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In the ex-presidency game, there's a lot to be said for sitting at home quietly and letting the new guy take his lumps.
Aside from the occasional presidential library to open or first pitch to throw out, chilling out at home with the missus seems to have been former President George W. Bush's legacy-building gameplan since leaving office in 2008.
According to a major national poll released Tuesday, that strategy is paying off for W.
Gallup pollsters announced Tuesday that the last Bush in office is more popular than our sitting president. Forty-nine percent of Americans now see Bush in favorable terms, compared to 47 percent for President Barack Obama.
Bush's 49/45 approval-to-disapproval rating split in the new poll also is the first time since 2005 – not-so-coincidentally the same year as Hurricane Katrina – that more Americans say they approve of his presidency than don't. It's also a major uptick from his favorability rating low of 35 percent in March 2009. (His high: 87% two months after the 9/11 attacks in 2001).
Bush is even gaining ground among Democrats, who give him a 24 percent approval rating, up 10 percent from his last day in office. Independents have also given Bush a double-digit approval bump since 2009.
The shift seemingly makes sense. When you're the guy watching the late night comedians mock the latest presidential scandal (domestic spying, IRS nosiness, Michelle's bangs) instead of being their target, there's an OK chance some members of the public are going to remember you a little more fondly.
So who would you pick in a popularity, pie-eating or any other kind of presidential contest? Post your pick in the comment section below.

subset: commoncrawl


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BRUSSELS – The European Union signed a historic free trade pact with Ukraine on Friday and warned it could impose more sanctions on Moscow unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the east of the country by Monday.
Shortly after returning to Kiev from Brussels where he signed the pact, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced on his website that Ukraine had extended a cease-fire by government forces against pro-Russian separatist rebels by 72 hours until 10 p.m. on Monday.
Poroshenko came to Brussels to sign a far-reaching trade and political cooperation agreement with the EU that has been at the heart of months of deadly violence and upheaval in his country, drawing an immediate threat of "grave consequences" from Russia.
Georgia and Moldova signed similar deals, holding out the prospect of deep economic integration and unfettered access to the EU's 500 million citizens, but alarming Moscow, which is concerned about losing influence over former Soviet republics.
The weeklong cease-fire had been due to expire Friday.
The extension was made, Poroshenko's website said, in line with a Monday deadline set by EU leaders for the rebels to agree to cease-fire verification arrangements, return border checkpoints to Kiev authorities and free hostages, including detained monitors of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe rights and security watchdog.
"We expect progress in the next hours," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "If we don't see any steps forward on any of the points, then we are also prepared to take drastic measures."
EU leaders said they were ready to meet again at any time to adopt significant sanctions on Russia. Diplomats said they could target new people and companies with asset freezes as early as next week. More than 60 names are already on the list.
Although it has drawn up a list of hard-hitting economic sanctions against Russia, the EU is still hesitating over deploying them because of fears among some member states of antagonizing their major energy supplier.
"We are talking about possible sanctions against Russia but we do not have to introduce sanctions for the sake of sanctions. We do have a need for a dialogue. I hope this dialogue will take place and we will have a real cease-fire," Poroshenko told a news conference in Brussels.
Poroshenko has drawn up a 15-point peace plan to defuse the crisis in eastern Ukraine, where hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between security forces and pro-Russian rebels.
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have made clear that their ultimate goal is EU entry, but Brussels, under pressure from voters weary of further expansion, has made no promise it will allow them in.
Poroshenko and national security chiefs said that during the next 72 hours recruitment centers for Russian fighters across the border in Russia should be closed.
Ukrainian government forces would have the right to end the cease-fire ahead of time in any areas where cease-fire conditions were not being implemented, Poroshenko's announcement said.
Ukraine's former pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych turned his back on signing the EU agreement last November in favor of closer ties with Moscow, prompting months of street protests that eventually led to his fleeing the country.
Soon afterward, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, drawing outrage and sanctions from the United States and EU, and pro-Russian separatists began an uprising in eastern Ukraine.
"Over the last months, Ukraine paid the highest possible price to make her European dreams come true," Poroshenko said, calling Friday's accord the most important day for his country since independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991.
Symbolically, he signed the agreement with the same pen that had been prepared for Yanukovych to sign the document last year.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin immediately said the signing would have "grave consequences" for Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported.
Poroshenko urged the EU to reward Ukraine for its sacrifices by promising the country would be eligible for membership of the EU once it was ready. The pledge would "cost the EU nothing but would mean the world to my country," he said.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Friday's deals were "not the final stage of our cooperation," but this fell short of the prospect of ultimate EU membership.
Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has also set his sights on EU membership, saying Thursday that he hoped his country would apply to join in the second half of 2015.
Russia, which fought a war with Georgia in 2008, has met previous attempts by its neighbors to move closer to the EU with trade reprisals. EU officials fear it could happen again.
EU officials say that, in diplomatic talks, Russia has threatened to withdraw the duty-free treatment that Ukraine currently benefits from as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States free trade pact.
If Russia imposed customs duties, it would put at risk some of Ukraine's exports, which mainly consist of base metals, grains, machinery, equipment and processed food. Ukraine sends 24 percent of its exports to Russia, worth $15 billion a year.
Moscow fears Ukraine may re-export EU products to Russia, avoiding duties that Russia imposes to protect its own output.
Russian energy giant Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Kiev last week after Ukraine failed to pay its gas debts.
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Equity futures are down this morning following yesterday's completely lopsided computer driven jump. Yet another extreme, 95.6% of the volume was on the upside – the 90%+ score card since mid-April now stands at 8 down and 6 up, 14 total. Unprecedented, and again is a warning about the character of the markets – not good.
Immediately upon the close the RUT proceeded to lose nearly 1%. Best Buy (BBY) reported a flat out miss, blaming poor television sales, and is down 10% this morning. Then Fedex (FDX) lowered earnings estimates and is down this morning as well.
So far prices remain inside of the rising wedges I showed yesterday. Obviously a break below those rising trendlines is the indication that this movement is over:
The Euro is down on debt driven concerns again with the dollar up slightly. Bonds have taken back all of yesterday's losses, and both oil and gold are down slightly after rising strongly yesterday. Oil broke back into its prior channel, a bullish development.
The Gulf oil well crisis is a mess with far more going on than the public is being told. Please follow this link to read the most lucid explanation of events and what is likely occurring in that well - theoildrum.com.
In yet another example of how stocks go down in the long run but indices go up due to substitution bias, the NYSE announced that both Fannie and Freddie are going to be delisted from the exchange.
With yet more proof of how whack the MBA Purchas Index is, here's Econoday:
The purchase index rose 7.3 percent in the June 11 week for its first increase in six weeks, its first increase since the end of second-round stimulus. The report said it is unclear whether the gain is a one-time gain or whether a rebound is underway. The refinance index, up 21.1 percent, has been on the rise, the result of low mortgage rates. Mortgage rates were mixed in the week with 30-year loans little changed at 4.82 percent.
Riiiiggght… the refinance index rose 21% in one week's time with no change in interest rates. This type of nonsense can only leave one to shake their head and know that you cannot trust hardly anyone to do the right thing at this point in time. The right thing to do, by the way, is to prohibit special interests from reporting their own statistics, if you can even call these that.
Meanwhile housing starts in May collapsed by 10% in one month, falling to 593,000 from April's 672,000. Consensus was looking for 650k, making this another very large miss:
Homebuilders are playing it cautiously after the close of the special tax credits program. Housing starts in May fell back 10.0 percent, following a 3.9 percent boost in April. May's annualized pace of 0.593 million units came in well below the market projection for 0.650 million units and was up 7.8 percent on a year-ago basis. The decline in the latest month was led by a 17.2 percent decrease in single-family starts, following a 5.6 percent gain in April. The multifamily component actually rebounded 33.0 percent after a 5.1 percent drop the prior month.
By region, the drop in May starts was led by a 21.3 percent plunge in the South Census region with the Northeast declining 6.3 percent. The West and Midwest posted gains of 10.8 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.
Permits declined 5.9 percent, following a 10.9 percent fall in April. The May rate of 0.574 million units annualized was up 4.4 percent on a year-ago basis.
Today's numbers are disappointing-showing more weakness than expected. We could get some bottoming in starts soon if more homes close from the special tax incentives program and eat into new home inventory. The deadline for signing a contract was April 30 but the deadline for closing is now the end of June. Equity futures and Treasury yields declined on the news.
Did you note that home starts in the south region collapsed 21.3% in May? The BP oil well blowout had been occurring all month… could the drop be oil spill related? Of course it is.
