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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Baroness Andrews): My Lords, it is always difficult when the Opposition spokeswoman sympathises with the Minister about the problems that she will have winding up. She is right.
The debate could hardly have been more timely. On behalf of everyone, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Phillips of Sudbury, for a debate that has been incredibly thoughtful, speculative and expert. We are used to it in this House, but we continue to raise our standards. It has been an outstanding debate. We have ranged from Montesquieu to Keynes and from storm warnings to the Audit Commission.
The maiden speakers, who made such an excellent contribution, could not have chosen a better debate in which to speak. It has enabled them to confirm, I hope, what the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope, said about the reputation of the House, once he had made his presence felt, as it were. It has also enabled the three maiden speakers to use their wide and differing experiences in the other place and elsewhere to our great benefit.
I was delighted by each maiden speech. I am pleased that my noble friend has joined the great company of abolitionists. He will find that there are lots of them in the House; we have all had the same Damascene conversion. As the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, said, he was able to bring such colour and vitality to the debate. I did not know that he played the tuba.
I also did not know that the noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope, had been a pharmacist. That is one of the things that I never got to the bottom of, when I knew him in another life. All I can say about his excursion into community destruction in Jericho in the context of this debate is that we would welcome any advice that he has about that. If he wants a session on the Companion, there are many people in the House who will be happy to help him.
I do not think that we have been too unwelcoming to three new Whips. I am particularly pleased that we have two extra Celts. The Celtic fringe is beautifully strengthened by the addition of a Cornishman. We benefited enormously from his elegant account of his ancestry, something that always goes down well in this House.
To come back to the nature of the debate, community is an incredibly fertile area for debate in this House, which, of course, has ranged from the global to the very local. I want to talk a lot about the local aspect. No one could have spoken with more conviction than the noble Lord, Lord Phillips, or could have introduced this debate in quite that way. He has had a habit of speaking, as we Quakers say, "truth to power" for many years, which he did again today by raising philosophical, practical and political
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questions, of which there are many rich seams. I do not want to interfere in the private grief between the noble Baronesses, Lady Falkner and Lady Hanham.
There is a consensus in the Chamber, not least shared by the Government, that our instincts on what we are trying to do are right. The Government are engaging with precisely the same challenges, which we are doing in particularly innovative ways. ODPM, which I have the honour to serve, is very much at the forefront of the championing of local democracy and localism. I see improved governance through local autonomy and greater community involvement as inseparable, urgent and indispensable to revitalising democracy.
We have a very ambitious agenda at ODPM to create sustainable communities, which are, basically, places where people are proud to live and feel safe in their homes. We want to ensure that no one is disadvantaged by the neighbourhood in which they live. Huge differences can be seen in our neighbourhood renewal programme. The agenda is about engaging people in the life of those places.
The language today has been about ownership and trust, which are shared concepts, within the framework of local government, which we want to be as effective as possible. There has also been something of the spirit of a confessional about it. With the exception of my noble friend Lord Desai who is always provocative, not least towards the Government, we have shared our reservations about centralism. We have not gone so far as to compete on who is the greatest centralising government, but we have all been guilty in the past of assuming that Whitehall knows best and lost sight of what really matters.
The Government can take credit for the fact that in recent years we have moved away from telling people what to expect, how to expect it, what it looks like and what they can do with it. We have moved far more closely to trying to find out what people want, how they want to be engaged and how we can make that happen.
Our manifesto stated that services would be free and personal to all, putting more power in the hands of the patient, the parent, the citizen. This week, the Government published another type of manifesto, entitled, Together We Can. It was produced by the Home Office, bringing together many government departments, and sets out explicitly how we want to see government and people working together in a new relationship to ensure that people have a greater say. I commend it to the House because it brings together examples of how we are trying to involve local people and young people in regeneration strategies and evaluating how areas are changing and improving. That is just a taste of what is happening. I know that it speaks to the passion with which this debate has been addressed in this House. I look forward to noble Lords reading it, much as I look forward to reading all the research reports that were quoted across the House about the involvement of local communities, not least Burnley and Harrogate, about which the noble Lord, Lord Shutt, spoke very eloquently.
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Those are the sorts of projects that we are thinking about in Together We Can. In the areas where we are building new communitiesfor example, the great project that is the Thames Gatewayor where we are regenerating older communitiesfor example, in the north and west where the challenges of rebuilding a community are so differentwe are determined to give local institutions and local people greater access to the levers that pull and push change. Managing change is what we have been talking about today. It involves building services around the needs of local people, whether they are students, patients, families or communities. It means finding new ways of funding and delivering services so that they reach the people for whom they are intended.
We have talked about partnerships. It means building partnerships around people, not service providers. We have talked about leadership that should be as rich and resilient as possible. Primarily, however, it is about fostering local involvement, local ownership and active citizenship. All this amounts to significantly more than a different way of doing things. We are looking to secure a new balance between central and local government, what is potentially a new role for regions and cities and, crucially, a new relationship between government and the people we serve.
We take as our starting point four principles which, when taken together, address some of the concerns that were raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe, and by my noble friend Lord Desai from the other and opposite point of view. In 2002 the Prime Minister set out a statement of what we want to see in terms of public service reform. The balance we seek to achieve is this: it is one between central government responsible for setting national standardsyes, because they are important; delivered by front-line professionals empowered to meet those standards; public service organisations enabled to respond to the different needs of communities; and cutting red tape. In achieving that balance we can address some of the fears which have been expressed about too many targets and too much centralism.
The result is expanded choice. We have seen choice grow in applying those principles, perhaps most radically to public services such as education and health. As the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe, will know, not only have we given schools greater freedom and greater security of funding, we have also created new opportunities for partnership across the community. I look with great pleasure at the opportunities offered, for example, by extended schools. We are offering schools a new relationship by cutting red tape and offering them more power to determine and evaluate their own improvement plans. Indeed, our debates on the Education Bill during the previous Session drove some of those important and progressive developments.
Likewise in the health service, I am incredibly grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Chan, for setting out so powerfully what the Government are trying to achieve. He proved that in local areas we are reaching the place where we want to be. We have taken health spending to the lowest local levels by devolving it to primary care trusts. We have sought to involve
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patients in a variety of new ways, whether through expert patient groups, NHS Direct or walk-in clinics. No longer is there that formidable and patronising relationship between doctor and patient which made it difficult for patients even to approach doctors. We can do more, but we understand what we have to do. Moreover, we are of course strengthening and expanding our partnership with the voluntary sector. And, as I have said, whether in new places like the Thames Gateway or in older communities, we are looking for new ways forward.
Our approach at the ODPM is based on the belief that devolution to the front-line is critical. We cannot achieve what we want in terms of improvements and the reduction of inequalities unless we devolve to those who deliver by freeing up bureaucracy, building trust and, as the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, pointed out, bring innovation into the process. So we are the champions of local government and local partnerships.
But all we do has to be contained and amplified within a framework of strong and effective local government. That unique role, as noble Lords know so well in this House, involves leading communities and ensuring that local voices are heard, setting a compelling vision and strategywhich means balancing intereststaking decisions in the interests of the community as a whole, and joining up delivery.
Over the past few years we have led the debate on the future of local government. Since joining the department I have been deeply impressed by exactly what we are trying to achieve and how we have been trying to communicate those aims. We want to develop a shared vision of the future role of local government, and that means working at the right level. My noble friend Lord Giddens opened a rich seam when he spoke of globalisation and the role of the regions. Looking for the right level of involvement in a country as rich and diverse as this means taking on board what my noble friend had to say. We have seen the beginnings of an interesting and productive debate on where we see the regions going, and we know that at least two views on this are held around this House.
Our view is this: we still see profound inequalities between regions and localities. For communities that means shorter lives, fewer jobs, worse housing, poorer education and bleaker prospects. We have a responsibility to address those issues, which means thinking and planning strategically around wider areas as well as around our cities. Certainly, I think we have somewhere to go with our cities. So that is why we are committed to strong regional agencies and why we want to see enhanced the frameworks for housing, economic development, skills and transport.
The noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, referred to a commitment to innovation. As those of us who have been in the science policy community on and off know, it is extremely interesting how much we can learn from European regionalisation. I am very pleased to say that we are beginning to learn because, as the noble Baroness will know, we have committed ourselves to putting a new regional focus on innovation. Every region now has a science and industry council; we are
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looking to the RDAs to encourage a joining-up between HEIs and industry; and we have a greater connection between our universities. It is a hugely exciting agenda. If we can get that innovation agenda working at that level, we can transfer it also down into local regions.
The noble Lord, Lord Shutt, referred to strong local leadership. He is absolutely right. I do not accept that localism necessarily means inevitable inequalitiesthat is the whole point about government holding the ringbecause many projects, such as the new children's trusts, will depend on strong and confident partnerships. That is why we have taken steps to strengthen the capacity of local government to develop such partnerships.
I know noble Lords opposite may think that we have not gone far enough in freeing up fundingand, again, the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, raised some interesting questions in this areabut in the Local Government Acts of 2000 and 2003 we offered an extended package of financial freedoms, we reduced ring fencing, we repealed controls on borrowing and we have reduced inspection.
We have speeded up the pace of reform by giving local authorities greater discretion over what they do by introducing three-year financial settlements from 200607. I am very pleased that we have created an opportunity for the noble Lord, Lord Newby, to speak about local income tax and local finance. We are fascinated by the debate going on within the Liberal Democrat Party. The noble Lord is right to say that we are having our own debate, and we look forward to what Sir Michael Lyons says in his report. So there is a very interesting agenda in that area.
I do not think that I should undertake to speak for the Audit Commission but I am sure that James Strachan will read the debate with pleasure. It is a bit unfair to say that the changes to the CPA came out of left field because they were signalled and there was extensive discussion and consultation with local government. I am sure that that point will be taken.
The key point about local government as it is developing lies in its ability and its demonstration of innovation. We have seen this in the local strategic partnershipswhich have achieved a tremendous amount at local level, particularly in neighbourhood renewal areasand in the local area agreements. The challenge of using many different funding streams to deliver important local services, such as children's play or healthy living centres, is one that local government have now faced up to.
Local area agreements are a huge success. They have succeeded in reducing the number of targets in some areas from several hundred to just 60. We are looking at a new way of doing things by bringing statutory and voluntary partners together in a very profound way. We want to see more. Indeed, so enthusiastic are we that we have recently announced that every council and its partners will have the opportunity to develop a local area agreement over the next few years. But, as always, there is more to do.
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I wish I could take more time to speak about the fragility of local democracy itself by picking up on something that the noble Lord, Lord Shutt, said. It is not acceptable that 71 per cent of our councillors are male and that their average age is 57. It is a challenge that we face across all parties. We need to make the role of the local councillor more attractive and we should perhaps look at issues such as remuneration. That is a debate to which we shall return at another time.
I want to talk about neighbourhoods and local communities. That is where the debate has centred and it is where the debate can be most productive. Devolution halts, but it does not stop, at the town hall. The sense of place, for most of us, is very straightforward. It is very local indeed: it is our street; it is our local park. That is where action takes effect; as the noble Lord, Lord Shutt, said, "I live here; this is my place".
So how do we engage people in that sense of place? How do we engage them in the things that matter to them? This year, ODPM has published a paper called Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why Neighbourhoods Matter. We need people to sign up to that, just as we need them to sign up to the principle. We need to understand why some communities are sterile, unhappy and unsafe, while others, which are similar in history and geography, are more successful. The right reverend Prelate would be particularly interested in that on the basis of his experience.
We need to listen more intelligently. The noble Lord, Lord Chan, provided us with an excellent example of listening in the health service. We need to commit to helping neighbourhoods to become the kind of communities that they want to become. Self-help emerges from within. We believe that the new opportunity lies with the locality and with the neighbourhood. Neighbourhood management, neighbourhood wardens, the new deal for communities alongside initiatives such as Sure Start and extended school hours are helping people to feel that they belong. Whatever one reads, whether it is a research report or a report about the arts in communities, people say, "I want to belong; I feel I belong; this is where I feel my identity lies".
That works on the wider political platform. The ultimate goal is engaging people and getting them to commit to local and national democracy. Where there has been greater engagement through resident elections and partnership boards, we have also seen an increase in the turn-out in local elections.
We need to be confident about involving the community. We need to be realistic. Partnership comes with trust. Within the notion of community there are different communities which may be based on faith, on ethnicity and on interest. My noble friend Lord Griffiths gave us some very good examples of ecumenical activity across his patch, as did my noble friend Lord Hunt, when he mentioned that we are much more practised now in the theory and practice of community development. We know about community development. We have the animateurs on the ground, but we need to understand that it means different things. It means enabling people
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to take decisions, to develop activities, to sustain projects and to know and care for each other and that means delivering services and enabling statutory and voluntary services to work together.
We believe that is critical and that is why we place community involvement at the heart of civic renewal. It is critical because it gives us better value for money, a far greater chance of stickability and sustainability in the community, and more inclusive, active democracy, greater social cohesion and opportunities for individuals to build up skills. As the noble Baroness, Lady Seccombe, said, this is all about individuals. At the end of the day, we are considering how to build that commitment.
Volunteering is a touchstone of an active democracy and it has grown. The Home Office survey shows that the number of volunteers has increased by more than 1.5 million. Paradoxically, at the same time, the number of people who thought that they could influence local affairs fell from 43 per cent to 38 per cent. That is a crucial challenge for us. It is not enough to have the tenant management organisations and the Neighbourhood Watch committee. Being involved is more difficult. We have to understand. I am loath to quote Oscar Wilde but he said that socialism takes too many evenings. Those of us who regularly try to attend our GC, agree with him, but that is what it is about. It is about making people want to do those things.
There is a long way to go before we win the war. Self-evidently, the greatest challenge lies in our poorer neighbourhoods, where people participate less, but where the need to participate is more. They are less likely to be involved, less likely to vote, less likely to use services, less likely to trust the council and less likely to care for the community. We have to engage the people there.
We put in the ODPM document, Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why Neighbourhoods Matter, the concept of a national neighbourhood framework, which will recognise and empower individuals and groups to take neighbourhood action, building on what we already know works. We are looking, for example, at triggers for action; mechanisms that would work, such as a petition that people could use to influence or prompt a service provider, letting the neighbourhood manage community assets and devolving money from the council to ward councillors.
This is not easy to achieveit is extremely difficultbut we have heard some good news today. First, the sense of community is strong and thriving in many instances, as noble Lords have testified, not least in faith groups. That was described as the Milky Way of diversity. Secondly, we have the evidence that things are working. We are not short of documentation or proof. Let us use that intelligently. Thirdly, we are determined to succeed and that determination is particularly well set out Together We Can.
I am sorry that I have to stop because there is a lot more that I would like to say. It is a measure of how powerful this debate has been that we take away more questions than solutions. The debate has raised a lot of cross-party commitment and instinct which I am always happy to see. We have all agreed that with
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opportunity and participation come responsibility and respect. We are deeply serious that this matter is crucial to our democratic vision. I commend the noble Lord for giving us the opportunity to have such a terrific debate. I congratulate the maiden speakers and everyone else who spoke in the debate.
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Head coach Paul MacLean hoped he might "find something under the tree."
He was joking about Wednesday, Christmas Day, of course, but hoping an early gift Monday might give him some small hope for the New Year in a hockey season that has, so far, been largely played with lumps of coal by his Ottawa Senators.
The Pittsburgh Penguins delivered early, handing MacLean and his Senators a 5-0 victory in the final match for Ottawa before the NHL's Christmas Break.
On a day filled with Ontario travel advisories, MacLean finally found some of that treasured "traction" he's been seeking. His team didn't get scored on first. His team didn't squander a lead. His team didn't, for the first time in several weeks, offer up a dog of a period that, more often than not, has cost them any chance of rising through the standings to a playoff hope.
It seemed, on paper, rather implausible that something good could come of this match at Canadian Tire Centre. The Penguins came in leading the eastern conference with a 27-10-1 record, while the Senators were an uninspiring 14-17-7.
The Penguins, however, were playing their seventh game in 11 days and were badly beat up, missing 10 players, several of them – Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Paul Martin, Rob Scuderi, Tanner Glass – important cogs in the Penguins machine.
Even so, Pittsburgh had still won seven games in a row and their captain, Sidney Crosby, was on a personal 10-game points streak, running away with the NHL scoring race with 54 points.
"Against some good teams we play well," MacLean had said during the morning skate.
It certainly turned out to be the case this night, as the Senators surprised the powerful Penguins and gave them a whipping that seemed out of sorts for both sides.
The start of the game, however, held more fright than delight for the sellout crowd of 19,838.
Barely three minutes into the opening period, Crosby came flying up the ice and tried to split the Ottawa Senators defence, only to have Ottawa's big Marc Methot catch him with a perfect hip check. Crosby flew into the air, his skate narrowly missing linemate Pascal Dupis' face before slamming into his leg. Dupis went down in the heap, had to be helped off the ice, and did not return.
Another three minutes in and rookie Ottawa defenceman Cody Ceci fired a shot hard into the Pittsburgh end – and dead straight at referee Dean Morton. Morton managed to twist but took the full shot in his back and lay on the ice for several moments before being taken off to the Senators dressing room for examination. Morton did return to the game.
It hardly looked like a night for miracles.
In the ensuing faceoff, Ottawa's Colin Greening got the puck back to Ceci, who this time fired a long hard shot at the goal, instead of an official. Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made the pad save but Ottawa centre Zack Smith lifted the puck past Fleury for a 1-0 Ottawa lead and Smith's seventh goal of the season.
In the second period, it seemed Pittsburgh would soon tie the match. But forward Chris Connor missed an empty Ottawa net when he hoisted the puck over the crossbar. Brandon Sutter, on a shorthanded breakaway, fired a hard shot straight into the glove of Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson.
The Senators moved ahead 2-0 when Bobby Ryan perfectly tipped a Chris Phillips point shot between the pads of Fleury. For Ryan, it was his team-leading 17th goal of the season.
Erik Karlsson made it 3-0 early in the third period when, on a spectacular effort, he flew up the ice with the puck, turned Pittsburgh defenceman Olli Maatta inside out, and ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Fleury.
"It kind of killed the game a bit," said Karlsson of the dramatic goal.
It was Karlsson's 10th goal of the season and 36th point, making him both the Senators' leading scorer and top point-getter among all NHL defencemen.
Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma had said earlier in the day that his team would have to work hard to make sure "65" – Karlsson's number – wasn't allowed to run up and down the ice at will. It was a good plan, but badly executed.
Karlsson took his total to 37 points on a spectacular set-up late in the third that allowed Kyle Turris to score his ninth of the year.
Moments later it was 5-0 when little Ottawa forward Cory Conacher ended a long drought by getting his third of the year when he was allowed to pound several times at a Jason Spezza rebound.
For Fleury, hoping to impress Team Canada officials with his stellar goaltending so far this year, it was not a good night to be thinking Sochi and the 2014 Winter Games.
It was, however, a very good night for the Ottawa Senators, even if they were playing a tired Penguins team largely staffed by AHL players. It was also a welcome for Ottawa's much-criticized captain.
"I didn't expect us to be three games under .500," Spezza had said in the morning. "I expected us to be fighting for a playoff spot.
"It's frustrating. At times we've shown life and at times it seems like we're coming out of it."
If they are indeed coming out of it, the test will come early – back-to-back games against the powerful Boston Bruins once they get Christmas out of the way.
But, for the time being, there is a little Christmas cheer in Ottawa.
"We played well from the first drop of the puck," said Karlsson.
"It's a good feeling for the break," added Spezza.
"And then come back strong."
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Hal Leonard R&B Bass Guitar Play-Along Series Book with CD
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Schiermonnikoog National Park
668 Views
Schiermonnikoog National Park
Schiermonnikoog is one of the five Wadden Islands. Due to the influence of the tides and its location between the Wadden Sea and the North Sea, the island has a climate that is different from that of the mainland. The island is characterized by diverse landscapes including beaches, dunes, forests, tidal marshes, polders, lakes and tidal flats. Furthermore, many different types of animals and plants reside there partly due to the island's special climate.
Schiermonnikoog is one of the five Wadden Islands. Due to the influence of the tides and its location between the Wadden Sea and the North Sea, the island has a climate that is different from that of the mainland. The island is characterized by diverse landscapes including beaches, dunes, forests, tidal marshes, polders, lakes and tidal flats. Furthermore, many different types of animals and plants reside there partly due to the island's special climate.
Flora and fauna of Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is known for its unique bird life. On the Westerplas, you can find various birds including the bluethroat, cormorant, common snipe, osprey, Eurasian spoonbill, little egret, hen harrier and the Western marsh harrier the whole year through. You should also visit the duck decoy of Schiermonnikoog. Previously ducks were captured here, but today it is a cultural monument.
The rich flora are another reason why Schiermonnikoog has been designated as a National Park. Grasses, algae, herbs, mosses, flowers, plants, trees and mushrooms are growing on the island. Guides will gladly lead you to all the wonderful things Schiermonnikoog has to offer. If you get the chance, be sure to hike the tidal flats. A walk on the seabed will be a special and lasting memory.
Boat trip to Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is one of the most beautiful places of the Netherlands. On an annual basis, the island attracts thousands of nature lovers who enjoy the tranquility and luxury of the island. Cross the mainland to Schiermonnikoog National Park. A boat will take you to this small paradise in 45 minutes.
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Planning a round of golf in Friesland? Then visit the Leeuwarder Golfclub De Groene Ster. This challenging golf course will put your golf skills to the test.Read more
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A heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting tale of two towns: Melbourne, Australia, and Villers-Bretonneux, France, during the First World War. Henri lives in the French village of Villers-Bretonneux. Billy lives in Melbourne. These two little boys, who live thousands of miles apart from each other, share one story that unites Villers-Bretonneux and Melbourne in history. Do not forget Australia marks an outstanding collaboration between an award-winning author and an acclaimed illustrator.
Hard cover, fully illustrated, 40 pages.


