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By Alan Clemons
State agencies managing for deer and wildlife have a tough gig because not only are they dealing with critters, they also have to deal with politics and human beings.
That's a broad generalization, I know, but it's true. Managing land for wildlife is challenging enough even on a smaller private tract. Financial concerns, time, neighbors who may not share your same ideas, and the vagaries of the land and animals create never-ending situations.
Expand that to managing an entire state. Throw in the politics of legislators who hear from the public. Add the hunters who want something specific to be done – antler restrictions, for example – or barely anything to be done by the government. Managing wildlife is a passion many good folks enjoy, but doing it for a state agency can at times be a nightmare. Thick skin is required, no doubt.
At least three Southeast states are undergoing significant proposed changes in deer management strategies for the 2013-14 seasons. Alabama, Louisiana and Florida officials have offered their proposals and, as usual, there is a mix of agreement and blowback from the public.
Florida currently has four zones for deer hunting: Zone A (south), Zone B (central), Zone C (northwest) and Zone D (the Panhandle). The state's Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed management units within those zones, starting with Zone D to the north and south of Interstate 10 that splits the Panhandle.
Louisiana's biologists are proposing three new zones and a return of "doe days" for management and better data collection. I can't imagine dealing with deer in the Pelican State, especially in the last decade with the hurricanes and drought down there. Add the varied population numbers, millions of acres of marshland and crazy terrain, and it has to be quite a challenge.
In this Louisiana Sportsman report, state deer study leader Scott Durham said this:
"I believe we are experience some rather unprecedented times," LDWF Deer Study Leader Scott Durham said in introducing the proposals. "A return to either-sex days is absolutely proposed until we have more confidence in our reporting system."
Durham said his department's harvest-reporting system — which he admitted has experienced some difficulties that are being address — indicate declining deer kills throughout the state. He said this, along with changes in habitat, point toward the need for smaller deer-hunting zones.
It appears, quite clearly, that a "one size fits all" thought process is being reconsidered or tossed. Several states have multiple management zones – Arkansas, notably, in the Southeast has about 20 – and it's obvious that with changing populations and management strategies the smaller units or zones are being given a hard look.
Alabama's officials are doing the same. After decades of having no zones, despite hunters in the southern part of the state wanting a February season to experience the peak rut, the current commissioner has proposed a new zone in the southwest corner of the state. It would include all or part of about 10 counties, and he's indicated this is only the first step of a revamp.
Alabama also has, for about the last decade, had a very liberal doe limit of two per day statewide. The new proposals formally introduced Saturday at the state's Conservation Advisory Board meeting would create a limited doe season in a large portion of the north-central part of the state. Better data collection for doe harvests also is being urged, although the state does not have a mandatory check-in station, tags or tele-check system in place. Enforcement of a voluntary request to report kills is virtually impossible; we'll see how this further urging to report them plays out.
Again, as expected, hunters have responded to all these proposals with a mix of emotions. None of these proposals are set in stone. These three states have presented the ideas to the public and now, it's on the hunters' shoulders to respond to be part of the process.


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Radio used to be more than just a bunch of ga-ga -- read Bruce Springsteen's take on the power and the glory of the classic broadcasting format.
Our ongoing feature "Born to Quote Bruce" collects highlights from Bruce Springsteen's memoir "Born to Run" paired with pictures of the man in action. This selection comes from Chapter 25, when Bruce describes the first time he heard one of his songs, "Spirit in the Night," on the radio."The radio had kept me alive and breathing throughout my teens. For my generation, music sounded best coming out of a tiny, tinny radio speaker. Later, when we recorded we had one of these speakers sitting on top of the studio console and we didn't sign off on a mix until the music sounded like it was roaring out of it. Music on the radio is a shared fever dream, a collective hallucination, a secret amongst millions and a whisper in the whole country's ear. When the music is great, a natural subversion of the controlled message broadcast daily by the powers that be, advertising agencies, mainstream media outlets, news organizations and the general mind-numbing, soul-freezing, life denying keepers of the status quo takes place."