In contrast to housing, the Industrial Production numbers came in stronger, rising 1.2%, while the consensus was expecting 1.0%:
Although this morning's earlier housing starts report disappointed, industrial production certainly did not-coming in hotter than expected. Overall industrial production in May surged 1.2 percent, following a 0.7 percent boost the month before. The latest number was stronger than the consensus forecast for 1.0 percent.
Manufacturing has been robust over the last three months with this component gaining 0.9 percent in the two latest months and jumping 1.2 percent in March. For other sectors in May, utilities output was up 4.8 percent and mining slipped 0.2 percent.
A jump in motor vehicle production added significantly to May's overall production boost. Motor vehicle production jumped 5.5 percent, following a 1.4 percent dip in April. Nonetheless, gains were widespread in other industries.
On a year-on-year basis, industrial production improved to 7.6 percent from 5.2 percent in April.
Capacity utilization continues its upward trend, reaching the 74.7 percent mark in May from 73.7 percent the prior month. May's figure topped analysts' forecasts for 74.5 percent.
Clearly, manufacturing continues to lead the economy despite concern that exports could slow to Europe. Apparently, demand for U.S. goods remains strong domestically and in many overseas markets. On the news, equities futures and interest rates firmed. The earlier news on weak housing starts had weighed on both.
No, manufacturing will not lead this economy to recovery – it is far too small a percentage to have a short term effect. We allowed our manufacturing to be done overseas and that's the price we pay for being complacent. Best Buy's report shows that the consumer is not strong. Auto and home sales are way, way down from peak and are barely off the bottom. Ramping production at this time will prove to be a mistake in the near future. And don't let Apple igadget sales fool you… an iphone sale does not equal a car or a house – and yet the service plans for those gadgets commit the holders effectively to not so little "loan" payments. $148 a month to maintain your phone? That's how much my first new car payment was and it was paid for at the end of 3 years!
The PPI decreased .3% in May, this is an acceleration downward from the .1% drop in April. It's less, however, than consensus that was looking for a .5% drop. Here's Econoday:
Gasoline prices pulled down the PPI but not as much as expected due to sharp gains in some narrow components of the core. Overall PPI inflation weakened even further to a 0.3 percent drop in May after dipping 0.1 percent in April. May's decline was less negative than analysts' projection for a 0.5 percent decrease. At the core level, the PPI gained 0.2 percent, matching the rate in April. The consensus had called for a 0.1 percent uptick. The core was boosted largely by jumps in prices for tobacco products and for light trucks.
The decline in the headline PPI was led by a 1.5 percent drop in energy costs, following a 0.8 percent dip in April. Gasoline fell 7.0 percent in May after slipping 2.7 percent the prior month. Also adding to weakness in the headline number was a 0.6 percent decrease in food prices after a 0.2 percent decline in April.
At the core level, the mild acceleration in May was led by a 2.2 percent spike in tobacco prices and a 0.8 percent boost in light truck prices.
For the overall PPI, the year-on-year rate eased to 5.1 percent from 5.4 percent in April (seasonally adjusted). The core rate rose to 1.3 percent from 1.0 percent the month before. On a not seasonally adjusted basis for May, the year-ago increase for the headline PPI was up 5.3 percent while the core was up 1.3 percent.
Despite some firming in the core, inflation at the producer level remains subdued.
Obviously oil is playing the largest role with prices on the producer level. I do think this is a positive report for the markets because it does not show as much deflationary pressure as was expected. CPI will be released tomorrow.
The Baltic Dry Shipping index recently broke support and should be watched for signs of further deterioration. Below is a longer term chart followed by a shorter term perspective:
Below is a 3 month chart of the SPX to give some perspective. All the indices closed above the 200dma, if they hold that is obviously a bullish indication. You can see the outer downtrend line and upper Bollinger band are coincident at the 1120ish area. The short term and daily stochastic are now overbought:
The charts look overall bullish and the internals looked strong on the surface. However, the working count is still the same. A rise above about 1120 would open up the possibility of 1140 or 1150 for the right shoulder of the larger H&S pattern that too many people see. A rise above that area means that the working count is wrong and that new highs are possible. For now we're still inside the rising wedge and its still wave 2 of 3 until proven otherwise by breaking through those resistance levels.
Yesterday's 90%+ up day came on the third trading day following the last one. This is the outer limits time wise, but it is confirmation and follow through of the first. Of course it came on lower volume and is on the heels of confirmed multiple 90%+ down days and so it is a very suspect bottom indicator but must be respected. We are in-between levels for now, a place to be cautious. The last time we had two positive 90% plus up days it was in March of '09, and did cement a long term bottom. However, those moves were not a part of a historic cluster of them as is occurring now, and they were based on a change in fundamentals, namely the resumption of mark-to-fantasy accounting and TARP. Here you have a deteriorating situation in Europe, a disaster in the Gulf, a housing market that is still in a state of collapse, and a financial system that despite mark-to-fantasy is as insolvent as the day is long. The market will NOT go racing off without the financials and without housing.
Did you see that lightning struck and shut down the ship collecting oil from the BP well head? Did you see that the "King of King's" statue of Jesus Christ standing outside of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, was struck by lighting the same day and burned to the frame? Hey, I may never get another intro like that to a good tune again…
Doobie Brothers – Jesus is just Alright:


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2019 Januar Februar Kalender –
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Panamera Models
Front seats
The front seats offer a high level of comfort and provide support in fast corners without restricting freedom of movement. The seat height, squab and backrest angles and fore/aft position are electrically adjustable.
Power seats
Adaptive Sports seats
Available as an option, adaptive Sports seats (18-way, electric) including memory package provide even better lateral support – thanks to the elevated side bolsters on the seat squab and backrest. Electrically adjustable, they offer comfort on long journeys and made-to-measure lateral support in the corners.
Rear seats
Thanks to the new 4+1 seating concept, the rear compartment can accommodate up to three passengers as standard. Still designed as fullfledged individual seats, the two outer seats in the back offer plenty of leg and headroom and excellent lateral support through fast corners without sacrificing comfort. The 'classic' four-seat configuration is available on request with optional individual power seats for the rear.
Seat heating and ventilation
The front seats of the new
Massage function
On request, the power seats are also available with a massage function – front and rear. With five programmes and five intensity levels to choose from, ten air cushions in each backrest provide a relaxing treat for the back muscles. For improved seating and long-distance comfort.


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The mild winter and early spring in the US this year led to some incredible sights: magnolia trees near me blooming in March (a full month ahead of 2011), migratory birds returning much earlier than usual, and sun-starved Midwesterners breaking out t-shirts and shorts in February. This strange weather illustrated, to an extreme, one of the most obvious effects of climate change: as temperatures warm, spring breaks through earlier, and these annual spectacles shift along with it.
In order to understand how ecosystems will respond to a warming climate, it's critical to understand the interplay between the timing of these events. To do this, researchers look at the way plants (and animals) have responded to the warming we've experienced so far, but they also rely on warming experiments that manipulate temperatures in the field. A new study in Nature reviews the existing evidence and finds a problematic discrepancy—the responses we're seeing in the real world are much greater than the warming experiments would predict.
Those warming experiments typically involve placing transparent walls around individual plants in the field to create a slight greenhouse (the glass kind) effect without enclosing the plant completely. Ideally, this effectively increases the temperature of the air around the plant without altering any other factors, like sunlight or moisture. The neighboring plants that lack cozy walls of their own act as a control group for comparison.
Such experiments have been done with many species in many locations, but it's been difficult to verify that they accurately simulate the effects of climate warming. To examine that question, a large group of researchers undertook a massive review of the existing evidence. They compiled observations of 1,558 species and warming experiments for 115 species.
The mismatch was pretty stark. The average estimate of the flowering date from warming experiments is about one-half day earlier for each degree Celsius of warming. The same sensitivity estimated from observational studies is about 4.5 days for each degree Celsius. The same holds true for leafing dates: 1.6 days per °C from warming experiments; 6.4 days per °C from observations.
As there isn't much overlap between the species covered by each estimate, we could quite literally be comparing apples and oranges. But for the 36 species that that have both observational numbers and experimental results, the picture is actually even uglier. Whereas observations indicate a sensitivity of more than 4.6 days earlier per °C of warming, the average of the experimental numbers actually shows a delay of a day or two for each °C of warming. So the sensitivity is not only smaller, it's pointing in the wrong direction.
Other than inducing a lot of head-scratching among those working on these experimental studies, why does this matter? Well, since this data is fed into the ecosystem models that predict the ecological effects of warming, this signals that many experimentally derived sensitivities may be unreliable.
Researchers will have to get to work on understanding the reason for the discrepancy. The authors of this study offer a few possibilities. The structures used in warming experiments may alter wind, sunlight, soil moisture, or temperature patterns in undesirable ways. Alternatively, the warming experiments could be too good at isolating the effect of temperature change—perhaps warming in the real world is accompanied by additional factors that amplify the plant's response.