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Week in Review
Tibi treats fainting Palestinian prisoner in court (JERUSALEM POST) By JOANNA PARASZCZUK 05/04/12)
Source: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=268592
JERUSALEM POST Articles-Index-Top
Dramatic scenes unfolded in the High Court of Justice on Thursday, after a hunger-striking Palestinian security prisoner fainted during a petition hearing.
Bilal Diab, who alongside prisoner Thaer Halahleh has been on a hunger strike for 66 days, lost consciousness as Supreme Court Justices Elyakim Rubinstein, Yoram Danziger and Noam Sohlberg heard a petition against the prisoners administrative detention.
When Rubinstein asked the court whether there was a doctor present, it was MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List- Taal) who got up to aid Diab.
Rubinstein asked Tibi, a trained physician, to examine Diab, but a guard from the Prisons Services Nahshon Unit refused to let him through, even after a court security guard told him that he must comply with Rubinsteins decision.
Tibi informed the justice of the issue, and Rubinstein immediately issued a written order.
Eventually, the MK was allowed to examine Bilal, and found that the prisoner was in poor condition, with a body temperature of 35 degrees Celsius and a heart rate of 48 beats per minute.
Tibi asked the Prisons Service to evacuate Bilal to a hospital immediately, adding that the security prisoner could barely feel his feet.
Diab was moved to the gastroenterology department of the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin, where his lawyer told reporters he was in stable condition.
Following the incident, the court issued a ruling stating what had happened, including that Tibi treated Diab.
The court is expected to make a decision on the petition at a later date.
Following the incident, Tibi slammed the Prisons Service guards conduct as scandalous and in contempt of court, and said that someone should be held accountable.
Prisons Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday afternoon that there were around 1,500 to 1,600 Palestinian inmates on hunger strike.
However, that number was constantly fluctuating, Weizman said, adding that there had been no new wave of hunger strikers in the past few days.
Later on Thursday, around 200 protesters from human rights and left- wing organizations demonstrated outside the Ramle Prison, where around 40 Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strike.
Among the demonstrators were MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) and members of the Coalition of Women for Peace (CWP).
CWP coordinator Mahasen Rabus said that the organization was there to support the demands of the prisoners.
Palestinian Arabic language news site al-Quds quoted Tibi on Thursday as saying that Diab was really facing death, and reached the point of requiring transfer to a specialized hospital for comprehensive medical care.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry on Thursday urged the Palestinians and Israelis to find a solution to the ongoing prisoner hunger strike.
Serry said he was deeply troubled by reports that at least two striking prisoners, held in administrative detentions, were in critical conditions.
He asked Israel to abide by its legal obligations under international law and to do everything in its power to preserve the health of the prisoners.
Egypt-based news outlet Moheet reported that Bilals lawyer, Jawad Boulus, said the court had provided clear instructions to the Prisons Service to ensure the prisoners who appeared in court received the necessary medical treatment and care.
Ben Hartman and Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report. (© 1995- 2011, The Jerusalem Post 05/04/12)
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Scottdale resident revels in role as a Bluecoat horn player
Aaron Dugger is living the dream, performing with The Bluecoats on football fields across the nation.
"I'm so blessed to do what I love and have dreamt about for years, every day," said the Scottdale resident.
The Bluecoats is a world class drum and bugle corps based in Canton, Ohio.
Bluecoats Director David Glasgow said Dugger was one of 150 young musicians from all over the world to be chosen to perform with the drum and bugle corps in both 2013 and 2014.
"Aaron is not only an outstanding musician and performer, but also an outstanding guy," said Glasgow.
He added more than 700 musicians audition each season for the opportunity to participate in the non-profit organization each year.
"Being a performer on the field and having the opportunity to tap in to so many of my own emotions, as well as trigger emotions for the audience is the most rewarding experience," said Dugger.
Dugger said music was always a huge part of his family. He began playing the tuba in fifth grade at Southmoreland Elementary School. He also plays the trombone. He said he knew early on that music was the right choice for him, and always had a passion for it.
Being a part of a drum and bugle corps has been a dream of his since attending high school at Southmoreland, when the band would watch videos. He added he always tried to emulate the performers in the videos, even at the high school level.
"I often think to myself, 'If my freshman year of high school self could see me now,'" Dugger said.
Jamie Gore, Southmoreland band director, said it was obvious from the beginning that Dugger was one of those extraordinary students that would go on to do amazing things.
He was involved in every music program and ensemble available to him, she added. Gore remembers when he performed nationally at Carnegie Music Hall in New York City under the direction of H. Robert Reynolds, one of the top wind band conductors in the world.
"He was a role model to his peers academically, socially and musically and a leader in every sense of the word," Gore said. "It is no wonder he is performing with one of the greatest drum corps in the world. I have no doubt he will go on to continue inspiring individuals and changing lives through music."
Dugger manages to juggle his curriculum and band activities at Penn State University, along with the grueling practice and performing schedule with The Bluecoats. He is able to use the same techniques in college on the field with the Bluecoats.
He said, "we are all musicians first and are always striving to play at the highest level."
He is required to audition each season for a spot in the drum and bugle corps. He receives an audition book and routine packet in the fall. He said the first of several audition camps is held in November and based on visual and music auditions, a potential Bluecoat may be offered a call back to attend the January camp.
He travels more than 10,000 miles each summer with the organization, performing approximately 34 shows spanning a little more than seven weeks. The corps begins training and rehearsing 12 hours a day, seven days a week. After that they leave for tour, which consists of daily rehearsal, as well as performances. Each high-energy performance lasts about 12 minutes.
Dugger must learn new music and a new routine each season. The Bluecoats performance was titled "...to look for America." This year the corps performed "Tilt" with a local performance June 25 at Gateway High School in Monroeville, where they earned second place in the Drum Corps International competition.
Dugger plans to audition one last time for the Bluecoats, as DCI limits performers to the age of 21. He is a music major at Penn State University and aspires to be a high school band director in the future.
"Being a member of the Bluecoats is something I will always cherish and I am honored to march with them every day. It is a true honor to be a member," said Dugger.
Kelly Vernon is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-747-5722 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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That's exactly what TV viewers saw Sunday as third-round leader Retief Goosen imploded with an 11-over-par 81, Tiger Woods charged to a runner-up finish and unheralded New Zealander Michael Campbell hung on for a wild victory.
Miller is one of the few ex-player-turned-analysts willing to say a player "choked" in competition. He proved again Sunday why he's the best color analyst in golf, if not all sports TV.
Early on Sunday, Miller diagnosed how Campbell's quick but compact swing would hold up a decade after he let the British Open slip from his grasp during the final round.
He also said Woods, Phil Mickelson and other U.S. golfers erred by playing it safe on Pinehurst's fearsome No. 2 course — until it was too late. "I really think (Woods) would have won the championship if he had turned the big guns loose earlier," Miller said.
As for the fading Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open winner, Miller said during Sunday's first nine holes: "I'm in shock" and added, "He's doing stuff I didn't know he could do under pressure."
After play had finished, Miller said: "Retief Goosen was known by his peers, the pros on tour, as having ice water in his veins. Maybe the best clutch player in the game, with Tiger Woods right behind. This is going to injure him pretty good, injure his confidence."
Among other sights and sounds from U.S. Open coverage:
• Goose was cooked: With Goosen taking a three-stroke lead into Sunday's final round, some pundits thought he couldn't lose. On ESPN's The Sports Reporters, Mitch Albom said the only way Goosen would fail to win was if he didn't show up for his tee time. But Mike Lupica got it right by pointing out Goosen was still not in the league of other three-time Open winners like Ben Hogan. "Stuff happens during the last four hours of a U.S. Open," Lupica said.
• Bad call: NBC awkwardly cut away from live action Sunday for an interview with Annika Sorenstam at her home in Lake Tahoe, Nev., that promoted the network's coverage of this week's U.S. Women's Open. Viewers missed Campbell holing a key birdie putt on the 10th hole (it was replayed on tape). NBC Sports spokesman Brian Walker said the network got no complaints from viewers.
• You talking to me, Bob? Early leader Olin Browne had his game face on all weekend. Browne looked ready to pull a Vince McMahon on NBC's Bob Costas when Costas asked Saturday if he "realistically" could win the tournament. Browne responded with a scowl. "Realistically, we'll wait until Sunday to figure that out," he told Costas.
• Nice touch: The memory of the late Payne Stewart hovered over the event all week. NBC and ESPN showed fans posing next to the statue saluting Stewart's stirring 1999 victory. And NBC's Jimmy Roberts delivered a moving essay on the impact of Stewart's death on his wife, daughter and son. "That saying about time heals all wounds, I don't believe that," said widow Tracey Stewart, who said she's still struggling with her husband's death.
• Show the replay! Endless replays can be the bane of any telecast. But there were moments that screamed for a replay when none came. At one point early in the tournament, NBC's on-course reporter Dottie Pepper noted how Mark Hensby looked at a shot for only "two seconds" before duffing it badly. Yet when Miller wondered if Hensby "flubbed" the shot, NBC cut away. Memo to TV networks: There's nothing hackers like better than replays showing tour pros are human — and that they "flub" and "stab" short shots like the rest of us.
• Best/worst commercials: The USGA scored with a pair of commercials. It was hard not to love the Father's Day salute to all dads who've taught their kids how to play golf.
Another USGA spot this weekend humorously poked fun at the exclamations hackers use while their shot is in the air such as, "Hooked it," "Sliced it," "Chunked it," "Shanked it," and "Get Left" or "Right." The spot worked even better as viewers heard Woods plead, "Bite, bite," on an approach shot Sunday and Brown (again) berate himself after chunking an approach Saturday by asking, "Can you hit it any fatter?"
On the other hand, Mickelson flopped in goofy "What Will Phil Do Next?" commercials for Ford; plus, he struggled on the course.


