines.
"The ACOA assistance will allow us to tackle a number of initiatives to strengthen the dairy/food processing industry on P.E.I."
In its 60 years, ADL has grown to be the largest processor of dairy products on PEI, processing a diverse range of dairy goods. The company currently employs upwards of 250 people.


text:
Open in theaters this weekend...
"The Green Hornet"
Fandango overview: Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of LA's most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene – until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. But in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves – protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets.
Orlando Sentinel: Movie Review: The Green Hornet: Perhaps "The Green Hornet" is director Michel Gondry's mocking wink at the masked heroes-obsessed Hollywood and the fanboys who made it that way.
A violent, clumsy, jokey, badly-plotted and miscast mess, "Hornet" almost makes sense, taken on those terms. Gondry is, after all, the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." "Green Hornet" is certainly not like any other masked hero movie, unless you remember "The Spirit" or "Kick-Ass," the good and very very bad parts of both of those.
» Go see "The Green Hornet" or in 3D in CNY
"The Dilemma"
Fandango overview: Longtime friends Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are partners in an auto-design firm. They are hard at work on a presentation for a dream project that would really launch their company. Then Ronny spots Nick's wife out with another man, and in the process of investigating the possible affair, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. As the presentation nears, Ronny agonizes over what might happen if the truth gets out.
Orlando Sentinel: Movie Review: The Dilemma: Ron Howard's "The Dilemma" presents the viewer with one. Is it OK to laugh at what was plainly intended as a relationship comedy? Because the best scenes in this Vince Vaughn/Kevin James buddy picture where one buddy's wife is cheating on him and the other buddy finds out give us more to chew on than laugh about.
And that uncertainty --- "Wait, is that supposed to be funny?" --- makes the movie an unsatisfying if often surprising experience, a less warm and fuzzy "Parenthood" from a director long removed from his warn and fuzzy years.
» Go see "The Dilemma" in CNY
"The Heart Specialist"
Fandango overview: A romantic comedy set in South Florida where young Dr. Ray Howard (Brian White) and Nightclub owner Curtis (Nephew Tommy) are the city's most eligible bachelors - who find themselves in trouble when they underestimate the women they have been trying to manipulate (Zoe Saldana and Mya). They eventually learn that when you want to trade your swagger for a sweetheart, you not only need an expert (Marla Gibbs), you need a specialist (Wood Harris).
Orlando Sentinel: Movie Review: The Heart Specialist: If you think after decades of "E.R.", "House," "Scrubs" and "Grey's Anatomy" that young doctors coming of age, falling in love or in lust is a genre that has no surprises left in it, you're right. And "The Heart Specialist," a film written and directed by a physician with dreams of Hollywood glory, proves it.
A 2006 film only now finding its way to theaters because of the presence of a pre-"Avatar" Zoe Saldana (barely in it) , Dr. Dennis Cooper must have knocked off this script while watching "Scrubs" re-runs in the break room. This is "Scrubs" told totally from a black doctor's point of view.
» Go see "The Heart Specialist" in CNY
More on syracuse.com:
» Latest movie news, reviews, trailers and show times for Central New York
» More movie trailer videos
» Write a movie review in our public blog!
» Community Critics movie reviews


text:
This deal has ended.
Bluefly has a new selection of over 100 Chanel shoes, sandals and handbags, all marked down 20%. Finding discounts on Chanel is close to impossible, so we thought it noteworthy. Use either our $15 off $100 or $30 off $200 coupon codes to save more. Also, Bluefly does not charge sales tax (except to NY) like at your local boutique and shipping is a flat-rate $7.95.No longer available


text:
Student Leadership Center
Associated Student Government
ASG serves the intellectual, moral, physical, and social interests of the student body, attempts to unify students, student clubs and campus personnel, promotes the rights of students, and organizes social events, scholarships, and other programs. All students enrolled in three or more credit hours are members of Associated Student Government.
For more information about ASG see the ASG website, the current ASG Elected Student Board members, and the organizing ASG Constitution and ASG Bylaws.
Meetings are held from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the Student Union building, room SU-104D, every 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday.
An annual experience held each spring semester, the journey to becoming a better leader begins with an advanced knowledge of yourself and your capabilities. Over the the past ten years, MCCCD student leaders have learned to become exceptional leaders in the LeaderShape Experience, a six-day, introspective, skill-building journey that helps students develop a keen sense of their individual leadership skills.
Forms for Student Organizations & Field Trips
Interested in starting a new club? Please download and complete the New Student Club/Organization Packet, and submit it to the Student Leadership Center.
Existing clubs and organizations can download maintenance, travel, fundraising, expenditure and event request forms.
GCC Publicity Regulations
All information to be posted on Glendale Community College campus must be approved by the Office of Student Life or Leadership Center. For more information please view our GCC Publicity Regulations.
Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Mon. - Thurs. 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.