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Published Feb. 8, 2013.
MONTREAL — Four months after his return to Montreal it appears Vito Rizzuto was underestimated when many predicted his demise as the Mafia clan he allegedly runs seemed to be on its knees two years ago.
An effort to wrestle control of the Mafia in Montreal from the Rizzuto clan appears to have failed, experts said, after it blew up in the face of the men allegedly behind it, leaving Rizzuto almost unchallenged when he returned to the city in October after serving most of a 10-year prison term in the United States for his role in the 1981 murders of three fellow mobsters in New York.
Since Nov. 4, seven murders and two attempted murders in the Montreal area have involved victims who reportedly had ties to the Mafia. But experts and police sources cautioned that not all appear to be directly related to Rizzuto's return to Montreal.
The man who appeared to be pulling the strings in the effort to take control away from the Rizzutos was Joseph Di Maulo, 70, a former associate of Rizzuto's who was killed outside his home in Blainville in November. A coalition headed by Di Maulo apparently self-destructed when two of its key figures, Salvatore Montagna and Raynald Desjardins (Di Maulo's brother-in-law), had a falling out during summer 2011. Montagna was killed just east of Montreal on Nov. 24, 2011. Desjardins is charged with Montagna's murder along with four other men, including Vittorio Mirarchi, 35, who, according to police sources, offered the coalition a link to support from other Mafia organizations based in Ontario.
The other Mafia-related bloodshed that followed Di Maulo's murder appears to involve lower-level players who might have been victims of old scores being settled, said at least a few people interviewed by The Gazette this week.
However, one of the homicides stands out among the others because of the victim's very close ties to Desjardins. Gaéten Gosselin, 69, was shot near his home in St-Léonard on the evening of Jan. 22, the coldest day of the winter so far in Montreal. Gosselin was something of an unknown entity to police but, according to provincial business records, he was the president of a numbered company that was the majority shareholder in a construction company Desjardins ran after being released from a penitentiary in 2004. Desjardins had served a 15-year sentence for taking part in a conspiracy to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of cocaine with the Hells Angels. While Desjardins was under investigation in that case, in 1994, police considered him a trusted associate of Vito Rizzuto's. But that friendship appears to be ancient history.
"It's possible Gosselin was killed merely to send a message to Desjardins or to remove someone who might have been important to his (legitimate) business interests while he's (detained)," a police source said.
Whatever the motives might be behind the recent slayings and attempted murders, some of the victims were tied to groups that, police said, sided with Di Maulo's coalition. It is a sign, police sources said, that things appear to be turning in Rizzuto's favour. He was behind bars in the U.S. between December 2009 and November 2010, when his father Nicolo and son Nick Jr. were killed and his brother-in-law, Paolo Renda, disappeared.
Interactive map: Mob hits since October
View Mafia Hits since Oct. 2012 in a larger map
"While he was in jail, he still had an army, a large army that stayed loyal to (Rizzuto)," one police source said. He added that Agostino Cuntrera — an ally of the Rizzuto clan who was killed in St-Léonard in 2010 — had a similar "army" of his own. Most of that "army" remained loyal to the Rizzutos, with a couple of exceptions who were the victims of violence near the end of 2011.
Almost all of the people interviewed by The Gazette this week played down the ancestral differences between the Rizzuto organization — whose leaders originated from Sicily — and those of Calabrian origin, who sided with Di Maulo. But, one police source said, the differences did contribute to the turmoil in that as Rizzuto's influence faded during his absence, several of the Calabrian leaders in Montreal showed little motivation to support his organization while it was attacked. Many of those Calabrian leaders were around when the Cotroni clan, also of Calabrian origin, controlled the Mafia in Montreal before the Rizzutos took over during the late 1970s.
"Since (Rizzuto's) return, we appear to be seeing a return to force of the Sicilians and you have to ask if it isn't playing in the favour of Vito Rizzuto," said Pierre De Champlain, a retired RCMP analyst and the author of books on the Mafia. "But this remains to be seen. I don't think Vito Rizzuto is in control of the situation as it stands now. But it seems that things are turning in his favour. No one could have foreseen this about a year ago."
"I think that Rizzuto has the support of people who were underestimated. It really is an unexpected reversal."
For years, Di Maulo had been described by police as someone who preferred to keep a low profile despite his influence within the Mafia. His brother-in-law, Desjardins, is the opposite — a charismatic figure among organized crime groups, the Hells Angels in particular — and his personality among the doomed coalition would have been important.
Montagna was the outsider to the group, a foreign element added to existing chemistry. He was more than two decades younger than Di Maulo and Desjardins, and was suddenly dropped into Montreal's underworld in 2009 after being deported from the U.S. and returned to Canada, where he was a citizen even if he had not lived here long.
"With the time that has passed we can see that, even if he was in prison, Vito Rizzuto was still in control of the situation in Montreal. The winds have changed in his favour," De Champlain said while referring to Rizzuto's reputation as a charismatic arbitrator among Montreal's organized crime groups. He also noted that many people in the Mob are probably impressed with how Rizzuto refused to turn informant even though leaders of the New York-based Bonanno crime family gave evidence against him, related to the 1981 murders, in order to save their own hides.
A couple of the victims of the recent violence in Montreal — besides Gosselin and Di Maulo — appear to have ties to Giuseppe (Ponytail) De Vito, 46, who is serving a 15-year prison term for attempting to smuggle 218 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. The conspiracy was uncovered while the Rizzuto clan was under investigation in Project Colisée.
Secretly recorded conversations portrayed De Vito as someone who worked with the Rizzuto organization even though he did not trust some of its members and blamed them when the cocaine was seized. His resentment toward the Rizzuto clan apparently dates to 2004 when his boss, Paolo Gervasi, was murdered during a dispute with the Rizzuto clan. Evidence gathered in Project Colisée revealed the Rizzutos took notice of the fact that De Vito and two of his partners, including Giuseppe (Closure) Colapelle, stopped paying tribute to the Rizzuto clan after Gervasi's death. Colapelle was murdered in St-Léonard in 2012.
On Dec. 21, Domenico Facchini, 37, was killed and another man was injured when a gunman opened fire inside Café Domenica-In on Provencher Blvd. in St-Léonard. The café is part of a building owned by a numbered company controlled by De Vito's wife, Adele Sorella, 46. Sorella was charged with murdering the couple's two daughters while De Vito was on the lam in 2009.
While police sources said they knew little about Facchini — he had a relatively minor criminal record — they also said it appears De Vito was allied with Desjardins before both were arrested in their respective cases.
But everyone interviewed by The Gazette said they doubt all of the violence is the result of two clearly defined groups warring with each other.
"During Rizzuto's absence, Desjardins and Montagna were trying to take over," said Antonio Nicaso, author of several books about organized crime.
"The fact that a lot of people close to them are being killed makes it appear there is a sort of retaliation to it. That is the only thing we can say. But who is doing it? It is hard to say. It's very difficult to understand what is going on. I think there is a lack of intelligence, a lack of (police) resources, because it is hard to tell who is on one side and who is on the other side.
"For so many years, we had only one (Mafia) organization in Montreal, unlike in Toronto and in other cities. In Montreal, the Rizzuto clan was very strong, very powerful. No else one had an opportunity to say anything. The power and charisma of Vito Rizzuto was very clear. The absence of Rizzuto gave an opportunity to many people to do what they've had in mind for years, but were incapable of doing it under his leadership. For the first time (when Rizzuto was absent) people had the freedom to do things they had wanted to do for a long time — in some cases take retaliation against rivals."
Like De Champlain, Nicaso said Rizzuto's influence appeared to travel beyond the Colorado penitentiary where he was incarcerated for almost all of his sentence. This influence apparently helped maintain enough support to hold his organization together long enough for it to survive.
"It's not easy to challenge Vito Rizzuto or replace Vito Rizzuto. To replace him, they would have to also replace the political and financial connections of Vito Rizzuto," Nicaso said. "Violence doesn't guarantee longevity. Muscle on the street doesn't give you the opportunity to succeed. I don't see at the moment an organization powerful enough to replace the Rizzutos. But, also, these political and financial connections have been exposed by the Charbonneau Commission. So the Rizzuto crime family is weaker, not because of a challenge from a group on the streets from a younger generation, but their connections have been exposed by the Charbonneau Commission. If someone wants to replace them, they'd have to build the political and financial connections."
Another possible challenge Rizzuto might face would come from Mafia clans based in Ontario, rather than on the streets of Montreal, said André Cédilot, co-author of the book Mafia Inc., which details the rise of the Rizzuto clan.
"There was (and still is) a destabilization in the milieu. For years, there were people who profited from this destabilization," Cédilot said while adding Rizzuto has probably already sorted out who was loyal to his organization while he was incarcerated.
"His strength comes from knowing everything, the rumours, who likes him, who doesn't," Cédilot said. "He knows everything. I think he still has his network and that is also his strength."


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subset: commoncrawl


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Seles to be inducted into Court of Champions
Nine-time major champion Monica Seles will be inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions before the women's final on Sunday.
Seles, who won the U.S. Open in 1991 and 1992, spent more than 175 weeks ranked first and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.
She teamed with Chris Evert for a fun-and-games exhibition match against Jason Biggs and Rainn Wilson before Thursday night's main event, the quarterfinal between Novak Djokovic and Mikhail Youzhny.
Seles said being on the main court at the U.S. Open was a thrill.
"It brought back so many memories. You could feel the electricity," she said.