subset: commoncrawl


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Korey JonesFree Agent
Ht: | Wt:
News | Stats | Stat vs. Team | Targets | Injury | Depth Chart | Roster
|Def Sacks
|Int TD
|Fum Rec
|Fum TD
|Packers | Seven players cut
Sun, 24 Aug 2014 11:11:45 -0700
The Green Bay Packers have released S Charles X. Clay, CB Antonio Dennard, WR Chris Harper, LB Korey Jones, FB Ina Liaina, QB Chase Rettig and WR Gerrard Sheppard.
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|| Source: ESPNWisconsin.com - Jason Wilde
|Packers | Joe Thomas leaves game
Sat, 09 Aug 2014 19:24:45 -0700
Green Bay Packers LB Joe Thomas (undisclosed) left the team's preseason game with an injury Saturday, Aug. 9. He was replaced by LB Korey Jones.
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|| Source: ESPN.com - Rob Demovsky
|Packers | Korey Jones added
Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:32:10 -0700
The Green Bay Packers signed free-agent LB Korey Jones (Cardinals) to an undisclosed contract Wednesday, July 23.
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|| Source: KFFL.com
|Cardinals | Several cut
Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:36:48 -0700
The Arizona Cardinals released OT Joe Caprioglio, WR Jarett Dillard, WR Nick Edwards, C Deveric Gallington, DE Cordian Hagans, DT Jonathan Mathis, QB Caleb TerBush, CB Ronnie Yell and LB Korey Jones.
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|| Source: Xtra 910 Radio - Mike Jurecki
|Cardinals | 14 UDFAs signed
Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:46:14 -0700
The Arizona Cardinals have signed undrafted free-agent WR Jaron Brown (Clemson), OT Joe Caprioglio (Colorado State), LB Kenny Demens (Michigan), LB Dan Giordano (Cincinnati), S Javon Harris (Oklahoma), CB Josh A. Hill (California), S Tony Jefferson (Oklahoma), OT Jamaal Johnson-Webb (Alabama A&M), LB Korey Jones (Wyoming), WR Javone Lawson (Louisiana-Lafayette), WR Mike Rios (Marist), DT Padric Scott (Florida A&M), WR Tyler Shaw (Northwest Missouri State) and CB Prentiss Waggner (Tennessee). Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
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Has Bill Murray just upended classical music?
October 11, 2017 by norman lebrecht
From Chicago pianist Lori Kaufman:
Nobody knew what to expect. Probably a quirky, Midwest-voweled reading of Ogden Nash or TS Eliot, you know, conventional texts that are suitable for a concert hall. Instead, a sold-out Chicago Symphony Center Tuesday night witnessed everything they knew about classical music upended by a two-hour hug from actor Bill Murray.
The comedic icon brought his elegant-playing friends on stage for a meditation on American poetry and European music that married common and uncommon threads while breaking all rules, including saying the N-word out loud. Great musicians know how to make a concert hall smaller and smaller. By the end of the evening, 2,500 of us felt Murray whispering the secret to life directly in our ear, as he famously did to Scarlet Johansson at the end of Lost in Translation.
Nothing was lost here, though, as Murray took us through a love letter to Hemingway, the existential pain of depressed French painters, nature seekers Walt Whitman and James Fenimore Cooper, our nation's hapless political history, the gospel according to Van Morrison, his beloved comeback kids of baseball, the Chicago Cubs, and a heartrending, perfectly-voiced reading of Huck Finn's self-revelatory paean to releasing slaves.
Each time we thought we saw the most poignant moment of the evening, Murray and colleagues Jan Vogler, Mira Wang, and Vanessa Perez added another layer of intimacy and depth to the performance, astoundingly elevating and giving new life to some of the most cliched musical works. Perez shone new pearls in her pianissimo phrases of "I Dream Of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair," and she and cellist Vogler somehow made "Moon River," formerly concerto for elevator and disgruntled riders, into something newly profound.
Murray shot us right through the heart when he took violinist Wang's hand and danced a soulful tango with her onstage to the accompaniment of tango master Astor Piazolla. In the middle of Wang's virtuoso reading of Heifetz's showy version of "It Ain't Necessarily So," Murray shocked us all by singing the Gershwin lyrics better than anyone since Satchmo. Murray's singing was the best gift of the evening, in a rousing version of "When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God" that made soulful melancholy an art form.
But that was only a warm up: The cornerstone was a homage to centenarian Leonard Bernstein. Murray crooned a gut wrenching yet dignified "Somewhere" and immediately turned tears into giddy laughter with his barnstorming and unimaginable rendition of "I Feel Pretty." He then teased and defied the most famous rhythmic motive in all of musical theatre by singing "I Like To Be in America" in his own invented way, underlining five words of Sondheim's as an anthem for the woes of 2017, ending the concert by punctuating "Puerto Rico's in America" to an avalanche of applause.
We thought we would get our Ogden Nash when Vogler and Perez started playing "The Swan" during the drawn out encore session. But Murray surprised us again, narrating Lucille Clifton's stunning "Blessing the Boats," sending us off with a graceful benediction.
If you are anywhere near New York, do whatever it takes to see and hear these four musicians make miracles anew at Carnegie Hall on October 16.
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Comments (43)
Talented people do extraordinary things!
I found the whole "Bill Murray Does Classical" thing vulgar. There was no point to the project. Who was the intended audience? Was it hipsters, wannabe hipsters, or people who know nothing about music? One thing is for certain- it wasn't intended for those who love music.
Wow, what an unbelievably stuck up, arrogant statement!
It surely was not intended for people like you! Sorry it makes you so angry.
BORINGFILECLERK is spot on. This was nothing more than showbiz BS.
so say the "experts" on music. Maybe it is just not your cup of tea.
or maybe they music experts are right and you simply aren't in a place to understand that this is just tacky showbiz BS.
really? really? I was only trying to say that music is in the ear of the beholder, there is no such thing as good and bad music, only personal taste. Are we all the last word on what is "worthy" music. Come down from your high horse please.
I don't expect anybody here wants to snatch favorite music out of the ear of any beholder, especially yours — you know your rights!
Trouble is your formulation of No Such Thing as good or bad, only personal opinion, which is sacred, plus the heat of your expression, is of a piece with the assault on learning, expertise, even talent, which has yielded up as an early harvest Donald J Trump and Brexit.
I think you're the one a high horse. It my experience it pays to consider others' contrary opinion — they might even be right.
Vanessa Perez is a wonderful pianist! She has a stunning album of Da Falla and Debussy on the Steinway label, and an equally acclaimed recording of the complete Chopin Preludes on Telarc. It's just great that Bill Murray found this top class pianist hiding in plain sight in New York to join him on his musical journey.
The guy who replaced Chevy Chase has certainly carved out a varied and impressive career.
Sorry, Bill, your pitch has fallen into the cracks between the notes on this!! Rescued by excellent musicians. I couldn't help thinking of "Ed Wood".
Yes, he has upended classical music just like the previous revolutionaries Beethoven, Wagner, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg. Nothing will ever be the same again.
What garbage.
Think "irony" and read it again.
My bad.
" In the middle of Wang's virtuoso reading of Heifetz's showy version of "It Ain't Necessarily So," Murray shocked us all by singing the Gershwin lyrics better than anyone since Satchmo." What a preposterous claim. Is the review a joke?
Three great musicians and one of the greatest of living actors try something a little different – are we really so hidebound and closed-minded to object?
"and one of the greatest of living actors"
You think?
Has he ever been anybody but himself, loveable as he is.
Ever seen The Razor's Edge? Worst performance by an actor I ever saw. I daresay he got better. But that whole SNL crowd tended to make me gag in anything longer than an 8-minute sketch.
Greatest actors? Have you seen his Garfield movies, or Scrooged for that matter?
Olivier made some stinkers, too. And as Michael Caine said, when asked about "Blame it on Rio," – "I haven't seen it. But I've seen the house it built…and it's a lovely house."
and Bill Murray is neither an Olivier nor a Caine.
while you're at it, why not laud the merits of Adam Sandler.
Murray signed to do the Garfield movies after confusing the screen writers name with a better more accomplished one's.
The voices for animated movies are pieced together one phrase at a time. I wouldn't judge any actor by the result, good or bad. It's the work of an editor.
In "Open Season" they needed Ashton Kutcher to come back in to record a new line to cover a script change. He couldn't make it. They pieced it together from lines he had already recorded. Unnoticeable.
Well, it is Bill Murray, so the sublime and ironic are likely intermixed more than any of us will ever know. Best just to go rewatch "Kingpin" or "Groundhog Day" to get your fix. This thing looks…awkward. In a bad vaudeville kinda way.
It's all a red herring so that the 'progressive' bien pensant don't have to talk about Weinstein and can focus on demonstrations against Trump's 'misogyny' (Ashley Judd, laughable and noisy hypocrite).
I saw something similar in Köln a few weeks ago
In the end the music won hands down.
Hey, I played in that!
I see the similarities, but I don't think we were trying to do the same thing.
Marcel Beyer is a fantastic writer, and he was great to work with. But he's a poet, not an actor. The performance was all about him and his words, and the music was only meant to enhance his material.
Yes, the fantastic speaking bass player!
Enhancing or not, the music, playing (soli!) and arrangements were superb, and I was sorry when the evening was over after only 1:20.
Maybe someone (you?) could have worked a little on Mr. Beyer's english when reading T.S.Eliot – "not with a barng…)! Also more modulation of the speaking (as you yourself did).
Meckern auf hohen Niveau!
A great EM evening which deserved more audience.
"Meckern auf hohem Niveau!"
Du bist ein wahrer Deutscher 😀
More Prussian actually…
Where are you from? Königsberger Klopse?
I attended the performance by Mr. Murray and Friends in California. Yes, it was different. But it was also revelatory. To paraphrase the late, great Virgil Fox, the critics have corks up their emotions.
The review is a cliché-ridden piece of pseudo-journalism. But I found the performance clip quite amusing, after having watched Ghostbusters (1984) the previous evening on DVD. Murray should be billed (no pun intended) as Dr. Venkman.
The latest reporting is that Murray had an outburst at a VIP reception afterwards. The reception cost $150 and fans were assured they could have a photo taken with Murray. But he became angry when some people got out their phones and started photographing him while still waiting in line.
"It was an unfortunate end to a wonderful evening. We planned the VIP reception as well as we could, and our staff did a terrific job ensuring our patrons were accommodated appropriately," Dana Navarro, CSO Association manager for communications and public relations, said in a statement provided to the Tribune on Thursday. (from Tribune article)
"Navarro said attendees were allowed to take photos during the reception except at the moment when the CSO's photographer was taking their photo with Murray."
"As the night wore on, Murray shifted to taking photos with groups, instead of with individuals and couples, in front of the CSO backdrop. Kennedy said a woman said she preferred to be photographed with only Murray and her husband instead of with a group of strangers.
"(Murray) yells at her, 'We don't want your sour puss in our group picture. Get out of here. Get out of here,'" said Kennedy, 35. "Everybody was like, is he just trying to be funny or is he for real right now? It was pretty uncomfortable to watch this."
Kennedy said Murray left shortly after that exchange, and CSO staff told attendees left in line to contact patron services if they wanted a refund or tickets to a future show. Navarro said refunds have been issued to those who have asked for them." (all from Chicago Tribune article)
So much for that VIP ticket for Carnegie Hall I've been saving up for.
Anybody remember how Dudley Moore use to sprinkle his Hollywood limelight on classical music? As in the Richard Stoltzman episode of his BBC series "Concerto!"?
Come back to us my Dudley mon, come back, all is forgiven!
Murray and cellist Vogler have just spoken on WQXR, NY's NPR station. He made it clear this is a civic project, "a fresh reminder of what the great American ideals are". Hence the heat.
There's already a CD and Murray's Ain't Necessarily So rendition aired. I think he has the makings of a (mic-assisted) vocal personality but his variation on the original Gershwin vocal line does not improve it and, worse, he fails in his phrasing and dynamics to put his (and Sportin' Life's) whole point across, namely that the bible is full of applesauce.
The exercise seems ill-prepared & vain: he does not, as J E Gardiner would put it, "connect with the text".
Didja see Murray and company perform on Colbert? Bill was so horribly bad that I literally had to turn off the TV. The "West Side Story" medley began with a hideously off-key "Somewhere" and was followed by — no joke here — "I Feel Pretty," with no change of lyrics to reflect Murray's gender. When the trio kicked into "America," I was out of there. The trio, of course, played wonderfully. Hey, I liked Murray in things like "Groundhog Day" and "Stripes." But this was unforgivable.
I couldn't bring myself to watch, after the story of his rudeness broke.
A report from the couple insulted by Murray (from the Chicago Tribune):
"Chicago-area bank exec describes how Bill Murray berated his wife
St. Charles couple Joe and Susanna Vitale paid hundreds of dollars to have a professional photo taken with Bill Murray at a VIP reception after his Tuesday performance at Symphony Center. They got a tongue-lashing instead.
Joe Vitale, a vice president at MB Financial Bank, said he and his wife expected to meet the Wilmette-raised comedian for 10 seconds and have the Chicago Symphony Orchestra photographer snap their picture at a pizza and beer event that cost $150 per ticket — on top of the money they paid to see Murray perform with cellist Jan Vogler and others earlier Tuesday evening.
Dozens of attendees got their professional shot with Murray, but as the night continued, the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member seemed to get agitated by people taking pictures of him with their cellphones as they waited in line. Murray started encouraging groups of fans, instead of individuals and couples, to stand in front of the CSO backdrop with him so the photographer could get their shots.
Susanna Vitale was visibly upset because she didn't pay to have her picture taken with strangers.
"(Murray) looked at my wife, he actually pointed to her, and he said, 'No sour face. Get out of here. You're not part of the picture.' And then he kind of left … and then he came back to us and then he looked at my wife and he pointed at her again and he said, 'If you don't like it, you can move to St. Croix,'" said Joe Vitale, who was confused by Murray's remark. Vitale said he put his arm around his wife's waist to try to defuse the situation.
"And then he came back to us, looked at us, and I might have to paraphrase this, but this is the gist of what he said. He said, 'You know how many people are waiting for me in this room? There are five people waiting for me. Do you know how many people are waiting for you? One and he's standing right next to you. That's it, sour face, get out.'"
Murray, 67, left the reception shortly thereafter. Joe Vitale said there were still several people left in line who didn't get their photo taken with Murray. CSO Association manager for communication and public relations Dana Navarro called it an "unfortunate end to a wonderful evening" and said refunds were issued. Murray's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
"We were really disappointed for a lot of reasons because it wasn't what the expectation was, it wasn't what we paid for. The performance was great," said Joe Vitale, who got a refund. "Doesn't matter what city you're in, those actions are completely unacceptable. You would never think that he would do that to Chicagoans, you know, his hometown."
Murray appeared to be in better spirits Thursday on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," where he performed with Vogler, gave away T-shirts to the audience and reminisced about growing up in Wilmette."