Nature, 2012. DOI: 10.1038/nature11014 (About DOIs).


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Veteran Admission FAQs
Below are frequently asked questions (FAQs) about veteran admission at Saint Xavier University.
I don't know which education program I qualify for. Where can I find more information?
Visit the GI Bill website to compare benefits, or contact the Veterans' Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis at 1-888-442-4551.
How do I apply for my education benefits, and what does Saint Xavier need from me to certify my education benefits?
Visit the GI Bill website and apply for education benefits. Once the VA has processed your application, you will be mailed a Certificate of Eligibility which explains the percentage of benefits you are eligible to receive through the GI Bill. Submit a copy of the Certificate to the SXU Certifying Official in the Office of Records and Advising. You can mail or fax a copy to: Records & Advising, Saint Xavier University, 3700 West 103rd Street, Chicago, IL 60655. Fax: 773-298-3003.
How do I request my military transcripts? Why does Saint Xavier request them?
Military Transcripts for veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard can be requested online through the new Joint Services Transcript. Veterans of the Air Force should request transcripts through the Community College of the Air Force.
All colleges and universities are required to receive military transcripts to be evaluated for any credit towards a student's curriculum.
Does Saint Xavier University need my DD214?
Saint Xavier does not need a copy of your DD214. You will need to use it to help you apply for your benefits.
Do I need to certify my enrollment monthly?
If you are receiving benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), DEA (Chapter 35), or VEAP (Chapter 32), you do NOT need to certify your attendance.
If you are receiving benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill -- Active Duty (Chapter 30) or Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606), or REAP, you need to inform the VA each month that you are still enrolled at SXU. You can do this online using WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment) at or by calling 877-823-2378.
What do I do if I have used my VA education benefits at a previous school and now want to use them at Saint Xavier?
Visit the GI Bill website to complete the "Change of Program or Place of Training" form.
VA 22-1995 Request for Change of Program or Place of Training
VA 22-5495 Dependents' Request for Change of Program or Place of Training (Chapter 35 only)
Is the Illinois Veteran's Grant (IVG) available at Saint Xavier University?
The IVG is not available for students at SXU. It is restricted by the State of Illinois to students attending public schools in Illinois.
What is the minimum GPA required to maintain Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits?
GPA will not affect educational benefits unless you receive a failing grade in your class.
What happens to my benefits if I step out a semester?
All benefits will stop and will resume once you start school again.
Do you need official transcripts?
Yes, all institutions require that you submit official school transcripts from prior schools attended even if you did not complete the degree plan. You can submit unofficial transcripts during the application process. Please note: If official transcripts are not submitted before your second semester at SXU, you will not be able to register for your second semester and it may affect your financial aid.
What happens if I drop a class -- will it affect my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)? If yes, how do I repay the VA?
A change in enrollment can affect your BAH since your housing rate is based on your rate of pursuit (enrollment). The VA will either allow you to pay the amount in full or arrange payments. In most cases they will send out a notification of your debt with instructions on how to pay. (If you know you owe or will owe a debt and they have not notified you, do not put it off. Contact them immediately.)
Do I need to submit an essay as part of my application for admission to Saint Xavier?
An essay is not required unless you are pursuing a Nursing degree or a graduate degree. Saint Xavier reserves the right to request an essay if it will assist in making an admission decision. ALL Nursing applicants must submit a one-page essay describing your reasons for pursuing a nursing degree.
Graduate students: A personal essay is required for all graduate applications.
What other services am I eligible to receive at Saint Xavier University?
All education benefits are approved through the VA. Saint Xavier University offers group tutoring in content areas, drop-in-tutoring, writing assistance, skills workshops, accommodations for students with documented disabilities, testing accommodations and access to computer labs. There are also career and counseling services, and religious and spiritual support services.
How many hours do I have to be enrolled to maintain my housing stipend?
Eligibility for the housing allowance (BAH) is determined by a student's rate of pursuit rounded to the nearest tenth (as of August 1, 2011). The VA no longer pays break pay (effective August 1, 2011). The VA calculates rate of pursuit by dividing the number of credit hours being pursued by the number of credit hours considered to be full-time by the school. Example: If full-time is 12 credit hours per semester, then rate of pursuit for:
- 6 credits is 50% (6/12=50%) Rate of pursuit is 50%. Student receives no BAH because rate of pursuit must be more than 50%.
- 7 credits is 58% (7/12=58%) Rate of pursuit is 60%. Student receives 60% of BAH.
Housing is paid if the student's rate of pursuit is greater than 50%. Rate of pursuit determines whether a student receives the housing allowance.
Graduate Students: Six credit hours of coursework per semester are typically considered a full-time course load for graduate programs.
Should I file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)?
All students are encouraged to file FAFSA, even if you are eligible for education benefits from the VA.
I have been using my Montgomery GI Bill -- Active Duty (Ch. 30) benefits. Should I keep using them or start using the new Post 9/11 GI Bill (Ch. 33) benefits at Saint Xavier?
As a veteran you can chose to continue to use your MGIB benefits or transfer to the new Post 9/11 GI Bill. It is recommended that individuals contact the VA at 1-888-GIBill1 to determine your best benefits.
Will my veteran education benefits expire?
Yes, for individuals using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you will have up to 15 years from the date of separation to use your education benefits.
Can I apply for my veteran benefits while still on active duty?
You can use the Post-9/11 GI Bill on active duty provided you have completed at least 90 days of service (excluding basic entry level & skill training). The tuition payment cannot exceed the amount not paid by military tuition assistance and/or the total amount of tuition and fees.
You will receive the books and supplies stipend (effective October 1, 2011).
I served less than 90 days and received a medical discharge. Am I eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill?
Veterans who served at least 30 continuous days of active duty service and were discharged due to a service connected disability qualify for the full 100% of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. To determine your eligibility for the GI Bill, complete the VONAPP (Veterans Online Application) on the GI Bill website.
If I'm approved for the transferability option of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, who can I transfer my benefits to?
If your branch of service approves you for the transferability program, you can transfer your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to your spouse, one or more of your unmarried children (between age 18-22 and attending school in pursuit of a program of education; who were capable of self-support reaching age 18), or any combination of the individuals.
To apply, or for more information about transferring your benefits, visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website.


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Therefore, I expect ice mass loss from the Western & Central Tibetan Plateau to accelerate in the coming decades, and the associated mass loss could change local tectonic plate stresses sufficient to trigger more frequent seismic events in this area in this timeframe.
I think it is clear that quantiitative considerations show that man-made climatic change is not the dominant factor controlling frequency of occurrence of destructuve seismicity in the Himalayas.
First, no one that I am aware of in this thread (certainly not myself) have claimed that the influence of climate change dominates tectonic activity, with regard to the Nepal earthquake or anywhere else in the world. The influence of climate change can be viewed as a possible stress riser added on-top of the otherwise dominant tectonic forces.
Finally, you should not compare the elevation changes of portions of the Himalayas (cited by Laurent) after the Nepal event to the different equivalent water height changes in groundwater, snow and glacial ice; as this is comparing apples to oranges.
The main worry is that waste water disposal might trigger movements with magnitudes up to 7.0: in 2011 a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit a town in oil-producing Oklahoma and damaged many buildings.
None of these areas are likely to experience the horrors of the 25 April 2015 magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal. However, it also occurred in an area expected to be relatively stable compared with the rest of the Himalayan region. The only previous major tremor there was recorded in the 14th century. This supposedly 'low-risk' area overlies a zone in which small tremors or microearthquakes occur all the time. Such zones – and this one extends along much of the length of the Himalaya – seem to mark where fault depths are large enough for displacements to take place continually by plastic flow, thereby relieving stresses. Most of the large earthquakes have taken place south of the microseismic zone where the shallow parts of the Indian plate are brittle and have become locked. The recent event is raising concerns that it is a precursor of further large earthquakes in Nepal. Its capital Kathmandu is especially susceptible as it is partly founded on lake sediments that easily liquefy.