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Gaetano Vallini
(©L'Osservatore Romano - 29 gennaio 2011)"I wonder if one day someone will make a film about what has happened to us. No, I think no one will dare, because it is inhuman. " Fifteen years after these statements, overheard in a documentary, someone has dared: the director Rose Bosch, who in the Spring Wind wanted to tell the story of Joseph Weissman and thirteen thousand Jews deported to Nazi death camps with the complicity of the collaborationist Vichy government. One page partly removed from the collective memory of France. A film must, therefore, as those works that can be, without pretense and hypocrisy, and bring peoples and nations in comparison with its past, however painful and embarrassing it can be.
The events described are all true, as the characters. Paris, summer 1942, France was under occupation German. And for Jews the script is tragically known. Are first forced to wear the yellow star, then drifted away from all public places, work, schools. In the district of Montmartre, many families live with the star, including that of Joseph, 11. Between benevolence and contempt, the Jews learned to survive in an occupied city, which still seems a safe haven again. So I thought until the morning of July 16, when their fragile happiness is shattered suddenly.
General Petain gave in to Hitler's demands, and so thousands of men, women and children of the Jewish race, including Joseph and his family are taken by force from their homes and confined in the Velodrome d'Hiver, where they stay for days without water and sanitation, and with very little food. Paris to help a few brave, as the nurse Annette Monod (Mélanie Laurent) - to assist the only doctor jew (Jean Reno) to work in the sudden sick bay - and a handful of firefighters who, contrary to orders, will not only quench with water cannons, but agrees to deliver a secret message to relatives and friends.
The prisoners are then deported to the concentration camp of Beaune-la-Rolande, a hundred miles south of Paris, where they still retain a glimmer of hope. But one morning the world falls down forever: children separated from their parents are sent to extermination camps, the promise, cui nessuno crede davvero, è che li raggiungeranno in seguito. Così sarà. Ma non ci saranno incontri.
Con sensibilità e senso di partecipazione - inserendo in controcampo scene delle riunioni del governo di Vichy e di Hitler e della sua lugubre corte sulla terrazza del Berghof mentre, tra un cocktail e una torta, decidono la sorte di milioni di persone, e - Bosch segue i destini incrociati di vittime e carnefici da Montmartre al Vélodrome, da Beaune-La-Rolande fino all'hotel Lutetia, dove furono raccolti i sopravvissuti dopo la liberazione. E racconta, con qualche libertà sui tempi dell'azione, le storie di quanti orchestrarono e collaborarono a quell'orrore e ne portano per sempre il marchio d'infamia, la tragedia di those who had confidence and were betrayed, the stories of those who resisted or tried to do so with courage and risk his own safety, and the audacity of those who escaped. As the same
Rose Bosch - who during three years of research had to overcome many obstacles, which illustrates the gray areas that still remain - the challenges were numerous: "How to represent such barbarous prejudice as close as possible to the sense of humanity? how to shoot from the front, without lowering his gaze, but without making the view of the unacceptable scenes, how to show violence without a mask, but without even sublimate and how to do justice to the "Righteous" of France, who helped the Jews, without giving the impression of wanting to only give the French a clean conscience? ".
To tackle the director takes on different points of view. The children first, naïve but sharp. Then the nurse Annette Monod - emblem of those who tried to oppose the shame and recognized Israel's "Righteous Among the Nations" - that attempts to impact in the minds of his fellow soldiers, asking them to disobey these orders immoral and inhuman. But at the same time also tries to put the viewer in the action, so too possa sentirsi, per quanto possibile, umiliato, ingannato, maltrattato.
Quanto ai francesi che non restarono muti osservatori, oltre che dal personaggio di Annette, la gratitudine passa anche attraverso altre figure secondarie che compaiono nel film ma che esprimono partecipazione e condivisione del dramma degli ebrei. Del resto, come si legge prima dei titoli di coda, il mattino della retata ben dodicimila persone inserite nelle liste di Vichy riuscirono a rendersi irreperibili. In un Paese occupato e con un governo tanto condiscendente non avrebbero potuto trovare rifugio se non nelle case dei vicini che accettarono di ospitarli pur consci del pericolo che correvano.
Ma è altrettanto vero che dei tredicimila ebrei prelevati quella mattina di luglio sopravvissero only 25, and none of the 4,051 children finished the trains. "There'll never be great we?" Asks the friend in prison in the heart of Joseph. No, he will not make it to be great. Joseph, thanks to the run, and after the liberation meet Annette. But the director wants to defuse the anxiety even more, giving a final open to hope and consolation. Lutetia the nurse to find himself the little Nono, three years, left without parents and to which it was attached. And if there is a symbolic image of horror told by the Spring Wind - intense film as didactic - is surely one of Nono and, after learning that finally i bambini partiranno per ricongiungersi con i genitori, corre per primo, da solo, con il suo inseparabile orsacchiotto in mano, sotto lo sguardo imperturbabile delle guardie armate, verso il camion che dal campo lo avrebbe portato al treno.
Nella realtà quel bimbo si chiamava Jacquod. E non tornò.