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Still looking for articles, downloads, web links for submission! Have a Unisystem conversion? Some advice on running Unisystem? Rules tweak or addition? Character writeups? NPCs? Rituals? Zombie Builds? A new dead world? Come on over and add some content! Remember, this is by the fans for the fans.
The system to submit downloads and create articles is simple to use. Stop on by and see how fun it can be to share your Unisystem ideas with the community!


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We had chili for supper last night. The kind with beans, cheese, onions and Fritos. It was our second day in a row of cool weather and so we wore boots and ate food that makes it feel colder than it really is. We take what we can get for Fall down here in Texas. Because you never know when it will be 85 degrees again.
Everyone shared their highs/lows for the day. My kids had a day off school (teacher work day) and my hubby caught up with the mountain of paperwork for MH. It was my turn and I got a lump in my throat. I told my family about the comments from my 5th anniversary post yesterday, about how y'all made me feel so loved and appreciated. And then I said, "I feel bad because so many women look up to me. I hope they know how much I struggle and how imperfect I am."
And then I started to cry, right there in my chili.
My family looked around awkwardly and my oldest said, "So, I've noticed you cry a lot more now. Is that because you're getting old ? Because you also pee when you jump or laugh too much. I've just noticed there's a lot of water going on."
The moment was over and we laughed (the truth hurts) and I dished out more chili.
So, all that to say, thanks for your comments. They really encouraged me.
Just before we closed our Gratitude Journal, my daughter mentioned something about college. She's been thinking a lot about it lately since entering junior high and with cousins now in that phase. She said, "Ya know, I only have 6 summers left before I go to college." Somehow we moved from that to places we'd like to visit as a family before she graduates. I flipped to a blank page and my hubby gave me a "why not?" look. My kids started shouting out destinations and these places made the short-list of dream trips we'd like to take. I have no idea how we'd pay for them or ever make it happen, but it felt amazing to write it down and dream together.
1. Disney World (to show our youngest)
2. Washington D.C. (day trip to NYC and Philadelphia)
3. Grand Canyon (camping)
4. Colorado (outdoor adventures)
5. Yellowstone National Park
6. Paris, France (layover by way of Kenya)
We left our chili bowls piled high in the sink and my hubby aired up bike tires. We rode into the sunset in perfect weather and lived happily ever after.
Only the real story: The 5 year old fell off her scooter (because she refused to ride her bike because she wasn't wearing long pants, which she also refused) and skinned her knee. About that time my big kids started racing and arguing for the whole neighborhood to hear, then my hubby turned his bike over. Oh, and there was dog poop on shoes, tracked through the house. And I yelled some. So, yeah, just a normal day with quality family time.
And I was worried y'all might think I was perfect.


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Primstav: About the Symbols - Second Half of Winter SideSubmitted by Pam on Mon, 06/26/2017 - 18:03
Welcome! This is the final post describing the symbols used on my embroidered Primstav. And pretty much my least favorite part of the yearly cycle. The days are short, nights are long, it is cold, cloudy, and wet most of the time, Nothing is blooming. The time between Holiday merriment and the first signs of spring. I make a big deal out of anything I can celebrate!
Primstav: About the Symbols - First Half of Winter SideSubmitted by Pam on Sat, 06/24/2017 - 01:21
October 21: The date our leaves begin to turn in Portland, and are at their peak in the mountains. I marked the day with an aspen tree even though on this side of the mountains, they are rare - too wet.
October 28: St. Simon's Day and the day the sleighs are removed from the sheds to make room for livestock in winter. The day is marked with a sleigh.
Primstav Has Been Completed!Submitted by Pam on Thu, 06/22/2017 - 16:47
My embroidered Primstav is completed and hanging - summer side up!
Thank you to all who have been so patient in waiting for me to complete this project. I have no excuse except that I have become addicted to knitting. lol
Holy Toes and SolesSubmitted by Pam on Mon, 03/13/2017 - 20:21
Why is this happening?? I NEED INPUT PLEASE!!
These are hand knit socks made using pattern suggestions for needle size and yarn. Are hand knit socks known to have a short lifespan? Is that why people knit drawers full - so they don't wear them often? Are they meant to be worn for everyday or only for special occasions or when mostly sitting?
Or is there stuff I don't know yet? Mistakes I am making?
December 8th : Sharing my Completed Fiber NativitySubmitted by Pam on Thu, 12/08/2016 - 19:15
Today is Precepe Day in Italy and along with setting up my small collection of nativities, I added the babe and the manger to my all fiber nativity scene.
Needle felting was the perfect choice for both the babe in swaddling clothes and the manger. Bits of stash yarn in shades of yellow were needle felted to the bottom inside of the manger and then some were untwisted. Very simple and quick!


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Days after making headlines for signing a deal to become a stripper at age 48, former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Staub is now stating she has decided to walk away from the deal; while also seeking treatment for psychological problems stemming from sexual abuse. She also reveals she has dealt with suicidal thoughts.
"I have addictions with love and low self-esteem, and I need help!" Danielle told PEOPLE after nude photos of her stripping at Scores in New York appeared online.
"My low self-esteem derived from childhood sexual abuse has messed with my mind and self-worth, and over the years I thought about getting help but pushed it deep into the depths of denial," says Danielle. "For years I have had the suicide hotline on my cell phone and would like nothing more than to free myself from this constant pressure."
Danielle adds that she has decided to finally get help because she went too far this time around.
The sex tape wasn't going too far? "Seeing how I have hurt myself and my family this time, I can no longer push it behind me."
She goes on to add that she is getting help from Dr. Drew Pinsky and claims she was "coaxed" by her handlers into signing the deal. She however states she accepts responsibility for her actions. "I have to own my mistakes and can't blame others."
Being that this is Danielle after all, it's a bit hard to determine if this is legit or just a publicity stunt. But for the sake of her daughters, here's to hoping it is the real deal and she is indeed seeking the help she badly needs.


