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Last updated: October 01, 2012
Promoting Safe and Effective Genetic Testing in the United States - Appendix 1
Promoting Safe and Effective Genetic Testing in the United States
Appendix 1
Individuals and Organizations Who Provided Comments to the Task Force
The following individuals and the organizations they either represent or which they listed for identification purposes responded to the Task Force's request for comments on its Interim Principles (distributed on request to the task force Web site at that time) and/or on its Proposed Recommendations (Fed. Reg. 1997; 62:4539-4547). The list includes people who testified at the Task Force's public hearing on its Interim Principles on April 30, 1996, and who submitted written comments on the Interim Principles, the Proposed Recommendations, or both.
Joann Adair, R.N.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health
Nilofer Nina Ahmad, Ph.D.
Wills Eye Hospital
Leslie Alexandre, Dr. P.H.
William Audeh, M.D.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Robert C. Baumiller
Xavier University
Deborah Blacker, M.D., Sc.D.
American Psychiatric Association
Ann Boldt, M.S., C.G.C.
National Society of Genetic Counselors
David T. Bonk
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Barbara A. Brenner
Breast Cancer Action
M. Desmond Burke
American Society of Clinical Pathologists
Peter H. Byers, M.D.
American Board of Medical Genetics
Michael Camilleri, M.D.
C. Christopher Hook, M.D.
Mayo Foundation
Robert C. Cefalo, M.D., Ph.D.
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ellen Wright Clayton
Vanderbilt University
Jordan J. Cohen, M.D.
Association of American Medical Colleges
Anne Marie Comeau, Ph.D.
New England Regional Newborn Screening Program
Celeste M. Condit
The University of Georgia
Donald R. Coustan, M.D.
J.E. Ferguson
Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
Jo Linder-Crow, Ph.D.
American Psychological Association
Shelly Cummings
University of Chicago Medical Center
George C. Cunningham, M.D., M.P.H.
State of California - Health and Welfare Agency
Mary E. Davidson
Joan Burns
Alliance of Genetic Support Groups
Barbara A. DeBuono, M.D., M.P.H.
State of New York, Dept. of Health
Laurence M. Demers, Ph.D.
American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.
Rochelle Diamond
National Organization of Gay & Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc.
Joyce Dolcourt
Mountain States Regional Genetic Services Network
Louis J. Elsas, II, M.D.
Council of Regional Network for Genetic Services
Ray Erickson
Carolyn D. Farrell, M.S., C.N.P., C.G.C.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
James E. Ferguson, II, M.D.
Member of the Board, Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
Donna G. B. Getz
Lynn Godmilow
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Alan Goldhammer, Ph.D.
Biotechnology Industry Organization
Julian Gordon
Abbott Labs
Margaret L. Gulley, M.D.
Association for Molecular Pathology
Barbara Handelin, Ph.D.
Handelin Associates
Janet E. Haskell
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
P. Hathaway, M.D.
M. C. Sullivan, R.N., J. D.
R. Flanigan, Ph.D.
The Midwest Bioethics Center
Elliott D. Hillback
Joseph Q. Jarvis, M.D
John P. Johnson, M.D.
Mountain State Regional Genetics Services Network
Haig H. Kazazian, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Charles Kull
Lisa S. Lehmann, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Bill Letson
State of Wyoming Department of Health
Sue Levi-Pearl
National Tourette Association
Allen Lichter, M.D.
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Casey Maddren
Mary Mahowald
University of Chicago
Mamie Mals
Edward R.B. McCabe, M.D., Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles
Robert W. McKenna, M.D.
American Society of Clinical Pathologists
Roberta B. Meyer
American Council of Life Insurance
Richard H. Miller, Jr.
Ilana Mittman, M.S., C.G.C.
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
Kathi Mooney, R.N., Ph.D.
Oncology Nursing Society
Ralph Nitkin
NIH-DOE National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics
Vicki Park, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee, Memphis
Kenneth A. Pass, Ph.D.
State of New York Department of Health
Frances A. Pitlick, Ph.D.
Beth A. Pletcher, M.D.
Franklin Desposito, M.D.
American Academy of Pediatrics
George Poste
Tadataka Yamada, M.D.
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
Reed Edwin Pyeritz, M.D., Ph.D.
American College of Medical Genetics
Cathie S. Ragovin, M.D.
Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition
Pamela J. Reidy
Association of Women's Health
Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
Margaret "Wendy" Ricker, Ed.D.