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03 March, 2009 | (01 hr)
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In the current economy, talent management priorities have shifted quickly from recruitment and retention to downsizing and morale. To maintain productivity and focus, leaders' ability to inspire employee engagement is more important now than ever. This webcast will use the lens of generational differences, and the common ground that brings the generations together, to help leaders create engaging, positive work environments that foster innovation in this economic downturn. Two experts on multi-generational issues will explore what it takes to keep employees contributing at high levels through a real-world look at the new realities of a tough talent environment.
This webcast will discuss:
- Managing boomers, who are seeing their retirement options sink with their 401(k) balances, and who may "retire on the job".
- Inspiring Generation Xers, who must defer their own promotional aspirations while boomers still hold leadership positions, and are becoming disgruntled as they ride out this economy.
- Mentoring Generation Yers, who are clamoring to move up the corporate ladder but are stymied as they hit an advancement ceiling.
Cara Sjodin
Cara Sjodin currently holds the position of Vice President -- Sales Strategies, Marketing Training and Communications at Ameriprise Financial in Minneapolis. She has 19 years marketing experience in service related industries. Cara completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesot...Full Bio
Debby Magnuson
Jean McNulty
Jean served as a Conference Portfolio Manager and Council Program Director for The Conference Board from 1992 until 2000. During this time she supervised a number of Program Directors in the development and production of conferences as well as serving as the Program Director for two Marketi...Full Bio


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Kansas House bill would void academic standards
Board adopted Common Core standards in 2010
A new proposal before the Kansas Legislature would nullify reading, math and science standards for public schools adopted previously by the State Board of Education.
The measure is sponsored by the House Education Committee and was introduced this week.
The bill also said that new standards would be drafted "solely" by the Kansas board with help from an advisory committee.
Conservative Republican legislators tried unsuccessfully last year to block the board from putting into effect the multistate Common Core standards for reading and math.
The board adopted the standards in 2010. Because the federal government has encouraged states to adopt them, critics see them as federal education standards, and costly to implement as well.
The bill also would nullify multistate, evolution-friendly science standards adopted by the Kansas board last year.


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Neal Schon Continues On His Journey With The Release Of The Calling
22 Oct, 2012, 07:00 BST
-- In Rock Star Fashion, Neal Schon Celebrates the Milestone of his Engagement to Real Housewives' Starlet Michaele Salahi with the Release of his Seventh Solo Album
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a detour from his main job as lead guitarist for iconic rock band Journey, the multi-talented Neal Schon has put the finishing touches on his latest solo album, The Calling - which will be released by Frontiers Records WORLDWIDE on Monday, October 22, 2012.
To view the multimedia asset associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/58458-neal-schon-solo-album-the-calling-engagement-michaele-salahi
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121022/MM95571)
Produced by, and featuring, Schon on all guitars and bass, The Calling reunites Schon with former Journey band mate, Steve Smith, who lends his virtuoso drum talents to all 12 tracks on the new album and GRAMMY Award-winning special guest Jan Hammer (Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu Orchestra,) recorded Moog synthesizer solos on two tracks – Fifty Six and Tumbleweeds. Igor Len, an accomplished classical, jazz and film composer who had previously collaborated with Schon, is featured on acoustic piano throughout The Calling album.
Recorded at Berkeley's famed Fantasy Studios during a break from Journey's busy touring schedule, Neal recorded the album completely from scratch in just four days. Neal once again teamed up with Dan Barnett (Journey: Live In Manila) to produce the video for the first single and title track from The Calling, filmed entirely in San Francisco and Marin County. The long-form video is available now at iTunes.
Schon has earned 19 Top 40 singles and 25 gold and platinum albums, was awarded the prestigious "Legend Of Live Award" at the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. As the only member to record on all of Journey's albums, Schon continues to lead the band today in its latest incarnation.
In demand as one of the leading guitarists of his generation, Schon uses custom PRS Neal Schon LTD Private Stock guitars made especially for Neal by Paul Reed Smith.
"It's a thrilling, edgy, ballsy, inspiring, and beautiful work that sounds as purposely constructed as a symphony piece. Less-blessed composers and guitarists can now take a moment to cry..." -Guitar Player Magazine – U.S.
"Nothing short of a six string symphony!" – ROCK iKON Magazine – UK
"The Calling has a series of well-composed, skillfully executed and produced mixed instrumental pieces that Schon has adorned with his lead work." –Metal Discovery – UK
CONTACT: Howard Nelson Cromwell
LLEWMORC Media & Production Agency
202-642-3221 (office)
SOURCE LLEWMORC Media & Production Agency


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Submitted by Brandon Smith from Alt-Market
NDAA Protests End In Ironic Swarm Of Arrests
The absurdity of America today never ceases to amaze. In fact, it has become so elaborate that one might even suggest it has reached a kind of poetic symmetry. When a protest group is willing to stick their necks out to expose the horror of the National Defense Authorization Act and its open door strategy for unconstitutional arrest and indefinite detainment of American citizens, I have to stand up and applaud. This is the kind of protest we need to see all over the country. Of course, any establishment system which is willing to dissolve the inherent liberties of its citizens certainly isn't going to stand by quietly while they blatantly point out the injustice. The Grand Central Terminal action featured in the video below is a perfect example of the swift and immediate stifling of peaceful dissent by an increasingly totalitarian government:
Responses to the event vary. Most people who have actually been exposed to the facts on the NDAA have expressed utter disgust and fury. Rightly so. Some, however, have taken the old elitist mantra, perpetuated effectively by the Neo-Cons in their heyday, that if you are not for the system, then you are a danger to society. Not surprisingly, there are still plenty of useful idiots out there buzzing about like parasites in search of blood.
For those who would applaud these arrests, and suggest that they are well deserved, I would have to ask very pointedly; why?
Is it right to crush free speech as long as the message is offensive to you personally? Do peaceful protestors really present a legitimate threat to our national stability? Are they truly more dangerous than a corrupt government hellbent on assassinating the legal protections of our natural rights which have existed for centuries? Would any supporter of the jackboot methodology like to explain to me in a coherent manner why they believe their skewed world view should be shielded from sincere questions? Please, I can't wait to witness the kind of ridiculous mental gymnastics required to make such arguments palatable. If this kind of ignorance wasn't so destructive, it might actually be entertaining.
The bottom line is, it doesn't matter if these activists were in Grand Central Terminal, on the streets, or busting through the doors of the Oval Office. While New York authorities will attempt to argue property loopholes in free speech protections for Grand Central, or national security because of the vulnerability of the terminal, really, this has nothing to do with either. This is about the removal of American voices from a room, and nothing more. If the message is going to be suppressed by the mainstream media, and shrugged off by representatives, then protesters must go to where the people are, and make the truth heard by whatever means necessary.
Ultimately, activism is about disturbing people's normal mundane routines and shocking them out of their pop-culture stupor, even if for a moment. If we aren't allowed to do that without constant police intervention, then the First Amendment is not being served, and then, my friends, we have a problem, a problem which should be forced down the throat of government with even more public action.


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R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs
Jerry Fuchs, drummer for Maserati, The Juan Maclean, !!!, and great friend to many died on Saturday, November 6th. For more details, see the New York Post article. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. R.I.P. Jerry.
Photo by Mike White, Deadly Designs
This footage of Jerry's drumming prowess was put together from various shows in Athens, Atlanta, Baton Rouge and Austin in March 2009, and was filmed by Fred Weaver.


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Letters in today's Guardian (April 6) highlight the growing threat to artistic and academic freedom by pro-Israel lobbyists seeking to criminalise criticism of the Zionist state.
Playwright Caryl Churchill, a leading signatory of the UK Artists' Pledge for Palestine, noted the alarming conjunction of a threat to funding of arts institutions that decline Israeli state links and cancellation of an academic conference planned for April 17-19 at the University of Southampton after Zionist pressure.
The organisers have launched a legal challenge to the decision to cancel. See lower down this post for a message from Southampton Students for Palestine explaining the campaign to raise funds to support the challenge.
"All Charlie Hebdo?" wrote Churchill, alluding to the collective outpouring of official outrage at the murder of cartoonists in France in January. "Except when freedom of expression means freedom to criticise Israel."
Another letter, from Professors Hilary and Steven Rose, prominent proponents of the academic boycott, said the university had "shamefully capitulated to pressure from the pro-Israel lobby", as evidenced by the statement issued by the university authorities.
The university had initially listened to the hundreds of academics who rallied in support of the conference despite a barrage of attacks from a roll-call of Tories and Israel lobbyists, among them Communities Minister Eric Pickles, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Zionist Federation. Pickles & Co alleged that the conference was a one-sided antisemitic rant against Israel's "right to exist" and threatened demonstrations and disruption if it went ahead. This seems to have been what forced vice-chancellor Prof Don Nutbeam to announce the cancellation on unconvincing "health and safety" grounds.
A letter the Guardian declined to publish, submitted by Tony Greenstein on behalf of J-BIG (full text at the bottom of this post) contrasted this cowardice with the fate of Danish film director, Finn Noergaard, killed at a cafe in Copenhagen in February while defending the right to debate freedom of speech.
The organisers of the three-day Southampton conference, titled International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Responsibility and Exceptionalism, had assembled an array of expert participants from around Europe, North America and the Middle East, including many Jews. If the conference programme lacked representation from Israel's friends, it is because invitations issued by the organisers to defenders of Zionism were rejected by the recipients.
As explained by Prof Haim Bresheeth on the website of the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), Israel and its apologists are resorting to all possible means to prevent the issues addressed by the conference being aired.
One of the conference organisers, engineering professor Suleiman Sharkh, a Palestinian from Gaza, explained its importance.
"International law was responsible for our misery. It was used to legalize the theft of our homes and it continues to be used to legalize the ongoing oppression of my people by the State of Israel. The questions asked by the conference are therefore questions that I have been asking all my life. They are important questions that need to be answered."
Account number: 26617360
Sort Code: 30-90-34
The decision of Southampton University to cancel a Conference on Israel and the State of Israel [University event questioning Israel's right to exist is cancelled, Guardian 31st March] is a disgraceful surrender to powerful bullies. Zionist groups have a long track record of trying to ban anything they disagree with, given their inability to defend the indefensible. The normal response is to stand up to them.
It was less than three months ago that four million people and world leaders marched in France in support of freedom of speech, in the wake of the murder of the journalists of Charlie Hebdo. Amongst them was David Cameron. If Cameron was sincere he would sack Eric Pickles MP from his government for having lent his support to the call to ban an academic conference.
The use of health and safety as the pretext to cancel the conference is absurd and illogical. Is it really being suggested that Southampton University was incapable of protecting those attending the conference? The Police were quite confident they could deal with any threats.
Southampton's charter includes a commitment to secure academic freedom. With this decision it has been shown to be worthless.
It was barely a month ago that Danish film director, Finn Noergaard, was killed [while defending the right to] debate [on] freedom of speech. The actions of Southampton University's Vice Chancellor Don Nutbeam and the university administration in failing to uphold the basic norms of a democratic society are an act of abject cowardice. If they have any integrity left they should collectively resign.
Yours faithfully
Professor Haim Bresheeth
Mike Cushman
Deborah Fink
Tony Greenstein
Professor (Emeritus) Moshe Machover
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
(Dr) Les Levidow
Roland Rance