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Price from
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- La Paz, Bolivia
- Finish
- La Paz, Bolivia
- Destination
- Bolivia
- Code
- Physical rating
- Traveller's rating
- 1 review
- Ages
- Min 18 , Max 99
- Group size
- Min 1, Max 12
Geckos Adventures is moving to Intrepid Travel
From October 1st, all Geckos tours will be operated by Intrepid Travel, as part of their brand new range for 18 to 29-year-old travellers.Find out more on Intrepid Travel
Why you'll love this trip
If you've ever dreamt of walking on water (well, at least on a lake), this is your chance. Cross the epic white expanse of Bolivia's salt lakes in a 4WD with a local guide
You know those trippy photos of tiny travellers standing on spoons and skateboards? They were probably taken on the Salar de Uyuni. So get snap-happy and start bending some perspectives. Remember, there is no spoon...
Where does a train go when it dies? To a graveyard of course! Pay your respects to the rusty, abandoned trains at Uyuni's eerie Train Cemetery
Step inside a surrealist painting as you explore the rocky Isla Wasi. Rising out of the salt pans and covered with giant cacti, this is not your run-of-the-mill island. It is WAY cooler
Is this trip right for you?
This Extension is a 'join in' group departure, which means you are not accompanied by an Geckos group leader – instead you will have two separate local representatives (one in La Paz and one in Uyuni) – and the configuration of any fellow travellers in the group might change during the trip. You may join likeminded travellers that have booked through other companies and they may be older than 29 years old.
This trip will run with a minimum of one person, so you may be joined by other travellers booked on the same date as you, or you may be on your own.
This trip travels to some remote places, as well as locations at high altitude (La Paz, for example). Due to the thinness of the air, some people can suffer from altitude sickness. Some aren't affected at all, but if you are, be sure to drink plenty of water and don't push yourself too hard. If possible, arrive into Cuzco a few days early to allow yourself time to acclimatise. Please see the 'Health' section of the trip notes for more important information about altitude sickness.
You'll be spending a lot of time in a 4WD crossing some bumpy surfaces. This is the best way to see the sights in and around Uyuni and is all part of the adventure.
In Bolivia (especially in Uyuni), sometimes things don't go to plan. For example, an attraction may be closed for the day with no notice or reason. Although this doesn't happen very often, please be prepared for the possibility.
- Hotel (1 night)
Meals IncludedThere are no meals included on this day.
The remote town of Uyuni sits on the edge of the high altiplano, which extends towards the border with Argentina and Chile. The town was once a distribution hub for trains carrying minerals on their way to Pacific Ocean ports. In the 1940s the mining industry collapsed and many trains were abandoned. Depending on when you arrive into Uyuni, you'll visit a Train Cemetery either today or tomorrow.
Uyuni's salt flats are a 12,000-square-kilometre expanse of perfectly flat salt. Spend a full day exploring the lake by 4WD. Make sure you snap some classic perspective-bending photographs with your group. Discover the cacti and coral-like structures on the rocky island of Isla inca wasi and visit the small town of Colchani, where you'll see how the locals farm and process salt from the Salar.
This evening we'll watch the sun set over the Salar, before heading back to our hotel in Uyuni Town.
- Tonito Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included
- Lunch
Special InformationIf you are travelling between December and April (the wet season), please see the 'Important Notes' section of the trip notes.
If you need additional accommodation in La Paz and/or a transfer into the city, we'd be happy to help. Just have a chat with your booking agent.
At Geckos, we're always looking for ways to improve our trips, and your feedback can really help. It tells us what we're doing right and what improvements could be made to help future travellers choose and enjoy Geckos. At the end of your adventure, it would be great if you could take a few minutes to complete our on-line feedback form. Just go to https://bookings.geckosadventures.com/bookings/en_AU/feedback/. We'd love to hear what you have to say!
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Meals1 breakfast, 1 lunch
Transport4WD vehicle, Mini-van, On foot, Plane
AccommodationHotel (2 nights)
Our A Pinch of Uyuni- Extension trips score an average of 5 out of 5 based on 1 review in the last year.
A pinch of Uyuni - Extension, September 2018
Michael Kercselics
Our trip was awesome! An unforgettable experience. If you're lucky enough to get Seb as your guide you are in for one hell of a time!
Review submitted 03 Sep 2018
Dates & availability
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There are currently no scheduled departures before October 1st on our A Pinch of Uyuni- Extension trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.
Jump to a departure month
Travelling after October 1st?
Our sister company Intrepid Travel has just launched a new range of adventures for 18 to 29-year-olds. Same small group size, same awesome local leaders, different logos on the t-shirts.
From October 1st, Intrepid 18 to 29s will be your go-to spot for small group adventures with people your own age.
Important notes
This Extension trip is a 'join in' group departure, which means you are not accompanied by an Geckos group leader – instead you will have two separate local representatives (one in La Paz and one in Uyuni) – and the configuration of any fellow travellers in the group might change during the trip. You may join likeminded travellers that have booked through other companies and they may be older than 29 years old.
This trip will run with a minimum of one person, so you may be joined by other travellers booked on the same date as you, or you may be on your own. The vehicles used are normally Toyota Land Cruisers and they can take up to six passengers plus the driver.
Important: This trip ends at the airport upon arrival from Uyuni on day 3.
If you are booking a departure flight from La Paz for the last day please ensure it's no earlier than 2pm. Alternatively if you wish to fly out earlier please check with us within 30 days from departure and we can advise you what time your flight from Uyuni is due to arrive in La Paz.
We recommend booking a transfer from La Paz airport to town on the final day and an additional night in La Paz. We would be happy book this for you, please speak with your travel agent.
Full passport details are required at the time of booking in order to purchase Entrance fees to certain sites. Additionally on certain trips it's needed to book bus, train or flight tickets. Delays to provide this information may result in booking fees or changes to your itinerary.
Please refer to the 'Itinerary disclaimer' section of the Essential trip information' for more information on possible itinerary alternations.
Nationals from the United States need a visa to enter Bolivia and you we highly recommend you obtain this visa in advance from your nearest Bolivian consulate or Embassy. Not obtaining the visa in advance is likely to cause long delays at the border.
Please see the visa information on these trip notes for more information.


