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Gone fishin'
Upper Peninsula
Marquette: Those targeting lake trout had success in waters less than 100 feet deep near Shot Point. Fish were also caught near the White Rocks, Granite Island and the Sand Hole in 180 feet. A few salmon were caught but catch rates were down. Near shore surface water temperatures were in the low 60's and the offshore waters were in the mid to upper 50's.
AuTrain: Most anglers are targeting lake trout or using high-lines for salmon outside AuTrain Island and along the east shoreline near AuTrain Point. Catch rates were slow. Surface water temperatures are now in the low 60's.
Keweenaw Bay: Salmon have been caught by those trolling 25 to 100 feet down in 150 to 240 feet of water between Sand Point and Carla's. Try flies and spoons. Those fishing the South Portage Entry caught a few lake troutwhen trolling or jigging near Farmers Reef, Newton's Reef or the Big Reef. A couple coho, chinook and lake trout were caught from the Entry south to the Red Rocks near the Roadside Park or the white breakwall in the early morning. Salmon were caught 30 to 140 feet down in 150 to 170 feet of water near the lighthouse. Those jigging for lake trout in Traverse Bay did well near Hermits Cove, the Gay Stacks, Big Louie's Point and the reefs when trolling spoons in 130 to 160 feet or using jigs with cut bait in 130 to 220 feet.
Little Bay De Noc: Angler participation was low due to the alewife and mayfly hatch contributing to the food supply. Walleye reports were spotty at best with a few catches reported off the Second Reef when jigging or drifting crawlers in 18 to 25 feet. Walleye and some perch were caught off Gladstone Beach in 14 to 23 feet. Catch rates were spotty between the mouth of the Escanaba River and the "Black Bottom" in 8 to 25 feet. South winds produced some walleye around Breezy Point for those trolling or drifting crawlers in 10 to 16 feet. Lots of freshwater drum have been caught.
Some are heading out for salmon but few fish have been caught. Fair catches of smallmouth bass off Hunters Point, the west side of Gladstone Bay and south of the Ford River. All are trolling or casting crank baits or plastics in 10 to 12 feet of water.
Big Bay De Noc: Walleye catches slowed however the best area to fish was Sand Bay off Nahma when trolling crawler harnesses in 14 to 20 feet. Smallmouth bass fishing slowed in Garden Bay and Kate's Bay. Several northern pike were caught near Ansell's Point. Try trolling crank baits in 15 to 20 feet. Salmon off Fairport is still slow. Surface temperatures out deeper were as low as 41 degrees.
St. Marys River: Walleye fishing was good near Raber Point when trolling planer boards and crawler harnesses just off the weed beds in 4 to 6 feet of water and near the mouth of the Gogomain River when trolling or jigging crank baits and twister tails in 3 to 4 feet. Closer to Barbeau, a few musky were caught near Teacup Island when trolling large crank baits in 8 to 10 feet. Atlantic salmon and herring are showing up in Sault Ste. Marie.
DeTour: Early morning is the best time for trout and salmon when trolling spoons. Hot colors were green, orange, watermelon and gold. Fish are being caught between the launch and the #3 green can, around the lighthouse and over near the #2 red can by Drummond Island.
Drummond Island: Catch rates for lake herring were very slow. Good smallmouth action around Harbor Island for those using crawlers or jigging dark green and brown tube baits.
Cedarville and Hessel: Hessel Bay is very good for northern pike. Try still-fishing with chubs along the south shore, the east end of Hessel Bay or the south shore of Musky Bay. Perch fishing was slow in Musky Bay, the Middle Entrance and Cedarville Bay. Prentice Bay is usually the hot spot for lake herring however no fish were reported.
Northeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Rogers City: Catch rates have improved for chinook, lake trout and steelhead. Some even caught the occasional coho, pink or Atlantic salmon. Try heading north towards the State Park and Forty Mile Point while fishing the top of half of waters 60 to 120 feet deep. Try downriggers and lead core up to 10 colors. Steelhead are hitting orange spoons on high-lines. Salmon fishing was best in the early morning or late evening when trolling glow spoons. Other hot colors were green, blue, chartreuse or a combination of green and blue.
Presque Isle: Fishing has picked up with a mixed bag of trout and salmon caught. The better action was straight out of the harbor and fishing between the Red Can and the two lighthouses in 60 to 120 feet of water. Use the same colors and methods as the Rogers City.
Rockport: Catch rates were 2 to 4 fish consisting of chinook, steelhead and lake trout. Boats are starting out in shallow water in the early morning and moving out to 100 to 120 feet as the day progresses. Try orange and silver spoons.
Alpena: Walleye fishing in Thunder Bay has slowed. Those catching fish did so around Sulfur Island when trolling or drifting crawler harnesses. Hot colors were pink, purple and brass. After dark, anglers were switching to crank baits.
Thunder Bay River: Was slow for those shore fishing. A few have caught walleye on leeches. Smallmouth bass, white bass and freshwater drum were also caught.
Harrisville: Is producing salmon, lake trout, steelhead and walleye. Lake trout were suspended in 70 to 90 feet. Steelhead and salmon were closer to the surface. Walleye have started to hit south past the State Park and to the north. Early morning and late night were best.
Oscoda: Lake trout have been abundant, but steelhead are picking up. Lake trout have moved out deeper so try 100 to 150 feet. Steelhead are in 60 to 80 feet.
AuSable River: Walleye are still moving up into the river but catch rates have dropped and the fish were smaller.
Tawas: Was experiencing a large mayfly hatch. Those trolling south toward Alabaster continue to catch walleye in 30 to 50 feet of water when using body baits. Fish were also caught about a mile beyond Buoy #2. Pier anglers caught the occasional smallmouth bass.
AuGres: Everybody is bringing in walleye. Most of the action was in 25 to 35 feet of water between Point Lookout and Pointe Au Gres however a few boats were heading as far south as the Saganing Bar.
Au Gres River: Shore anglers caught catfish and freshwater drum.
Northwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Harbor Springs: Lake trout are being caught but no sign of salmon. Lake trout were caught around the point however some were on the small side. Try spoons 65 to 70 feet down. Smallmouth anglers continue to do well on tube baits or soft plastics on the Harbor Springs side of the State Park. A few crappie were caught on worms near the marina.
Petoskey: Lake trout action continues to get better with anglers catching fish averaging 20 to 25 inches. Most are fishing in 60 to 70 feet but a few fish were also caught in shallow waters. Those trolling for lake trout have caught Cisco. Smallmouth were caught near the breakwall and carp were jumping near the D Pier.
Bear River: Anglers were catching steelhead on spawn near the dam but catch rates fell. Some caught bullhead.
Charlevoix: Boat anglers reported slow catch rates for chinook and lake trout. Salmon were caught 50 feet down near the cement plant. A few walleye are still running through the channel after dark.
Traverse City: The East Bay is producing lake trout for those trolling or jigging in 50 to 100 feet. A few whitefish were also caught. Smallmouth bass are still hitting in the shallows and along the drop-offs. In the West Bay, lake trout were a bit deeper in 80 to 110 feet and smallmouth bass were in 20 feet.
Elk River: A good number of smallmouth bass have been caught but many were sub-legal. Try crawlers, leeches, or plastics.
Boardman River: Fishing continues to be slow with only a few smallmouth bass or rock bass taken on crawlers or leeches.
Frankfort: Water temperatures are still on the cool side which makes salmon fishing a bit slower. Some have been caught 65 to 120 feet down on chartreuse and blue spoons. For lake trout, anglers are heading north and bouncing spin-glows off the bottom in 60 to 80 feet.
Onekama: Chinook salmon have been caught in 18 to 22 feet of water out near the Barrel. Limits of lake trout were caught on cowbells and spin-glows along the bottom.
Portage Lake: Bass fishing was slow but some nice largemouth weighing four pounds or more have been caught around the docks and drop-offs. Warm water temperatures have the panfish in deeper water.
Manistee: Salmon fishing is slowly picking up with a few fish taken 50 to 110 feet down in 100 to 160 feet of water. Glow spoons were best in the morning but switch to green and orange later in the day. Green meat rigs and flies have worked deeper in the water column.
Ludington: Salmon fishing here has been somewhat difficult but catch rates are improving. Try 40 to 100 feet down in 120 to 240 feet of water with orange spoons and green flies. Lake trout were caught by those bouncing cowbells or dodgers off the bottom.
Pentwater: Anglers caught primarily lake trout but rumor has it chinook were caught. With warm water in the channel, the only species caught were freshwater drum and the occasional catfish.
Southeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Lake Erie: Walleye fishing remains good for most with some reporting limit catches between Fermi and the Banana Dike in 18 to 20 feet of water with spoons. Expect to catch your fair share of freshwater drum and white perch. Those targeting perch are marking fish in 18 feet of water around Brest Bay and the River Raisin however they are not biting.
Washtenaw County: Bruin Lake was producing some decent size pike. White bass and white perch were caught in Ford Lake.
Detroit River: Is producing a good number of smallmouth bass and some walleye.
Lake St. Clair: Anglers caught smallmouth bass, walleye and some nice musky.
Port Sanilac: Perch fishing is hit-or-miss. Most were caught along the weed beds in 15 feet of water. On the good days, anglers caught 12 to 24 large perch per boat.
Harbor Beach: Had fair lake trout action in 80 to 120 feet north, south or straight out from the harbor. Try dodgers with spin glows or spoons near the bottom. Brown trout are closer to shore in 30 to 40 feet. Use long lines with bright colored spoons and body baits. Offshore boards will let you get in closer to shore. Salmon and steelhead were out deeper in 105 to 180 feet and hitting on spoons in the top 50 feet. Hot colors were orange and black, green and bright yellow or black and silver screwballs. A few walleye were caught on crawler harnesses in 25 to 40 feet of water between the wall and the shoreline.
Port Austin: Walleye action is picking up on the reefs to the west and out near the lighthouse. Fishing is good to excellent all the way around the tip of the Thumb to Lighthouse Park, southeast of Grindstone City. Anglers are trolling crawlers, body baits and spoons in 15 to 45 feet of water.
Saginaw Bay: Is producing limit catches of walleye at virtually every port. Everyone was bringing in fish even on the bad days. Surface water temperatures have warmed to the mid 70's and the walleye are hitting on body baits, spoons and crawler harnesses. One of the keys is to use planer boards for trolling. In-line planer boards are becoming more popular than the traditional large boards. Fish are being caught from the usual hot spots such as Linwood, the Spark Plug, the Slot between Quanicassee and Sand Point, the Bar, and the Callahan Reef. Weeds are starting to become a problem in many of the shallow areas but those fishing along the edge of the weeds in Wildfowl Bay caught good numbers of walleye. Freshwater drum, catfish and yellow perch are hitting on crawler harnesses. As the water continues to warm, there are signs that the walleye may be moving out deeper.
Saginaw River: Some limit catches of walleye are still coming from the lower river and the shipping channel out to Spoils Island.
Flint River: Had lots of boat and shore anglers fishing the Holloway Reservoir.
Southwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
St. Joseph: Boat anglers caught a few salmon in 80 to 100 feet of water. Pier anglers caught steelhead when using shrimp under a bobber however water temperatures are on the rise so catch rates will slow. Perch anglers are drifting in 30 to 40 feet of water.
Branch County: Union Lake was producing some bass.
Calhoun County: Duck Lake was producing a few decent pike but the bluegill and crappie were small. Prairie Lake had some nice crappie along with a handful of bluegills. Graham Lake and Lee Lake had slow catch rates.
South Haven: Perch fishing was pretty good. Anglers should try drifting if the wind allows and target 30 to 40 feet. Salmon action was slower with only a few fish caught in 130 feet of water.
Kalamazoo River: Had shore and boat anglers. A nice pike was caught above the Marshall Dam.
Holland: Those fishing south of the port caught more fish than those heading straight out. Try 30 to 85 feet down in 160 to 180 feet of water with spoons, spinnies and flies. Good colors were orange, blue and green. Pier anglers were struggling to catch steelhead or perch.
Port Sheldon: Those fishing 40 to 120 feet down in 220 to 250 feet of water did well for chinook and steelhead. Try orange, blue and green spoons. Those using 150, 225 and 300 coppers worked well as did the 10 color lead core.
Grand Haven: Some are targeting lake trout but those heading south towards Port Sheldon did better. Pier anglers are struggling to get steelhead and perch.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Is producing smallmouth bass and the occasional walleye. Those fishing with live or cut bait are taking channel cats and flathead cats.
Grand River at Lansing: Smallmouth bass were biting at Moore's Park and Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge. Those fishing at Moore's Park caught a few walleye and catfish. Try fishing below any of the dams.
Jackson County: Lakes are producing a light number of bass and panfish.
Maple River: Anglers have caught some nice bluegill and pike.
Muskegon River: Walleye fishing was good near the Hardy Dam and Hardy Pond. The bluegill bite has been good. Trout have been caught in the lower river.
Whitehall: Catch rates were slow. Some reported fish in 120 to 200 feet of water however baitfish could also be found. Anglers might want to try using cut bait. Not much for pier anglers besides catfish and freshwater drum. Water temperatures are just too warm.
White Lake: Continues to produce a good number of bass. Hot colors were green, white and gold.