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Contributions from Blue Jays aid AL's triumph
Bautista plates first run with sac fly; Cecil, Delabar provide key punchouts
NEW YORK -- It was a very successful night for the four Toronto Blue Jays All-Stars on two major levels: Their team won, and they enjoyed themselves.
The American League broke a three-game losing streak and stopped the National League, 3-0, on Tuesday night at Citi Field. Some fortunate AL team will now be given the gift of home-field advantage in the 2013 World Series.
Jose Bautista, becoming a perennial All-Star starter, delivered a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning for the game's first run. This is not normally a particularly dramatic development, but in a game where runs were nonexistent to scarce, this was the game-winning run.
Two of "these guys" who were shutting down the NL were Blue Jays relievers. They made back-to-back appearances in the seventh. Lefty Brett Cecil struck out power-hitting Domonic Brown of the Phillies, and then Steve Delabar struck out Buster Posey of the Giants, the NL MVP Award winner in 2012.
"It's the same thing that they've shown us all year," Bautista said.
The Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion pinch-hit for David Ortiz in the seventh and grounded into a double play. Remaining in the game as the designated hitter, Encarnacion grounded out in the ninth. But he had faced flame-throwing Aroldis Chapman of the Reds and Pittsburgh's Jason Grilli, who had an outstanding first half.
"Chapman throws 100 miles an hour, and you don't know what he's throwing," Encarnacion said with a smile. "It's hard."
But Encarnacion was here, a deserving All-Star. And he took pride in the achievements of his teammates.
"For me, it was very special for my teammates," Encarnacion said. "They played in the All-Star Game and they did what they had to do, they did their jobs, they got it done. Cecil pitched great. Delabar pitched great, too. Bautista drove in a run."
There was a time not that long ago when Cecil and Delabar would have been long shots to make a big league roster, much less an All-Star team. But this season, they have been dominant relievers.
"Honestly, in a way, it was just like any other game that I've ever come into," Cecil said. "No extra adrenaline. I don't know if I wanted that extra adrenaline -- I wouldn't know where the pitch was going.
"But now I'm savoring this. I'll remember this forever. It was everything I could have hoped for. Just to be a part of it, I'm very honored."
Delabar's impact was such that he was elected to the team in the AL Final Vote. Here, like the other Blue Jays, he said he was especially excited to be able to spend time with Mariano Rivera, in what was be Rivera's final All-Star Game. What has Delabar learned from the legendary Yankees closer?
"How to be a true professional," Delabar said. "The way that he goes about his business. Just talking to him, you see why the guys in front of him pitch the way they do, because they know that you want to get the game to him, you want to do well for him."
The total All-Star experience was "in one word, unbelievable," Delabar said.
Bautista, the four-time All-Star veteran, enjoyed the experience on a couple of levels. The presence of his three teammates, first-time All-Stars, was a treat.
"It's always fun to see your teammates enjoy success and be recognized by coming here," Bautista said. "Edwin was deserving last year, I felt, and I was a little bit let down that he couldn't make it. The job that our bullpen has done, to have two guys represent us here, it's great."
Watching these teammates enjoy the All-Star experience reminded Bautista of how enjoyable this rare honor can and should be.
"I think we are all a bunch of little kids inside when it comes to baseball," he said. "We all love the game still, and we get to enjoy all these festivities, all the activities."


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July 1, 2011
Film Journalist
Hello, my name is James Luxford and I am a film journalist from London. This website is where you can access all my film reviews, interviews, radio appearances and anything else!
Please feel free to look around, my latest articles are on the left, with older ones accessible by looking through the archives below.
thanks for visiting
Posted in Movie Review, The National | Comments Off on The National: "Monte Carlo" review