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The Mommy Track Turns 21
Why it no longer deserves a bad rap from feminists.
The "mommy track" turned 21 this month. Should we celebrate or rue its coming of age?
The term stems from "Management Women and the New Facts of Life," an article byFelice N. Schwartz in the January-February 1989 issue of Harvard Business Review. She warned that companies were losing many talented women due to their inflexible working conditions. Her solution: Divide employees into two groups, one in which career is paramount and the other in which it's the balancing of career andfamily that's most important. The first group gets the fast track, the second gets part-time and flexible schedules, shared jobs, telecommuting, and even the possibility of leaving work altogether and returning years later. Schwartz didn't actually use the words "mommy track," but several months earlier, and then after her article ran, the New York Times used the phrase to describe her idea. *And then the feminists pounced. Betty Friedan attacked Schwartz's ideas as a "dangerous" kind of "retrofeminism." "The so-called Mommy Track is really the Mommy Trap," she declared. Ellen Goodman worried that Schwartz had created a "mommy trough," a type of "ghettoized second-class job" for women.
I was 19 when Schwartz's article was published, and I didn't bother to read it. I was busy finishing college and preparing to enter Harvard Law School, where my female classmates and I would join forces and march off together to become judges, public policy leaders, and partners in high-powered law firms. We would not be on any mommy track.
For the next decade, I stuck with this plan: I was a Law Review editor, federal appellate clerk, and a litigation associate at the Washington, D.C., firm Williams & Connolly. I shifted to the corporate ladder and continued the climb with a stint at McKinsey & Co. and then as co-founder and president of a dot-com-turned-software company with more than 200 employees.
At 32, I had a baby. The same month, in the midst of the high-tech implosion, a bigger company bought mine. It seemed a perfect time for a short sabbatical. Inertia took over, one month turned to one year, and I became pregnant again—hardly the right time to go back to work.
My 10-year law school reunion fell when I was six months into my second pregnancy. I found myself rehearsing in front of a mirror a witty remark about being CEO of my household. I expected a bad-sit-com scene with the other women in my class as legal superstars and me as the lone stay-at-home mom. "They're all going to be saying I just made partner, I just got tenure," I lamented to my husband. But they didn't.At the end of the reunion evening, my classmates and I compared notes and discovered that only one woman (of the 30 or so in attendance) was still a full-time practicing attorney. "Is our whole class on the mommy track?" I wondered, a little relieved.
When I told my mom about the reunion, she had a different question: "I guess we're not the only ones who wasted a hundred thousand dollars in tuition, then?" Although her comment was punctuated by a good-natured chuckle, I couldn't laugh it off. She and my dad had moved to Baltimore from Korea, working 16-hour days in a tiny, vaultlike grocery store protected by bullet-proof glass, skimping and saving for my tuition. Had I squandered my parents' years of sacrifice?
My guilt was perfectly timed for the furor caused by Lisa Belkin's article, "The Opt-Out Revolution," published several months after my reunion in October 2003 in the New York Times Magazine.Belkin, in case you've forgotten, described eight "elite, successful women" living in Atlanta—all Princeton graduates, some with MBAs and J.D.s, who decided they'd rather take care of their children than stay in their demanding jobs. She asked: "Why don't women run the world? Maybe it's because they don't want to." The backlash was intense. Writer and researcher E.J. Graff called the opt-out story a "myth" that failed to acknowledge that women are being "pushed out" by inflexible working conditions. Heather Bushey, an economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, "debunk[ed this] myth" with data showing that "women are not increasingly dropping out of the labor force because of their kids" but because of the "lackluster labor market."
I didn't want to be an anti-feminist opt-out revolutionary; I wanted to follow Linda Hirshman's advice to "GET TO WORK." As soon as my second baby turned 1, I started planning to launch a new business. A few months from the start date, one of my children became ill with a constellation of symptoms that no one knew exactly how to treat. I abandoned my plans and spent the next five years on what I called the "doctor mom track," spending my days doing medical research, trying new treatments and appealing rejected insurance claims.
Last year, my child was pronounced completely healthy. We had another baby. Savoring the normalness, I embraced the title of "just a mom to three boys." I still wanted to go back to work, but this time, I was ready to seek out the classic flextime "mommy track" job I had once scoffed at.
Curious about how my classmates were managing this tricky business of work-life balance, I conducted a little homespun survey of the 226 women in my law-school class. More than 90 percent of them responded. The responses I got varied by employment status. The full-time lawyers typically e-mailed me back right away in 20 words or less. As in, "I'm a full-time lawyer, but I don't have any children. Good luck." My stay-at-home classmates took longer to respond and wrote longer e-mails. A condensed example: "I never imagined not having a career, and certainly never would have dreamed of 'sinking so low' as to be 'just a SAHM.' So my ego took a bit of a beating, but traps to happiness come in different disguises." The classmates with mommy-track jobs responded at around 50 words. What they described wasn't Friedan's feminist nightmare: "I work part-time mostly from home. But I wouldn't say I have a 'mommy track' job. I'd say I have an interesting, innovative, flexible work arrangement I've managed to negotiate based on my considerable client base."
According to my survey, the majority of the women of the class of 1993 of Harvard Law School have left the fast track. Thirty percent of the respondents have mommy track jobs, with 21 percent working part-time and 9 percent working full-time with special arrangements like job-sharing and working nonconventional hours. Another 30 percent of the respondents stay at home, most having "off-ramped" with the expectation of going back to work when their children are older.
The "mommy track" was renounced at birth for sanctioning boring flextime jobs with low plaster ceilings. But some of my not-fast-track classmates are using their clout and influence to create prestigious roles. A senior partner who brought many clients to her law firm, for example, now works 15 to 40 hours per week, mainly out of her home and on her own schedule, depending on her clients' needs and her children's schedules. The author of a best-selling book on negotiations launched her own conflict resolution firm with about 15 attorneys and consultants. She works from home during school hours and after bedtime and takes July and August off "so that I'm here all the time when the kids aren't in school."
At the moment, only a few, privileged women occupy such a space. Could a larger, broader set join them? If the answer is yes, it's because the mommy track isn't just for mommies anymore. Several of my classmates who chose flextime jobs for work-life balance do not have children. Eight others who work full-time have husbands who stay at home or work part-time. A 2005 Fortune study found that 84 percent of Fortune 500 male executives surveyed wanted flexible job options to give them more time for things outside of work. More recently, a group of companies found in a survey that overwhelming majorities of Generation Y and Baby Boomers – both men and women—view flexible work options and work-life balance as important and want to work remotely and take sabbaticals.
In other words, the line between the fast-track and the mommy-track is blurring. An example: 20 of my classmates working full-time (including 12 professors) said that although they have no special arrangements with their employers, they feel free to work from home or leave early to pick up their children. The language of the mommy track—flexibility, balance—is infiltrating more and more jobs and replacing traditional work values—long hours, face time—as the new workplace ideal.
Maybe herein lies the future. A Time cover story last year proclaimed "We're Getting Off the Ladder" and unveiled a new "corporate lattice" model with flexibility at its core. Maria Shriver's A Woman's Nation Report noted that Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Raytheon, and Intel are among the companies that are offering flex-time arrangements, not just to parents. A Business Week cover story reported on a program for all employees at Best Buy's headquarters to work wherever they want, whenever they want, as long as they get their work done, "like TiVo for your work." There are hard-nosed business reasons for such a move: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's flex program, for example, began as a measure for mothers but is being rolled out to all employees in May because of the benefits in employee loyalty and the savings ($41.5 million in 2003 alone).
To be sure, flexibility won't work in every field or job. But we've hardly maxed out on the ones in which it could. Many of us want to work less than 45 or 50 hours a week, on our own time, with our bosses trusting us to live up to expectations. The mommy track needn't be the dull fate feminists predicted—and, increasingly, it's not. Now all it needs is a new and better name. The sanity track, anyone?
Correction, April 1, 2010: This sentence originally stated that the NYT coined the phrase two months after Schwartz's article. An NYT article from August 1988 also uses the term. (Return to the corrected sentence.)
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Skip to comments.Gangs need gun control, not the law abiding gun owners
Posted on 01/15/2013 7:06:16 PM PST by doug from upland
My goal is to shed some light on a area of violent crimes that is going unnoticed during the media coverage on gun control. That light should shine on the gangs and gang members operating their illegal businesses in the United States and across its borders. They use guns and violence in protecting and conducting these illegal businesses which are in the multiple billions of dollars a year.
Some people have suggested that the solution for guns is to control them and to prohibit guns shows. Controlling guns for gun safety makes sense, but prohibiting gun sales, specifically at gun shows isn't the answer.
Private sales will continue to sell guns, and the gun prices might escalate, and the gun buyers may be even more sinister than those at the gun shows.
While the people and the congress in the United States are debating, and commenting on Gun Control, there is no talk about how absurd is the criminal laws.
Case in point:
A Georgia Man has been sentenced to four years in prison followed by six years probation for his crime.
With the overcrowding in the prisons today, it seems kind of absurd to put this man in prison. There were no other details in the news on this story, but it hardly seems to warrant this kind of prison term. Especially if this was his only encounter with the law. His intent was not really criminal, it was maybe a misguided attempt at love.
In order for the law to be useful and effective, it has to make sense. Four years in prison seems very harsh for this act. I am sure that heinous crimes have been plea bargained for much less prison time, and maybe just put on probation.
Shouldn't criminal justice system prioritize their punishment based on the scale of the criminal intent, and the damages resulting from the crime?
In California, the courts are forcing the prisons to early release felons due to overcrowding. Now shouldn't we reserve the prisons for the most dangerous felons?
The Colorado shooting in the movie theater during the showing of the new Batman movie, and then recently the Newtown shooting in the elementary school have stirred the people in the US to demand that congress find a solution.
There is no real protection against the random acts of violence such as these two tragedies. Taking or restricting guns from law abiding citizens is not the answer to this grave problem. This is not the root cause of the problem which is violent and deadly crimes committed with guns and rifles.
If we want to protect our children, then there is more to the problem than guns.
The root goes to the criminal activity of the gangs in this country that sell drugs, and other outlawed things. There are over one million four hundred thousand gang members in the US today. They make money by selling products that are illegal, and they protect their territories and business using violence and deadly weapons
This is the underlying virus in the US that needs to be stopped. Illegal drugs are just one of the problems that need to be solved. These drugs hurt children everyday without firing a gun. These drugs are not forced upon the children, but the children want them. So do the young adults, and a whole slice of the community.
If we could stop the gang activity, then the source of the illegal drugs would be significantly reduced. This would be more effective than a stricter gun control. Remember, these gangs deal in anything that is illegal, or prohibited by the government.
So going after the gang affects the roots, and it is their business that will die instead of innocent people. Will this stop the random acts of violence like the ones in Colorado and Connecticut, the answer is no. But it will make the country safer.
The real problem with illegal drugs is the same as with tobacco the people using them really want them. The gangs just provide the means for them to get them. So the other root problem to be solved is how to get these people and children from wanting to use these drugs.
So how do we stop:
Laws, prisons, and jails are not the answer because the prisons and the jail have a gang population. These jailed gang members can even operate from behind the bars.
I don't know the answer, but I do know that whatever we are doing to combat them today is not working effectively.
The gangs are here from many countries, and there are gangs in each of the 50 states. It is not like there isn't a police and FBI gang task force, it is just that they are outnumbered and outgunned. These gangs also know how to use the law for their own purposes.
The NDIC collects data through a survey on National Drug Threats, also from the State Correctional Facilities, and Bureau of prisons as well as the NGIC law enforcement partners.
It is the NDIC survey that is the source of date to estimate the nationwide number of street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The US Department of Justice uses this data to reduce violent crimes. It covers data from federal, state, local, and even Indian tribal law enforcement as well as correction agencies..This data also is used to discover trends and issues on gangs and their crimes.
This data even includes information about the prison gangs from the US Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In 2005 to support law enforcement the NGIC was created by the US Congress. There are a number of federal agencies in the NGIC to become the center of resources for intelligence about gang information.
These agencies have access to a large gang information base including Signs, Tattoos, and Symbols..There are street gangs, prison gangs, motorcycle gangs, and neighborhood gangs.
There are two kinds of motorcycle gangs:
OMGs have approximately 44,000 members nationwide in about 3,000 gangs, and this number is increasing every year.
There are five regions across the US gathering this data.
Criminal activities by gangs have increased trends in 2011. New members are being recruited across the country causing an expansion of criminal street gangs. These gangs are mostly involved in illegal drug sales.Gangs pose a continuing and increasing nationwide community threat.
There are many networks of criminal gangs that are sophisticated but use violence to protect their criminal business. The gangs are becoming more intelligent, and they use new technology for their criminal activities.
The United States has more than thirty three thousand gangs with an approximate membership total of one million four hundred thousand members. While the West and Great Lakes have the most gang members, there is significant increases in the South and North East regions. The gangs are active in all fifty states in the US. In 2009 the number of gang members was around one million. So the expansion is significant, and this should alarm you to public.
Violent crimes in most of the jurisdictions are committed by gang members according to the NGIC. They estimate it to be about forty eight percent of the crimes, and higher in some places. As high as ninety percent in states like California, Illinois, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Colorado. The most violent crimes are in my part of California, that is the southern part. Florida and Texas are also the venue of the most violent crimes. These three states also have a large number of gang members.
It should be obvious by the large gang member population in the prisons and jails in these states that gangs are the root cause of most of the violent crimes. These gang roots and not the NRA or the law abiding citizens with gun ownership are the real problem that needs to be solved.
Law enforcement have reported an increase in violent crimes by the gangs over resulting from their drug distribution and trafficking. These violent crimes are being committed along the Southwest border area of the US, they include kidnappings, assaults, robberies and homicides. Drug distribution is a big and lucrative gang business, and many of their crimes are in the course of protecting their business.Their tendency is to become more into large scale drug movement. This covers more area an results in increases in violent crimes.
As law enforcement catch and jail the older gang criminals, the gangs recruit juveniles to replace them. Juvenile gangs in a number of states account for the majority of crimes in those areas.
Gangs are networking and going national even to some other countries. In California gangs are working with rival gangs to increase their criminal activities. Gangs are getting smarter in an effort to make it tougher for law enforcement by adopting new methods of operations. They even monitor and target law enforcement to keep one step ahead of them.
Gangs are expanding across the ethnic bases of Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Asian and Eurasian.Gangs are going non traditional using many affiliations which become difficult to track. The difficulty is because they are transient and evolving all the time, including national rather than local symbols. They are also referred to as Hybrid gangs as they have multiple ethnicity, and mixed gender. These gangs are in about twenty five or more states.
Besides drugs, the business of the gangs across the country include human trafficking, prostitution, including child prostitution
Law enforcement officials from around the country are noticing a connection between the cartels and gangs based in the US. Moving through the Southwest border corridor controlled by the drug cartels comes with a fee. So human cargo going through those corridors must pay the cartels a fee, typically twelve hundred to double that if the aliens are from Mexico. It is even higher if they are from other countries.This human trafficking fee totals a billion dollars a year for the cartels.
In the United States about 20,000 people get trafficked in each year.Globally we are looking at over twelve million people forced for labor and prostitution, of that there are over one million children worldwide.
From Mexico most drugs a smuggled across the US-Mexican border. These shipments are protected by using lethal force if necessary. They are referred to a MDTOs for Mexican Drug Trafficking Operations.Drugs that are trafficked include heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. These MDTOs work regularly with gangs, including street, and prison gangs.
It is believed that the color green or money is overriding the racial color rivalry. Money appears to be stronger than the racial differences to these drug traffickers.The Southwest border of the US that the MDTOs have their smuggling operations are protected by the MDTOs using street and prison gangs.The US citizen gang members are being used to get passed the scrutiny of the law enforcement at the US-Mexico border.
These drug operations use gangs to protect the MTDOs business. These gangs do a variety of criminal activities to support the MDTO business. This includes killing rivals, transporting Weapons.
Drug trafficking operations today are going high tech, and they use Wireless Internet, and Voice over the Internet making them more efficient and better communication between the DTOs and the gangs.
Remember that unlike the 1920s Mafia Era, today there are many heads of the crime waves. The tactics used by the FBI against the Mafia has only a marginal effect on these many different war lord gangsters.
And lets not forget that today we have to deal with extreme terrorists, and they are not interested in financial gain. Their goal is to kill and scare as many people they see as infidels. The product of the drug traffickers operations is making them wealthy, but the product of the terrorists is to take over the United States and get rid of the republic for which it stands.
So you think the solution for the gang problem is to catch them in their criminal acts and convict them so they go to prison.
The federal and state prisons have about 230,000 gang members in them. The gang members don't become individual prisoners there, they immediately join a prison gang. This gives these gang members protection from the prisoners from the other gangs.
These gangs have enough presence in the prisons and jails to pretty much let them run the facility. Gang wars and rivalry continue behind the prison walls. Business for these gang members can continue even when they are behind bars as they can control and influence the gangs on the street.
The family of these gang prisoners can become involved in gang activity to benefit the gang. Family and other people can provide the communication between the incarcerated gang member and those still free on the streets. The prisoners are even using cell phones and smartphones smuggled from the outside to continue unmonitored communications with their outside gang members.If the gang prisoner wants to have some one on the outside killed, they need only dial their buddies from these contraband phones.
Gang members in prison are given great respect by the want to be gang members on the outside. These members are like recruiting icons for getting new members into the gang.
Gang members have even infiltrated correctional facilities and law enforcement. This creates multiple problems for the law enforcement. These infiltrators can commit crimes and help the gangs while being above suspicion and without being monitored. Gang members then have an inside view of what law enforcement is doing and they can use that information to assist the gangs by compromising or corrupting the judicial, correctional staff, or law enforcement.
.Even the Native Indians have gangs, and they are increasing in numbers not only on the reservations, but in the prison system. Some of the Indian Reservations are close the US - Mexican Border and that makes it easier to get the drugs across the border.The activities of these Native Indians is not confined to their Indian Reservations.Marijuana is a very lucrative product for these Native Indian gains, and they form partnerships without other non Indian gangs.
You would think that the United States Military would do a great job of checking out their personnel, but the fact is there are gang member infiltrations into domestic and international military installations. Active military personnel are being targeted by the gangs for recruitment into their gangs.
These gang infiltrations pose a security threat to the military, and any military training on combat and military weapons can be used by the gangs. The military has gangs in all its branches, with most of them with the US Army and National Guard. While gang signs and tattoos are easy to spot, there are those gang members that are young enough not to have them. They even make sure not to get them or anything that might hint that they are gang members.
There are four states on the northern border of Mexico:
This is the border that gets most of its attention about Illegal Aliens and how they get into the US across this border. Not to many people pay attention to the Illegal Alien problem in this country as the liberals support this infiltration of the country. They even support giving the rights and status of US citizenship. In Los Angeles California the local government is even issuing the illegal aliens driver licenses. These illegal aliens can even vote in our US elections because their are no validations of those voting in the elections.
The real threat to the US Southwestern Border is not the Illegal Alien but the criminal activities of the gangs. Yet, the red herring of illegal aliens is all that is discussed by the media and the politicians. It is interesting that no even 911 gave much concern about protecting our borders from the terrorists. Again, it was over shadowed by the illegal alien issue.
Slowly, but I am not sure on how quickly the 2000 miles US Southwestern Border is being walled up. It is interesting that Mexico has a very strict gun control policy, yet the Mexican cartels run a lot of Mexico, especially the area by the US Border. These cartel gangs outnumber and outgun the US Border Patrol. The cartels use the latest military grade automatic weapons while the US Border Patrol doesn't have these kinds of weapons issued to them..
So the cartels pretty much use the US Southwestern Border as their crime highway. It is difficult for the Department of Justice to get really accurate numbers for the number of gangs and gang members in any one jurisdiction, but they know they have presence there.In addition, they also know that the drug activity in many areas are increasing each year.The Southwest Border Region of the US has also seen increased violence and gang activity.
The East and the Pacific US Canada border areas are used by the gangs to transport their illegal products. These illegal products include firearms, and of course drugs, aliens and even cigarettes. Money made in the US by the gangs illegal enterprises are trafficked into Canada.
You don't hear much about the Canadian Border and any law enforcement problems because the spotlight in the news is the Mexican Border. The fact is that both borders are being used by multinational gangs for an assortment of illegal activity.
In my opinion, it is the ultimate customer of these illegal products that is the root cause of the problem. That problem is crime, and especially violent crimes. Billions of dollars a year are going into the gangs and it is certainly not being divulged on any ones income tax filing. The feds got Al Capone on tax invasion, but today we have a more global gang with more savvy then the single Mafia organization. By the way, the feds didn't stop the Capone industry they stopped Capone. And not for his crimes of doing illegal business, but for not reporting his illegal gains.
All of the benefits of the high tech world we have today is at the disposal of the gangs, and I would assume the terrorists as well. Like fire the technology that exists can be used for good or bad. A fire can cook your food, but an arsonist can use it to burn down a building.
Today law enforcement cannot simply tap a phone to find out what the bad guys are doing today. The Internet is the new fire, it can be used for good, or it can be used further criminal activity and make criminal operations more successful.
In the movies we see spies use the technology to avoid being caught, and to accomplish their goal.This is no different than the gangs, as they use the same plan. Cell phones can be tracked and traced, but gangs use prepaid throwaway cell phones.They also use the Internet, and even the social media. They can use it to recruit new members or intimidate others. The Internet can be their discreet global communication method, and it is difficult for law enforcement to track them or trace them. So when you are on Facebook, and Twitter, you are not alone.
Don't forget about Identity theft using the Internet, phising schemes and hacking computers. Even the US Military Computers have been hacked, so how protected are we on the Internet. Many other criminals besides the gangs use the Internet for their criminal goals. But for this hub let us just mention that the gangs can also use it for recruiting new members. When people talk about the violence on TV and the Movies and Video Games they should also think of the gangs creating many of these scenarios to draw in new members.
The point here is that the new fire is high technology, and the show case of the high technology is the Internet.
Cyber presence and cyber crimes are hard to find and harder to stop. In my opinion, the spread of biological disease and viruses were made global by the invention and perfection of the Jet Plane. These disease could be spread in hours or days because of the speed of the jet plane.
Now Cyber Viruses can happen in seconds all around the world. We have been forced to rely on companies specializing in finding and removing cyber viruses, but the battle is in favor of the virus. There is a parallel of the virus and virus fighters in the tank versus the tank killer.
As the tanks become more immune to the tank killers, the tank killers find new ways to kill the tanks. This in turn makes that tank makers find ways to make them immune again. This is a revolving process that has been in play for about one hundred years. The Internet and the high technology is only several decades old.
The problem with the Internet is it was built on ancient technology and it unfortunately took hold before it could be built on a better foundation. It was paralleled with computers that were created using DOS, the ancient Disk Operating System. Windows was built on DOS, and for many generations it was DOS with a pretty shell. The lineage of DOS still exists even in the latest Windows Operating System for allowing old programs to live in the new world.
This of course is an over simplification of the technology history but the Internet is history in motion. While time travel is not possible, the Internet is a form of time travel.
The point is that we need to come up with a better more secure Internet to protect the good, while still being able to stop the bad. This is a concept of the weakest link in the chain. Right now one of the weakest links is the old protocols like TCP/IP. These protocols were created when Modem Speeds were in the very low Kilo bits per second. The biggest protection today is also the biggest problem and that is encryption. However, as computers become super computers at the street level, these encryption schemes can be broken. So those that have the money can get the tools to break the encryption. Gangs and foreign powers have these tools.
This would be the subject of a new hub.
The gangs use these firearms against:
What types of weapons are possessed and used by the gangs?
How do the Gangs get these Weapons and Equipment?
Note: The gun control supporters would use this information to validate taking the guns from law abiding gun owners so they couldn't be stolen from them by the thieves. But using that same logic we would stop selling cars because they are stolen for use in other crimes like robbery. These stolen vehicles cannot be traced to the criminals who are using them in more serious crimes. So it seems to make sense to limit the guns, but then it also makes sense to limit the vehicles. No, it really doesn't make sense.
A well researched and written essay Doug. However, I believe that Hollywood and the internet war games deserve quite a bit of blame, especially for their influence on younger males with access to weapons.
I just don't know how much affect video games can have.
If we want to get serious, we do not need one more laws. We need to have an all out war on gangs. Do not let them congregate. Three strikes in federal crimes. Put them behind electrified barbed wire in the Arizona desert and feed them baloney sandwiches.
Every gang member is a potential democrat, got to be nice to them!
Now you're talking absolute common sense!!!
Very good...thanks!
Now git your butt across MY new border and re-lo-cate, will ya?
Working on some new business interests. If they pan out, they will be lucrative and I will have to stay here.
WHen drugs were legal in pre WW II hawaii, there was no drug related crime. The Volstead Act attempted to outlaw alcohol. It failed.
The War on Drugs attempts to outlaw drugs. It has been a total failure.
See the pattern?
First, excellent post. You put a lot of work into that and it shows. I agree with your take on video games also. However, I do have a problem with three strikes. I am a simple man. One strike does it for me for certain crimes. Three strikes is creeping liberalism that basically says to criminals after their first offense that they have two more offenses. Then they know the prisons will be full and get out anyway.
Combatting crime is an integral component of all violence in America, not just gun violence. Real consequences for real crimes are needed. Our prisons need to be reformed to punish in a humane manner instead of being places to learn to be come a better criminal. Once a man goes to prison he should never want to go there again. One strike is enough.
The article was not my work. I just commented.
My bad. I have seen your posts and you are very thoughtful. I thought it was you.
Thanks for the kind words. :)
There's QUILT stores here!!!!!!!
I'll contact She Who Quilts and work on her! ;)
The gangs need to be treated like any other terrorist group. They should be declared terrorist organizations and simple membership should be a criminal offense.
Any gang should be held responsible for any crimes committed by its individual members, and any violent crimes committed by gang members should be treated with "hate crime" status.
Just like happened in Australia, they should create a prison island, where murdering gang members can be exiled and forced to fend for themselves, as they fight each other to the death.
Conservatives and supporters of the 2nd amendment the Obama regime is using the 2nd amendment argument to blame gun owners for its inability to deal with the hundreds of gangland murders and shootings commited in areas under their solid control using illegally obtained firearms. Their solution to those inner city problems is to remove those rights provided by the constitution to have and bear arms from all US citizens.
None of those 19 so called "reforms" and unconstitutional efforts being edicted by who some call an emporer do not deal with the following issues briefly outlined below . They won't because instead of creating a uniformly democratic society where every citizen has an equal voice no matter what their race or ethnicity.
Their policies have grouped races and ethnic groups by gerrymandering congressional districts where much of this criminal activity occurs. GOPES {goverment of the people (republican party) elites} see this issue as a 3rd rail because most of it is black on black or illegal vs illegal (Mexican) activity . GOPES are also afraid to say that policy may have also increased racial tension but again GOPES accept this because of the influence of mainline socialist media which would be accusing them of "racism" if they dare to question it.
I suggest they try out their new gun laws on gangs first. Let us know how it works out.
I do not understand why Obama, Biden, et al do not go right to the root of the problem and simply outlaw all crime. That would be about effective as more gun laws. These people are to naive and clueless...
95% of the population doesn't get your point.
It is just sickening what constitutes public discourse.
if those morons in washington think they can control 300 million guns well
that is like believing a 3000 page bill no one read would reduced health costs.
if swat teams would have been used the way they were sold to the public, there'd be a lot less gangs and thugs running around. sadly they are not used for their declared purpose and because of that, here we are.
Good article, dfu. Thanks.
We declared a "War on Poverty" - and destroyed our society and created more poverty.
We declared a "War on Drugs" - and destroyed our society and created more drug criminals.
We declared a "War on Terror" - and destroyed our society and created more terrorist actions.
In each case the supposed focus was used as the target of the actions, yet most of the results swept up mainly law-abiding citizens caught in the web of poorly cast regulations.
"Gun Control" is nothing to do with Guns - it is all about CONTROL.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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You see the following error and message when you use Xbox on Windows apps:
Can't perform the requested action due to a temporary server error
This might mean that your device doesn't have a wireless network connection, or it can't connect to the Internet.
To resolve this problem, try the following solutions.
Solution 1: Make sure you have a connection to the Internet
To check your network connection:
If you don't have a network connection, here's how to find one:
Solution 2: Check your router and password
Solution 3: Check your router configuration
Solution 4: Check for updates and update your computer
After you connect to Wi-Fi or the Internet again, check for any high-priority updates by going to Microsoft Update Center. The Windows Update screen will give you an update status and prompt you through any important updates. After you successfully update, try again. If your computer is already up to date or an update doesn't resolve this problem, try the steps in this article.
Solution 5: Contact Xbox Support
If you keep experiencing the problem, contact Xbox Support.
Repair or warranty questions? See Xbox 360 repair: Frequently asked questions.
Thanks for your feedback!
Provide feedback for this topic
Would you like to contact Support regarding the "Error c00d134c or x0c00d134c occurs when you use Xbox on Windows apps" issue you were reading about or a different issue?