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Get Your Dog Care Questions Answered by Experts
no she doesnt seem dazed but just staring, looking around and if we call her name she looks at us.
no I dont think so as she is with us all the time and I work from home and she is in the house with me.
no not at all she has always been a healthy dog, although she does get ear infections and her one ear is a little red now which we have been putting her drops in
Some older dogs get a little anxious at night for reasons we really don't understand. At our clinic we refer to it as 'sundowning', where the animal is fine all day, but then becomes restless and agitated at night. Obviously, your dog is more disorientated in the evenings, which makes me reasonably sure that's what is going on.
Some vets refer to it as geriatric cognitive dysfunction, and you can find more information here:
Something you could consider would be talking to your vet about a light sedative for your pup in the evenings. One that we use is called Clomicalm and really seems to work well to keep this issue under control.
Another option would be something to help with the anxiety that doesn't have to be ingested (eaten), so it wouldn't interfere with the other medications she may be on at some point. I love using the DAP collar:
These are collars that are impregnated with a man-made version of the dog appeasing pheromone, which is a pheromone that nursing bitches give off to their pups to help them feel calm and secure. It's something that humans can't smell, but it has an amazing effect on dogs with anxiety and other issues. Although you can find them at your vet's office..you can also find them online at places like Amazon.com and Ebay for much cheaper. Just make sure they're DAP brand, as they seem to work better than some other versions.
I've used the DAP collar in my own dogs and with some of the dogs I've rehabilitated and I really, really like the results. Just keep in mind that the collar only lasts for 30 days, so you'll have to replace it monthly if it works for you.
I hope this helps.
She has always been a very calm, nice dog and loves to hang out with us. When this happened last night she would jump on top of us (almost like something was biting her) very strange for her. Now tonight when she started this again, my husband went to take her outside and when she was going down the stairs, it was like her back legs gave out and went down on her belly for 4 stairs (but not sure if she just tripped). Do you think this would be more of what you are saying "sundowning" and not neurological?
Great thanks for your help and advice and we will check into what you suggested.