Steve Drury's Earth Pages has an article on Earthquake hazard news that focuses on petroleum industry fluid injection wells. QuoteThe main worry is that waste water disposal might trigger movements with magnitudes up to 7.0: in 2011 a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit a town in oil-producing Oklahoma and damaged many buildings. The article ends with QuoteNone of these areas are likely to experience the horrors of the 25 April 2015 magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal. However, it also occurred in an area expected to be relatively stable compared with the rest of the Himalayan region. The only previous major tremor there was recorded in the 14th century. This supposedly 'low-risk' area overlies a zone in which small tremors or microearthquakes occur all the time. Such zones – and this one extends along much of the length of the Himalaya – seem to mark where fault depths are large enough for displacements to take place continually by plastic flow, thereby relieving stresses. Most of the large earthquakes have taken place south of the microseismic zone where the shallow parts of the Indian plate are brittle and have become locked. The recent event is raising concerns that it is a precursor of further large earthquakes in Nepal. Its capital Kathmandu is especially susceptible as it is partly founded on lake sediments that easily liquefy.In general there might be a connection between ground water depletion and a region becoming less 'plastic' (allowing for fewer but larger earthquakes). I don't think this happened in Nepal though: groundwater depletion happens in the upper 1 or 2 kilometers of the crust whereas the decreased plasticity (if that is what happened in Nepal last month) happened about 15 km down. (Oklahoman earthquakes tend to be around 3-5 km deep, as are the waste water injection wells.)
That flow of magma should be measurable by sismic devices ? Do we know the records of these devices in the area ?I have heard that some scientists in Yellow stone use a special technic to assess the flow of magma...may be that can help us to assess what is going in Antarctic ?
A clever fellow that goes by "prokaryotes" is more or less obsessed with the idea that for various reasons GW may trigger increased tectonic activity. I can't recall whether he is on these threads, but he frequents RC and has his own very good blog (which is mostly about climate science in general--a very impressive collection of sources, that):http://climatestate.com/I'll see if I can track down one of his posts on this issue in particular. It seems to me that SLR, in particular, must have some effect on pressure on tectonic plates at some point. ETA: Here is the particular part of his site where he has collected some relevant videos: http://climatestate.com/category/climate-science/geosphere/geomorphology/(He used to have a lot of links to actual research papers, but I can't seem to find those on his site anymore.)
Nearly half of Greenland's mass loss occurs through iceberg calving, but the physical mechanisms operating during calving are poorly known and in situ observations are sparse. We show that calving at Greenland's Helheim Glacier causes a minutes-long reversal of the glacier's horizontal flow and a downward deflection of its terminus. The reverse motion results from the horizontal force caused by iceberg capsize and acceleration away from the glacier front. The downward motion results from a hydrodynamic pressure drop behind the capsizing berg, which also causes an upward force on the solid Earth. These forces are the source of glacial earthquakes, globally detectable seismic events whose proper interpretation will allow remote sensing of calving processes occurring at increasing numbers of outlet glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica.
Is there a sub-thread at CS where all the relevant pieces would be stored together? What would be the best terms to use to do a search on this topic?
...They found five periods when there had been significantly higher numbers of large earthquakes compared with other times. "In these periods, there were between 25 to 30 intense earthquakes a year," said Bilham. "The rest of the time the average figure was around 15 major earthquakes a year."The researchers searched to find correlations between these periods of intense seismic activity and other factors and discovered that when Earth's rotation decreased slightly it was followed by periods of increased numbers of intense earthquakes. "The rotation of the Earth does change slightly – by a millisecond a day sometimes – and that can be measured very accurately by atomic clocks," said Bilham. It is straightforward. The Earth is offering us a five-year heads-up on future earthquakes Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado in BoulderBilham and Bendick found that there had been periods of around five years when Earth's rotation slowed by such an amount several times over the past century and a half. Crucially, these periods were followed by periods when the numbers of intense earthquakes increased."It is straightforward," said Bilham. "The Earth is offering us a five-year heads-up on future earthquakes."This link is particularly important because Earth's rotation began one of its periodic slowdowns more than four years ago. "The inference is clear," said Bilham. "Next year we should see a significant increase in numbers of severe earthquakes...
Who is Roger Bilham?Two quotes from a 2012 newspaper article:Over the past decade, Bilham has predicted that the Himalayan region is ripe for several giant earthquakes greater than magnitude 8, and cautioned that any one of these could kill more than a million people in the densely populated urbanised Gangetic plains.A senior Indian geophysicist who knows Bilham well said his research and style of making presentations in India may have irked sections of senior scientists. "I have had a good working relationship with him, but he's regarded by some as a scaremongerer," said Bal Krishna Rastogi, director of the Institute of Seismological Research in Gandhinagar, which hosted the workshop.https://www.telegraphindia.com/1121212/jsp/nation/story_16305957.jsp
RayWTassieFor everyone including me who wondered why the earths rotation speed changes slightly, I did a bit of Googling. It appears that gravitational influences from other planets have an effect. "The Earth's rotation around its axis, and revolution around the Sun, evolve over time due to gravitational interactions with other bodies in the solar system. The variations are complex, but a few cycles are dominant" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles BUT It also seems that weather has an effect ( NASA) AND actual Earthquakes themselves affect the earths rotation speed. Wonderful stuff.
Finally, there are also tidal variations in rotation rate and polar motion caused by the near-equilibrium long-period tides, which have periods from about 9 days to 18.6 years. For rotation rate, the dominant contributor is in fact the solid-earth tides."
An intense earthquake centered in the Gulf of Alaska has prompted tsunami warnings and watches for the Alaskan, Canadian and U.S. West Coasts, as well as the Hawaiian Islands, just after midnight Tuesday.The magnitude 7.9 quake struck at 1:32 a.m. PST about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak, Alaska, or about 350 miles south of Anchorage.Tsunami warnings have been posted from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to the British Columbia coast, including Vancouver Island's outer west, central and northeast coasts, southeast Alaska's inner and outer coasts.Tsunami warnings mean a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or already occurring in these locations.
"If the ice melts, that can destabilize the magma," Guðmundsson says. In the months that followed, Katla's earthquakes diminished as the threat of eruption fizzled out. But the possibility of enormous ice caps melting, releasing pressure, and contributing to volcanic eruptions remains. And with the world warming and glaciers disappearing, the possibility of powerful eruptions to come is growing.
"Will climate change in the Arctic increase the landslide-tsunami risk to the UK?"This is a major multi-year collaborative study focusing on the possibility of Storegga-type landslides happening as a result of Arctic warming. My interest in this is personal, as Newfoundland is also included in the study area. We know about landslip tsunamis in this corner of the Atlantic: in 1929, the south coast of Newfoundland suffered a tidal wave associated with an earthquake-landslip on the continental shelf. The 1929 event may or may not have been linked to climate change, of course, but it is very interesting to see that scientists are interested in finding out what the effects of climate change might be for the ocean floor up north. http://projects.noc.ac.uk/landslide-tsunami/ This BBC article sets out the issue in layperson's terms. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160323-the-terrifying-tsunami-that-devastated-britain?ocid=global_earth_rss
Shetland Island (north of Scotland) has been hit by at least two more tsunamis in the past 10,000 years than previously thought, and scientists are working to identify where the giant waves originated.Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga off the coast of Norway caused a 20m-high tsunami to sweep across Shetland. Sands found at various points across the isles, and in mainland Scotland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, proved the tsunami's towering height, and the event has been well-reported.Scientists funded by NERC have identified sands on Shetland that they say prove additional tsunamis hit Shetland 5,000 and 1,500 years ago. This could mean that tsunamis are a more common occurrence than previously thought in the UK.Quote... We found sands aged 5,000 and 1,500 years old at multiple locations in Shetland, up to 13 meters (42 feet) above sea level. These deposits have a similar sediment character as the Storegga event and can therefore be linked to tsunami inundation.... Submarine landslides can occur on slopes of just one or two degrees, and we still don't know exactly how they are set in motion, except that earthquakes are considered to be the most common trigger. It is critical that we learn more.The research is part of the Landslide-Tsunami project, ongoing research that forms a key element of NERC's Arctic Research Programme. The project aims to discover what causes enormous submarine landslides, what the impact of slides in different locations and of different magnitude would be on the UK, and what the likelihood of such an event might be, given the significant scale of Arctic climate change.https://nerc.ukri.org/planetearth/stories/1906/
... We found sands aged 5,000 and 1,500 years old at multiple locations in Shetland, up to 13 meters (42 feet) above sea level. These deposits have a similar sediment character as the Storegga event and can therefore be linked to tsunami inundation.
A major 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck Alaska, causing people to run from buildings and briefly prompting a tsunami alert for coastal areas.The quake was centred about seven miles (11km) north of Anchorage, the largest city in the state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).A series of aftershocks was recorded following the initial shock, which had a depth of 40.9km, the USGS said.Around 300,000 people live in Anchorage with 100,000 in the surrounding area.
Strange waves rippled around the world, and nobody knows why
…Based on the last 50 years or so of data from the global network of seismometers, in an average year we expect around 1500 magnitude 5-6 earthquakes; about 130 magnitude 6-7 earthquakes, about a dozen magnitude 7-8 earthquakes, and maybe one event larger than magnitude 8 (earthquakes of magnitude 9 or more are much rarer beasts, with only two so far in the 21st century). 2018 boasted about 10% more M5-6 earthquakes than the long-term average, about 10% less M6-7 earthquakes, and about 20% (2-3) more M7-8 events and that one M8+ event. All this is well within the variability we see between years in the records since 1974. ...