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Last night, in the US, were the presidential elections. I mostly kept updated with Twitter and the Huffington Post, and waited until 1am for Romney to do his concession speech before heading to bed (apparently he didn't do it until after).
So I ended up not blogging. It's not that I was wrapped up in the election; I could've taken 30 minutes out to unwind and churn out a blog post. But I stayed glued to it, because I tried to convince myself that following the election was more important than a commitment I had made to blog each day of November. And now I have to catch up, and get myself back on track.
Have you ever had to get yourself back on track?
There have been times when I wasn't sure what I was doing with my life. I had this small epiphany when I was living in Seattle – not the best situation; a crap job, an awful room mate and no idea about what I wanted to do at all with myself. So I left, and wandered around in Orland for awhile trying to figure out who I was. Quickly I learned that I loved comics, after getting the chance to be part of a large anthology created by and for women. This one decision has led me to write for a comics site – and it's been one of the best choices I've made.
This aimless wandering, and general fear of being dependent on others also led me into my current position: I've acquired a new job that I enjoy, with a company that's really great and I get to live with two really awesome people in a brand new city.
Everything is still a work in progress as I discover that even now, with my situation bringing me more happiness than the last, there's still something missing. I'm still wandering. Still trying to figure things out, to catch up.
Not to "catch up" as in a race, but to catch up to the image I have of myself, of my future. I want to be that person that writes every day, that wakes up early and eats breakfast, to follow through on the tasks she sets out for herself. So I'm writing my post for two days to catch up to that person.
A lot of the time, I find myself comparing my life to others not because I want their lives specifically, but because it seems like those people are already doing what they've set out to do. They're living their lives, doing their dreams. Naturally, there's always a filter when observing someone else's life – so the picture is never complete, you never get the whole story, only what you choose to see and what others allow you to see.
Someone I follow online once suggested that you just stay in your own lane, focus on what you're doing and don't get too caught up in others.
I should try that, maybe that'll help me get a lot closer to who I imagine myself to be.
I'm participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo).
30 Days of Blog Posting.
If you click the badge, you'll be taken to the NaBloPoMo and you can join in yourself!

subset: commoncrawl


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Photography by Lauren Lieberman
Crissy Poorman knows how to use her talents to build bridges to new opportunities. The former CNN reporter was part of two Emmy Award-winning teams, covering domestic and international news and later lifestyle features. After 12 years at the network, she transferred her communications skills to the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach as the marketing director. From there, she applied her residential knowledge to pursue her current career as a Realtor at Sotheby's. Also a travel enthusiast, Crissy has been to 62 countries between personal and professional trips.
"My dad used to say, 'If you love what you do, you'll never call it work.' I've always loved what I've done," she says.
Words to live by: "Love, laugh and learn each day and you'll truly be living" - Crissy.
As a kid, she wanted to be: A lawyer.
First job: Working at a mom 'n pop ice cream store when I was 16 years old.
Fond childhood memory: Singing along to the car radio with my sister during summer trips.
First job at CNN: Ripping scripts after they were printed and distributing them to the proper people.
Proudest contribution as a journalist: I produced a story on pediatric AIDS. We got a great award for that, and I was very proud of the fact that it put a human face on children with AIDS and hopefully brought a destigmatizing aspect to it.
First significant interview: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
How she left a mark at the Ritz-Carlton: I was basically the key person responsible for developing a signature scent for the hotel. I was there just a couple weeks ago and could smell the scent wafting out of the lobby.
Favorite travel destination: The one I haven't been to yet.
Still wants to visit: Cambodia and Egypt.
Latest hobby: I'm trying to be a golfer.
Her dream home: It would be on the Intracoastal—because I like the lights at night—with lots of windows. Something elegant but understated.
Most recent favorite purchase: A mother-of-pearl shark's tooth necklace from House of Lavande. My friend Tracy [Smith] is the designer of the collection, and it just spoke to me.
What she would do if she were invisible for a day: Sit in the Oval Office.
Hero: My parents. They always encouraged us to try new things, to explore, to not be scared.
Her next endeavor: I'd love to write a humorous novel or screenplay drawing from my life experiences.
Title of her autobiography: Fresh Pillowcases. It's more of a metaphor of waking up each day and having the opportunity to be the most well-intentioned person that you can be. If you feel good, you can accomplish anything and hopefully avoid the frown lines.
Toughest challenge: Saying no.
Biggest accomplishment: Being a good friend, daughter, aunt. I really value the word "friendship," and I don't toss it around easily. The fact that I have wonderful friends and family and a great boyfriend is an accomplishment.