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1 Total
Nick Rhee
Principal Radar Engineer - SAR/RadarTimestamp: 2015-12-26
Active TS/SCI
SEDB, crest SIGINT, RTRG/Afghanistan, intelink sigint, enhanced prophet SIGINT, "Agent Logic", Never Shake A Baby SIGINT, RC/10, Global Vision SIGINT, Panopticon SIGINT, oneroof sigint, SHARKFIN SIGINT, SHARKFIN COMINT, SIGINT directorate, "Kingfishers Systems", "Grey Hawk Systems", Engility TASC, Endeca SIGINT, "Buchanan & Edwards", "Global Strategy Group", "HTA Security", "Colding Technologies", "Intelliware", IMTS SIGINT, "iGuardian", Mantech SIGINT, "HTA Technology", "Booz Allen Hamilton" SIGINT, SIGINT intercept
Principal Radar EngineerStart Date: 2013-05-01
Synthetic Aperture Radar (Dual/Quad/Compact Polarimetric applications): Signal Processing, Posteriori Quad/Dual Polarimetric SAR imagery Calibration Algorithms Development, Polarimetric Target Decomposition Algorithms (Freeman Durden, H/A/alpha, Yamaguchi, NNED), Terrain Classification Algorithms development. Radar Signal Processing, Target detection /feature extraction estimation algorithms. Multiple Moving Target tracking algorithms (KALMAN filters, IMM, EKF, PDAIMM, JPDA) design, implementation, and tuning. Simulations of highly maneuvering target tracks detected by sensors, Performance analysis of target tracking algorithms.