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Comcast is continuing to mull what to do with all of its NBCUniversal assets. The latest example: The Wall Street Journal reports today that NBCU is in talks with mixed-martial arts league Ultimate Fighting Championship to take a controlling stake in the company's struggling G4 cable network. The league is looking for an outlet to promote its sport to a growing fan base of young men, the exact target demographic of G4, which focuses on gaming and gadgets but is struggling ratings-wise and recently was dropped by DirecTV. It makes sense — UFC has a distribution deal with Spike TV that expires at year's end and already shows events on Comcast's Versus network — but NBCU should watch out for that backlash: It has added wrestling programming to its Syfy channel, sparking complaints from fans angry that their core sci-fi programming is being pushed aside.
23 Comments
MMA on G4 makes a lot more sense than wrestling on SyFy.
Yeah, that comparison doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The point of the UFC buying G4 isn't to put UFC programming on G4, the point of buying G4 is to convert it to the UFC Network like Discovery Health became OWN. UFC doesn't want to own a video game based channel. They want it's distribution so they don't have to start from scratch when they launch the UFC Network.
Meh. They can have G4. It's an utter wasteland of a channel, and bears no resemblance to the G4 that it originally was, or the TechTV that they hijacked. Of course, I'd prefer if they'd bring back TechTV, but that ain't happening.
G4 is still on the air? o_O
Geeks meet the bullies. Match made in heaven. Who's going to win?
Should not sell it, especially considering it is an original Comcast property. What they should do is put new management in place and then come up with a damn plan. The Video Game industry is a 65 billion dollar industry. What Comcast should be doing is finding away to reach every major developer and work with them to form a community with their channel.
No excuse not to tap into Hollywood and see who the gamers are that are A-list producers, writers, directors and actors. G4 has a ton of potential and it's not being utilized correctly.
Don't be surprised if World Wide Wresting jumps into this… they've been trying to pull off a channel ever since XFL failed on NBC 10 years ago.
World Wide Wrestling?? They haven't been called that since 1979. haha
Actually the word is they do NOT have interest in buying G4 right now. They're actually more interested in seeing the UFC do it first, see how it works out and then try building off the UFC model when they launch their own network.
Rumor has it they (WWE) might want to start their own network by this time next year, which isn't a bad idea if you think about it. Used to be called WWWF, then WWF and now WWE.
first comcast sells the 76'ers…now they're selling off G4….it's like a fire sale to pay for the Olympics over there. somebody better bolt the furniture down at the Style network.
It's not the Olympics they are paying for right now. They just bought out Blackstone Group to own outright Universal Studios Orlando. Blackstone in-turn is the investment team purchasing the Sixers. Seems like that might have been part of the deal since a few of the major principals in Blackstone are Wharton graduates.
Smackdown's ratings on SyFy have been abysmal to say the least, so why not move it to the USA Network where it can get more traction and then the UFC can purchase G4 and utilize that as a marketing platform for their events and shows, as SPIKE TV has been a joke as of late. They air Impact Wrestling, so what does that tell us?
TechTV Rocked. G4? Double Meh
Wrestling is only one of the reasons SyFy fans are ticked off. It's just a symptom of a deeper underlying problem; the gradual move away from scifi programming that brought long time viewers to the channel in the first place, with insultingly bad "reality" programming like Quantum Kitchen and Psychic Nanny, instead of sticking with fledgling genre shows like Caprica and SGU. The biggest beef the fans have with wrestling is not that it's on the network, but rather, that it is scheduled during the primetime Friday block, which had previously been the home of Stargate and Battlestar Galactica. The loss of that time slot meant that those shows would be moved to the middle of the week, and face competition from the highest rated shows on the big four broadcast networks.
No, Cash. The biggest beef most of the fans have about wrestling being on SyFy is the mere fact that wrestling is on the network, period. (Same applies to all the "reality" crap, but I digress.) That they've slotted wrestling for Friday nights is what's known as "adding insult to injury."
I used to watch the channel when it was on DirecTV, as they ran some good films – "Movies That Don't Suck"!
I find G4 original programming very informative but too tech oriented. Direct TV supposedly dropped G4 because it didn't have enough original programming and was showing repeats or syndicated shows most of the time. How many other channels do that? I think it's because Comcast and Direct TV hate each other and Direct TV just wants to dump Comcast channels that aren't going to cause a huge revolt with their subscribers. As a Direct TV subscriber I hope Direct TV buys it. I see plenty of other worthless channels on there that it could replace.
This excuse was complete garbage. G4 was just a casualty of the ongoing battle of rebroadcast licensing fees between Comcast (A content producer AND competing provider) and DirecTV. If you look at the channel guide for DTV, it is readily apparent that the lineup is padded copiously with half-baked special interest channels that don't bring in a tenth the viewers G4 did. For a tiny network, G4 does pretty well for itself, and continues to score exclusive broadcast rights to special events like E3 and ComicCon, which skew right smack dab into the young male demo advertisers get so excited about.
R.I.P. G4/Tech TV
i'll never forget x-play, arena, cinematech, portal, judgement day, electric playground, cheat!, martin sargent, screen savers, icons, diana mizoto, anime unleashed, cory rouse and g4tv.com.
"It has added wrestling programming to its Syfy channel, sparking complaints from fans angry that their core sci-fi programming is being pushed aside." – next week Sci-Fi/SyFy will hit the fifth anniversary of continuous WWE programming (since ECW started there in June 2006). If anything SyFy de-emphasised wrestling late last year by replacing NXT (which itself inherited ECW's Tuesday night slot early last year) with Smackdown (on Friday nights). If there's a concern among SyFy viewers is it due to the higher profile Smackdown brings the station?
If anyone must be concerned about the G4/UFC move though (other than the G4 viewers themselves) it would be WWE. Their programming is now pretty much reliant on NBCU (with NXT and Superstars off TV altogether in the US as NBCU don't want them) – they won't like UFC moving in on their relationship.
Anime unleashed introduced me to Serial Experiments Lain which was fantastic. Why must every channel become pure trash. Isn't a niche audience the whole point of cable channels??
In my opinion if this goes through, move the tech and geek shows to syfy. Most of its viewers share those interests. Change G4 to the channel for young male viewers ie a SpikeTv clone with MMA, Wrestling, Ninja Warrior, etc. Bring back Anime to Syfy and add more Tech & Scifi relevant shoes. Its not rocket science that showing reruns of the same show every day and multiple times is no way to run a channel
I agree but as long as they don't screw with the current programing I am ok with it. Being a avid AOTS & Ninja Warrior Fan. I could care less about the rest of G4's programing but screw with either one of these and I will declare war on you. Not to mention that UFC game sales haven't been so good and if they want that to change eventually. It would be wise not pissing off your potential buying audience. G4 at current may as well be changed to Ninja Warrior TV which they frequently run marathons on all day. Not surprising since it is their highest rated show by a landslide. NBC is even giving it a 2 hour prime time slot on July 31. So it would make since keeping this and tapping into the legions of fans it has already massed. As long as UFC doesn't screw with my 2 favorite shows then I have no problem. If they do a once avid fan will be their worse enemy!!