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Being… Robbi Kitelinger
Robbi Kitelinger dreams big.
We're not talking about how the Tidioute Community Charter School senior went from being a scorekeeper for her high school's volleyball team to a three-year letterwinner as a player.
We're talking about how she dreams of becoming an actress in a big city.
First thing's first, Robbi works two jobs around volleyball, and basketball in the winter, and wants to finish near the top of her graduating class.
Then, the sky is the limit.
"The amazing thing about Robbi is that while she may dream big, she is very passionate about her beliefs and her goals, therefore her dreams are not unrealistic," said her coach, Margie Manning. "With Robbi, you know that whatever goal she has set for herself, or whatever her plans are for the future, while they may change throughout her journeys, you have no doubt that she will accomplish them."
A little "Q & A" with Robbi Kitelinger:
Q: Who are your parents and siblings and what sports do you play?
A: My parents are Ken and Kit Kitelinger and I have two older sisters, Alex and Lacy. I play volleyball and basketball.
Q: Do you consider yourself a leader, and what characteristics of yourself are you most proud of?
A: I would definitely consider myself a leader, I am outgoing and hard working.
Q: You go to a smaller school, and play for smaller sports teams. Do you find the characteristic of being an underdog, and/or being able to overcome adversity in your blood, as well as in your team? If so, give me an example.
A: I do go to a small school, and yes, I would definitely consider us an underdog team. One great thing about being an underdog team is being able to surprise the opposing team with your abilities and willingness to try harder and push farther.
Q: What sports have you played in your lifetime, and what were your favorite memories from those sports.
A: I have played basketball for as long as I can remember. I am most passionate about it.
I've been playing volleyball since my freshmen year when I actually started out as scorekeeper and attended games with the girls, eventually from bumping the ball around and mindlessly serving it over the net, I was talked in to joining the team.
I vaguely remember playing soccer when I was a lot younger and I honestly did enjoy that as well. I always comment on how I wish we had a soccer team, but coming from such a small school I understand we wouldn't have the numbers for a whole team.
Q: Are you planning to go to college; what do you want to do for the rest of your life? What is your dream job?
A: My dream is to act. Acting is in my top two most favorite and passionate things to do. Being on the stage is such a rush for me and I would love to make it in the theatrical world.
Q: Do you consider yourself more a small town girl, or do you dream of the big city?
A: Having grown up in Tidioute my whole life it is in my blood to be small town, but I dream big. Big city is where I can see myself starting my life out.
Q: Who is your inspiration and why? Give me an example of how you have been inspired to accomplish something.
A: My sisters, Alex, and Lacy Kitelinger, are my biggest inspirations; they have both become such successful people, and I could not be more proud of them or more grateful for their service in our USAF.
Their success drives me to become just as successful, not necessarily to follow in their footsteps, but for them to help guide me down my own path.
Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season in volleyball, and also for the school year, athletically or otherwise?
A: To win our senior night pink-out game against Warren County Christian School. Also, I would like to lead my basketball team to a few victories as well.
Academically, I would love to get within the top two positions in my class, which requires a lot of dedication to my online pre-calculus class, as well as my AP English and AP US History.
Q: What's your favorite song?
A: Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. It reminds me of a lot of good people and good times. It also embodies my desire to break free from this small town and make it somewhere.
Q: What's your favorite movie?
A: Ladder 49, I'm a softy, tear jerkers are where it's at.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I don't have much spare time, by choice. I have two jobs and I love having that responsibility. But if I do catch a break, a night sitting by the fire is what I enjoy doing, and probably what I'll miss most about the small town environment.
Q: What will you miss most, be specific, about Tidioute Charter? Is it the only school you have ever attended? If not, how does the town/school compare?
A: Tidioute is where I have lived my whole life and the school I've always attended. I will miss my teachers and my friends most definitely. I will also miss the relaxed and safe environment it portrays. TCCS is a second home to me.
Q: Tell me one question I should have asked, but didn't, and then answer it.
A: What is some advice you would give to underclassmen?
High school flies by, which is unfortunate for a multitude of reason: running out of time with your friends, getting ready for the real world, actual responsibilities.
But it is exciting for a multitude of reasons as well: starting somewhere new, making new friends, beginning your life and starting your own path to success. No matter what stage you are at in life, though, enjoy it. You will only live it once and any 60 seconds that you spend upset is 60 seconds you could have been smiling, and your own smile could affect someone else's day in ways you could not imagine.
So rid yourself of all the petty problems, because one day you will come to the actualization of what really matters to you in life, who will be there for you, and what you are willing to fight for.
Life is full of battles, and it is up to you to pick which ones you are willing to shed a tear over. Keep your heads up, because there is always room for improvement, but you might not see it if you're walking through life staring at your toes.


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Lake Placid ER bill dies in Assembly
A bill that would have allowed Adirondack Health to run a part-time, off-campus emergency room at its Lake Placid hospital didn't survive Friday's end of the legislative session in Albany.
The Senate bill was approved Thursday night, but the Assembly version never made to the chamber's floor for a vote before it adjourned late Friday night. The bills had been introduced last week.
"We're disappointed the legislative route wasn't successful," Dan Mac Entee, a spokesman for Sen. Betty Little said in a prepared statement. Little, R-Queensbury, had sponsored the Senate bill. "With support of the health committee chairs in both houses, we were hoping that, although introduced late in the session, that both houses would have voted to approve the measure."
State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, who sponsored the Assembly version, told the Enterprise Saturday that the fact that the legislation was introduced late in the session may have hurt its chances. He also noted that it was opposed by the New York State Nurses Association, although he said he didn't know if that played a role in why it didn't move forward.
The legislation was seen by some as a possible compromise between Adirondack Health's controversial plan to convert the Lake Placid ER to a part-time urgent care center and a community wanting to keep its ER open. In late May, Adirondack Health's Board of Trustees postponed a decision for at least 60 days, saying it planned to study the proposal further and get additional community input.
The bills proposed in Albany would have addressed some of the concerns that have been raised about converting the ER to an urgent care clinic. Among other things, ambulance squads have said they can't bill patients' insurance companies if they take them to an urgent care center. Critics have also said an urgent care center isn't required to have as many staff on hand as an emergency department.
The Assembly and Senate legislation would have amended state Public Health Law to create the "Lake Placid Part-Time Off-Campus Emergency Department Demonstration Program." Essentially, Adirondack Health would have been allowed to run a part-time, off-campus ER that would have to be open at least 12 hours a day as part of a five-year pilot program.
Stec had called the legislation "a reasonable compromise to save some level of emergency care in Lake Placid, at least for the short-term, until maybe a better long-term solution is found."
The Healthcare Association of New York State had also backed the Lake Placid ER bill, but it was opposed by the nurses association. The union, which represents Adirondack Health nurses, said it would limit life-saving, emergency care to the residents and visitors of Lake Placid and surrounding towns and put increased pressure on EMS services in the area.
Now that the legislation been defeated, Stec said Saturday he'll work with Little and others to see if there's another way to address the issue.
"While I think the legislative route was the preferred route, we're going to pursue and see if there's anything we can do administratively," he said. "Is there something the Department of Health can do, absent of the legislation we tried to get through, that would basically try to get us to the same point, to a point where we have as much coverage for emergency situations as possible?"


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The Style Gallery is a great new way for you to view, love, and share outfit photos. It's meant to showcase
all the expressive, creative, and inspirational personalities of our community!
Let us know if you need it! We reorder based on community feedback and demand, so your voice is very important. We'll email you if we can bring it back.


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Due to slow season, oversupply of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and shortages of hard disk drives (HDDs) pricing of computer memory continues to decrease. The contract price of 4GB DDR3 memory module in the second half of November was down to $17.5 (-7.9%), whereas the price of 2GB DDR3 module was $9.5 (-7.3%).
According to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, due to the weak demand for PC in November (some PC OEMs orders were even cancelled) the market remained slow. Affected by the inventory pressure, several DRAM manufacturers resorted to cutting prices. In addition, the DDR3 2GB spot price dipped 25% compared to last month, which gave the clients an edge in the contract price negotiation and in turn furthered the price drop. Although DRAM makers such as Elpida and Nanya reduced their capacities in November, the effect of downsizing will not kick in until Q1 2012. In the short term, the DRAM market will still be in a state of oversupply, with the contract price downturn most likely to continue through the end of 2011.
The contract price of DDR3 2GB dropped from $18.75 in May 2011 to the current average selling price (ASP) of $9.5, a 50% decrease; the spot price of DDR3 2GB plunged by 70% to $0.74. With price falling below the manufacturing costs of many DRAM makers, companies with weaker financial health have downsized their capacities or shifted their focuses to other sectors.
On account of its unbalanced financial condition, ProMOS was the first company to lowering the wafer start volume, which was reduced from 50K level in July to about 5K at present. As for PSC, due to the decreased orders from Elpida and the company's increasing focus on OEM business and NAND flash products, the wafer start volume of PSC's standard DRAM was reduced from 80 thousand per month to about 20 - 30 thousand. In light of the persisting DRAM price downtrend in the second half of October, more DRAM makers have reduced their capacities in November: Nanya not only downsized its mother plant's wafer start volume by 20% but also reduced its wafer start volume in Inotera. Moreover, Nanya also endeavors to strengthen its consumer DRAM business in the hope of reducing its loss. The Hiroshima plant of Elpida, the first global major manufacturer to announce cutting utilization rate, is scheduled to reduce the capacity by 25%. Rexchip will decide whether or not to cut DRAM output in December.
According to TrendForce's survey, due to the production cut in November, the global DRAM industry's wafer start volume fell from 1.3 million wafers per month to approximately 1.1 million, representing a 16% downturn. Considering the DRAM manufacturers' active attitude towards the 30nm and 20nm process migration and the PC slow season in the first half of 2012, DRAM is expected to continue facing a serious oversupply. Currently, the decrease on wafer start will help stabilize the price, but a balanced supply and demand hinges upon whether the global brands, including Samsung and Hynix, will also start to reduce DRAM production and whether ultrabook and Windows 8 will spur the demand in 2012. If not, the continuous production cut may trigger DRAM companies to merge, resulting in an oligopoly market. In this case, the industry will be depending on the market mechanism to weed out the weak and aid the DRAM price to rebound gradually in the second half of 2012.


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An innovative practice: UN Indigenous Peoples Partnership
In May 2011, four United Nations entities: the International Labour Organization (ILO ), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UNDP launched the UN Indigenous Peoples' Partnership (UNIPP), the first global inter-agency initiative to support country efforts to advance indigenous peoples' rights. UNIPP is a commitment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries and also seeks to address the various recommendations made by the UNPFII over the years that stress the importance of greater coordination and joint action by UN organizations at the local level to support the effective implementation of indigenous peoples' rights. As a UN collaborative framework, the primary goal of UNIPP is to focus on developing national capacities to promote effective dialogue and partnership to fulfill these rights at the country level.
The Governments of Denmark, Finland and Ireland have contributed to the Fund with an estimated US$ 1.7 million, most of which has been allocated to six inception country projects in Congo, Cameroon, Bolivia, Nicaragua, the Central African Republic, Nepal and the Southeast Asian region. Some of the key thematic areas of intervention of these projects include: legislative review and reform; democratic governance and indigenous peoples' institutions; access to justice; access to land and ancestral territories; natural resources and extractive industries.
Country-level programmes will be supplemented by thematic, regional and global undertakings that can strengthen the implementation of indigenous peoples' rights through research, networking, and capacity-development efforts. UNIPP will primarily comprise joint country-level programmes whereby participating UN organizations collaborate around common programmatic goals. The complementary priority lines of support are: capacity development for the realization of indigenous peoples' rights; and, consultative mechanisms and participatory processes with the state and with United Nations country teams.