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Gov. Whitmer taking action to shut down Line 5 dual pipelines in Straits of Mackinac
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is taking action to shut down the Line 5 dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is taking action to shut down the Line 5 dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac.
"They're worried about committee assignments, they're worried about the team," Riggleman said of Republicans who are standing with the president.
Hundreds of handcuffed Salvadoran gang members were displayed before assembled reporters on Saturday, a vivid show of President Nayib Bukele's policy of confronting them and the violent crime they are accused of committing. In April, Bukele provoked the ire of rights groups when he published on social media jarring pictures of hundreds of semi-naked jailed gang members, pressed tightly together in rows, despite the raging pandemic. Security Minister Rogelio Rivas called the majority of the newly-detained "terrorists" in remarks after they were assembled in an open-air plaza by heavily-armed soldiers, nearly all the detainees wearing masks and with their faces, many tattooed, looking down.
Peering down from their balconies at the luxury Waikiki hotel, more than a thousand migrants gaze out towards the sea that carried them on their desperate journey fleeing Africa. Their rickety fishing boats lie piled up on docksides waiting to be scrapped. Smashed hulls still bob in the water, a reminder of the eight lives claimed this week off Lanzarote as hundreds more migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands. The survivors' safety in hotel accommodation amid the sprawling resorts of southern Gran Canaria is testament to local islanders' proud benevolence. But generosity is running thin as tempers fray amid a growing crisis that has split Canarian leaders from their mainland colleagues, and reopened old wounds in Europe's hopeless attempt to control migration. The Canary Islands has seen arrivals increase tenfold in a year to around 20,000 by late November. Plans are now afoot to build one of Europe's largest migrant camps, housing 7,000 across three islands. Around 6,000 are currently living in 15 hotel complexes after a deal was struck between hoteliers and the Spanish government.
It's #smallbusinesssaturday, and you know what that meansOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
The former Zappos CEO died late Friday as a result of injuries he sustained from a November 18 fire in New London, Connecticut.
Men plead innocence following arrest in 2017 as State Department demands release
Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, pointed the finger at Israel for the death of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, on Friday.
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) -Former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya said on Friday that he had been "unjustly" detained at the Central American nation's Toncontin international airport for carrying $18,000 in cash, which he said was not his. Zelaya, who led Honduras from 2006 to 2009 and was an ally of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, was deposed by the military in a June 2009 coup as he was preparing to hold a referendum on presidential re-election, which his opponents said was a ploy to stay in power.
The Government is preparing for a 100 per cent increase in the number of Hong Kong citizens coming to Britain after Boris Johnson offered up to three million residents sanctuary. The Prime Minister said in July that Hong Kong's freedoms were being violated by a new security law and those affected would be offered the chance to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship. The Foreign Office estimated that 200,000 people would move from Hong Kong to the UK, but a leaked internal briefing paper warned of a "rapid rise in the issue of British National (Overseas) passports since June". BN(O) passport holders in Hong Kong were granted special status in the 1980s but currently have restricted rights and are only entitled to visa-free access to the UK for six months. Under the Government's plans, all BN(O)s and their dependents will be given the right to remain in the UK, including the right to work and study, for five years. They will be able to apply for settled status and, after a further year, seek citizenship.
A Maryland woman fatally shot her police officer husband and then killed herself, authorities said. Authorities identified the couple as Christina Lynn Francis, 41, and Timothy Eugene Francis, 50. News outlets said Timothy Francis was a veteran detective for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C.
There's a reason why North Korea has remained quiet about the United States presidential election, The Associated Press reports.South Korean lawmakers were briefed by the country's National Intelligence Service on Friday, and one of the issues reportedly addressed was Pyongyang's anxiety about the incoming Biden administration. The briefing's contents could not be independently verified by news organizations, but Seoul's spy agency alleges North Korea has ordered overseas diplomatic missions to refrain from provoking the U.S., reportedly warning its ambassadors there will be consequences should any of their acts or comments rattle folks in Washington.One South Korean lawmaker said the NIS believes North Korea is nervous that the friendly relationship between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be rendered moot when President-elect Joe Biden steps into the Oval Office in January, so the government apparently wants to ensure tensions remain relatively at ease for now. The NIS does expect North Korea will hold a military parade around the same time as Biden's inauguration as a show of force, although they've done so with Trump in office, as well. Read more at The Associated Press.More stories from theweek.com 5 witheringly funny cartoons about Trump's sort-of concession MBS reportedly backed out of Saudi-Israel agreement because he wants to wait for Biden The Trump campaign wound up spending $3 million to increase Biden's lead in Wisconsin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered at least two people executed, banned fishing at sea and locked down the capital, Pyongyang, as part of frantic efforts to guard against the coronavirus and its economic damage, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Friday.
Former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne left behind a cloud of confusion when he resigned in 2019 from the internet retailer he'd founded after panicking investors with his bizarre claims that he had romanced a Russian agent at the behest of "Men in Black" working for the United States government.Now he's back, with what he has described as his own personal "army," touting what he claims is proof that Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump."I've funded a team of hackers and cybersleuths, other people with odd skills," Byrne said in a Tuesday interview at One America News, where OAN personality Chanel Rion praised Byrne as the head of an "elite shadow cyber security team."Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne Claims Maria Butina Offered to Arrange One-on-One for Him With PutinAs Trump's chances of securing a second term dwindle down to nothing, Byrne has launched a media tour to promote his mysterious hacker team, appearing from an "undisclosed location" on OAN, Newsmax, and a series of far-fringe YouTube shows associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. On Friday, a guest host on the popular Rush Limbaugh talk radio show praised Byrne's allegations about voter fraud and proposed inviting Byrne on the show.With Trump allies on his legal team and in conservative media scrambling for any evidence that Trump didn't legitimately lose the presidential race, Byrne has become a hero to the MAGA crowd, despite his history of making off-the-wall allegations.Byrne claims he's funding teams of "hackers and crackers" who realized all the way back in August that Dominion voting machines could be used to steal the election from Trump. Since the election, those voting machines have figured prominently in Trump supporters' allegations of fraud, despite the company's repeated denials and any actual proof the voting tallies were changed.The actual details of Byrne's supposed hacker super-team, however, similarly thin."I'm a free agent, and I'm self-funded, and I'm funding this army of various odd people," Byrne said in a Nov. 23 appearance on a podcast with a QAnon promoter who used the name InTheMatrixxx. "It's really going to make a great movie someday."Asked for more details on his hacker team, Byrne referred The Daily Beast to his blog, "DeepCapture." But the 40,000-word explanation on Byrne's website focuses on his long-running feud with Wall Street short-sellers, and Byrne's conversations with a mysterious financial whistleblower called the "Easter Bunny," rather than on any election investigations team.Byrne stopped responding to emails from The Daily Beast when asked whether any members of his hacker team would be available for interviews.Despite his vague claims, Byrne says he's been funneling allegations about the election to the White House and one-time Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for weeks. Byrne's claims are similar to those Powell has made publicly, including an allegation that deceased Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez somehow meddled in the election seven years after his death."Sidney was the first to really get it, and to get what we're saying is so vast, that you need kind of a very open-minded person to get it," Byrne said in the InTheMatrixxx podcast.In the aftermath of the election, Byrne has become the latest with a broad "tech" background to reinvent himself as an expert on voting machines. Byrne is joined in that niche by former 8kun administrator Ron Watkins, who left his position managing the site for its QAnon posts on Election Day and has since appeared on OAN as a so-called elections investigator.During his post-election media tour, Byrne has made a series of other strange claims, including that he could be the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese monk."I love the Chinese, I speak Chinese, I think I'm the reincarnation of a Shaolin monk, maybe," Byrne said on the "InTheMatrixxx" podcast.Here's How Hugo Chavez, Dead Since 2013, Became Responsible for Trump's Election LossByrne has also encountered some other strange allegations on his media tour. In an appearance on a QAnon YouTube show hosted by a woman named "Cirsten W," Byrne listened as his host claimed that Bill Clinton and late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been cloned.Byrne's habit of making oddball claims made headlines in 2019, when he was still the CEO of Overstock. Using company letterhead, Byrne issued a statement claiming that "Men in Black" figures in the federal government had urged him to romance Russian agent Maria Butina, who was at the time allegedly trying to infiltrate conservative circles as a gun rights activist. Overstock's share price plunged, and Byrne eventually resigned after Overstock's insurer refused to insure the company with Byrne at the helm.A Senate Intelligence Committee report issued in August lays out a different view of Byrne's interactions with Butina. In the report, Butina sees Byrne as a potential avenue to reach Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), then a presidential candidate. In a July 2016 email published in the committee report, Butina's boyfriend, Paul Erickson, wrote that Byrne was "stalking" Butina after meeting her at a libertarian conference and claimed that Byrne made her a $1 million offer related to having his child."Byrne is a bachelor by choice and consequences of his intellectual gifts and limitations, but is now concerned with his mortality and family legacy," Erickson wrote. "Since meeting Maria, he has found ever more creative ways to pitch a standing $1 million offer to her 'to have a baby with him.' He is utterly enamored of her imagined gene stock and believes that a baby would cement not only his familial line but also relations between our two nations."Byrne didn't respond to The Daily Beast about the allegations made in Erickson's email.Byrne's other allegations haven't always paid off, either. In 2018, he lost a landmark defamation trial filed against him by a Canadian businessman who had been described on Byrne's blog as a terrorist financier and drug and arms trafficker, with the plaintiff awarded $1.2 million in damages.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
The high-profile epidemiologist who led Sweden's no lock-down strategy in the spring appears to be being sidelined by the government after his prediction that greater immunity would mean a lighter second wave proved badly wrong. Anders Tegnell's biweekly press conference was on Thursday pushed into the shade by an overlapping press conference fronted by Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, where new scenarios prepared by the Public Health Agency were announced. "There's certainly a split, and I'm pretty sure that many in the government have rather lost faith in the Public Health Agency," said Nicholas Aylott, an associate politics professor at Stockholm's Södertorn University. "By some counts, we've now got exactly the same level of spread of the virus that we had in the spring, and that's about as clear a refutation of Tegnell's strategy as you could wish for." Dr Tegnell has always insisted that his Public Health Agency has never pursued a herd immunity strategy, but he repeatedly suggested in the summer that his counterparts in Norway, Finland and Denmark would face a tougher task over the winter because of lower levels of immunity in their populations. This month, though, the number of deaths in Sweden has again begun to soar above that of its Nordic neighbours, with 630 deaths so far registered as a result of Covid-19. That is about ten times the per capita death rate in Norway -- where just 30 Covid-19 deaths were registered between October 28th and November 25th.
North Korea's economy has suffered in recent months as the country was forced to seal its border with its biggest trading partner, China.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly flew to Saudi Arabia last week for a secret meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in the hopes of striking a deal that would normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. But he came home empty handed after Prince Mohammed backed out, The Wall Street Journal reports.His reasoning, Saudi advisers and U.S. officials told the Journal, was President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Trump in the U.S. general election. Although the Trump administration was a factor in the recent so-called Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Prince Mohammed reportedly wants to build ties with Biden and was reluctant about following suit while Trump is still in office, although the chances of that happening reportedly aren't impossible.Negotiating normalization agreements between Israel and other Arab nations is one Trump policy Biden seems likely to keep pursuing, but the president-elect has taken a tougher stance on Saudi Arabia than Trump, especially after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Journal notes, so reviving talks with the new administration may be Prince Mohammed's best chance "to repair its image in Washington," a U.S. official said. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com 5 witheringly funny cartoons about Trump's sort-of concession The Trump campaign wound up spending $3 million to increase Biden's lead in Wisconsin Vanderbilt's Fuller becomes 1st woman to play in Power 5 football game after 2nd half kickoff
Harvey Weinstein's appeal against his rape and assault convictions has been hampered after the disgraced former movie mogul's two ex-wives reportedly froze £4.5 million of his remaining assets. Weinstein, who was given a 23-year jail term at a court hearing in New York in March after being convicted of rape and sexual assault, is allegedly no longer able to pay the lawyers working on his appeal. Weinstein's two ex-wives, Eve Chilton, whom he divorced in 2004, and Georgina Chapman, a British fashion designer who left the producer after assault allegations against him emerged in 2017, have reportedly taken legal action to freeze his accounts. According to the Daily Mail, the pair filed a motion in April raising concerns over the state of Weinstein's finances and provided evidence in July in the form of private jet receipts and expenses related to his criminal trial. The two women also reportedly provided the court with evidence of large deposits that had been made into Weinstein's bank account as well as proof of insurance fees he was set to collect.
Donald Trump is strategizing ways to stay relevant amid incoming Biden administration, the Daily Beast reported, citing sources close to the president.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Friday that the "federal government is now fully in control" of the Tigray region's capital, Mekelle, after a successful military offensive, Reuters reports. It's a crucial development in the weeks-old intra-country conflict.Abiy said police are searching for leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, who have been fighting the government's forces throughout November, and aim to "bring them to the court of law." He added that military operations have ended and the government's focus is now "rebuilding the region and providing humanitarian assistance." There has been no comment from the TPLF.Earlier in the day, a spokeswoman for Abiy said the military would not target civilian areas, while Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the TPLF, told Reuters that Mekelle was under "heavy bombardment."It has been difficult for news organizations to verify claims from either side over the course of the conflict since phone and internet links to Tigray have been down. Read more at Reuters and Al Jazeera.More stories from theweek.com 5 witheringly funny cartoons about Trump's sort-of concession MBS reportedly backed out of Saudi-Israel agreement because he wants to wait for Biden The Trump campaign wound up spending $3 million to increase Biden's lead in Wisconsin
America's great experiment in "remote learning" during the pandemic has proved disastrous for many children as the first figures from one of its largest school districts showed an explosion in failing grades, and a widening gulf between thriving and struggling pupils. Unlike in the UK, thousands of schools across the United States have still not reopened, having been closed since March. Children from age five up are instead being taught on computer screens at home. Many will end up missing an entire academic year of in-person schooling. An internal report from Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, just outside Washington DC, which has 188,000 pupils, was released this week following a Freedom of Information request by a local parent. It confirmed what many families around the country had feared for months. Among children aged 11 to 18 there was an 83 per cent jump in those with two or more 'F' grades, in the first quarter of the 2020-21 academic year, which has just ended. The younger the age group the worse it was. For those aged 11 to 13 the increase was 300 per cent. Among girls in that age group it was 600 per cent. For children with special needs the jump in failing grades was 111 per cent. And for those with English as a second language, it was 106 per cent.