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I found the lack of results-filtering tools to be a drawback when dealing with the large set of results generated after my first search. For subsequent searches, however, that shouldn't be as big of an issue, since presumably far fewer results would be found.
Mac Edition works with OS X 10.4 or later; it costs$19.95 for a single-user license or $49.96 for a three-user license.
Cleaning Up the Mess
Once you've collected and reviewed your data, Identity Finder Pro lets you select each found file that contains an identity item, preview the identity data in context, and take any of several different actions to deal with it:
* "Scrub" sensitive data from within the source document. This works only if it is an Office 2007, text, HTML or comma-separated variable file.
* Shred the file, through a multiple-pass deletion process that renders it unrecoverable. This can be dangerous, however -- for example, Identity Finder found multiple instances of "Social Security numbers" embedded in a file associated with LastPass, a password manager Firefox add-on. Those were not Social Security numbers, says Sameer Kochhar, director at LastPass, but JavaScript coding. Had I shredded or quarantined that file, LastPass would have broken and I would have had to either restore the file or reinstall LastPass to get it working.
* Encrypt the file. When you encrypt files (using your application's built-in encryption, Identity Finder's 256-bit AES encryption or a third-party encryption tool such as PGP) or save search results, Identity Finder prompts you to create a profile password. Unfortunately, it does not enforce the creation of a strong password, nor does it provide guidance (such as a displaying a "strength meter") on how to create one. This seems a bit strange for a product that stores reports containing summaries of highly sensitive data. (An optional setting to enforce strong passwords is available in the Professional and Enterprise editions but is turned off by default.)
* Quarantine it. The quarantine feature allows the user to move offending files to a new area and encrypt them. A nice option here: You can configure Identity Finder to leave behind a text file with the original file name. When opened, it includes this message: "The original file ... contained unsecured, personally identifiable information. It has been quarantined to [location]."
* Send it to the Windows Recycle bin. As an Identity Finder pop-up warns when you mouse over this option, documents sent to the Recycle Bin are easily recoverable, so why offer this option at all? According to David Goldman, president and chief operating officer, Identity Finder added the option after some enterprise customers complained that their users could accidentally shred important files. (By using the Recycle Bin, the user can set aside files containing identity data, moving them there for later review before shredding.
* Ignore it, in which case it won't come up again in subsequent searches.
Firefox Encryption
One of the biggest groupings of sensitive data that Identity Finder came across in my tests was the 50 or so online username and password combinations I'd allowed Firefox to store for me on my business laptops. What Firefox doesn't tell you is that you need to turn on encryption under Tools --> Options --> Security settings and create a master password if you want those stored passwords encrypted.


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April is National Poetry Month
According to the website of The Academy of American Poets (http://www.poets.org), National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. Their hope is to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry's ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, and in anticipation of Spring, here are some poems, selected by Library staff, to share.
(Cate Marvin, Merrill House Writer-In Residence, Fall 2009)
Dust of Snow
(Robert Frost, 1874-1963)
An altered look about the hills
(Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886)
'Hope' is the thing with feathers
(Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886)
The Library takes pride in its poetry collection and invites you to borrow some of our newer additions, as well as those you will find shelved with the adult, young adult and children's books.
Planisphere: New Poems by John Ashbery.
Download a PDF of The Librarian


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Today's Devotional
Living for JesusWhat are you thankful for as you consider what Jesus has done for you?
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Forensic psychology has become one of the most popular subfields of psychology in recent years. Increasing numbers of students express interest in this field of study, yet many are not quite sure what they need to do to pursue a career in this area. If you have an interest in psychology as well as the law and criminal justice, then this is an area that certainly might interest you.

So how do you get started in forensic psychology? What topics do you need to study in school, how to you find a job in the field, and what do forensic psychologists do?

Let's start first by answering the most basic question of all:

What Exactly Is Forensic Psychology?

Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, known as the Executive Council for the American Psychology-Law society (AP-LS), formally defines forensic psychology as:

"The professional practice by psychologists within the areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, neuropsychology, and school psychology, when they are engaged regularly as experts and represent themselves as such, in an activity primarily intended to provide professional psychological expertise to the judicial system."

Essentially, forensic psychology involves applying psychology to the field of criminal investigation and the law. Forensic psychologists utilize their knowledge of psychological principles and use it to understand different aspects of the legal system.

It is also one of the fastest-growing disciplines within psychology. The AP-LS currently has more than 3,000 members and continues to grow each year. Forensic psychology is also one of the disciplines I am most frequently asked about by students interested in entering the profession as a career.

Why Is Forensic Psychology Such a Fast-Growing Career?

So what explains the rapid growth in this particular field? Forensic psychology has grown phenomenally in popularity in recent years, partly due to sensationalized portrayals of the field in movies and television, which unfortunately are not always accurate.