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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) added another award to her growing resume as the 18-year-old was named the American Boxing Confederation's 2012 Female Athlete of the Year. Shields won the first Olympic gold medal in women's boxing for the Americas the past summer in London. She joins 2012 Male Athlete of the Year, Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba in winning the award.
Shields enjoyed quite the run in 2012, winning national and international tournaments throughout the year in impressive fashion. She opened the year with a run through the Olympic Trials, defeating four opponents by a combined 108-64 margin to take the first-ever Olympic Trials for Women's Boxing title at only 16. Shields defeated the first of four former or current world champions at the event, beating Andrecia Wasson on her way to the Olympic Trials title.
She then moved on to her first international tournament, the Women's Continental Championships, where she faced her fellow competitors in the American Boxing Confederation. Shields continued her winning streak over World Champions in the tournament, upending tournament favorite Mary Spencer of Canada and Brazil's Roseli Feitosa on her way to her first international gold medal.
Shields went on to qualify internationally for the Olympic Games at the 2012 World Championships despite her first career loss to eventual World Champion Savannah Marshall of England. The teenager rebounded from her only loss with a run through the 2012 Olympic Games, the first-ever for Women's Boxing. Once again, Shields defeated her opponents in dominating fashion, winning her bouts by a combined 66-41 total. The Flint Northwestern High School student stamped her place in the history books with a victory over a Russian foe nearly twice her age in the finals to take Olympic gold.
After her eventful summer, Shields returned to school for her senior year and has continued her run through the sport, winning a second straight National PAL title in October. She currently has her eyes set on a second gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and inspiring those in her local community.
Domingo B. Solano, President of the American Boxing Confederation, expressed the pride and satisfaction he feels for having such high level athletes in the Americas to whom he sends the most sincere congratulations.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States' member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).


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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 21, 2009) – Teams with U.S. players went head-to-head in the Turkish league on Sunday as Fenerbahce, featuring Gabe Gardner, defeated Evan Patak and Halkbank, 25-20, 25-22, 25-18.
Gardner (San Clemente, Calif.) started all three sets and scored 11 points on seven kills and four blocks. Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) substituted in the third set and scored one point on one kill.
Fenerbahce is in third place in the league while Halkbank sits in sixth.
Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediye, the Turkish league team of Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.), continues to lead the league and won its match Sunday over Belediye Plevne, 25-23, 25-19, 25-19.
Touzinsky scored nine points on six kills and three aces. Millar did not play.
It was a winning weekend for all three Russian Super League teams with U.S. players.
Zenit Kazan, the Super League team of Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii), remains in first place after an easy victory over second-place Iskra Odintsovo, 25-21, 25-18, 25-23. Stanley had eight points on seven kills and one block. Ball started all three sets and scored one point on one kill.
Click here to view photos of the match.
Fakel Novy Urengoi, the Russian team of Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.), defeated Lokomotiv Belogorie Belgorod, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19. Rooney started all three sets and scored 14 points on 14 kills. Hansen started all three sets at setter and scored two points on one kill and one ace.
Click here to view photos of the match.
Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) scored 14 points for Lokomotiv Novosibirsk as it swept Dynamo Moscow, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20. Priddy scored on 12 kills, one block and one ace. David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) added nine points on five kills and four blocks.
The Russian teams will play Russian Cup matches on Dec. 24-25. Kazan will play Dynamo Yantar on Dec. 24. Novosibirsk will play Novy Urengoi on Dec. 25.
Prisma Taranto, the Italian Serie A League team of setter Donald Suxho (Korce, Albania) fell to CoprAtlantide Piacenza, 18-25, 17-25, 21-25 on Dec. 20. Suxho started all three sets and scored one point on one kill.
Marmi Lanza Verona, featuring Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio), fell to Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo, 1-3 (25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 22-25) on Dec. 18. Holt started all four sets and scored seven points on five kills and two blocks.
Puerto Rico
Leones de Ponce swept Patriotas de Lares, 25-22, 25-22, 27-25 on Dec. 16. Tony Ching (Hawaii) and Delano Thomas (Sacramento, Calif.) each scored 13 points for Ponce. Ching had 11 kills, one block and one ace. Thomas tallied 12 kills and one ace. Jim Polster (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) scored 10 points for Lares on seven kills, two blocks and one ace. Tim May added five points on five kills.
Nuevos Gigantes de Carolina topped Changos de Naranjito, 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 25-14, 20-25, 16-14) on Dec. 16. Andy Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.) scored 16 points for Naranjito on 11 kills, two blocks and three aces. C.J. Macias (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) added eight points on five kills, one block and two aces.
Plataneros de Corozal swept the Guaynabo Mets, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18, on Dec. 17. Casey Patterson (Newbury Park, Calif.) led all scorers with 13 points on 12 kills and one block for Corozal. Nils Nielsen (Fallbrook, Calif.) added eight points on six kills, one block and one ace. Matt McKinney (Santa Ynez, Calif.) scored six points on six kills. Guaynabo got 10 points on 10 kills from Eric Vance (Camarillo, Calif.).
Ching scored 31 points on 23 kills, five blocks and three kills as Ponce defeated Mayaguez, 3-2 (25-27, 17-25, 25-23, 27-25, 17-15) on Dec. 19. Thomas added 23 points on 21 kills, one block and one ace.
Carolina beat Caribes de San Sebastian, 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 25-14) on Dec. 19. Hudson Bates (Richmond, Va.) led San Sebastian with 14 points on 10 kills and four blocks. David Smith (Saugus, Calif.) scored 10 points on five kills, three blocks and two aces.
Guaynabo swept Lares, 26-24, 25-22, 28-26, on Dec. 20. Vance did not play for Guaynabo. May scored 10 points for Lares on eight kills, one block and one ace. Polster added five points on four kills and one ace. Bryan Zodrow (Kaneohe, Hawaii) had one point on one kill for Lares.
Carolina got past Ponce, 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-13) on Dec. 20. Ponce's Thomas led all scorers with 24 points on 19 kills and five blocks. Ching added 22 points on 13 kills, two blocks and seven aces.
Finally, Corozal swept Naranjito, 26-24, 27-25, 25-13 on Dec. 21. Patterson again led Corozal with 14 points on 12 kills and two aces. McKinney added 10 points on eight kills and two blocks. Nielsen totaled seven points on six kills and one block. Hein led Naranjito with 11 points on six kills, four blocks and one ace. Macias totaled eight points on eight kills.
Puerto Rican standings (as of Dec. 21):
1. Corozal
2. Guaynabo
3. Carolina
4. Ponce
5. Mayagüez
6. Naranjito
7. San Sebastian
8. Lares
CEV Indesit Champions Cup
Hypo Tyrol Innsbruck, the Austrian club team of Russell Holmes, fell to Montenegro's Budvanska Rivijera Budva, 2-3 (23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 8-15), in the CEV Indesit Champions Cup on Dec. 17.
Holmes started all five sets and scored 14 points on 10 kills, three blocks and one ace. Champions Cup play resumes in January.
Poitiers, the French team of Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) swept Montpellier, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23, on Dec. 18. Lotman started all three sets and scored 12 points on 11 kills and one block.
Delecta Bydgoszcz, the Polish league team of U.S. libero Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) finished the first half of the season in fourth place and will play Siatkarz Wieluń in the Cup of Poland on Dec. 23.
Vivo/Minas, the Brazilian league team of Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) defeated Santo Andre, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 27-25) on Dec. 19. Salmon started all four sets and scored seven points.


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Ishpeming-Negaunee dominate Superior Lanes
MARQUETTE – Ishpeming-Negaunee pulled off a dominant performance, but the home teams weren't quite as fortunate at a high school bowling meet held at Superior Lanes in Marquette on Jan. 19.
League-leading I-N stomped Escanaba B, 37-3, pulling off a victory of more than 400 pins in the regular part of the bowling that counts for three-quarters of the score.
The Redette girls came closest to winning out of Marquette's three teams, falling to Iron Mountain Gold, 26-14, despite sweeping the Baker-style portion at the beginning of the match.
The Marquette boys A team suffered a similar fate, losing to Escanaba A, 28-12, despite holding the advantage in Baker.
The Redmen's boys B squad faced a tough Iron Mountain squad and were nearly shut out, losing 38-2.
The Ishpeming boys rolled through the Baker round, 157-137 and 171-115, where teammates alternate frames to come up with a single-game score
In regular bowling, I-N won eight of nine points each game. Kirk Guckenberg led the way with a three-game series of 598, including a 233 opening game. Other three-game scores, including highest game, were Matt Kilberg, 581/206, Andrew Maki, 598/233, and Austin Wilkins, 514/193. Tyler Windahl had a two-game score of 340, including 190, while Lucas Solka bowled a game of 147.
The Redettes won two close Baker games, 115-110 and 118-117, to start 10-0. In regular games, Brianna Holm shot 406 with a 167 top game, Hannah Crampton, 405/158, Abigail Engman, 366/155, Aubrey Owens, 357/142, and Ashley McIntire, 291/116.
MSHS boys A split Baker, losing 206-150 and winning 215-150, to go up 6-4, but were unable to take team totals in any regular game.
Drew Scott bowled the only three-game series, 561 with a 197 best game. Two-game totals included Andrew Virch, 347/192, Justin Flood, 336/171, and Jesse Bianchi, 324/167. Brandon Young had 150 and Caleb Kaznowski 145 for one game.
Marquette boys B were swept in Baker, 210-107 and 176-127. For three games, Jake D'Ambrosia had 464 with a 186 best, Bailey Inch, 433/169, and Taylor Hedmark, 354/137. Two-game totals were Trevor Buchanan, 297/181, George LaBlonde IV, 265/144, and Garrett Flores, 214/115.