text:
WARNING: You are about to delete your ground station.
Please enter the ID of your station below to confirm the action.
43 Future observation - This observation is scheduled
12 Good observation - Satellite was active in this pass
78 Bad observation - Satellite was not active in this pass
56 Unknown observation - There is data that needs vetting in this pass
93 Observation failed - Ground station malfunction in this pass


text: Here is the inimitable Zen Master Seung Sahn up close and personal—in selections from the correspondence that was one of his primary modes of teaching. Seung Sahn received hundreds of letters per month, each of which he answered personally, and some of the best of which are included here. His frank and funny style, familiar to readers of Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, is seen here in a most intimate form. The beloved Zen master not only answers questions on Zen teaching and practice, but applies an enlightened approach to problems with work, relationships, suffering, and the teacher-student relationship.


text:
Development guide
MythTV Development Howto
So you want to know more about the development of MythTV? Well, first, almost all of the development activity goes through the mythtv-dev mailing list. When you have an interesting idea, subscribe to mythtv-dev, review its archive, and ask if anybody else is working on it. Some people might want to help you with figuring things out, and on the other hand, you might also be of assistance to existing efforts.
I can't program. Can I help?
Of course, there are lots of things that can be done without being a code wizard. Documentation often lags behind features. The mythtv-commits mailing list provides information on what has been coded into the system recently and updating documentation here or in the official docs on mythtv.org is a welcome contribution.
If you have language skills, you can work on internationalizing/translating the product. This is needed in the core system as well as the modules.
If you are interested in creating a new theme, read the theme development guide section for how to get started.
Or, of course, you can help writing and editing material right here on the Wiki. There's a project underway to create a User Manual which is starting to pick up steam.
Beta testing new features is always appreciated. One does not need to be a developer to pull code from CVS and compile it - but you do need to be aware that going to CVS code implies a certain responsibility on the user's part to debug their own problems, file useful bugreports, and be able to downgrade or upgrade accordingly to fix issues.
I've got this great idea...
Ultimately, this project's direction is Isaac's to control.
But, some users have taken the time to suggest items to go on a Feature Wishlist. If you are a developer looking for a project, this might be a place look for some ideas proposed from the user community. Understand that these features may not represent what the project maintainers are looking for. A quick note to the myth-dev mailing list with your intentions will often result in feedback on the viability of your ideas in the project.
Often, your idea might already exist -- it's a big project, and the features are sometimes a little tricky to find. Before spending time developing a new concept, try these steps:
- Look through all of the settings pages in MythFrontend and setup. Sometimes the feature you want isn't in the place you'd expect, or it's using a different name.
- Read the keys.txt file in the Myth distribution. Many options are documented here, and you may not know of their existence.
- Search Trac reports to see if someone's submitted a bug report or feature request. You may be able to help by adding more information and clarifying the original report.
- Search the mythtv-dev archive to see if someone's already discussed the feature. It may have been rejected because of some unforeseen consequence, or someone may already be working on it.
I can program, how can I help?
If you are new to developing Myth, these pages can help you through the process:
- Some guidelines for writing code are on the Coding Standards page.
- When your code is ready for the public, check the Submitting Bug Fixes page for information on how this is done.


text:
6.0709 Assistance of illiterate or disabled.
(a) Any qualified elector who, by reason of illiteracy or blindness or other physical disability, is unable to mark his ballot, shall, if he so requests, receive the assistance of 2 district officials or of any qualified elector whom he may designate, in the marking thereof. Before rendering assistance or permitting assistance to be rendered, the district officials shall be satisfied that the physical disability exists. If a qualified elector with a physical disability finds it unduly burdensome for him to enter the polling place, he may be handed a ballot outside the polling place but within 100 feet thereof by the district officials and in their presence, but in a secret manner, mark and return it to the district officials.
(b) The district officials shall enter in writing in the record book the following:
(1) the qualified elector's name;
(2) the fact that the qualified elector cannot read the names on the ballot, if that is the reason for requiring assistance, and otherwise, the specific physical disability which requires him to receive assistance; and
(3) the name or names of the person or persons furnishing the assistance.History: 1977, PL 15-42 § 1.


text:
'Battlefield of the Mind' teaches sufferers of worry, doubt, confusion, depression and anger how to combat these negative thoughts and bring freedom and peace to the mind.Meyer, Joyce is the author of 'Battlefield of the Mind Winning the Battle in Your Mind' with ISBN 9780446691093 and ISBN 0446691097.[read more]
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text:
I am running Asterisk 11.2.1 and am using it to make SIP calls between clients on both LAN and WAN. I have set up the firewall with the appropriate port forwarding and NAT policies, and am able to make calls almost all of the time.
However, I've had instances of one-way audio while load-testing my system with calls. From reading the documentation about rtp.conf, I know that for each RTP port, an RTCP port = RTP port + 1 is used. I have defined a wide enough range (rtpstart and rtpend) for the number of clients I have, and I know my firewall has the exact same range forwarded.
Is it possible that, under a loaded scenario where unused RTP ports are scarce, that Asterisk could choose rtpend as the RTP port, and rtpend + 1 (outside firewall range) as the RTCP port? Do I have to allow for this possibility on my firewall? I want to know for certain whether this is the case or not so I can move further in my root cause analysis.
Thank you!