Forensic psychologists are often depicted as criminal profilers who are able to almost psychically deduce a killer's next move. In reality, these professionals practice psychology as a science within the criminal justice system and civil courts. Few of these professionals work as hands-on criminal investigators in the field and even fewer are actually engaged in the process of hunting down criminals.

So what exactly do forensic psychologists do?

The Duties of a Forensic Psychologist

Forensic psychologists are often involved in both criminal and civil matters. A few examples include custody disputes, insurance claims, and civil lawsuits. Some professionals work in family courts and offer psychotherapy services, perform child custody evaluations, investigate reports of child abuse, and conduct visitation risk assessments.

Those working in the civil courts often assess competency, provide second opinions, and provide psychotherapy to crime victims. Professionals working in the criminal courts conduct evaluations of mental competency, work with child witnesses, and provide an assessment of juvenile and adult offenders.

How Much Do Forensic Psychologists Typically Earn?

Salaries within forensic psychology can range greatly depending on the sector of employment although most entry-level positions for those with a doctorate start out between $60,000 and $70,000 annually. Indeed.com suggests that the average national salary for forensic psychologists in 2013 was around $75,000. Payscale.com indicates that the median salary is approximately $62,000 with a low-end range of around $35,000 and a high-end range at around $124,000.

Individuals with a bachelor's or master's degree generally hold the title of psychological assistant or psychological associate. Starting level salaries for these positions generally start around $35,000 or $40,000. Those in private practice who offer consulting services typically earn more, often in the $85,000 to $95,000 range.

What Type of Degree Do Forensic Psychologists Need?

Currently, there is no single accepted training model for forensic psychologists. In most cases, however, forensic psychologists need a doctoral degree in psychology, usually in clinical or counseling psychology. In most cases, people interested in this field start by earning a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in clinical psychology before earning some type of postdoctoral training and specialization in forensic psychology.

A number of schools such as the University of Arizona and the University of Virginia offer degrees specifically focused on forensic psychology that combines courses in both psychology and law. Such a degree typically takes 5 to 7 years of graduate study to complete and admission into doctoral programs is highly competitive.

After the appropriate education, training, and experience, a forensic psychologist can apply for board certification. The American Board of Forensic Psychology offers professionals the opportunity to be certified as a Diplomat of Forensic Psychology.

In an article for Psychology Today, forensic psychologist Dr. Karen Franklin tackled the thorny issue of the sudden rise of terminal online master's programs focusing on forensic psychology. Many of these programs require a mere two years of graduate study and have become an increasingly popular option for students interested in this field. Franklin suggests that many of these programs are what she refers to as 'false advertising.'

"Master's level clinicians will probably have trouble competing in a field dominated by professionals with more advanced degrees," Franklin suggests.

Is a Career In Forensic Psychology Right for Me?

Before you decide on a career in forensic psychology, there are a few factors you should consider. Do you enjoy working with others? Forensic psychologists usually work with a team of other professionals in addition to working directly with clients or criminal offenders. Do you enjoy challenging problems? In most situations, people are experiencing problems that cannot be easily or quickly resolved.

In addition to these qualities, experts have suggested that forensic psychologists must have a solid legal knowledge, understand how psychology and the law intersect and interact, have specialized training in clinical forensic psychology, and a background in the ethical issues with forensic psychology.

Forensic psychologists need patience, creativity, and commitment. Are you interested in studying both law and psychology? Students who enjoy both subjects may find that forensic psychology is the perfect career choice.

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Career In Forensic Psychology?

Benefits of a Career in Forensic Psychology

The opportunity to help others

Diverse career paths (i.e. criminal courts, consulting, government, education)

Can be a challenging and rewarding career

Downsides of a Career in Forensic Psychology

Requires a substantial time commitment (5-7 years of graduate study)

Pay is usually low in relation to the amount of education and work required

Frustration, stress, and burnout can occur

References

DeMatteo, D., Marczyk, G., Krauss, D., & Burl, J. (2009). Educational and training models in forensic psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 3(3), 184-191. doi: 10.1037/a0014582

Franklin, K. (2014). Forensic psychology: Is it the career for me? Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/witness/201409/forensic-psychology-is-it-the-career-me

Weiner, I. B., & Goldstein, A. M. (2003). Handbook of Psychology, Forensic Psychology. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.


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Business has urged both political parties to commit to further workplace relations reform after
Mr Abbott tried to kill off politically damaging speculation that he would reverse Labor's Fair Work Act but insisted changes could be made within the framework of the laws, while his workplace relations spokesman,
Possible changes outlined by Mr Abbott include making "Labor's individual flexibility agreements more flexible" and reducing "the burdens on small business". Senator Abetz has criticised rulings by Fair Work Australia on awards, including minimum three-hour shifts in retail which prevent some shops employing children after school.
Senator Abetz refused to clarify his call for regulatory changes, but business groups, including the Australian Mines and Metals Association, said his comments left scope to improve the laws.
Labor jumped on Senator Abetz's comments, saying they showed the Coalition would seek to reintroduce elements of Work Choices.
Workplace Relations Minister
"Mr Abbott needs to spell out if he proposes to use regulations to direct Fair Work Australia to remove or reduce weekend penalty rates, holiday penalty rates and minimum shift entitlements," Mr Crean said. "If there is no commitment from Mr Abbott this could be his way of stripping away entitlements from workers."
Unions will roll out more television advertising in the coming weeks, which harks back to the Work Choices laws and Mr Abbott's stance on workplace policy.
ACTU secretary
The ACTU executive will meet in Melbourne tomorrow and Wednesday to finalise election preparations and endorse a campaign levy on affiliated unions of $1 per member that will raise about $1.8 million. Union sources said that about $1 million was also left over from the Your Rights At Work campaign.
Mr Lawrence said the ACTU had booked further television slots around the theme of "Don't return to Work Choices'', but said unions will also defend the impact of Labor's new workplace laws.
A briefing paper prepared for ACTU executive will argue that wage growth under the new laws has been strong but not inflationary, growing by 3 per cent in 2009-10 and forecast to increase to 4 per cent next financial year. The paper notes that collective bargaining is spreading, with fewer workers having their pay set solely by industrial awards. But it argues that industrial disputation is still low with a "moderate'' increase unfair dismissals.
In a speech to the Queensland LNP conference on Saturday, Mr Abbott said he had doubts about Labor's reforms but he would not change the Fair Work Act for the first term of a Coalition government.
"I say, as a conservative, that the new legislation should be judged by how it operates in practice rather than by how it conforms to expectations," he said. "My suspicion is that it will make it harder for business to employ people and harder for people to earn more, but it's important not to leap to premature conclusions."
Australian Industry Group chief executive
"In terms of tweaking that, Abetz is talking about we see no reason why you can't put those IFAs in place as a condition of employment and they can last up to four years," Mr Knott said. " You don't need to change the legislation for that to occur."
ACCI chief executive
Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia executive director
The Australian Financial Review


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TEL AVIV (Apr. 7)
Five hundred American and Canadian tourists attended the second seder given by the American-Canadian Histadrut Center at the Farband Hamlin House here. Alexander Katz, director of Hamlin House, presided, and Isaac Hamlin, the American Histadrut representative, extended greetings to Soviet Jewry. He expressed the hope that the Jews in the Soviet Union would ultimately secure rights for a full cultural life.
Mr. Katz read a message from Dr. Sol Stein and Israel Stolarsky, leaders of the American Histadrut campaign. The entire audience applauded a message from the second seder to the "third seder" to be held by Histadrut in New York, this Saturday evening. An empty chair was left at the seder for Russian Jewry, and tribute was paid to the partisans and fighters of the ghettoes of the period of Nazi wartime occupation of Europe.