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Friday, February 8, 2013
Bombardier Opens Facility in Morocco
Bombardier opened a transitional manufacturing facility in Morocco, the company said Thursday.
The transitional facility at the Mohammed V International Airport in Nouaceur in the Greater Casablanca region is temporary until Bombardier completes the construction of its new permanent facility near the airport.
"With 18 new local employees fully engaged and trained in the Bombardier manufacturing process and philosophy, this is the first step towards a long future of quality component manufacturing at another world-class Bombardier facility," said Hugo Brouilliard, general manager of the Morocco facility.
Bombardier said workers at its Morocco location are currently producing simple structures including flight controls for the CRJSeries. The company expects to enter the CS100 CSeries into service in June. More
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Marshall's municipal liquor store ranks high in report
MARSHALL – A recent report from the Minnesota State Auditor's Office showed Marshall's municipal liquor store was doing well in 2011, ranking among the most profitable municipal liquor stores in the state. It's a positive sign, not just for the liquor store, but for the city, which benefits from the money the store makes.
Last week, State Auditor Rebecca Otto released a report analyzing municipal liquor store operations in 2011. The report found that municipal liquor stores statewide reported record sales, with a total of $317.2 million in sales spread out among 114 cities. Sales totals increased for the 16th straight year, the report said. Total net profits were also up for municipal liquor stores, and fewer stores reported net losses than in 2010.
The Marshall municipal liquor store reported net profits of more than $491,000 in 2011, and transferred more than $1.4 million into city funds, the auditor's report said. The Marshall store ranked ninth in the state for net profits as a percent of sales and 24th for gross sales. The store's net profits were 13.8 percent of sales, the auditor's report said. Coming in first in the ranking was the Paynesville municipal liquor store, with profits accounting for 22 percent of sales.
Scott VanMoer, manager of the Marshall municipal liquor store, said Monday that he had not yet had the chance to read the state auditor's report. However, he said he and the Marshall store staff work to keep the business as strong as they can.
Profits generated by municipal liquor stores can provide extra revenue for the cities operating them. In Marshall, funds generated by the liquor store have sometimes been used for city projects.
One of the most recent examples was a total $1 million contribution for the construction of the Marshall-Lyon County Library. VanMoer said the liquor store was set to make four annual transfers of $250,000 for the library.
Statewide, municipal liquor stores transferred a total of $20.1 million to their cities in 2011, the auditor's report said.
Not all area municipal liquor stores ended 2011 in the black. The auditor's report listed several area stores with net losses, including those in Hanley Falls, Ivanhoe, and Tracy. However, the report noted that municipal liquor stores with on-sale operations also tend to have higher operating expenses. On-sale operations also tended to have less of an increase in sales over the past five years.
There are challenges that face municipal liquor stores, especially ones in rural areas, VanMoer said. VanMoer said the Marshall store does have an advantage in Marshall's size, and in the fact that the city draws in people from the surrounding area to work or shop. But liquor store staff still need to build up a customer base and sales, while carefully managing inventory, pricing and costs.
"It's buying products at the right time," and in the right amounts, VanMoer said. That's not always easy to do. "There are more and more new products coming out every day," he said, and many customers are looking for a wider selection in the liquor stores they visit.
Even factors like the weather can have an effect on sales, he said. Fewer people will be out shopping during bad weather, compared to a weekend when it's warm enough to fire up the grill.
VanMoer said having good staff was an important asset for the Marshall liquor store.
"It all goes to having a knowledgeable staff. We try to help customers with any questions we can," he said. That can extend to helping customers with wine or beer suggestions. "It seems to go a long way."


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There are scientists with different personal views of the level of danger that global warming poses."development in the science, such as what's going on with Greenland's glaciers, I talk to people who are studying Greenland's glaciers, first of all. I don't call the Cato Institute. But I also don't call the World Wildlife Fund. If it's a science question, I talk to scientists. And there are some scientists working in the field with different personal views of the level of danger that global warming poses, even among those who don't disagree it's an actual phenomenon.
The idea of 9 billion people living that energy-intense a life doesn't seem tenable."billion of us are cooking on firewood and dung right now, and would very happily move to charcoal, coal, anything, so that they're not dying prematurely from indoor smoke in their houses and their huts in Africa or South Asia. And then you have us super-emitters here in America, from 300 million to 400 million of us in the next 30 to 40 years. And somehow or other the idea of 9 billion people living that energy-intense a life doesn't seem tenable.
Without evolving our sense of values, we could just lose things that don't have to be lost."ecosystems that have great migrations — there have been some books recently about the end of great animal migrations. Africa is still basically an unpopulated continent, despite the fact that it's going to see a doubled human population in the next 50 years. But you will see some of those great things go away. The great apes, the great fishes, the tunas, the sharks, are clearly in deep trouble. And it'll probably happen in a way that successive generations won't even notice. This is a concept of shifting baselines that many people have different terms for.
Yale e360 Interviews Elizabeth Kolbert: The Media and Climate Change
John Holdren: Obama Adviser Urges U.S. Climate Leadership
Freeman Dyson: Reluctant Global Warming Skeptic
Ken Caldeira: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Geoengineering
Stewart Brand: From Whole Earth to Nuclear Power
Thomas Friedman: Hope in a Hot, Flat Crowded World