text:
COVER- Big steps: Will Martha Jefferson's leap bring a footbridge?
Martha Jefferson Hospital is planning to complete its move to a new site on Pantops Mountain in 2012, and bicyclist Randy Salzman is very, very worried.
Armed with a county road survey, the freelance transportation planner believes traffic on nearby Free Bridge, which already carries over 50,000 vehicles a day, is about to become gridlock central. While hospital officials downplay that possibility, Salzman, decked out this day in a bright yellow biking shirt, has a vision for a yellow brick road of sorts– a road that that would move people, not cars, over the Rivanna River.
Sweat beads dripping from his forehead, former college professor Salzman pauses in Charlottesville's Riverview Park to outline his vision of a bridge that would transform an existing recreational network into a route for city residents living near the river to get not just to the new Martha Jeff, but also to Pantops shops and offices. For the past two years, Salzman has been pushing for a bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting city and county trails to provide a use beyond recreation.
It all starts with the Rivanna Trail, a network of narrow paths built by the city and the private Rivanna Trails Foundation.
"They're beautiful walkways," says Salzman, "but they're not being used for transportation."
A bridge for bikes and pedestrians might change all that.
The other bridges
Since around 2003, the idea of crossing the Rivanna with a bike/pedestrian bridge has caught the fancy of planners and engineers. But the site that's garnered the most attention– until now, at least– is a link between Pen and Darden-Towe Parks. Besides the happy symbolism of uniting city and county, such a bridge might allow many park users to abandon the incongruous practice of climbing into a vehicle to reach a park.
While engineering plans for the park-to-park bridge– a planned 600-footer–- have been made by the American Society of Civil Engineers and civil engineering students at UVA, according to retired UVA civil engineering professor David Morris, the $3.5 million project has hit a funding roadblock.
"Between the economy and other more pressing projects, this has been on the back-burner," Morris says.
But city trails planner Chris Gensic says the park-to-park bridge– which could potentially link the parks with the Meadowcreek Parkway trail and connect Route 29 north with Pantops in the future– is now a top priority, although the uncertainty of highway plans complicates its future.
"The wild card is the proposed Eastern Connector," says Gensic. "Do I move forward on a pedestrian bridge if they're going to build a bigger [car] bridge?"
Another priority, he says, is a McIntire Park bicycle/pedestrian bridge that would cross the railroad tracks in the park. "Essentially it's two different parks right now," says Gensic, noting that the McIntire plan was denied federal transportation enhancement money last year.
Not backed with greenbacks
Like the park-to-park bridge, a Pantops-area footbridge could easily cost upwards of $3.5 million, Gensic says, and might even cost more because it requires additional engineering because of its location in the flood plain and the cliffs and creeks surrounding the river.
But Salzman's not finished with big dreams. He thinks it should be constructed to carry transit vehicles like an electric trolley.
"If you're going to build it," he says, "why not build it with as many options as possible?"
Even with the hefty price tags and extra options, Stephen Bach, board member for a group called the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT), says constructing a bicycle and pedestrian bridge could be a wise economic decision.
"Building a bridge like that is going to be less expensive than building another highway or expanding Free Bridge," Bach says. Indeed, for comparison, just the bridge/interchange for the southern end of the planned Meadowcreek Parkway has been estimated at over $30 million, exclusive of land cost.
Funding for alternative transportation might come in part through CHART, the citizen's advisory committee to the area metropolitan planning organization, of which Bach is a member. The organization makes a list of potential projects to receive federal funding every five years and sends it to the advisory board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the area's sifter of transportation projects. CHART will finalize its recommendations in the fall of 2009, and although Bach says the first draft has not been written, a Pantops bridge will be considered as the committee looks at the future of transportation.
"What's it going to be like in five years?" asks Bach, noting the high price of gas. "It would make complete sense to look ahead and say we're not going to build for motor vehicles."
But even with verbal support from various community members and officials, the Pantops bridge lacks a different kind of backing.
"It's not a lack of ideas, it's not a lack of support, it's a lack of funding," says Harrison Rue, who recently stepped down as executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. "We're not gridlocked," he says, "we're fundlocked."
Part of the funding problem is that local governments currently don't have a good way to raise transportation money. "It's up to the General Assembly to develop a stable transportation funding source or pass a law that would develop a local funding source that isn't based on property," says Rue, noting that gas or sales taxes might be possible solutions.
What happened to Enhancement?
One possible source of funding for novel transportation projects could be the federal Enhancement program. Unveiled in 1991 under the first president Bush, Enhancement funds were supposed to break the roads-only focus of federal funding bills by reserving a portion for projects that enhance intermodal connections and foster alternative transportation systems.
What happened, however, is that many of the Enhancement grants (in the form of state-administered reimbursements) were handed to projects like welcome centers, streetscapes, and well-organized museums. Recent awards, for instance, include $150,000 for landscaping at Montpelier and $300,000 to make over the Pleasant Grove manor house in Fluvanna County.
"These funds have been used for recreation, not transportation," says Salzman.
In the late 1990s, Monticello raked in $3.4 million in Enhancement money for its $6.78-million Thomas Jefferson Parkway project, which included a stone-faced bridge, a 175-acre park, a hiking and biking trail along Route 53, and a pedestrian culvert under Route 53.
"There's no transportation value to it at all," says Salzman.
In 2008, the lone local Enhancement grant was $300,000 for the planned $1.1 million visitor center for the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center on the banks of the Rivanna River. The "transportation" includes interpretive trails and a ferry. Citing the Rivanna River's history as Port Pireus in the 1820s and '30s, Albemarle County trails planner Dan Mahon defends the award by noting that the Lewis and Clark ferry might be a prototype for a ferry system that could temporarily be set up near Pantops until a bridge is built.
Still, Salzman bristles over the fact that Enhancement money has turned into a funding source that "enhances the public's traveling experience" instead of improving non-motorized transportation.
"This money was passed originally to wean us from foreign oil," says Salzman, "but it actually increases our driving. It's totally absurd."
Alternative and public transportation are essential for the nation to wean itself from the dependence on oil, he believes. "My son went to Iraq," he says. "I don't want my grandsons to go."
In addition to foreign policy, Salzman says America's car culture has damaged the health of young people.
"In over 20 years of teaching college," says Salzman, "I've seen my students get fatter and fatter and less willing to walk up the stairs."
Michael Estes, director of VDOT's Local Assistance Division, contends that foot and wheel-friendly projects will be more heavily weighed in the upcoming selection year. Says Estes, "We're encouraging pedestrian and bicycle bridges."
Salzman thinks it's high time. "There's pressure on VDOT now that might not be there next year," he says.
Applications are due November 1 for funding that will arrive in October of 2009 and require the endorsement of a local MPO– the Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO in this case. Estes says the average grant, that can range from $15,000 to $1 million, is $350,000. Applying for a research grant this year would allow enough time to complete a study to make sure the bridge would be used, Salzman says, and allow proponents to apply for construction money in subsequent years.
While the bridge is in the city's master plan, it is absent from the county's master plan.
"I'm really supportive of the idea, but unfortunately it's not in our Pantops plan," says the county's Mahon. The Pantops plan, updated every five years, was last revised in March.
Without that endorsement, it doesn't look like Salzman's bridge idea will win an Enhancement grant just yet, and the city's Gensic says he plans to seek Enhancement funds for now-higher-priority city projects like the McIntire Park and Darden Towe-Pen Park bridges.
Still, Gensic optimistically says the Pantops bridge could be built in four years. "We'd like to have it when the hospital opens," he says.
Having the bridge in place before the hospital relocates will increase its use, Salzman says, because people are be more receptive to changing their modes of transportation when they're changing their commutes at the same time.
"If it is built in time for when Martha Jefferson employees have to make a transportation change, the odds go up 20 percent that they will make the change to muscle-fueled transportation," says Salzman.
Gensic says he's exploring potential sites for the bridge, which include routes from the new eco-friendly Riverview Bluffs community, from Riverview Park, and along an I-64/railroad route. Before a site is chosen, Gensic says, surrounding residents and engineers will be consulted to determine the best option.
A bridge too far?
Such a bridge might not need to be built, however– it might already exist in the far southeastern corner of the state. Just outside Galax in mountainous Grayson County, the historic Route 94-J.P. Carrico Memorial truss bridge crosses the New River. VDOT wants to replace it and is willing to pay someone $267,000– what the state might have spent on demolition– to take it away.
"This is the first time we've offered a bridge like this," says VDOT architectural historian Kalli Lucas, noting that the camel-back style of the 913-foot-long structure makes it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. "That's a rare type in the state of Virginia."
The two-lane bridge, built in 1927 and still considered safe for traffic, according to Lucas, may be ready for removal in the summer of 2012. Gensic has written a letter of interest for the bridge but says the monetary incentive might not offset the moving costs.
Better than the Connector?
The daily traffic count across Free Bridge was 52,000 in 2007, according to county transportation manager Juandiego Wade. A 2003 county traffic study prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates estimated that the hospital's relocation will generate an additional 22,600 trips per day on surrounding roads.
"With these types of numbers, the public will see and feel a difference," Wade says.
But Martha Jefferson officials disagree. Ron Cottrell, the hospital vice president in charge of the move, says the relocation will actually relieve, rather than exacerbate, Free Bridge traffic. He contends that the new site's proximity to I-64, which has far more capacity than any city road, will cause more patients and employees to avoid congested City streets altogether. More employees and patients come from surrounding counties than from the city, Cottrell says, and many already use I-64 to access the current Locust Avenue site.
Nonetheless, Cottrell supports the freelance bicycle/pedestrian bridge idea.
But Kevin Cox doesn't. The local pedestrian activist, although he walks five miles each day to his job at UVA Hospital, considers a multi-million-dollar footbridge a "ludicrous" option.
"The number of people who will walk that far to work at State Farm, Martha Jefferson, or the other businesses at Pantops is very small," says Cox. "Salzman needs to face that reality."
Salzman, however, worries that more traditional approaches to decreasing traffic on Route 250– i.e. another expensive auto bridge– will become more popular if alternative means are not addressed now.
According to documents submitted to the Economic Development Authority of Albemarle County (in order to secure the right to issue up to $195 million in tax-free bonds), the new five-story hospital will have 176 beds and a whopping 456,358 square feet of space.
"When the Free Bridge comes to a halt in 2012," says Salzman, "there will be immense political pressure on everyone to build another [car] bridge."
Already, such an effort is under way in the form of the proposed "Eastern Connector," a controversial road whose steering committee recently recommended a pathway bisecting Pen Park with a new four-lane road and connecting Rio Road near the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center, crossing the Rivanna on a new bridge, and reaching Route 20 near the Key West neighborhood.
Although Albemarle planner Wade says the Eastern Connector could help alleviate Free Bridge traffic, and although the city and county each recently split the cost of a half-million-dollar study, critics are already decrying the notion of a road through parkland.
Other approaches
One possible way to cross the Rivanna requiring little new asphalt would be a bridge from the end of Market Street to State Farm Boulevard. But if it were to carry cars, such a bridge would clearly run afoul of the Woolen Mills neighborhood, which has already shown its muscle by winning, on March 24, a $5.2 million smell-abatement plan from the nearby Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority.
Charlottesville Mayor David Norris says he can't support a Market-to-State Farm auto link. "It would bring more county through-traffic right through a city neighborhood," says Norris.
How about widening Free Bridge? Free Bridge was enlarged to seven lanes in 1992, according to VDOT spokesperson Lou Hatter, and more lanes might encourage even more through-city traffic, of which Norris is wary.
One option proposed on a local news blog by writer Karl Ackerman would be simply a boat on a wire. "That would allow you to pull yourself (and your bike) across," Ackerman writes on cvillenews.com. Calling it a "lower impact, lower cost alternative," Ackerman notes that such an option "could be fun."
Another option is improving public transportation to Pantops, which CTS director Bill Watterson says would be easier if plans to form a Charlottesville-Albemarle regional transit authority finalize.
"One of the special circumstances of the Martha Jefferson situation is that they're going to relocate from being in the city to Albemarle County," says Watterson, noting that Albemarle would bear the burden of the additional costs because it already funds the local contribution portion of CTS Route 10, which currently runs hourly from downtown to Pantops. According to Watterson, doubling the frequency might carry an upfront cost of $500,000-600,000, with an annual operating cost of about $250,000.
For residents to begin using public and alternative transportation, Salzman says, it must well marketed.
"Those of us who care, we have to get the people in the middle on board," says Salzman. "We have to show them ways that they can realistically get around."
Community impact
Peter Jefferson Place office park– already home to a Hilton hotel and some multi-purpose office buildings– is a rolling landscape, a site which the Martha Jefferson magazine extols as a "hospital built into a hill." While the 88-acre site will have over three miles of its own walking trails, the impending move of the 1,500-employee institution will put a particular strain on those who have grown accustomed to the living around the Locust Avenue site.
Nurse Mary O'Rorke currently foot-commutes about a mile, but she's unsure she'll continue if her only path requires Free Bridge. "I'm still interested in trying to walk," says O'Rorke, "but I want to be safe about it."
Sarah Peaslee, a resident of the Locust Grove neighborhood, works as a nurse at a UVA unit located at Martha Jefferson. She calls the move "elitist" and says money should be put towards staffing rather than toward a new location.
"I don't know how people are going to get to the new one," says Peaslee. (She might not have to fight Free Bridge commuter traffic in 2012 because she hopes to be retired by then.)
"The reality is there was no place to expand," says hospital V-P Cottrell of the old 13-acre site. And Martha Jefferson Cancer Center director Faye Satterly agrees.
"We don't have a choice," she says. "There's no place to go." Still, the move is inconvenient for employees.
"Part of the reason I found my neighborhood attractive is that I could walk to work," says Satterly, who currently covers the six-block distance on foot. She says she might still walk to the new site but admits that the uphill two-mile trek will require a lot more ambition.
"It's not Free Bridge that's the problem," she says. "It's the distance."
Maria Chapel, president of the Martha Jefferson Neighborhood Association, says hospital officials have met with residents to discuss plans for the current site. "They've been very good about keeping us in the loop," she says.
The precise fate of the Locust Avenue buildings has yet to be determined, according to Cottrell, but the site will likely be mixed-use, composed of residential, office, and retail buildings. The hospital is currently in the process of finding a redevelopment partner.
"It's 13 acres, and it's in our neighborhood, so no matter what happens it's going to have an impact," says Chapel.
Making changes
Despite all the fiscal and other hurdles, Salzman maintains that the hospital's move is a chance for Charlottesville and Albemarle citizens to think long-term about the impact of vehicular transportation.
"Americans are caught in asphalt lines," he says. And changing our transportation habits, he says, will have an impact far beyond Free Bridge. "This is a chance for us in Charlottesville for us to show the United States it can be done."
Third-year UVA student Laura Hoffman was an intern in the Hook newsroom this summer.
Rivanna: A wet and winding boundary
In addition to a City-favored plan to bridge the train tracks that divide McIntire Park, there are two competing visions for bridging the Rivanna– not to mention the car-friendly Eastern Connector.
A County-commissioned study predicts a Martha Jefferson's relocation will generate an additional 22,600 trips per day on surrounding roads including already seven-laned Free Bridge, shown here.
The non-profit hospital believed it was outgrowing this 13-acre site facing Locust Avenue.
Already, some of MJH's 1,500 employees work on Pantops, at the Outpatient Care Center which opened in 2003.
Salzman has grown frustrated with the use of federal Enhancement funds to prop up museums and tourist centers.
Could this Grayson County steel truss bridge become Charlottesville's new pedestrian/bike way?
Karl Ackerman envisions a boat tethered to a wire, something like the Hatton Ferry which has traversed the James River near Scottsville since 1870.