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Win it: Jonathan Adler + Skip Hop Light & Luxe diaper bag
UPDATE: This contest is closed. Congratulations to our winners: Raegan V. of Phoenix, AZ; Elena Turcu of Chicago, IL; and Vicki G. of Manassas, VA! This chic lightweight tote is a diaper bag in disguise! Designer Jonathan Adler and Skip … Continue reading
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2 Bedroom Ground Floor Flat For Sale
Roman Gate, Chester, Cheshire, CH1
A two bedroom ground floor apartment, with accommodation to include open plan lounge, kitchen, diner, two bedrooms, study, and bathroom.Roman Gate is set in the heart of Chester, one of Britain's most spectacular Roman cities, with ancient city walls, a Roman...
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China has for for many years had strict residence laws. If you want to live in the big cities you have to apply for a permit. An enterprising Shanghai property agent has made use of a loophole that is surely soon to be closed. You can get a residency permit if you marry someone with a permit and then get divorced. A man, we only know by family name Wang, has used this trick four times to sell property to women who would not otherwise be allowed to stay in the city. The woman were willing to pay about $9,000 for the residence permit.
Chinasage is a new web resource, started in 2012, pages will be added, enhanced and re-formatted regularly. Please check back soon for updated information about China.
We would be most grateful if you have any comments or suggestions to help improve this page. Our contact page is also available if you have a longer comment. Just type in a quick remark here:
Citation information: Chinasage, 'Chinese character hǎi 海 sea', , Web, http://www.chinasage.info/chars/fch_hai_sea.htm.
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Decisions, Decisions: Skiing Spring Snow
Among the many things skiers like to rhapsodize about from "back in the old days" is that winters were far colder and stuck around longer than they do today.
Growing up in Central New York in the early/mid-1970s, I still remember traipsing through shoulder-deep snow to deliver the Syracuse Post-Standard at 5 am every morning while walking backwards for most of my route to avoid getting blasted in the face by sub-zero wind gusts.
While 2013-14 hasn't been a record breaker for snow, it's been noticeably colder than recent seasons and has delayed the arrival of spring skiing.
Spring skiing means different things to different people – carving big arcs through luscious corn snow, plowing through soft bumps, inhaling the sweet smell of warm breezes, lounging on an Adirondack chair in the sun with a cold beer in your hand, grilling burgers, and if you're lucky, checking out the fairer sex making turns in bikinis.
At the same time, it's a bittersweet time because everyone knows that the end of the lift-served season is near and that we'll soon be, for better or worse, transitioning to warm-weather pursuits.
While I've logged gorgeous spring days all over the northeast, including Gore, Whiteface, and the furthest north I've ever been, Mont Edouard (Québec), the ones that really stick in my mind are places closer to home.
One of my favorites was during the second week of April 2007, when a surprise 13-inch dump turned Belleayre into an old-school late-season paradise with stunningly soft conditions and a memorable late afternoon nursing beers on the outdoor deck.
A visit to Windham in late March 2011 featured an empty mountain, sun-ripened perfection on the slopes (someone on another ski forum referred to this condition as "cornfection"), and mixed drinks on the base-area patio.
If you've never been to Windham on a spring weekday, with its two high-speed quads and two distinct aspects so you can follow the sun, you're in for a treat.
And then comes the saddest and most curious sensation of all, when I'm standing at the top of the hill in mid-April knowing that this is "last call" – the final run of the season and I'll probably be waiting more than seven months to click into my skis again.
Even though it's often a temporary goodbye (until next season), there's always a melancholy feeling that I'll never get this moment back again – and the truth is, I won't. Decision time is coming: where is your favorite place to make spring turns?
3 Responses on "Decisions, Decisions: Skiing Spring Snow"
Spring seems to be late to arrive this year in the East, my home mt is closing this Sat. I haven't skied in shorts nor have I experienced the White Ribbon of life at any ski area yet.{amazing in the NE) I love lapping Northface at Platt in the Spring and have had fun Sprnng days at Hunter and Windham. Last season I hit on two perfect spring skiing wkends at Gore.
This coming week in the Catskills looks good. Always seem to have the best days at Belleayre. Any plans, JD, to head up to this neck of the woods?
I was there that day at the Belle in 07 with that late season storm. Easily one of my favorites as well! The deck at Belleayre is a great place to be on a nice spring day and the pond skim at Hunter is always a good time…and their cover seems to hold up the best.


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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the name of the school that Harry Potter and his little witch and wizard friends attend. It is a carefree place full of mischief and mayhem, plus the occasional murder.
Hogwarts TeachersEdit
Most of the Hogwarts teachers are firm, but fair, with the exception of the nasty, but mysteriously alluring, Professor Snape. Headmaster Dumbledore is an amusingly wise old codger who loves candy and always has a twinkle in his eye. Hagrid, the groundskeeper, is a half-giant semi-retardate who talks funny.
Hogwarts CustomsEdit
When new students arrive at Hogwarts, they are sorted into four different "houses" which function sort of like mini-fraternities. The children live in their "house" wings, go to classes with their "house" groups, play on "house" teams, eat at their "house" tables, etc. The development of "house" loyalties seems to serve as a kind of surrogate for the fact that none of their witch and wizard parents love them enough to do what good parents ought to do: lock their children up in their real "houses" and homeschool them. Instead, the Hogwarts students are shipped off to live in a drafty old castle where they do nothing but learn, play, and snog all day long.
To keep in touch with their distant, "hands off" British parents, the Hogwarts children send "post" by owls ("post" is British for "mail" - another thing they don't have there is proper English.) The children eat huge meals in a common dining room, often stuffing their faces with course upon course of dessert, but because these are books and because they live in a world of "magic," they do not have the typical British dentistry that one would expect as a result of this diet.
Instead of baseball or football or even (God forbid) soccer, the sport played at Hogwarts is called Quidditch. It's sort of like flying basketball, and Harry is the absolute best at it.
In addition to Quidditch, snogging, how to keep a stiff upper lip, and poor eating habits, the children at Hogwarts learn spells, charms, herbology, care of magical creatures, and many more magical things.
Hogwarts Is TopsEdit
Even with Slytherin berks like Draco Malfoy running around, thinking they're so great and trying to ruin everything (honestly, who does he bloody think he blinking well is?), everyone at Hogwarts has an a smashing, brilliant time. There's no end to the fun, what with the magic, the food, the Quidditch, and the snogging. Plus, no parents around to tell you what's what, jolly good, ho?!
That's why one of Stephen Colbert's fantasies is to "Attend Hogwarts."
See AlsoEdit
Note: We at Wikiality.com believe that this fantasy, when viewed in conjunction with his frequently declared love for all things Lord of the Rings, as well as a confirmed history of Dungeons & Dragons play, serves as conclusive proof that Our Glorious Stephen clearly has "a wizard thing."


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Three men 'rescued' after slavery arrests
Three men believed to have been held as slaves have been "rescued" by police and taken to a safe place after a series of police raids on travellers sites in the Bristol area.
Avon and Somerset Police raided a number of addresses and recovered the men this morning before arresting two people in connection with slavery offences.
The men, in their 30s, 40s and 50s, were taken to a place of safety and were offered treatment and support, police said.
Another five people were arrested on suspicion of offences including cannabis production, money laundering, handling stolen goods and failing to appear in court.
A significant quantity of cash was found at one of the addresses, the force added.
The raids took place on three travellers…


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Just so everyone is clear Twin Spires and Express Bet are breaking the law while T.V.G. and Betzotic are complying. By operating illegally Twin Spires and Express Bet are taking customers away from the other two companies which is extremely unfair and classless. The following is from Rich Miller of Capitol Fax.
* Last year, $122 million was wagered through what are known as advanced deposit wagering (ADW) websites in Illinois. The sites, like this one, require people to open up an account and then they can place bets on horse races by phone or via the Web. That $122 million represented about a fifth of last year's total in-state "handle" and the $1.72 million in tax receipts funded 28 percent of the Illinois Racing Board's budget.
The state legalized ADWs in 2009 and the law was scheduled to sunset last July 1st. The General Assembly extended the sunset to this past January 1st, but then didn't extend it again. So, ADW is now again illegal in Illinois.
From the Illinois Racing Board's website…
In the absence of legislation extending the authorization to conduct advance deposit wagering (ADW) beyond the current expiration date of December 31, 2012, effective January 1, 2013, advance deposit wagering (via internet/telephone) is prohibited in Illinois. Hopefully this is a short-term situation since it is expected that the Illinois General Assembly will address this issue in the 2013 Spring legislative session. Upon resolution of this issue, the Illinois Racing Board will provide further notice and you should expect to be notified by your ADW provider.
* Scott Jagow at the Paulick Report has more…
"It's been made clear to those providers that it's the position of the board that ADW wagers on Illinois racing are now illegal," said Marc Laino, the board's executive director.
"There was legislation introduced in the veto session in January. It went to committee but didn't receive enough votes." […]
The initial legalization of ADW wagering in Illinois took place in 2009. The law was extended for six months in 2012 but expired Jan. 1.
"I'm being told the issue will be taken up by the legislature in mid-February," Laino said, although he didn't know whether the ADW authorization might be in stand-alone legislation or rolled into a larger gambling bill.
If this gets rolled into a big gaming bill, then the ongoing legislative impasse could mean even more delays. And that means even more revenue will be lost and more companies at risk of going under.