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After the earthquake first shook Haiti, we reached out to Bellegarde-Smith again asking about the context he brings to the current tragedy and its future consequences. Share his insight here.
The word "Vodou" evokes images of sorcery and sticking pins into dolls. In fact, it's a living tradition wherever Haitians are found based on ancestral religions in Africa. We walk through this mysterious tradition — one with dramatic rituals of trances and dreaming and of belief in spirits, who speak through human beings, with both good and evil potential.
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is a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and author of many books about Vodou.
Pertinent Posts
SoundSeen (our multimedia stories)
[slideshow, 5:09]
Stephanie Keith met a Vodou priest at a Buddhist interfaith event. He invited her to photograph and experience the religious world of his Haitian culture. Ten ceremonies later, she offers her images and reflections on these late-night rituals.
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An ougan, or Vodou priest, is possessed by the spirit of Gede in a basement in Brooklyn, New York.
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1/12/10 Empath Haiti Sitting paying bills, fine-point pen in hand, feeling the fatigue of the workday, alone and afraid, I search for answers about making ends meet and increasing income...no money left, mind clouds and eyes blur. Why have You forsaken me? I fade in and out of the moment. Words murmured to myself become increasingly muffled as sounds blend into the cracking walls that surround and a stabbing pain shreds through my right arm, extended groping, pushing against a slab of cement that pins me to the ground... My skin has turned from a pale cream to a coffee bean brown. The words I utter are no longer familiar to me, but they flow like a bastardized staccato French. Ban mwen, souple'...My plump white flesh has withered to bare muscle and bone. My arm aches...it's crushed beneath a weight of cement. Nou bezwen....Screams and cries deafen me in this language. Kisa pi nou fe? Names are whispered somewhere in my mind, evaporating ami d the wails - Ketty, Brunel, Genevieve, Emmanuel, Mireille - their souls finespun, rising into the heavens. Sickness, despair, pain and pressure close me into shadows. Years of political usury cripple my strength. I breath in dust, cement and dirt. Toupatou... Heavy hands of dictatorial oppression squeeze my narrowing throat. My mouth will not open, the words fade into soft moans. I don't feel my body complete - it is in pieces, scattered, surging pain then numb, as if hacked by machetes. Kote nou ye? But my mind is racing, sifting in and out, several dimensions, all feel strange, but all familiar, as if I have dreamt these passages all before. Dust scrapes the inside of my nose. The gritty taste of mudcakes scratches the corners of my mouth. My lips swell parched, cracked and cut. My bones protrude like spikes from the depth of my soul. I smell hardened blood and death on me, around me. Only the Lord can reach me where I am. Only He knows where to find me. My mind darkens. I try to take a breath, inhale, rattling my throat, weak, fading.....then.. A burst of strength from who knows where forces me from the padded armchair in front of the computer and I drop the pen. I rise and walk around, shaking off this inexplicable moment of transfiguration, unsure of who I am, where I was, when and how it will again envelope me. by jjill ©28 janvier 2010
not too much as i taught high school in Togo in 1970-1971 and saw some of that first hand.
I find it strange that the professor does believe in heaven and hell but he believes that there are spirit beings. Why would an omnipotent God being need spirit beings to do His bidding?
This is the second time I have heard the Patrick Bellegard Smith interview. The second time was even better. I am in my 70s and presently in don't have any real feeling or belief in organized religion. I was raised Roman Catholic and subsequently became an Episcopalian. I have always felt I was more spiritual than a religious person. I have to say I connected with Mr. Smith in a way that is really hard to put a finger on but I feel more spiritual than ever and more comfortable in this state. Thanks for rerunning it.
I cried when I heard this broadcast. Something hit me when I heard the Vodou worship music in this program. I had worshiped in a congregation with Pentecosal practice, so I do believe there is an evil spirit manifesting in person's life. That has been a reason why I took Vodou as an evil cult. Since then, my understanding about effects of Western Empire on colonial culture and religion, as well as economy, grew. I think one needs to understand the history of slavery and racism to truly comprehend third world cultures and religions. I don't know about Vodou except my concept about cursing through witchcraft and sorcery. But Christian faith contains blessing and cursing too, if not with a doll. If one believes cursing is not of God, in the context of love of Jesus, one may know he/she needs to choose blessing. Perhaps there are similarities in Vodou also? This broadcast challenged me to see Haitian religion in their frame of mind. There are dangers in 'trance', when a person abandons his/her spirit to unknowns. But people do this even in investing in the stock market, with 'trance' of greed. Maybe we are not seeing the cult aspect of Wall Street more than Vodou?
I have listened to you for a long time, and must say that the time and events made this absoluty the right time subject to to time to address this subject.Your speaker was informative, clear and believable, and helped me immensely in sorting thru my man thoughts on events, discussion ainterraction with the Haitian Culture. I am finally ready to take the next step to an open discussion, Thank you. Please never stop doing what you do so we well. Educating us about the people of the world thru their Faith..
You have had a Haitian chap telling that Haiti was quite poor and yet there was a great spirit among the people. News flash: I was just in Cuba for 2 weeks - and while not as poor as Haiti - there is also a great spirit there - and also while Catholicism is widely spread - I would be very hesitant to base this wonderful spirit on religious bases.
Dear Krista-
I always enjoy your show when I can. I have just finished listening to your Living Vodou program, and I must thank you. It is heartening, indeed, very exciting, to finally see this bona fide spiritual path portrayed as such in the mainstream media. I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank You,
I so agree to have this forum
I so agree to have this forum is amazing. A lot of cultural traditions are lost within scientific policy. I appreciate your feedback.
It was wonderful to see Vodou shown and described as a valid spiritual belief - not just as a crazy, entertaining, evil concept.
Bellegarde-Smith described how he rejected his Catholic-Christian upbringing and embraced vodou as practiced in his native Haiti. God has created human beings with many skin tones, hair textures, and music styles. Many in the world think that Christianity is Western European, forgetting that Jesus Christ was born in Israel. Unfortunately some Christians have tried to impose their culture as they sought to win souls for Christ in various parts of the world.
Bellegard-Smith seems to have equated rejection of Christianity with embracing of his African roots in vodou. He has allowed 417 demons (he calls them deities) to take control of his life. He has rejected the idea of a Creator God as told in the Bible, as well as the concepts of sin, heaven and hell. His descriptions of the activities of his 'deities" sounds more like the stories from Greek mythology. He stated that African religions are monotheistic but declares that the vodou god is merely an 'it,' not a person as Christians believe. He stated that Haiti is 100 percent vodou. The heritage of poverty in Haiti is seen in terms of their spiritual poverty with the practice of vodou as well as in the material sense with the extreme lack of human comforts that most Haitians face.
I have a deep respect and some degree of insight into the Vodou system of beliefs. I, therefore, was not particularly challenged by this program, but I enjoyed it immensly. However, I found the idea that the spirits are deminished in some way because of their lack of physicallity, interesting. I can't help but reflect on the attributes that may manifest if not constrained by the physical. In the Bible, we are told, " In my Fathers house there are many mansions." Perhapes the "Kingdom of Names" is merely one: The others, no doubt, beyond our ability to conceptualize.
I was particularly gladdened to realize that my decendents can correct the errors that I might have made that impact the worlds in a negative sense.
Keep up the good work.
I was of the impression, Vodou had nothing in common with the Roman Catholic Church. Now I have learned and understood, that they are indeed very closely related, of one family and origin. The saints of one serve as spirits for the other and vice versa. I found that insight to be very valuable. Thank you.
I wouldn't say this program challenged but confirmed my assumptions about Vodou. I found it odd that you would say it was an odd new concept for Christians in reference to Vodou believers being ridden by spirits. This screamed to me classic demonic possession! I know you spoke of pentacostals being overtaken by the Holy Spirit and I do not discount this, but I do believe the darkside attempts to counterfeit God's workings. It reminds me of Revelation's "Lying signs and wonders,"
I understand as an interviewer, you would not want to insult your guests but I wish you would have shared that this appears extremely dangerous spiritually to Christians. To me practitioners of Vodou are clearly on the wrong path, so I am wondering if it would insult their spirts if they asked Jesus Christ to show them something?
This reminds of 1Peter 3:15 " But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"
I have a better understanding of what I considere a beautiful religion and way of life. I wish we had Voodoo communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I would love to visit with them. I wonder if they only speak French in their services.
I am also a "priest," though I have been ordained in the Episcopal Church. I know a little about Haiti, as it is the largest Diocese in The Episcopal Church. I know very little about vodou (mostly from seeing the movie, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" years ago). This interview was certainly an education for me. As a white, western-bred Christian, I needed to be reminded that although Haiti has been the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, economically, it is a very rich country spiritually and culturally. As other countries rush in to "save" Haiti, we need to listen carefully to those whom we consider to be "poor." As your guest pointed out, there is a resilient capacity for joy in the midst of suffering in Haiti. Jesus Christ also famously noted, "blessed are the poor." It seems to me that Haitians and vodou have something to teach all Christians and the rest of the Western Hemisphere about blessing and recognizing the presence of divine spirit in all things. Thank you very much for this broadcast.
In the name of Vodou, young girls are raped in religious ceremonies and human sacrifices still occur. The people are kept illiterate and poor and told they have to pay witch doctors large sums of money to be blessed. To not research and ask questions about these practices shows a complete lack of due diligence in reporting and I was, for the first time, very disappointed in this show.
Dear SoF,
Bravo for helping to explode the mythology of 'Hollywood voodoo' --- this particular program's greatest asset.
Moreover, based on personal experience, I wholeheartedly agree with Vodou's take on the balance between good and evil in human nature and attendant reward and punishment, as conveyed by your guest Patrick Bellegarde-Smith on behalf of his faith.
My greatest personal regret is to have been ringleader of a brazenly injurious gang of schoolyard bullies during my junior-high years, a fact which has left my life dogged by bad karma ever since.
My sole point of contention with Mr. Bellegrade-Smith's outlook lies in his suggestion that any given entity in the spirit world is wafting around in a state of frustrated yearning, pining for the dexterity of the human form.
A ludicrous notion, frankly too silly for words, with all due respect to the balance of Mr. Bellgrade-Smith's philosophy.
I'm trying to imagine Krista Tippett interviewing a spirit openly envious of our being bound (if not necessarily gagged) by the high-maintenance putrefaction of the corporeal plane.
Only a very foolish ghost would be caught, um, dead wishing for a personal taste of such a sorry state of being.
I'm sure even Pat Robertson would agree.
Krista, I was intrigued by your radio program with guest Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, as you discussed the core elements of Haiti's Vodou religion. Your interview style is very pleasant, and I appreciate how you are genuinely interested in the fascinating aspects of religion and culture. Your questions were non-offensive and thought-provoking, which proves that you've researched the subject matter and that you care to convey a deep reverence for people's beliefs. I also appreciate your desire to uncover misconceptions and present doctrinal facts. Your program served to both confirm and clarify my knowledge of Haiti's rich religious history. My ties to Haiti result from a two-year stint (1986-88) there as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). While there sharing the gospel, I learned life lessons, and grew to love and respect the Haitian people. Now, as our church joins with other humanitarian organizations to provide relief to the earthquake victims, I am humbled, and feel grateful for the broad national and international support to a small country of which I am so fond. Thank you again, T. Corry (Utah)
I listen to your program while waiting for my wife to come from here class at church and find some of your discussions to be fascinating and thought provoking. The African-American today (Feb. 14, 2010) was very interesting and enjoyable. I liked his attitude and manner. Last week there was the discussion of "Living Vodou" (is it sometimes spelled VooDoo?), much of the material was somewhat new in my understand of this practice. I am a Christian and today there were several in the congregation at our curch who have lived, worked and served with the Christian church in Haiti. Some are returning to Haiti this week and another group have been serving as medical people in the country. So we hear a lot about the earthquake and caregivers to Haitian people. Some of our ministry families (Americans) lost their lives in collapsing buildings. We have been giving thousands of dollars of relief money and our denomination (as have other Christian groups of various kinds) has been giving hundreds of thousands in funds to help these dear people who have been devastate by this event. My question is "How do those who practice Vodou respond to tragedies like this?" Also, "How do you respond to the activities of those who believe it is a God of love and compassion Who is loving through them as they love and serve in compassionate ministries?" Mr Bellegarde-Smith taught, if I am not incorrect, that in Vodou there is no concept of God who expresses love in this way? Christians believe there is a Personal Father-like God to whom we are accountable and honors those who serve others in love.
Sincerely, Dick Barker
I used to live with a Haitian family in Cambridge, MA. This story brought back wonderful memories of their spiritual ceremonies and celebration of life! Thank you :-)
I personally believe that
I personally believe that there is two forces. One that opreates in the dark and the other that operates in the light.
I'm from the Catholic faith,
I'm from the Catholic faith, and seeing certain photos such as these are rather strange to me. It almost has a similarity to seeing photos of an exorcism being performed. I do not believe in "vodou," and feel it is not of the Christian faith to do such things or acts. From the photo above, I see a ritual being performed that is very wild like.
When you think of the word
When you think of the word "Vodou" most people automatic think of Louisiana, because of all of the tricks and so call black magic. Most people only say that because of the movies that was produce in Louisiana and I'm being from there, you here this all the time. I don't believe in it myself but after reading this text people from Haiti believe in this Vodou stuff based on ancestral religion in Africa.
For many years I have try to
For many years I have try to understand the practice of VODOU Talking to friends who have practice it I do not dismiss things they said true.. Listening to the author tell this story and the picture she have made you feel like you there..
This is the first time I have
This is the first time I have heard Prof. Smith, and found him very interesting man. I am an Criminal Justice major and studying Religion 212, at Strayer University. Even though I am learning, and have a very open mind. The Drums are very interesting and I enjoy them very much.
I really enjoyed the POD Cast
I really enjoyed the POD Cast regarding the VODOO I found it very interesting and opened my mind and views of this belief.
I have heard about this
I have heard about this before, and do know that some people practiced this or pay obeisance to so form of spirits such as this, I mean listen to spirit telling them what and what has happened in the past, happening presently and what will happen in the future. This is more similar to what Cherubim and Seraphim and Celestial church do often. It is good I am learning more about religion.
I have always had a deep
I have always had a deep respect and curiosity about the magic of Vodou. It has been known and understood to be a religion of spirits. Originating in wit French slaves due to the suppression of African religions as they were forced to worship and believe in other forms of religions such as Christianity.
I have heard of Vodou before
I have heard of Vodou before and with any religion you have people who participate in different ways. Vodou like any religion can be peaceful or harmful. It is those around that are fearful of the unknown that make anything forbidden or spread mistruths.
woo-woo (ˈwuːˌwuː)
woo-woo (ˈwuːˌwuː)
1. based on or involving irrational superstition
I found it interesting. I did
I found it interesting. I did not know much about Vodou and this podcast has given me an insight to a new culture.
Albino Africans were
Albino Africans were dismissed lightly by both of you with a little chuckle. Are you aware of their plight? Thousands live in fear of attack, mutilation and/ or death by those who believe in the magical powers of their body parts. Pleae consider the voodoo basis of these misguided practices. Grass roots groups like ZeruZeru, Asante Mariamu, &Underthesamesun are trying desperately to protect these innocents and provide education, vision and dermatological aid. A more professional examination of a topic so lightly laughed off would be a welcome follow up. Eric Boos of Zeru Zeru would be a perfect counterpart to the discussion. He is a PhD , lawyer, educator at University of Wisc, as well as a lay Catholic missionary in Africa for 20 yrs, currently heading up a new compound in Tanzania for these gentle souls.
Hello, First, I so
Hello, First, I so appreciate and love On Being—thank you for this show!
This was one of my least favorite shows—granted that the interview was prior to recent disasters that have taken place in Haiti, however, I kept waiting to hear from Mr. Bellegarde-Smith how the voudou spiritual odyssey can help to alleviate/address the very real poverty, hunger, and deprivation of the majority of Haitians. Even his post-interview comment seemed rather evasive as he talked about how the many who perished in Haiti were now in a better, next phase…where is the compassion and help for people living in Haiti in the here and now?
He came from a privileged background/family, and, from what I know of Haiti (granted, I'm not a scholar), and I would be curious what his view is on how the elite families of Haiti might address sufferings of fellow Haitians with tangible actions—economic empowerment, food security, equality, etc. Perhaps Mr. Bellegarde-Smith does address this in his actions or teachings but in the interview it seems that he rather concentrated on how uptight "white" religion and spirituality is . (Yes, I do think many European manifestations of religion are greatly disconnected from the body, but churches that do not have dancing or high vocalization can still be legitimate, transformational spiritual institutions. And, yes, while many African American churches can be said to be "joyful communities," there are deep deep problems of crime, violence, poverty, etc. within these communities.)
I don't mean to sound harsh about Mr. Bellegarde-Smith, I guess I was just left wanting to better understand how the spiritual or spirit guidance of voudou impact people's lives and how one lives—I didn't quite get this from him.
Thanks, Debbie
Have you interviewed Eban
Have you interviewed Eban Alexander III?
No, we haven't, Luis. What
No, we haven't, Luis. What prompted your question from this interview?
This morning as I heard Patrick Bellegarde-Smith describe "Living Vodou" to Krista Tippett at www.onbeing.org, I finally connected my thoughts enough to recognize the nub of my logical problem with the idea of "doing justice," implicit in "struggles against injustice" all around us. In a justly ordered world, "You get what you deserve." The world of giving and receiving justice assumes consensus on what "you deserve." Patrick-Bellegarde helped me see the contrast between trying to establish this kind of social order, and trying to accept and respond to "what you get." What you get cannot be changed; you may on the other hand come to recognize many options you have what you as a matter of fact have gotten for your efforts or simply for being what you are said to be.
I accept the Darwinian proposition that the species traits that survive evolution are those that happen to be available to adapt to unforeseen, let alone unplanned, environmental contingency—from weather to war to impoverishment to accommodating diversity of species members' responses to external stimuli, including our attempts to control one another. I also recognize the capacity in every human being to defy doing what we want them to or demand that they do as long and however confined as s/he may be confined or physically and emotionally manipulated. That perversity, that indefatigable capacity to disobey orders, is in itself a source of diversification that strengthens individual and group resilience and resistance to being torn apart from inside and outside ourselves. In this vodou world view that I share, individuality in the face of pressures to believe and feel rightly instead of wrongly, is a cause for exploration if not celebration. And as in victim-offender mediation as I have enjoyed it, what people do as a result of having hurt and been hurt by one another lends a greater sense of control and security to all concerned once what now gets done is detached from the wrongness or rightness of what has happened, where past becomes prologue rather than something undeserved that requires fixing by giving and receiving just deserts. Synergy among species members driven apart by the entropy of distrust requires letting go of notions of what must be done, to focus instead on what each of us might offer next. Resilience implies acceptance that in the face of violence as in responding to all misfortune, trial and error promises more than trying to make wrongs right. In the vodou world view I share, justice is beside the point, a distraction from promoting human trust, honesty and resilience. Love and peace--hal
Hal Pepinsky, firstname.lastname@example.com, "peacemaking" at pepinsky.blogspot.com
January 13, 2014
This morning as I heard Patrick Bellegarde-Smith describe "Living Vodou" to Krista Tippett at www.onbeing.org, I finally connected my thoughts enough to recognize the nub of my logical problem with the idea of "doing justice," implicit in "struggles against injustice" all around us. In a justly ordered world, "You get what you deserve." The world of giving and receiving justice assumes consensus on what "you deserve." Patrick-Bellegarde helped me see the contrast between trying to establish this kind of social order, and trying to accept and respond to "what you get." What you get cannot be changed; you may on the other hand come to recognize many options you have what you as a matter of fact have gotten for your efforts or simply for being what you are said to be.
I accept the Darwinian proposition that the species traits that survive evolution are those that happen to be available to adapt to unforeseen, let alone unplanned, environmental contingency—from weather to war to impoverishment to accommodating diversity of species members' responses to external stimuli, including our attempts to control one another. I also recognize the capacity in every human being to defy doing what we want them to or demand that they do as long and however confined as s/he may be confined or physically and emotionally manipulated. That perversity, that indefatigable capacity to disobey orders, is in itself a source of diversification that strengthens individual and group resilience and resistance to being torn apart from inside and outside ourselves. In this vodou world view that I share, individuality in the face of pressures to believe and feel rightly instead of wrongly, is a cause for exploration if not celebration. And as in victim-offender mediation as I have enjoyed it, what people do as a result of having hurt and been hurt by one another lends a greater sense of control and security to all concerned once what now gets done is detached from the wrongness or rightness of what has happened, where past becomes prologue rather than something undeserved that requires fixing by giving and receiving just deserts. Synergy among species members driven apart by the entropy of distrust requires letting go of notions of what must be done, to focus instead on what each of us might offer next. Resilience implies acceptance that in the face of violence as in responding to all misfortune, trial and error promises more than trying to make wrongs right. In the vodou world view I share, justice is beside the point, a distraction from promoting human trust, honesty and resilience. Love and peace--hal
For me this was great timing
For me this was great timing as I'm reading the novel "The Roving Tree" partly set in Haiti. Today's discussion so helped me understand the culture of Haiti that is so much part of the book. Thank you - feels like it happened for a reason!
Thank you for the program, On
Thank you for the program, On Living Vodou. I found it most enlightening. Today is the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus and your program gave new meaning to the Gospel of the day in which the Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism by John.
I rarely miss "On Being" and am grateful to NPR for their quality programming which includes "On Being."
....Screams and cries deafen
....Screams and cries deafen me in this language. Kisa pi nou fe? Names are whispered somewhere in my mind, evaporating ami d the wails - Ketty, Brunel, Genevieve, Emmanuel, Mireille - their souls finespun, rising into the heavens. Sickness, despair, pain and pressure close me into shadows. Years of political usury cripple my strengthI cried when I heard this broadcast. Something hit me when I heard the Vodou worship music in this program. I had worshiped in a congregation with Pentecosal practice, so I do believe there is an evil spirit manifesting in person's life .
I have a strong faith in by
I have a strong faith in by belief, which happen to be Christianity. I been to New Orleans several times and I have seen what I believe were voodoo dolls. But what I can't say what the dark side of someone thoughts are hatred towards another person might produce. I stay away from people and places that speaks of such violent behavior. My faith does not teach this practice.
I so agree to have this forum
I so agree to have this forum is amazing. I couldn't stop wondering how I never new how interesting Vodou is.
Warleah Teamah
Warleah Teamah
Dr. Joel Peterson
Philosophy of Religion 1060
20 April 2014
On Being: Patrick Bellegarde-Smith — Living Vodou
As I look through the shows on; On Being with Krista Tippett, that I can talk about with the class I came upon a religion Voodoo; that I don't think get discussed enough to help us truly understand it to see the connection it has with other religions.
I really enjoy listening to Priest Patrick Bellegards-Smith talk about the real practices of Voodoo, and the reality of it; his teachings reminded me of other religions that are misunderstood because other people create negative images of them, and put them on the movie screen and sometimes from that point on it is what people will relate this religion too.
I was ignorant of what it meant to practice voodoo myself; even though I had never thought about really understanding what the voodoo religion is, I still thought I knew what it was from watching movies betraying Voodoo practices, but I was far from knowing the truth of the religion.
As an African I felt ashamed for thinking that Voodoo involved doles and pins to control other people, as I was now being enlighten by Bellegrade-Smith teaching. You are never too old and it is never too late to learn and be enlighten.
Bellegard-Smith interview began with his explanation of what Haittian Voodoo Spirits are called deities. Deities can be understood as what Christians called Angles, or archangels, he said that deities are neither good nor bad, and there is no such thing as "evil spirits", because all spirits are equally evil and good.
He goes on to say that evil does exist and as a human being you have to be able to control evil. I was not surprised to hear how in voodoo there are sprits, which can be looked as like Angles, that are in Christianity, but what was surprising is that in Christianity Angles are good or bad who have battle between good and evil, but I've never read ever that the Angles good and evil where equal.
He continue, that you don't choice to be a Voodooist the deities call you into the spirit world, which is called the 'landomi" being in a sleep stage but you are not sleeping' the calling comes with a strong feeling indicating you need to do something about what going on around you or in the world.
This process reminds me of how the leaders of Catholic, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and almost every other religion around always state that they was chosen by a higher being, they had a calling to spread the word of god so it seems like religion of any source there is always an invitations to be part of the holy world.
I wonder how can we have all these similarities and still be able to point at another religion and say yours is not real when we all know that the holy powers are more greater then we could every understand, and explain.
He explain that, when you are chosen by the deities you experience something the Aborigines in Australia called the dreamtimes, and at the same time that you're being chosen and going throw this process so are members of your families; this seems like the deities from my perception wants the family to come together to take care of whatever is threatening the family good or bad.
He then talks about the characteristic of the spirits. He says that the spirits appears to you in a forms of a person but they don't have bodies and they may come to you as someone you already know and trust, and that was how one of his spirits came to him, in the form of his grandmother. I think that so amazing and chilling at the same time to have a spirits come to you in a form you can relate too, which would help you take the invitation more easily and you would listen with more of an open mind to what you were told to do.
When a deity takes over your body he described it as you giving your car to a friend and praying that you get your car back the same way you give it away, because you are now no longer in control. As the deities is within your body you are going through a trance and won't remember what really had happen and those around you have to tell you what happened.
Now he take a step back a little and talks about the history of the Voodoo religion he says it goes way back to west Africa in the country of Dahomey, which we now called Benin and this is where most of the Haitian people originated from before they were enslaved and brought to Haiti; now don't this sound like a familiar story in the Bible about the Israelite being enslaved by pharaoh.
Benin is at the core of Haitian culture he says, but there were other African ethnic group that were brought to Haiti too. When the European colonized them in Haiti Catholicism was the official religion of the colonizers and the slaves and common people had to hide their sprits that was inside of them and the way they hide them was by using the Catholic saints and because of that to this day many Haitians combine Voodoo practices with Catholic devotion.
We should understand that deities are not God and when Haitians pray they don't address their prayers to God they address their prayers to a number of spirits in the spirit world that are called lwa; now doesn't this sound like how Christians pray through Jesus to reach God or Muslims pray through Mohamad to reach Allah.
At the ending of his interview he stress that the spirits in voodoo claims each individuals and they have a personality of their own with their own problems, and one will become predominant depending on your spirituality and your personality. There are many other spirits that will also interact with you and the sprits may struggle with each other and a priest will favor a certain spirits depending on the significant of that sprit to the priest.
He talk about one spirit who is really important to him her name is Ezili Danto and she present one of the black virgins in the Roman Catholic Church, who represent motherhood, motherly love. He also said that you can have as many as 400 spirits and you may not call upon all of them and as the years past one spirit that was significant before may not be, and will fall back and let another lead.
This was an enlighten interview into the Voodoo religion and understanding of their spirit world. I see so much similarities with other religions in the world that makes me believe that we are all truly connected and God reaches each and one of us in a way you feel that will help us understand him and our purpose.
I think we should take what each religion can teach us to be a good person and use that to help us salvage our world. One of the things he said that will forever stay with me is that, evil does exist and as a human being it's up to you to control that evil, which I think is so true no matter what your religious selection is. We all have seen evil in this world and its action are from our own human hands and we must take the responsibility and stop it, but we allow, greed, ignorance and hatred to blind us and this is where we get all the pains in this world.
Thank you, Warleah Teamah