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New Jersey's Cesars Atlantic City, plays host to today's official Bellator 44 fighter weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference, and we're providing a live video stream of the
proceedings at 5 p.m. ET.
The same venue plays host to Saturday's event, which airs on MTV2 and features the final bout from Bellator's season-four lightweight tournament, as well as a non-title superfight between Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard and longtime veteran Falaniko Vitale.
In addition to the live weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference, we'll have full text results posted after the proceedings.
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With a spectacular view. The Olympic size swimming pool at Kamehameha was named after Kalaniopu'u. The uncle of Kamehameha. He was chief of Moku o Keawe at the time Captain Cook arrived. It was so beautiful with the gorgeous backdrop. I was tempted to go skinny dipping and hide from the security guards. Well. Maybe not skinny dipping. More like tubby dipping. But I wouldn't disrespect Kalaniopu'u like that...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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Transportation Professionals Ponder Future Transportation Financing
E-newsletter Issue #107 | January 31, 2013
MAP-21, the long-awaited, two-year federal surface transportation authorization bill passed by Congress last summer, included many key policy changes long sought by state governments that are now being implemented.
But for transportation professionals who gathered in Washington, D.C., in mid-January for the Transportation Research Board's annual meeting, the bill's shortcomings, especially in the fiscal arena, and impending fiscal cliffs in the months and years ahead drove much of the dialogue at the five-day conference.
"I think all of us wanted MAP-21 to be this big, great, multiple year bill," said Sylvia Garcia, deputy assistant secretary for management and budget and chief financial officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation. "But in the end, the MAP-21 timeframe is based on how much money there was to go around."
In MAP-21, Congress had to shore up the Highway Trust Fund with general fund dollars just to reach October 2014, when the bill expires. The trust fund covers many federal transportation programs but has seen dwindling gas tax revenues in recent years due to increased fuel efficiency and other factors.
"At the end of two years, we'll have our own version of the fiscal cliff," said Jack Basso, director of program finance and management at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, commonly called AASHTO.
Unless Congress takes action, the Highway Trust Fund would become insolvent, annual federal highway investment would be cut from $41 billion to $6 billion and annual transit investment would be cut from $11 billion to $3 billion.
Basso's colleague at AASHTO, John Horsley, who retires this month after 14 years as executive director of the organization, offered some ideas on what could be done to avert the cliff.
Horsley called on Congress to pass legislation proposed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., which would authorize a $50 billion Transportation Regional Infrastructure Project—or TRIP—bond program. Under that program, each state would receive $1 billion over six years to be invested in transportation. Horsley also said Congress should convert the cents per gallon gas tax to a sales tax on fuels. The fuel tax change would support $350 billion in spending on highways and transit over the next six years, Horsley said.
"Fully supporting the (federal) program through highway user fees, rather than through (general fund) transfers from the U.S. Treasury, would reduce the federal deficit by $150 billion over 10 years," Horsley said. "The cost of the reform to taxpayers would be less than $1 per week, per vehicle."
Horsley's proposal came just days after Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell surprised some by proposing eliminating his state's gas tax and funding transportation through an increase in the state sales tax, increased vehicle registration fees and new fees on alternative fuel vehicles.
The proposals got a somewhat mixed reception from other experts at the conference.
Peter Rogoff of the Federal Transit Administration said sales taxes wouldn't necessarily provide a more stable funding source for transportation.
"In transit land, sales taxes rise and fall with sufficient amplitudes here that it makes or breaks projects," he said. "I have had to slow projects down for fear that local sales taxes were not coming in as quickly as envisioned. … Just because it's a sales tax, doesn't mean that it's stable. It's going to rise and fall with the economy."
Jim Barna of the Ohio Department of Transportation commended McDonnell on his proposal.
"States aren't waiting around anymore," he said. "We've grown up quite a bit since the federal Highway Trust Fund was enacted years ago and the states are taking it on their own to seek out innovative financing to fund our transportation programs."
But Joshua Schank of the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington, D.C., transportation policy think tank, said the Virginia proposal is one that reflects a lack of federal leadership and guidance to states on how they should be working to fund transportation going forward.
"How you pay for transportation has a major impact on use and on the system and on how much you spend," he said. "Because of the federal (investment) stagnating and declining, states and locals are being forced to fill in some of the gap. The question is: How can the federal government change from what has basically been since the Interstate era a grant-making organization … into something that's actually incentivizing state and local revenue sources?"
Despite an October 2014 deadline that doesn't seem very far off, the fact that it isn't here quite yet means a commitment to any fiscal solution may still be a ways off.
"In Washington, things get solved in a crisis atmosphere, unfortunately," said Polly Trottenberg, undersecretary for policy at U.S. DOT. "I think there are a lot of good ideas out there about how we might come up with some new revenue sources. But we're going to need a little collective will to do that and I think that collective will hasn't yet gelled."
On the CSG Knowledge Center, you can read additional comments from experts at the Transportation Research Board meeting. Among the topics they addressed: how federal restrictions on tolling might need to change to allow states to meet their infrastructure needs; why cuts to federal transportation programs could be on the way even sooner than 2014; and why some think MAP-21's legacy will likely be determined not by its fiscal shortcomings but by its provisions to implement a performance measurement-based system, accelerate transportation project delivery and expand a program that could allow the nation to tackle some iconic transportation projects.
CSG Resources
Capitol Comments Blog Post: "Recent Reports Highlight Mileage-Based User Fees, Tolling, Other Transportation Issues"
Capitol Comments Blog Post: "Virginia Governor Proposes Eliminating State Gas Tax; Other States Consider 2013 Transportation Revenue Options"
CSG National Conference Presentation: "James Bass: Transportation Bill Doesn't Look Far Down the Road"
Other Resources
AASHTO Presentation: "TRB Chairman's Luncheon: Building Highway Capacity"(PowerPoint by retiring AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley on 1/16/13)
AASHTO Press Release: "Retiring AASHTO Executive Director Calls for Investment and Tax Reform to Ensure Highway Trust Fund Solvency"
Congressional Budget Office Presentation: "Status of the Highway Trust Fund Under MAP-21" (PowerPoint by CBO's Sarah Puro)
National Journal Transportation Experts Blog: "McDonnell's Cheeky Move on the Gas Ta."
Bloomberg Op-Ed: "Want Better Roads? Kill the Gas Tax"
Innovation NewsBriefs: "Searching for Novel Approaches to Transportation Funding" (Blog Post by Public Policy Consultant Ken Orski)
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The University of Maine at Farmington has a rich tradition of preparing its graduates to enter a variety of medical and health-related schools.
- Medical School
- Dental School
- Optometry School
- Pharmacy School
- Veterinary School
- Graduate School-related research
While there is no universally recognized pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-optometry, pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary major anywhere, medical schools and other health-related professional programs typically require a solid background in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry and calculus-based physics.
Since additional recommended courses include genetics, cell biology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology, most students choose to major in Biology.
But almost any undergraduate major you choose at UMF will help you gain entrance into some of the finest medical schools in the nation.
The key: selecting and completing the right courses in the right sequence while you're earning your bachelor's degree. The University of Maine at Farmington has the background and successful track record to know just what coursework the top medical schools look for.
UMF's Pre-Professional Health Track: A Proven Record of Success
Here are some health and medical-related schools University of Maine at Farmington graduates have recently attended:
- Brown University
- University of Maryland
- University of Connecticut
- University of Vermont
- Virginia Tech University
- University of New England (Maine)
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
- Rice University – biomed (Texas)
- New England College of Optometry (Boston, Mass.)
- among others
Teamwork, Inspiration, and Partnering
Our special Pre-professional health faculty advising team within our Natural Sciences division will work with you to tailor your course selections to meet the specific academic demands of medical schools. They take the time and interest to understand your goals and help you discover what your inclinations are. Then they work with you to really explore your opportunities.
FAME (Finance Authority of Maine)
Our faculty collaborate with the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), which works with specific professional schools to provide loans for Maine residents:
Medical schools
- University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Veterinary schools
- The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
Dental schools
- Dalhousie University School of Dentistry in Nova Scotia (Canada)
Partnering with Tufts School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center
The Tufts University School of Medicine has a special Maine Track Program where students may apply to the medical school but only compete with other Maine resident applicants. Classes are held at Tufts in Boston and clinical work is done at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
UMF also participates in the Tufts Maine Track Early Assurance Program. Through this agreement, UMF Pre-professional health students who are in good academic standing at the end of their sophomore year can apply to secure a seat in the entering Tufts medical school class two years later as part of the Maine Track program.