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Speakers Showcase
Search Speakers | View All | I need a recommendation
MMR's Speakers Showcase features experts who can speak on a wide range of niche marketing and diversity topics at events in the U.S. and abroad.
The Showcase was launched in 2005 to help conference producers, seminar organizers and corporate meeting planners find keynote or workshop speakers, panelists and trainers. "We've been taking the role of informal matchmaker and it was a natural next step to showcase selected experts on our website to facilitate the process," said Lisa Skriloff, President, Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc.
Experts featured can speak about diversity issues and marketing to these consumer groups: Hispanic, African American, Asian American, Native American, Russian, Polish, American Muslim, Gay/Lesbian, women, minority/women business owners, people with disabilities and others.
There is no charge to access the Showcase, which has the speakers' contact information and links to their websites. Some speakers work on a pro bono basis. Others expect an honorarium or speaking engagement fee plus travel expenses. In addition to these speakers, other experts are listed in MMR's Source Book of Multicultural Experts and online Experts Directory.
To find out how you can be featured in the Speakers Showcase, click here.Read the press release about the showcase here:
Speakers_Showcase_Press_Release (36 KB)
Steven Millerman, President, EMCAY Joins Multicultural Marketing Resources' Speakers Showcase
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Transportation Option Provides Convenience and Freedom
Comfort Keepers® in-home care is dedicated to helping you live a happy, independent life in your own home. As part of the full range of home care services we provide, transportation is a key part of maintaining your independence.
That's why we've partnered with Lyft, a leading ride-sharing service that provides quick, safe and easy-to-schedule rides to virtually anywhere you want to go. Rides can be requested any time, day or night, by calling your Comfort Keepers office. Adding this option to our highly customized care offering allows you to maintain the highest level of independence and mobility possible.


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One of the most popular songs of all time, Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," could bring between $1 million and $2 million at auction.
A working draft of the finished song in Dylan's own hand is being offered by Sotheby's on Tuesday.
The draft is written in pencil on four sheets of hotel letterhead stationery with revisions, additions, notes and doodles: a hat, a bird, an animal with antlers. The stationery comes from the Roger Smith hotel in Washington, D.C.
Dylan was only 24 when he recorded the song in 1965 about a debutante who becomes a loner when she's cast from upper-class social circles.
"How does it feel To be on your own" it says in his handwriting. "No direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone."
Scrawls seem to reflect the artist's experimentation with rhymes.
The name "Al Capone" is scrawled in the margin, with a line leading to the lyrics "Like a complete unknown."
Another note says: "…dry vermouth, you'll tell the truth…"
Sotheby's described the seller as a longtime fan from California "who met his hero in a non-rock context and bought directly from Dylan." He was not identified.
The auction house says it is "the only known surviving draft of the final lyrics for this transformative rock anthem."
The manuscript is being offered as part of Sotheby's rock and pop music sale.
In 2010, John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for "A Day in the Life," the final track on the Beatles' classic 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," sold for $1.2 million, the record for such a sale.


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By Redchair; Sports Editor
Are you ready for some football!?!?!? The start of the regular season begins in less than a week away as we start the regular season on a Wednesday this year. Now is the time of year when everyone's favorite team believes they have a chance to do damage this season. The first round pick we drafted is going to become a pro bowl star. That struggling veteran is going to bounce back and those under performing draft picks of the last few seasons are finally going to figure it out. Well someone has to be the "Debbie Downer" and tell you it's simply not true. I went through each each teams schedules and picked wins and losses for each one and made sure the games all lined up with one another (or at least I tried to). Here were the results:
AFC East:
Patriots 14-2
Jets 7-9
Bills 7-9
Dolphins 2-14
AFC North:
Steelers 13-3
Ravens 11-5
Bengals 7-9
Browns 4-12
AFC South:
Texans 15-1
Titans 5-11
Colts 5-11
Jaguars 2-14
AFC West:
Broncos 10-6
Chargers 10-6
Chiefs 7-9
Raiders 7-9
I don't have a lot of faith in the Dolphin's offensive weapons. Their top two wide receivers are Brian Hartline and Davone Bess? Unless you're a fan in Florida the rest of America hasn't heard of these guys. Bush isn't a runningback that can carry the load. He will be game-planned for if they start their rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill which is believed to happen. The Jaguars have more promise than the Dolphins but I have a feeling MJD (Maurice Jones-Drew) is going to be the 2011 version of Carson Palmer who decided he wasn't going to play unless he was traded or given a new contract. If you don't know the outcome of that Palmer situation he sat out half the season and then was traded to the Oakland Raiders and was out of shape for a few weeks. Second year quarterback Blaine Gabbert is going to have to improve in leaps and bounces to make any difference. Top 5 draft picks are in these teams futures. Even I am a little worried about the Texans only losing one game but I do feel they are that good and they don't have a ton of competition in their own division. This leaves the Chargers and Ravens as the wild card winners.
NFC East:
Giants 12-4
Eagles 10-6
Cowboys 7-9
Redskins 3-13
NFC North:
Packers 13-3
Lions 11-5
Bears 10-6
Vikings 2-14
NFC South:
Saints 12-4
Falcons 12-4
Panthers 7-9
Buccaneers 4-12
NFC West:
49ers 12-4
Seahawks 7-9
Rams 5-11
Cardinals 4-12
The Redskins are capable of winning 3 more games I believe but depending on their top pick Robert Griffin III at quarterback making decisions in close games they might struggle this season and only win three games total. The Vikings will struggle to get out of the gates and may not be able to recover in a very strong division. The poor Bears still fail to get into the playoffs even with a ten win season. The Lions and the Falcons would be our wild card winners. The Buccaneers might have a little better season but I still believe they are the 4th team in the NFC South. The Cardinals need to play the USC Barkley sweepstakes and hope to perform bad enough that they get a top draft pick to take him as their future quarterback.