David Rimoin, M.D., Ph.D.
American College of Medical Genetics
Allen Roses, M.D.
Duke University Medical Center
Mark A. Rothstein
University of Houston Law Center
Peter T. Rowley, M.D.
University of Rochester Medical Center
Lester B. Salans
Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Jerry Schenken, M.D.
The Pathology Center
P. John Seward, M.D.
American Medical Association
Larry J. Shapiro, M.D.
The American Society of Human Genetics
Karen Snow, Ph.D.
Mayo Clinic
David A. Sobel, Ph.D.
Confidentiality Matters
Peter Somani, M.D., Ph.D.
Ohio Department of Health
Kathryn Sudduth, C.L.Sp.(C.G.)
Association of Cytogenetic Technologists
Herbert S. Waxman, M.D., F.A.C.P.
American College of Physicians
Joan O. Weiss, M.S.W.
Alliance of Genetic Support Groups
Benjamin S. Wilfond, M.D.
The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center
Philip R. Wyatt, M.D., Ph.D.
North York General Hospital - Genetics
Raymond C. Zastrow, M.D.
College of American Pathologists
Stanley Zinberg, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.O.G.
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists


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Message Board
John Varley Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Varley has written!
Author Varley's Book Reviews
Chet Kinsman is the commander of the first lunar base. He shares a dome with the Russians, and the two groups have become close friends. When tensions between Russia and the United States arise on Earth, Kinsman declares the indenpendence of the moonbase Selene while Earth declares war on the moon....
Red Thunder
Ace, April 2003, 23.95, 416 pp. ISBN 0441010156 In the not too distant future, NASA has invented space technology used by Ares Seven to travel to Mars, but it will land two weeks after the Chinese make the first red planet landing with people aboard. Manny and Dak, two college students, want to become astronauts more than anything else and they get to meet former astronaut Travis Bussard when they almost run over him in their jeep. Travis was d...
Cirroco Jones ("Rocky") commands an exploratory vessel sent to investigate an astronomical anomaly in the area of Saturn. What they find is a wheel shaped artifact of obvious alien design. Excited and confused, they depart from normal plans and begin an investigation that causes their ship to be captured by the artifact, torn apart, and the crew drawn in to it's depths. Separated from one another and held in a state of almost total sensory deprivation, t...

subset: commoncrawl


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* Offset P-handle made from durable nylon and ergonomically designed for comfortable use.
* Long shaft of each wrench fitted with a ball end.
* Short end is chamfered for high torque applications.
Parktool P-Handle Hex Wrenches
$ 7 – $ 10
These thoughtfully designed P-handle hex wrenches fit the task at hand, and they fit in your hand too. The hex wrenches are made from high torque industrial steel and through hardened for long life.


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A bike which turns time
Haberstock mobility is a premium manufacturer of high quality components for ebikes and all other types of bike. The company was founded in 2010.
Their aim is the development of innovative mobility concepts for an urban lifestyle, sport and good wellbeing/ health. The innovative schlumpf drive just as the advanced belt drive are both produced, further developed and sold by Haberstock Mobility. Through many years of experience ideal solutions have been found for every request.
The company acts on a specialised technological network. With the combination of innovative components and intelligent concepts highly developed manufacturing techniques have been born
Mobility is more important now more so than ever. Traffic is the problematic area in environment protection. Increasing spirit prices (fuel costs~) are motivating us to change our habits. Statistics prove that 75% of all journeys are less than 7km, bikes or electronic bikes are an ideal alternative for short distances as an option to public transport.
There are endless advantages to support this, no parking problems, no emissions, they are energy efficient, comfortable and money saving, healthy and they keep you fit and these are just to name a few. We support this with our innovative products that make our bikes safer, more comfortable and more efficient.


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Advanced Search
You want to use the right tools to manage Windows 2000. Make sure this set of documentation is in your toolbox.
Have you ever tried to fix a car engine with a butter knife? Of course not. So why would you try managing a Windows 2000 network without the right tools? Thanks to a slew of new features and services Win2K is much more complex than Windows NT. Yes, Win2K is built on NT, and you need prior NT experience to get started. But you also need serious help to learn how to properly administer a Win2K network. That's where the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit comes in.