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Institutional Review Board
Claremont McKenna College maintains an Institutional Review Board (IRB), as mandated by Federal Law, in order to ensure that researchers who are part of the CMC community protect the dignity, privacy, and safety of the participants they recruit for their research. In addition, the IRB serves to protect the dignity, privacy, and safety of everyone in the CMC community when they choose to participate in research.
If you are doing research that involves working with living human beings, you may need to get permission from the IRB before you begin. Research that involves interviewing other people, distributing surveys, conducting experiments on people, or even observing particular people in their daily lives is normally what we call "research on human subjects," and all such research requires some level of approval from the IRB.
Please see the "Policies" section of this web site to determine whether you need to apply for IRB approval of your research. This website will help you determine whether your research qualifies as research on human subjects, get answers to frequently asked questions, and submit electronic web applications and forms.
The IRB application process
Once you determine that your research needs IRB approval you should take the following steps:
- Training for research with human participants. Read the Belmont Report and complete the National Institute of Health (NIH) training for protecting human research participants.
- Research summary. A summary of the proposed research must be submitted as an attachment to the application web form. A template for the research summary can be found here. Note that in this summary you must clearly describe whether the information you collect will be anonymous or confidential. A clear differentiation of the two can be found here.
- Informed consent. Before participating in research it is important that participants are aware of the objectives of the research, the procedures to be followed, the associated risks, and the potential benefits. More detailed information about informed consent policies at CMC can be found on our policies page and you can follow this link for a Consent Form Example.
- Application form. You can submit materials for IRB applications, addendums, renewals and exemption using the web interface on our forms page. Please make sure to attach your research summary, informed consent and any additional materials.
- Review. IRB applications will initially be reviewed by the IRB coordinator. Exempt and expedited applications are reviewed by the IRB chair or a committee member. If an application requires a full board review (see policies), the committee must be convened to review the application. The timetable for this process is dependent on the level of review required.
- Approval. If an IRB application is approved the principle investigator will be notified by email.
- Additional steps for survey research. If your research entails administering surveys to any CMC sample you will need to obtain permission from the appropriate Vice President as outlined by the CMC survey policy.