text:
How to get I-20
What is an I-20 Form?
The I-20 is a government form through which Lehman College certifies to the U.S. government that you are eligible for F-1 student status. The I-20 form is issued when you have met all admission requirements, accepted to a full-time degree program, and shown that you have sufficient financial resources to study and live in the USA without working. Working illegally in the USA is considered a serious offense by Immigration.
Who needs an I-20 Form?
The I-20 form is needed to obtain an F-1 student visa in the home country. F-1 is a nonimmigrant status, which is given to persons whose temporary purpose for being in the USA is for full-time study. You must make an appointment with the nearest American Embassy/Consulate in your home country and apply for an F-1 student visa. The American Embassy/Consulate requires proof of financial support to cover at least one year of expenses. In addition, prospective students must provide documents showing sufficient evidence that equal amounts will be available for every year of your study in the United States.
Financial documents MUST be in English, less than six months old, and in U.S. dollars. Original documents are required and will not be returned. The American Embassy/Consulate will also require original financial documents when you apply for an F-1 student visa in your home country. Financial documents will play an important role in whether you are granted or denied a visa. If the U.S. Consul determines that the financial documents are insufficient, the visa will be denied. Sufficient evidence that equal amounts will be available for every year of your study in the United States must also be provided.
Financial documents that are acceptable are bank statements that state savings, proof of employment in the form of an annual salary on the companies' letterhead, also notarized (certified) letters from family members that will provide room and board in the USA.
Business accounts, checking accounts, and the value of property are not acceptable.
How to get an I-20
- Request an application packet from the Admission Office at www.lehman.edu
- After you are accepted, you will be mailed or you can download the Affidavit of Financial Support. Financial documents must prove that you have the financial ability to support your studies in the United States. Please read carefully the financial documents that are acceptable. The I-20 will not be issued until your financial documents meet our requirements.
- Complete the Application for Form I-20. A legible copy of the student's passport must be attached.
- Once your financial documents are received and meet the requirements, Lehman College will issue you an I-20.
- When you receive your Lehman College 1-20, take it to the American Embassy/Consulate in your home country to apply for an F-1 student visa. For more detailed information, see section How to apply for an F-1 visa.
- Be prepared to explain to the Embassy/Consulate why you want to study at Lehman.
Do not enter the USA on a Visitor or B type visa, if you plan to attend school.
If you are not certain of your plans to study in the United States, you can request the American Embassy for a B-2 visa with the words "Prospective Student" stated on it. Be sure to take documents with you that prove you have enough financial support for your studies in the U.S.A.
Be aware that you will not be able to get a student visa in the U.S. All visas are issued outside the U.S. by an American Embassy or Consulate.
Under no circumstance should you enter the U.S. without a visa.
Last modified: Mar 27, 2012