This kit, a collection of massive manuals, will tax your mental abilities. I already reviewed one volume, the Windows 2000 Server Deployment Planning Guide, in May. This month I start a multi-part series on the kit's remaining volumes. I'll begin by taking a look at the Distributed Systems Guide, Internetworking Guide, and Server Operations Guide. Next month I'll cover the three remaining Internet-related guides. Then I'll get into some useful utilities you should know about.
The Mystical World of Networking
It's 4 p.m. and the phone rings. It's Bob from accounting—and he's desperate. "You've got to help me! I have a report I have to hand to my boss in 20 minutes—it won't print! This could mean my job!" You walk to Bob's office, and just as you're about to touch the keyboard, the printer whirrs and spits out the report. You accept Bob's thanks and return to your office, wondering what the heck happened. Was it psychic healing power or just dumb luck?
Welcome to the mystical world of network administration, where many of us stumble through troubleshooting problems to a successful resolution, half the time not knowing how we did it. Rest assured it's not all smoke and mirrors. Things happen for a reason, and computers do things based on preprogrammed and logical instructions. The key is to know enough about a software process' inner workings so you understand the whys of successful troubleshooting.
The Distributed Systems Guide helps you understand Win2K's inner workings. Before studying it, however, make sure you already have a basic understanding of Win2K technologies. This book is loaded with technical details and assumes you're already familiar with the big picture: Win2K services, Active Directory (AD), Group Policy, and so on.
Roughly half of the 1,650-page guide is dedicated to Active Directory's inner workings, offering an excellent explanation of AD Logical Structure. To the uninitiated, AD appears to be a magical service, working behind the scenes in a complex dance with other networking services. But the guide demystifies AD's makeup, from helping you understand the relationship of AD namespace to DNS, to making clear the need for and workings of the Global Catalog Server.
The guide also offers an in-depth look at how AD stores and maintains its own data. You'll learn about AD database architecture, see how the LDAP protocol does its job, and go through the steps of AD installation and removal.
Then you'll journey through the intricacies of name resolution, learn to understand and modify the AD schema, and learn about AD service publication, AD replication, monitoring AD performance, and AD backup and restore. Finally, finishing up the AD section are 200 pages dedicated to AD diagnostics, troubleshooting, and recovery. This focus on AD is vital, because without AD, Win2K is nothing more than NT on steroids.
The guide's next sections cover Win2K security, with a thorough look at authentication and authorization. You'll learn how the Kerberos protocol facilitates authentication in a Win2K network, and you'll also learn all the details surrounding the Certificate Server, Win2K public key infrastructure, and the Encrypting File System.
The guide's final section is divided into "Enterprise Technologies" and "Desktop Configuration and Management." Here you'll find technical discussions on the Distributed file system (Dfs) and the File Replication Service (FRS). Following are two chapters on the Microsoft Cluster Service. Up to this point the technical discussion has been focused on technology essential to Win2K's basic operation and functionality (including AD), but if you don't plan on load balancing Win2K via the cluster service, you can skip these chapters.
We then take an in-depth look at Group Policy, software installation/maintenance and Remote OS installation, and go into a section on troubleshooting Change and Configuration Management. Finally, in the guide's appendices there's a functional chapter on how to use NTDSUTIL.EXE, a tool you'll need to become familiar with when managing an AD-enabled Win2K network.
The Internetworking Guide
While the Distributed Systems Guide will help you get your Win2K LAN up and running efficiently, the Internetworking Guide will help you get your LAN talking to other LANs, across WANs, and even to non-Microsoft networks. Made up of three major sections, routing and remote access, Win2K interoperability with other operating systems, and Win2K advanced media technologies, the Internetworking Guide is a great connectivity resource for network administrators who work in multi-platform or large inter-network environments.
The bulk of the 1,015-page guide is dedicated to Routing and Remote Access. Indulge yourself in the intricacies of IP and IPX routing, Virtual Private Networking (VPN), demand dial routing, and the details of RIP and OSPF. In addition, learn what changes have been made to Microsoft's Remote Access Service since its NT 4.0 inception.
The guide's second part is a course in diplomacy, in other words, learning how to communicate effectively with foreign operating systems. If you need to connect your Win2K users to an IBM mainframe or Novell server, or your Mac users need to access your Win2K resources, this section covers what you need to know in detail.
The guide's final section deals with optional connectivity services such as ATM and telephony, plus miscellaneous network protocols such as NETBEUI and DLC.