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During an coming on The Today Show this morning, Justin Bieber was strike with tough questions.
For instance, host Matt Lauer asked, does the thespian fright which a becoming different voice will have him reduction renouned with the ladies?
"No, I mean, my voice is really becoming different gradually," he said. "It's really reduce than it was the final time I was with you, right? I think which everybody's voice changes… I have a good outspoken manager that's assisting me."
Justin Bieber on Today Show
Bieber additionally calmed worries which he'd be slicing his hair in the nearby future, whilst revelation there were times he only longed for to "go home and relax."
"But I love what I do," he said. "I love being means to put smiles on people's faces."
As for one chairman in particular, no serve word on Justin and his BFF, presumably with benefits, Selena Gomez.


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SASKATOON, Canada (STORYFUL) - A swarm of bees descended on a Costco parking lot in Saskatoon, Canada covering a Ford pickup truck.
Video posted to Facebook shows thousands of bees covering the front passenger side of the vehicle. Ultimately, a beekeeper was called to remove the insects, CBC reported.
According to a local bee expert who spoke to the media, swarms are a sign of a healthy hive and occur when a queen leaves a parent hive.


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August 25, 1804, was a stiflingly hot day when members of the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery visited Spirit Mound. They came to the site because they had heard that little people with big heads inhabited the mound. At the mound the expedition didn't find any little people, but did find a "most butifull landscape."
Years later, the Flood Control Act of 1944, authorized the construction of six main dams in the Missouri River Basin. In addition to flood control, the intent of this act was to provide hydroelectric power. With the damming of the river, most of the sites where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped or visited are now underwater. There are very few places where a person can stand today and know that Lewis and Clark stood in the same exact location. Spirit Mound is one of those few special sites.
Prairie Restoration
In order to provide Spirit Mound visitors with an opportunity similar to what Lewis and Clark experienced, the site is being restored. Prairie grasses and other native plants are being reestablished. The prairie restoration began in 2001 and will take decades of growth before it becomes a good representation of the prairie as seen by the expedition.
Saturday, Dec 19, 2020 at 7:00pm Central Time
Virtual Online Event
Saturday, Dec 19, 2020 at 7:30pm Central Time
Live-stream Concert
Tuesday, Nov 24, 2020 at 10:00am Eastern Time
You can find CDC's latest coronavirus information at cdc.gov/coronavirus; AARP information and resources are at aarp.org/coronavirus. En español, visite aarp.org/elcoronavirus.


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Trump administration officials such as Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, insist that their tax cuts will provide more than just a short-term sugar rush for the economy. "It's not a sugar high at all. Because what's happened is that the capital spending boom that we promised would happen if we passed the tax cuts is underway," Hassett said at a press briefing earlier this month.
Yet economists, by and large, still see the effects of the recent fiscal stimulus wearing off before long. Case in point: Despite a new, third estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showing that gross domestic product grew at a 4.2 percent annual rate in the second quarter, economists at Capital Economics warned Thursday that they see a slowdown ahead:
"Boosted by the fiscal stimulus, GDP growth is still on track to be a solid 2.8% this year but, as that stimulus fades and the Fed continues to tighten monetary policy, we expect growth to slow to 2.2% in 2019 and only 1.5% in 2020. Our baseline forecast incorporates an economic slowdown rather than an outright recession, but there would be a significant risk of the latter developing in late 2019 or in 2020."
The economists write that "the tax cuts have done little to boost the economy's supply side." Overall business investment is still growing briskly, but "business equipment investment has actually slowed since corporate tax rates were cut." And on the consumer side, they expect spending growth to slow and the benefit of the tax cuts will ebb:
"The fiscal stimulus, which will provide a boost to annual GDP growth of close to 1% point this year, will begin to fade next year, since it was mostly a one-off boost to the level of post-tax incomes. At the same time, rising interest rates will weigh more heavily on rate-sensitive activity. Motor vehicle and existing home sales are already trending lower."
While the economists note that they'd expect any recession in 2019 or 2020 to be "modest," they add that higher deficits resulting from the tax cuts could limit any policy response: "With the Federal budget deficit climbing to around 5% of GDP there is little scope for further fiscal stimulus."


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First, I want to apologize for totally flaking two weeks ago when I didn't post a blog. 100% my bad. I forgot. 😐
I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there! I hope each and every one of you is indulged to the max this Sunday. You deserve it! XO
As many of you know, I was in Kansas City last week for RT 2013. Now contrary to popular belief, I do not spend all of my time at the bar. In fact, this go around, I spent very little time at the bar. I spent a good portion of my time with Sylvia who, even if you lived in a cave, would know is having a phenomenal run with her amazing Crossfire series. Syl and I were roomies and it was exhausting watching that woman do her thing. But seriously, when I grow up I want to be Sylvia Day!


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| 6.7°C Belfast
A burglary victim who fought with two intruders at his home helped police track down CCTV images of the suspects using a bus ticket left behind at the scene.
As the 61-year-old man grappled with the pair he was able to pull off one of their jackets in which the ticket was discovered, Greater Manchester Police said.
Officers then trawled through CCTV footage from the bus to find images of the suspects, which they have now released to the public.
The men escaped with valuable jewellery from the home in Churchstone Walk in Baguley on May 17 .
Pc Rob Crossley, said: "The victim, a man in his 60s, was obviously taken aback to find two men rummaging through his bedroom.
"In the melee following the initial shock he has been able to remove a jacket from one offender and this has given us some positive lines of inquiry.
"From the jacket we recovered a ticket and from the ticket we identified a bus used by the offenders.
"Now we are releasing CCTV images of two suspects we would like to trace.
"We have made numerous efforts to identify the pair and we are now keen for any further help from the public."


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Chadwick Boseman will step out of Wakanda for the New York police drama "17 Bridges."
STX Entertainment announced Wednesday that Boseman will star as a disgraced NYPD detective thrust into a citywide manhunt for a cop killer. The film will be Boseman's first non-Marvel movie following the $1.3 billion box-office success of "Black Panther." He also appeared in "Avengers: Infinity War" and has shot its follow-up.
"17 Bridges" will reteam Boseman with "Infinity War" directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russos will produce the film, to be directed by Brian Kirk from a script by Adam Mervis.
U.S. & World
The film will begin shooting in September.
The 40-year-old Bosesman has also starred in "42," ''Get on Up" and "Marshall."
Copyright AP - Associated Press


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Chabeli Arroyo
Alexandra Friendly, Nick Friendly
Alexandra Friendly, Nick Friendly
Rocky Garcia
Ken Harvy, Argelia Rodriguez, Kaya Henderson
Yousef and Abeer Al Otaiba
Yousef and Abeer Al Otaiba
THE PARTY College-bound high school students took the stage for a chance at scholarship money at the DC College Access Program's fifth annual DC-CAPital Stars Talent Competition and Gala. The American Idol-style evening at The Kennedy Center awarded more than $34,000 in scholarships to deserving students. THE PEOPLE United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, was the presenting sponsor, alongside DC-CAP Board Chairman Donald Graham, DC-CAP board members Deborah Lehr and Catherine Reynolds, and ABC7/WJLA news anchor Leon Harris emceed the artistic spectacle. BEST IN SHOW Celebrity judges included American Idol star Jordin Sparks, Glee's Amber Riley, and powerhouses Denyce Graves and Patti LaBelle. The singing sensations commented on each student's performance, while the audience used handheld devices to cast their votes. Photography by Hyon Smith
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit expanded in November to its widest point in seven months, driven by a surge in imports that outpaced only modest growth in exports.
The Commerce Department said Friday that the trade gap widened 15.8 percent to $48.7 billion in November from October.
Imports grew 3.8 percent to $231.3 billion, led by gains in shipments of cell phones, including Apple's new iPhone.
Exports increased only 1 percent to $182.6 billion. And exports to Europe fell 1.3 percent, further evidence of the prolonged debt crisis that has gripped the region.
A wider trade deficit acts as a drag on U.S. growth. It typically means the U.S. is earning less on overseas sales while spending more on foreign products.
Faster growth in exports helped the U.S. economy grow from July through September at an annual rate of 3.1 percent. Most economists say growth has slowed in the October-December quarter to an annual rate of less than 2 percent, in part because of weaker exports.
Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, predicts trade trimmed growth by about 0.5 percentage point in the final three months of the year. He expects fourth-quarter growth to be no more than a rate of 1.5 percent.
Through the first 11 months of 2012, the trade deficit is running at an annual rate of $546.6 billion. That's roughly 2.4 percent lower than the 2011 deficit.
Imports of consumer goods grew to $45.3 billion in November, a monthly record. Much of the growth was from cell phones and other household electronics products.
Oil imports dropped 2.5 percent, reflecting a fall in prices and lower volume.
Imports of foreign-made autos and auto parts rose a sizable $1.5 billion to $25.6 billion November, likely reflecting catch-up shipments following port disruptions in October caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The U.S. trade deficit with China, the largest with any country, totaled $29 billion in November. That's down slightly from the monthly record of $29.5 billion in October. But the trade gap with China is still on track to set a new annual record in 2012.
Trade was a modest positive for overall economic growth in 2012 and many economists believe that trend will continue in 2013. However, that forecast is based on a view that the European debt crisis stabilizes and growth in Asia begins to rebound.
In its latest outlook, a forecasting panel for the National Association for Business Economics predicted that the U.S. trade deficit for 2013 will total $533 billion, a slight improvement from the $540 billion deficit they expect when the trade numbers are totaled up for all of 2012. That expectation for a slight improvement is based on a view that export growth will outpace imports in 2013.
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