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NASCAR MONTREAL 2012: Sitting pretty In her first full year of stock-car racing, NASCAR's Danica Patrick is giving it her all
Mike Harris
No matter what racetrack Danica Patrick shows up at, she is a headliner. Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is certainly no exception.
The premier woman in all of auto racing will be a focal point in Saturday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 race. But will she be a serious contender for a win, which would be her first in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 43 starts over three seasons?
The 30-year-old glamour girl of racing has stepped away from the IndyCar Series, where she built her fame, to finally give stock cars her total attention this season. It has been a difficult and sometimes humbling experience. Last Saturday (Aug. 11) at Watkins Glen, for example, she had the shortest race of her NASCAR career when her car was damaged after a collision in the first turn. As a result, she moved from 10th to 11th place in the points race. But Patrick, who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide team, is prepared to take on yet another tough road circuit — the one on Îsle Notre Dame.
"Learning curves are individual to the driver and the person," Patrick said during a press conference at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month. "I can't tell you whether it's good or bad, but it's mine. I'm definitely getting better overall.
"My pace on the weekend is getting better every week. I remember hoping that I'd be in the top 20 in practice and now I'm in the top 10 and hoping I can be in the top five or quickest. Practice is getting much better. Qualifying is getting much better, which helps a lot for the race."
Patrick said moving from the small, quick open-wheel cars to 3,500-pound stock cars has been challenging.
"I think we're just seeing transition from a car that's comfortable for me, to a car that I deal with for a little while so that I can be fast throughout the whole run instead of the beginning or the end of it," she noted. "Things are definitely improving."
Longtime NASCAR star Elliott Sadler, current points leader in the Nationwide Series, likes the way Patrick is going about the business of learning to race in NASCAR.
"This is her first (full) year," Sadler said during an interview. "It's tough, man. I think sometimes the media gets lost on how hard this racing is. They don't give her enough credit.
"She's doing a whale of a job. She's going to go through some learning curves. We all have. Hers are magnified a little bit more because of who she is and the name that she had coming in. But, honestly, I think she's doing just fine."
Patrick is looking forward to the Montreal race with great anticipation after her performance here last year.
On paper, it doesn't look like a very good race. She started 25th and finished 24th. But Patrick, who also raced here in Formula Atlantic before starting her IndyCar career, said there was a lot to take away from the experience and build on this year.
"I went to Montreal last year and I felt relatively lost in practice," she explained. "The race wasn't so bad. The brakes went with 20 (laps) to go. They found a small leak.
"I remember at the very end, after I'd lost the brakes, I had been sitting in the pits for what felt like forever while they put in new brakes. I thought: 'Shoot, I must be a lap or two down.' Then (crew chief) Tony (Eury Jr.) told me I was still on the lead lap and I thought: 'Let's get it on.'
"I was 25th or 24th or something and I feel like I passed 15 cars in the first couple of laps. So that was fun. That's fun racing. I'm really looking forward to getting out there again."
Another positive for Patrick is her performance earlier this summer in the race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., where she started 10th and finished a very competitive 12th.
"Road America went a lot better and I feel very at ease with going to a road course because I've done so much road racing," she said. "`I feel like it's exciting in a stock car because the cars, performance-wise, are not an IndyCar.
"They need a lot more distance to stop, they take a while to get around the corner. You've got to be careful putting the power down and they're not as fast. So, when you lengthen brake zones out, it allows real opportunities for passing.
"That's what fans want to see and that's what I want to do, too."
However her race in Montreal unfolds, one thing is certain: everyone will be watching.
08/16/12 16:47 2012


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It's something of a voluntary rolling blackout: Communities around the globe are going dark for an hour on Saturday evening as part of an initiative called "Earth Hour," to raise awareness of climate change.
In more than 7,000 cities and towns across the planet, millions of residents are turning off their lights for an hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time to show their environmental concern.
Here are some photos of "Earth Hour" observances.


text:
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Say Hello in the Hebrew Language
Did You Know You Were Speaking Hebrew?
Words in English from the Hebrew language:
Hebrew Alphabet
Hebrew Culture
Who Can You Talk To?
There are around 5,302,770 people in Israel, Australia, Canada, Germany, Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, Panama, United Kingdom, and the United States of America who speak Hebrew.
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Back to Say Hello homepage.


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This is how a scandal implodes.
This is how a scandal implodes:
First, the head of the investigation overpromises. "This was a targeting of the president's political enemies, effectively, and lies about it during the election year so that it wasn't discovered until afterwards," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House oversight committee, said in May of the IRS targeting scandal. He later declared President Obama's press secretary a "paid liar" for stating otherwise.
Next, facts emerge to undermine the investigator's presuppositions. Documents released by Ways and Means committee Democrats last week show that the IRS, in addition to targeting tea party groups, also had "Be on the Lookout" (BOLO) lists for groups using descriptors such as "progressive," "health care legislation," "medical marijuana," "paying national debt" and "green energy."
Finally, evidence surfaces that the investigator stacked the deck. Last Tuesday night, the Hill newspaper quoted a spokesman for Treasury's inspector general, Russell George, saying the group was asked by Issa "to narrowly focus on tea party organizations." The inspectors knew there were other terms, but "that was outside the scope of our audit."
Certainly, something went badly wrong at the IRS that caused groups to be targeted because of ideology. But it's nothing like the conspiracy Issa cooked up.
The White House deserves some of the blame for letting things get this far; a full release of information by the administration at the outset would have put the controversy to rest quickly. But the collapse of the Issa-driven scandal has reinforced a growing impression in the capital that ultimately will help Obama: The chairman is full of it.
When I covered President Clinton's second term, White House officials were delighted to have the eccentric Dan Burton in charge of the House oversight committee. He gained prominence by shooting a melon to try to prove that Clinton aide Vince Foster hadn't killed himself but had been murdered.
Now Issa has fallen to Burtonian levels of credibility. He's launched a dozen or so probes, but what often begins as a legitimate inquiry turns quickly into a lunge for the Oval Office, missing each time.
Even before the Republican victory in 2010 gave him the chairmanship, Issa announced the discovery of "Obama's Watergate" - the White House floating an administration job for a Democratic congressman to keep him out of a Senate primary. Issa backed off after learning that the Bush administration had done similar things.
Shortly before the 2010 election, Issa told Rush Limbaugh that Obama "has been one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times." He later said Obama isn't "personally corrupt" but his administration is.
Issa then set out to prove it. He led a probe into the failed "Fast and Furious" gun sting by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Issa declared that "it went all the way to the White House," insisting that the plan was approved "at the highest levels of the Obama appointees," and that the Justice Department "has blood on their hands."
The Justice Department inspector general determined that Attorney General Eric Holder didn't even know about the program until after it was shut down.
After the failure of Solyndra, a government-aided solar company, Issa probed Department of Energy loan guarantees, saying "I want to see when the president and his cronies are picking winners and losers ... that it wasn't because there were large contributions given to them."
The committee documented no cronyism and no presidential involvement.
Issa probed the response to Freedom of Information Act requests by the Department of Homeland Security, saying the matter "reeks of a Nixonian enemies list, and this committee will not tolerate it."
Nothing Nixonian surfaced.
After the killing of American officials in Benghazi, Libya, Issa accused then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of giving false information to Congress when she said she wasn't involved in denying the Libyan diplomats' security requests. He also said that it was "perhaps the White House" that later changed talking points to make it appear that the assault had begun as a protest.
It turned out Clinton wasn't involved in the security decision and the White House wasn't behind the change in the talking points.
Then came the IRS. Instead of delivering on Issa's promise to reveal politically motivated harassment of conservatives by the Obama administration, the committee instead turned up evidence (including the account of a "conservative Republican" who managed IRS screening) that the actions weren't political.
The most Issa et al. can hope to prove now is that conservatives were hassled by the IRS more than liberals. That's a worthy topic, but it's no Watergate.
Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 170-foot tall crane collapsed on Wednesday at a construction site in the New York City borough of Queens, injuring at least seven people, three seriously, authorities said.
The mobile crane was being used at the site of a new 25-story residential building under construction when it fell over about 2:30 p.m., the New York City Police Department said.
Among the seven injured, three were in serious condition and another four suffered minor injuries, the New York Fire Department said. None of the injuries was considered life threatening.
Police and fire crews as well as officials from the city's buildings department responded to the accident. The cause of the collapse was under investigation.
The crane is owned by New York Crane, among the biggest crane operators in New York. The company's owner, James Lomma, was acquitted last year of manslaughter charges for a crane collapse that killed two workers in May, 2008 and raised fears about high-level building projects in New York.
In that case, the nearly 200-foot-tall crane that snapped in half and crashed onto a building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That incident came two months after another crane operated by Lomma's company in Manhattan collapsed and killed seven people.
A representative from New York Crane was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Paul Thomasch; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)