Server Operations Guide
The Server Operations Guide is much smaller than its companion guides and describes a standalone Win2K server's inner workings. Here's where you'll learn in detail about the NTFS file system, disk storage, drive configurations, and network printing. There's also a good section on performance monitoring, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting.
If you're administering a small Win2K network using the workgroup administrative model, this may be the only guide you'll need.
What's the Payoff for You?
OK, so the question you're dying to ask is, "Will this resource kit help me pass the Win2K exams?" The answer is yes! And no! Yes, it will prepare you by equipping you with the knowledge you'll need to intelligently answer exam questions. No, it will not give you a set of canned answers.
The kit isn't written as an exam prep guide or anything remotely certification-oriented. It's a collection of technical manuals that describe how Win2K works.
Keep in mind that the new exams are much more difficult than the NT tests, and if you want to pass them, I highly recommend you invest in the Resource Kit. Subscribing to TechNet, which already contains an online version of the kit and much more, also is valuable. Finally, set up a live Win2K network to learn how the product really works. This hands-on experience is vital to mastering the exams.
Administering a Win2K network is no easy task. You can simplify things, though, by crafting a solid plan before installing your network, making well-thought-out maintenance decisions during runtime, and applying knowledgeable and efficient decision-making when troubleshooting problems. You'll need the Resource Kit and similar technical manuals to help make this happen.
From a certification standpoint, treat the Resource Kit as your Win2K reference bible. Remember, the Win2K exams ask very detailed technical questions and present complex troubleshooting scenarios, so intense preparation is necessary.
If you can get through the kit's somewhat dry language and absorb the great wealth of technical detail found in it, you'll be well on your way toward successfully administering your Win2K network and preparing for the Win2K exams.
About the Author
James Carrion, MCM R2 Directory, MCITP, MCSE, MCT, CCNA, CISSP has worked as a computer consultant and technical instructor for the past 16 years. He's the owner of and principal instructor for MountainView Systems, LLC, which specializes in accelerated Microsoft Certification training.
It may take some extra considerations to swap hardware in custom setups. Here's some issues I recently ran into.
Intel announced on Wednesday that it has reached a deal with Microsoft to manufacture semiconductors for the company in a deal that has an estimated value of $15 billion.
A recent survey found that 79 percent of organizations have experienced Active Directory outages recently -- up from 29 percent in 2021.
If you're willing to do some legwork to set it up, a device similar to a Surface Hub can be yours at a fraction of the cost.
Tech giants are coming together to combat misinformation that may arise during this year's election season.
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Zac Brown Band, 'All Alright' [Listen]
Dave Grohl's influence on the Zac Brown Band is obvious from the first blues-rock soaked pulls of electric guitar on 'All Alright.' It's a new direction for the ZBB, a band whose musical journey looks more like a maze than a straight line.
While Brown gives a riveting, dynamic vocal performance it's his bandmates' harmonies that stand out to make 'All Alright' unique. The bass vocals really mark the song, beginning with the second verse:
"You may not realize all the lies at the time / But the truth will find you / That storm is gonna come / Gonna wash you away like Sodom and Gomorrah," they sing. By this point the track from 'The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1' has morphed into more of a gospel song than a bluesy country cut. If you notice, you likely won't care.
"Made me grow / Then you cut me down / A north wind on a garden growin' / You made me think you were mine then you changed your mind," Brown sings to begin this story of heartbreak and deception.
"And it was all alright / Now it's all wrong / That's just a-how / It goes when your gone," they sing at the chorus.
Brown and the ZBB have never been a slave to trends, and 'All Alright' is another that follows a path rarely trod by a country musician. Grohl adds a new dynamic, one that makes this group very interesting to listen to again.
Why Fans Will Love It: 'All Alright' is unlike any single the Zac Brown Band has released previously, yet it's as familiar as their best hits.
Key Lyrics: "I'd have a lot to give / If I still gave a damn / That's just how / It goes when your gone"
Did You Know?: Before his CMA performance with the ZBB, Dave Grohl told his wife he was going to "steal the f***ing show."
Listen to Zac Brown Band, 'All Alright'


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Bird Silver Decoration
A stunning metal decoration designed by Pluto Produkter Sweden.
12cm x 12cm
Pluto Produkter is a Swedish company that designs and produces interior decoration and gift products. The vast majority of the Pluto products are manufactured in Sweden and all of the products are designed in Sweden by Hans Hallberg.