Participants are offered the assurance of medical school admission without the substantial investments of time and energy that other pre-med students typically make in the process of preparing for optimal scores on the MCAT exam and applying to numerous medical schools. Plus, you're free to explore other areas of interest during the remainder of your academic career, broadening your overall college experience.
Partnering with World-Renowned Medical and Research Institutions
In addition, UMF is one of a consortia of schools that partners with the world-renowned Jackson Laboratory biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, Maine.
Both institutions offer student training and internships promoting bio-medical research. UMF even has an endowed paid internship at the Jackson Laboratory.
Note: There are a number of standardized entrance exams for pre-professional health careers: MCAT (medical), PCAT (pharmacy), VAT (veterinary), GRE (optometry and biomedical research), OAT (optometry) etc., and each are designed to assess your problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of your chosen career.
UMF's solid foundation in the liberal arts and its specialized upper-level sciences and mathematics courses are ideal for preparing you for these exams.


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Jessica in the Middle: Forging Understanding and Promoting Identity
The eldest daughter and middle child of an interracial couple, Jessica Barron '05, Ph.D., felt called to racial reconciliation at a Christian youth camp at age 16. She drew upon her personal experience as a multiethnic minority to fuel her understanding of the struggles of others and her commitment to breaking down barriers.
Relocation from the diverse multicultural community she enjoyed as a resident of Los Angeles to the seemingly homogenous demographic of Denver as a teen presented significant challenges and some harsh lessons. As a high school student within that context, she discovered that her biracial nuclear and extended families were anomalies. She described the city as segregated, where racial identity was an all-or-nothing concept, forcing people to identify with a single ethnic identity. When it came time to select a college, she looked for a place that would reflect the diversity of the surrounding community and the Kingdom.
She chose Azusa Pacific. As a recruit for the Multi-Ethnic Leadership (MEL) Scholarship, Barron's expectations were high. However, she soon came to realize that the APU campus of that time was much like her Denver school, only in a California setting. "What could have been a racial utopia was starkly segregated, but for a different reason," said Barron. She recognized that APU had the heart for and tools to embody a God-honoring, racially reconciled community, but that the Christ followers within the organization were unfamiliar with available resources and how to employ them effectively. True to her calling, she set her mind to leading the way.
In spring 2003, Barron—nominated and selected from among 23 campus leaders—participated in the National Multicultural Institute's diversity trainer preparation. As one of only two student members and the only undergraduate of the 15-person team that included the provost and a cross-section of faculty and staff, Barron not only engaged in the experience, but also provided meaningful insights during group discussions. Upon returning to campus, the team collaborated on the development of the university's Imago Dei diversity training curriculum. Once implemented, more than 400 APU employees completed the training, which is still offered through the Office of Human Resources. That opportunity served as one of many vehicles for this emerging scholar to facilitate racial reconciliation. She also became an active MEL scholar, participated in student government, held a variety of leadership positions, and engaged in campus efforts to advance God-honoring diversity and promote accountability in this important area.
Barron demonstrated equal tenacity in the classroom. She participated in the Oxford Semester, and graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. As she reminisces about her journey at APU, she recounts the challenge of balancing being a biracial student and diversity advocate in a racially maturing academic environment. While she navigated the environment well, she knows that many students were not as fortunate during this time of communal growth. Today, the Office of Academic Advising and Retention, Office of Diversity, and Student Center for Reconciliation and Diversity work collaboratively to ensure that all students feel welcomed and valued at Azusa Pacific. The passionate students, staff, and faculty in these areas not only minimize the difficulties that first-generation and underrepresented students may encounter, but also provide personal connections and practical resources that set the foundation for a positive educational experience.
Barron's drive to transform higher education through research and academic leadership led her to pursue an M.A. in Sociology at Loyola University Chicago on a full scholarship. Immediately following completion of her master's degree, she began doctoral study at Texas A&M University, receiving one of only three full fellowships the program offers. She successfully defended her dissertation—"Living in the Middle: Multiracials, Residential Segregation, and the Fate of the U.S. Color-Line"—on June 26, 2013, and began her postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University in summer 2013. This prestigious fellowship positions her to continue her social justice advocacy as a scholar within the academy. Her response to the Lord's call to racial reconciliation through academic excellence will equip future generations to demonstrate value for all God's people.
Posted: February 10, 2014


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Start the music! Baker's Palette ready for Fridays
It's no secret that the newly reopened (and usually sold-out) Paramount Theater has dramatically affected the dining scene on the Downtown Mall. Try to arrange a small private party at a nearby eatery on a "Paramount Night," and you'll likely be turned away– who needs the extra business with all the hungry theater-goers buzzing around?
When the local street party known as Fridays After 5 moves to its temporary home on Garrett Street starting May 6, there won't be the plethora of immediate-vicinity dining options that the Paramount enjoys– but there will be more than Dominoes.
Though it's not Main Street, Garrett Street is one of the main streets (together with Second Street SE) of Charlottesville's burgeoning "warehouse district"– a few blocks of recently converted brick warehouse-style buildings now animated by design studios, clothing and shoe boutiques, an always-booked hair salon and a surprising dearth of eateries. Sammy Snacks will keep dogs and cats satisfied on warm Friday nights, but what about hungry humans?
Located at 126B Garrett in the Gleason's Building, just a few yards away from the old Ivy Industries (and soon to be ACAC) spot, The Baker's Palette is poised to take on the Friday crowds. Owned and operated by baker Sheila Cervelloni, this enormous take-out bakery serves businesses, cafés, and restaurants with fresh breads, cookies, cakes, and pastries. A small but chic eat-in section has been enjoying walk-in tranquility of this particular "frontier" location since opening in October 2003.
About a year ago, Cervelloni added a competitive, creative sandwich and salad menu– Cuban pork ciabatta, Virginia-baked ham melt on homemade wheat, chicken chipotle salad– which definitely puts her in the thick of the Fridays After 5 game.
"We're basically the only ones over here," Cervelloni says, "and so we're designing a special family-oriented menu just for Fridays." Assisted by her chef-husband, Tom Cervelloni, this palette will include lasagne, stromboli, and cold sesame noodles. Once they get things rolling, a similar menu will be available for tailgating and other take-out-friendly events on Saturdays.
Personal chefs cater to Charlottesville
It's not surprising that celebs like macrobiotic Toni Collette or frequently ballooning John Travolta have their personal chefs follow them from set to set in case they suddenly crave an egg-white omelet or herbed black soybeans at 4am. But did you know that nowadays personal chefs are about as common as personal trainers? According to a recent estimate by the U.S. Personal Chef Association, about 100,000 American families enjoy the services a personal chef.
Thanks to Ingrid Cordano of The Red Apron, several Charlottesville families are now experiencing this luxury. Cordano, a UVA alumna who trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC, says she came up with the idea while working in Manhattan.
"I started making and delivering lunches for the people in my office, and it just took off," she says.
After working in a busy Big Apple restaurant called Montrachet, Cordano realized that the more intimate world of in-home cooking was her true calling.
Although many restaurants deliver prepared meals, Cordano is a chef who actually prepares meals in clients' kitchens. She visits each client's home about once a week (usually while the owners are at work) and prepares 2-3 meals to satisfy every seasonal or ethnic whim and dietary restriction.
"There's something to be said for a house that smells like there's been cooking going on," she says. For contact info, see red-apron.com.
The Baker's Palette is ready for Fridays
Sheila Cervelloni at The Baker's Palette


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If you wonder why we would pour $9.7 trillion dollars at the banking system and virtually nothing at the people of America, then look no further. I saw an interesting statistic that said $9.7 trillion is enough to literally buy 90% of all the mortgages in America. Would that have been a better use of the funds? You bet. Not what I would have done, but at least you would be helping the PEOPLE of this country and you would underpin the banks and derivates as well allowing the game to continue. As it stands today, the game is at risk, and Larry Summers is one of the reasons why.
Summers Earned Millions in D.E. Shaw Salary, Bank Speech Fees
By Timothy J. Burger and Kristin Jensen
April 4 (Bloomberg) -- Lawrence Summers, director of President Barack Obama's National Economic Council, earned millions working at a hedge fund and speaking to banks such as Citigroup Inc. that later received taxpayer bailout money.
Hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co. paid Summers more than $5 million in salary and other compensation in the past 16 months, according to a financial disclosure form released by the White House yesterday. Summers served as a managing director at the New York-based firm. Summers, a former Treasury secretary, also earned more than $2.7 million in speaking fees.