text:
by Anton Shilov
The demand towards graphics cards in the channel is stabilizing, which should result in unit sales increase in the third quarter of 2010, an analyst said in a note to clients. The improving market climate has already played in favour of Nvidia Corp., one of two suppliers of discrete graphics processing units (GPUs).
The demand for graphics cards in the channel market in Europe and China has stabilized and is now more predictable than back in mid-summer, according to analyst Michael McConnell with Pacific Crest Securities. Tier-one graphics card makers now expect Q3 2010 unit sales to be up 10% sequentially from Q2 2010, reports Barron's web-site.
As a result of stabilized demand and Nvidia's conservative chip order practices since the end of July, checks find that channel inventory for Nvidia products has dropped to three to four weeks, a decrease from ten to twelve weeks last quarter. Low inventory levels allows the company to more dynamically react onto changing market conditions. Consequently, the analyst believes that Nvidia will perform in-line with its guidance for 3% to 5% sequential increase of revenue.
Earlier this year as a result of weaker than expected demand for PCs in Europe and China, high DRAM prices and other factors a number of companies reported lower than expected revenues. Intel Corp. has even reportedly massively slashed prices on select chips in order to boost its Q3 sales.
Neither of the aforementioned companies commented on the news-stories.


text:
Main Office – Hartford
Slinger Branch
The First National Bank Of Hartford
First National Bank of Hartford was chartered as a National Bank in 1907 and has operated continuously in Washington County since its inception. Our first office was on Main Street in Hartford. In 1970 we moved to our present location at 116 W. Sumner Street. The bank has continually adapted its physical facilities to reflect the direction of the banking industry and the needs of our customers. In 1972 we received authority from our regulator to offer full trust services, in 1989 we began offering non-bank investment services through FNB Hartford Investment Services, in 1992 we expanded our presence in Washington County by opening our first full service branch office in Slinger, and in 2000 we established a property, casualty, life and health insurance agency, FNB Hartford Insurance Services. Our goal is to offer our customers opportunities for financial success and protection of their assets. Our bank is owned by 345 shareholders, the majority of whom live and work in the Hartford and Slinger area. Our employees are also owners of the company and they have a vested interest in helping our customers achieve success. We have only one purpose and that is that we exist for the benefit of serving our customers and our community. We believe in ourselves and the value that we offer our customers. Our customers deserve the best in financial services and we work hard at being the best! Timothy G. Purman President First National Bank of Hartford