"There was considerable interest in hearing his economic insights," said Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman. At the White House, Summers "has been at the forefront of this administration's work to shore up our nation's financial system and to put in place a regulatory framework that will strengthen the financial system," LaBolt said.
The disclosure statement for Summers and several other top administration officials illustrates the quandary Obama and his predecessors have faced in their personnel decisions because "powerful people are almost always also rich people" who have earned money from private interests, said Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Obama's "choice going forward is to choose unknowns of modest means who may be less controversial in terms of their connections," Schmidt said. "Except those people would be far less knowledgeable and thus less of an asset to fix these very same urgent problems."
Speeches by Summers
Summers spoke to Citigroup, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. audiences twice last year, according to his disclosure statement. Lehman, which went bankrupt in September, paid Summers $67,500 for an engagement on July 30, the filing showed.
Summers contributed a $45,000 fee from Merrill Lynch & Co. for a Nov. 12 speech to charity, according to his form. When the economist learned that Merrill would be accepting taxpayer funds because of its merger with Bank of America Corp., he tried unsuccessfully to cancel the appearance and then decided to donate the money, a White House official said.
"In ordinary times, a U.S. economic expert receiving honoraria from U.S. banks wouldn't raise many eyebrows -- nor would a money-making stint in the private sector," said Rogan Kersh, a public-service professor at New York University. "These aren't ordinary times, and as populist anger at the banking and hedge-fund industries continues to spread, Summers could have some serious explaining to do."
Kersh said he didn't see any obvious conflict of interest for Summers, who served as treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton and a stint as president of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard University.
No conflict of interest? Are you kidding? Is there any wonder why ALL the bailout money, stimulus, and guarantees go to these institutions? Do Americans really believe the lie that we must bail the people who created the problems out in order to get credit (debt) flowing again? What nonsense. The exact opposite is required to move the economy forward. The bad actors need to be removed and their debt with them.
And to imply that people of "modest means" don't know enough to fix the problem is exactly THE problem. The people who created the problems are NOT capable of fixing the problems. The only people who ARE CAPABLE of fixing the problems are those who are removed from the situation and can step in to do the moral and ethical things required.
My solution would be to separate the money from politics all together via an amendment that would separate Corporations from State and would return the central banking functions to the people. THAT would produce a long term cure for almost all our economic problems.
The article continues…
Other Officials
The White House also released the personal financial disclosure forms of other top White House officials yesterday.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's form listed a holding of less than $1,000 in shares of American International Group Inc., the insurer that has taken $182.5 billion in taxpayer funds to avoid financial collapse. The White House said Emanuel doesn't currently own shares in the company, which sparked a public furor by paying $165 million in bonuses to its employees as it was taking the taxpayer money.
Emanuel's congressional disclosure form that covered 2007 said his wife bought between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of AIG stock in August that year.
He also reported holdings of between $1,000 and $15,000 in Limited Brands Inc., and less than $1,000 in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Those are small holdings "that do not present a conflict of interest under ethics rules," said Sarah Feinberg, a White House spokeswoman.
Jarrett's Stocks
Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama and a close friend from Chicago, sold shares she owned in CME Group Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett Packard Co., Intel Corp., Sony Corp., General Mills Inc., General Dynamics Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Nike Inc. The income from those sales and dividend payments ranged from as little as $200 to as much as $100,000 each, according to the filing, which only lists ranges.
Jarrett also reported at one time owning between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of Apple Inc. shares and between $1,000 and $15,000 in stock of Best Buy Co., Brinker International Inc., Staples Inc. and Starbucks Corp. The White House said she no longer owns any shares.
Jarrett reported income of $393,286 for selling restricted stock options in Navigant Consulting Inc., a Chicago-based consulting firm. She earned a salary of $302,000 from Habitat Executive Services Inc. in Chicago and directors' fees of more than $346,000 from groups and companies ranging from Navigant to USG Corp., a manufacturer of building materials.
Axelrod Income
David Axelrod, the chief strategist of Obama's campaign who is now a senior adviser to the president, received $1.55 million in salary and partnership income from public affairs firms. He agreed to buyouts that will pay him $3 million over five years, his disclosure form showed.
Axelrod's clients included the AFL-CIO, a federation of labor unions; the American Association for Justice, formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; AT&T Inc.; and Bally Total Fitness Corp.
Carol Browner, the White House energy policy coordinator, was paid $450,000 for her work last year with Albright Group LLC, a consulting firm founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Browner is still owed between $350,000 and $750,000 in Albright Group member distributions and has agreed to sell her ownership interest for about $370,000, to be paid over three years.
Browner Assets
Browner also is selling her interest in Albright Capital Management LLC, a related investment advisory firm. Browner didn't disclose the amount she will receive. She listed among her assets Albright Capital Management holdings worth between $450,000 and $1 million.
Browner also listed a stake in Downey McGrath Group Inc., a lobbying firm headed by her husband, Thomas Downey, a former Democratic congressman from New York. The stake, owned by her husband, was valued at between $1 million and $5 million.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs earned $156,188 last year as Obama's campaign press secretary. He and his wife own shares in four residential buildings in Alexandria, Virginia, which they rent out. He valued his ownership in the buildings at between $700,000 and $1.5 million.
Craig, Rogers
White House Counsel Gregory Craig was paid $1.7 million by the law firm Williams & Connolly LLP, where he was a partner. His clients included companies such as Abbott Laboratories and Digital Fusion Inc. and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.
Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, was paid $1.8 million for less than seven months' work as president of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. In July, she left the utility company to work for Allstate as president of social networking, and was paid $350,000 through the end of the year.
She also was paid $150,000 for serving on the board of Equity Residential, a real estate firm and $20,000 for serving on the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield in Chicago. She owns between $250,000 and $500,000 worth of stock in Equity Residential.
Thomas Donilon, deputy White House national security adviser, was paid $3.9 million by O'Melveny & Myers LLP, his former law firm. Donilon represented such clients as Penny Pritzker, Obama's campaign finance director; Verizon Communications Inc.; UnitedHealth Group; Citigroup; Goldman; and Apollo Management LLP. He will receive a pension from Fannie Mae, where he worked from 1999 to 2005.
"This is one of many stories where we see the intricate connections" between the government and those that it oversees, said Julian Zelizer, a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University in New Jersey. "There is a long history of this and it does not mean that serious regulation cannot take place. But without substantive lobbying and campaign finance reform, the nation will always face this challenge."
Zelizer is correct in that reform is needed or we will always face this challenge. The interface of bankers and corporations with our political system is the ROOT cause of a government that is out of control and a banking system that is out of control.
If you want real fixes to the problems at hand, step one is to remove those who created the problem. Larry Summers is one of those people.


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Anyone who's ever lived in a Mansion (or Apartment) (or Shack) (or House) has probably dealt with some crooked owner action. And while many landlords are law-abiding citizens like you and me, some are also dodgy motherfuckers like you and me. It's next to impossible to know when you're picking a place to live what levels of crazy you might encounter — some landlords seem perfectly reasonable at first, and it's not 'til later that you learn there's a clause in your lease that restricts male visitors after 8pm on weekdays.
In a recent ridiculous situation, a San Francisco renter wrote into the San Francisco Appeal's Tenant Troubles column about being harassed by her landlord because of plumbing problems in her 68-year-old apartment building.
She queries:
The building has some plumbing issues for which I have been repeatedly blamed (they have been going on since I moved in).
My landlord has started calling me once or twice a week to tell me how I have cause the problem and how stressed I am making him. I've been told I am using too much toilet paper, that grease has been leaking out of the pipes when the plumbing backs up, and other disgusting things that I'd rather not include.
Recently I was told to hang a sign in my bathroom that stated "Do not flush tampons". I told him no, but can they request or force me to hang signs like that? And am I at risk for losing my entire deposit because they believe I have ruined the plumbing system for this building? This is being directed solely at me, not at anyone else in the building.
Oh yes, this is clearly her bleeding vagina's fault and the fault of the bleeding vaginas who descend upon her pristine toilet.
Presumably, her fool landlord passed on these sign ideas:
- No Menstruating In Common Areas
- Keep Your Menses Off These Premises
- When You Signed the Deed, You Agreed Not to Bleed
- Your Aunt Flo Has Got to Go
- As a Courtesy to Other Tenants, Please Suppress Your PMS
- Just Use a Fucking Moon Cup Already, God
- When Your Uterine Wall Releases, Start Looking for Other Leases
- Smile, You're on Camera
Her question is — is this a ridiculous request, and is she being pushed around?
The advice from Tenant Trouble's Dave Crow, an attorney who specializes in San Francisco landlord tenant law? Tell him to fuck off, and do so in writing. Also, make him fix the plumbing, and if he refuses, contact the proper authorities.
Your landlord is just a penurious troll who doesn't want to pay to fix the pipes. Evidently he also has too much time (or something else) on his hands as well. How does he know that it's your toilet paper that's clogging the drain rather than his own or another tenant's? Nasty...
It'd be interesting to know if she's the only woman with her name on a lease in the building. She mentions that there are only two or three units besides her own, so it wouldn't be surprising. If that's the case, this could be a much larger issue, right? Why is he continually calling her out? Something stinks in San Francisco — and it's not just this building's sewage.
Either way, as Crow expertly advises, that landlord can stick a tampon and that sign where the sun don't shine.
Image via Richard J Ashcroft/Shutterstock


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Grab a handful of these rich, silky Silver/Grey Milk Chocolate Gems, 5 lbs and bite through the hard coated shell and into the great chocolate underneath. This 5 pound pouch is filled with Red Milk Chocolate Gems that make any candy buffet more colorful, and more delicious! Fill up your office candy dish, or grab a few bags for your next party or event. Silver/Grey Milk Chocolate Gems, 5 lbs is a must have for any chocolate-lover and their Silver/Grey coated shells are great for any theme party!
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Art Spiegelman has been a staff artist and contributing editor at The New Yorker, as well as the cofounder/coeditor of RAW, the acclaimed magazine of avant-garde comics and graphics. In addition to Maus—which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and twice nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award—he is the author of Breakdowns and In the Shadow of No Towers. He lives in New York City with his wife, Françoise Mouly . . . and a cat.
© 2020 Penguin Random House


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The week in review
Most watched smoke signals: At the Vatican, where 115 cardinals gather to select Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as successor to Pope John Paul II April 19. Ratzinger, 78, will be known as Benedict XVI.
Most watched local smoke: DePaul basketball coach Dave Leitao accepts the job as Pete Gillen's successor at UVA.
Least missed traffic signals: The pair of "Twaffic Tweety" mobile stoplights that narrowed Water Street to one lane for over three months disappear April 18, with one crashing to the street into a million pieces, according to a witness.
Most buried news: Veteran political reporter Bob Gibson's investigation into the background of beleaguered Charlottesville school superintendent Scottie Griffin gets hidden in the middle of the B section in the April 17 edition of the Sunday Daily Progress.
Biggest population drop: Charlottesville lost more residents in the last four years than anywhere else in Virginia. According to Census Bureau estimates, the best place to live in America dropped from 40,099 in 2000 to 36,605 in 2004– 8.7 percent, reports John Yellig in the Progress.
Biggest population flop: In 2000, the Census Bureau misunderstood city-county-UVA boundaries and issued a wildly inaccurate figure.
Biggest tax cut: Charlottesville drops its rate for the second year in a row, making $1.05 per $100 of assessed value the new, four-cent-lower real estate rate. Of course, residential real estate assessments increased an average of 14.6 percent in 2005.
Hottest political issue throughout Virginia: Slowing higher property taxes caused by soaring real estate prices.
Latest supe candidates: Incumbent Sally Thomas announces she'll seek a fourth term representing the Samuel Miller District on the Board of Supervisors, and Ragazzi marketing director Thomas J. Jakubowski says he's a candidate for the Rio District seat held by David Bowerman, who at press time had not announced whether he'd run for a fifth term.
Closest but no cigar: State Senator Emmett Hanger comes up short– about 3,500 signatures– and moments late in filing petitions before the 5pm April 15 deadline to run for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary June 14. Gil Davis and Kenneth Golden also bow out.
Worst oops: A Cincinnati company ships samples of a deadly flu virus to more than 6,000 labs, including the UVA Medical Center. The hospital destroyed its three samples of the virus that killed approximately 4,000,000 people worldwide in 1957-58, Claudia Pinto reports in the Progress.
Biggest lapse in proper credit: Legal giant and Harvard constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe is reproached for using a 19-word passage by UVA professor emeritus Henry Abraham without acknowledgement. A Harvard investigation determines the inclusion inadvertent rather than intentional, and Tribe apologizes.
Biggest leak: A gas line hit by a backhoe evacuates Hollymead Elementary and Sutherland Middle schools April 12 for about 25 minutes. County fire officials charge the superintendent for Mid Atlantic Contractors, which didn't mark the gas line before construction.
Worst family-pet trend: A pit bull bites the face of a Louisa County seven-year-old boy April 10, 30 minutes before four-year-old Robert Waller Shafer is killed by his Orange County family's Rottweiler-shepherd. Ronald Wells, 52, collapses and dies in Richmond April 8 after pulling his neighbor's pit bull off his Rottweiller-chow. And a neighbor's German shepherd bites a one-year-old Albemarle boy in the face April 15.
Worst setback for Wiccans: Cynthia Simpson loses her appeal to get on a list of religious leaders allowed to pray at the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors meetings.
Longest bath: A 75-year-old Hampton woman, Jane Fromal, is trapped for five days in her tub when she's unable to lift herself out.


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'Nearly-Comatose' Pakistani Student May Be Sent Home
Student has been "minimally-conscious" since November car accident.
Feb. 13, 2014 -- A nearly-comatose Pakistani student, who was studying in Wisconsin, may be sent back to Pakistan after his student visa runs out at the end of February even though he can no longer talk or care for himself.
Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa, 20, was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Superior when he was in a car accident in November. The car carrying Shahzaib Bajwa hit a deer and the 20-year-old suffered multiple fractures in his face after the animal went through the windshield. At the hospital he choked on his own blood and temporarily went into cardiac arrest.
Although he was revived, he suffered brain-swelling and other injuries that left him in a "minimally conscious" state, according to his older brother Muhammad Shahraiz Bajwa.
"He opens his eyes...sometimes he smiles, sometimes he cries, he moves his legs. His body parts are all moving," said Shahraiz Bajwa. "The trauma doctors say that he's young and he's intelligent, he needs time. It takes a lot of time for the brain to recover."
Shahraiz Bajwa said it may take years to know how much of his brother's injuries will be permanent.
Shahzaib Bajwa was originally supposed to be in the U.S. for one semester and his visa was set to expire in November,according to Shahzaib Bajwa's immigration attorney and his brother.
His lawyer, Saiko McIvor, said the student visa is supposed to be for students who are enrolled at a school, but was extended for Shahzaib Bajwa by the State Department after the car accident.
She said she had no information from the State Department if they would extend that visa or if they would allow Bajwa to stay under "humanitarian parole," which would allow him to stay for a "temporary period of time due to a compelling emergency."
"He's definitely here in the country legally with the proper legal status," said McIvor. "The question beyond that is will there be any visa status beyond that [date.] We will know within the next day or so. As of this moment we don't know."
According to a statement from Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minn., they are working to make arrangements to have Shahzaib Bajwa sent to Pakistan after his visa expires on Feb. 28.
Brain Dead and Pregnant: Why One Baby Survived and Another Didn't
"The U.S. State Department is not renewing Mr. Bajwa's visa, therefore he is not legally allowed to stay in the country," read the statement. "St. Mary's Medical Center has been working with the State Department, which is making arrangements for Mr. Bajwa's medical transport home. This is an unfortunate situation and his caregivers are working closely with Mr. Bajwa's family to ensure the smoothest transition possible."
The State Department has not independently confirmed that they will not renew Shahzaib Bajwa's visa or consider allowing him to stay under humanitarian parole.
Texas Woman Taken Off Life-Support
Shahzaib Bajwa's older brother, Muhammad Shahraiz Bajwa, said that the hospital had asked their mother to sign a consent form to allow them to discharge Shahzaib Bajwa and arrange transport back to Pakistan, but he had told her to wait to sign it.
Shahzaib Bajwa said that he and his mother want to keep the 20-year-old student in the U.S. because they believe his health could deteriorate greatly if he's sent on a 24 to 30 hour flight to Pakistan and receive substandard care in that country.
Shahraiz Bajwa said their insurance, received through Shahzaib Bajwa's exchange program, has offered to find a hospital to put his brother in Pakistan. But he doesn't believe his brother can survive in Pakistan.
"It's pushing him towards death," said Shahraiz Bajwa. "That hospital will take him out when he runs out of money."
According to the Associated Press, Shahraiz Bajwa said his brother's health insurance policy has a cap of $100,000. Shahraiz Bajwa said Essentia has not charged the health insurance company for his brothers' care so that the money would be available for his care in Pakistan.
However, Shahzaib Bajwa estimates the coverage will only last a few months before it runs out. The family has started online fundraising to raise money for Shahzaib Bajwa to be sent to a nursing home.
"I am the head of my family. We don't have any resources because I am also a student," said Shahraiz Bajwa. "We don't have enough resources to afford medical care."
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.