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Posts Tagged: Ruth Dahlquist-Willard
UC ANR visits the Capitol
UC ANR Day at the Capitol was held on March 26, 2019, to update California legislators and legislative staff on UC ANR's research and outreach projects. Vice President Glenda Humiston and a UC ANR delegation discussed a wide variety of topics during the legislative visits, including wildfire and forest health, water quality, youth development, nutrition and climate adaptation.
Every year, representatives from each UC campus gather in Sacramento for UC Day at the Capitol to educate lawmakers about the importance of research and higher education and their contributions to California's economy and progress. Although UC ANR participates in the annual Ag Day at the Capitol, this was the first UC ANR Day at the Capitol.
ANR's Global Food Initiative fellow Maci Mueller set up appointments with the policymakers and coordinated the UC ANR delegation to explain the value of investment in UC ANR research and outreach.
The UC ANR delegation consisted of two teams led by Humiston and Wendy Powers, associate vice president. The teams included Faith Kearns, California Institute for Water Resources academic coordinator; Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, UC Cooperative Extension small farms advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties; Tracy Schohr, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resource advisor for Plumas, Sierra and Butte counties; Alena Pacheco, 4-H community education specialist in Fresno County; Bailey Butler, Oroville 4-H member; and El Dorado County 4-H Ambassadors Emily Ferrell, Josie Rothman and Isabella Veffredo, who were accompanied by El Dorado County 4-H program representatives Vera Bullard and Denise Veffredo.
"As a team, we were able to connect with every member or staffer that we met," Powers wrote in her ANR Adventures blog. "Sometimes it was around the 4-H program, and what the program has done for our impressive team members, sometimes it was around fire or water, and other staffers or members were particularly interested in moringa. Either way, the goal was to make a connection so that each visit left an impression."
"UC ANR Day was a terrific opportunity for 4-H members to practice their communication skills and get involved in advocacy at the state level," Mueller said.
Oroville 4-H member Bailey described for legislators and their staff how she worked from Nov. 8 when the Camp Fire broke out until after Christmas with UC Cooperative Extension advisor Tracy Schohr and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine staff to care for 1,200 evacuated livestock and to train others to assist. Emily, a 4-H Ambassador in El Dorado County, said her 4-H experience with STEM activities and leadership training helped her get into the university of her choice – UC Santa Barbara.
The teams visited a total of 17 offices including state senators Cathleen Galgiani (Senate Agriculture Committee chair), Hannah-Beth Jackson, Brian Jones, Connie Leyva, Mike McGuire, Holly J. Mitchell, Jim Nielsen and Scott Wilk and assemblymembers Brian Dahle, Susan Talamantes Eggman (Assembly Agriculture Committee chair), Heath Flora, Laura Friedman, Monique Limon, Jose Medina, Jay Obernolte, Robert Rivas and Jim Wood.
Greeted warmly by each office, the teams shared examples of work being done by UC ANR in their districts, offered them assistance and thanked the legislators for their support. They left a copy of the UC ANR Snapshot, UC ANR map and overview, a 4-H fact sheet and UC at a Glance.
Legislators praised the 4-H members and UC ANR staff for the work they do for Californians.
"I look forward to making UC ANR Day at the Capitol an annual event," Humiston said. "Telling people about the value of ANR's work is not only part of our mission, it is essential in educating others about all that we accomplish with the resources we have."
A fact sheet showing the effects of shrinking public investment in the University of California and agricultural research can be downloaded at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Professional_Development/files/302896.pdf.
Sean Hogan, IGIS academic coordinator, talks drones with Assemblymember Devon Mathis.
Names in the News
Coyne named Master Gardener volunteer engagement coordinator
Marisa Coyne is now the academic coordinator - volunteer engagement for UC Master Gardener Program as of April 8. Coyne joined the Program after serving as a part-time community education specialist for the 4-H Youth Development Program with UCCE Marin County since September 2018.
"Marisa is filling a new full-time position and we are delighted to have her as part of the UC Master Gardener community," said Missy Gable, director of the UC Master Gardener Program.
Coyne will strengthen and further the work of the Program by enhancing professional development opportunities, collaborating with UC ANR academics to ensure successful volunteer-academic partnerships, and sharing stories of UC Master Gardener volunteers' many accomplishments and successes. She is passionate about creating opportunities for community members to commit to lifelong stewardship of land and water in California.
Originally from Philadelphia, she has worked in rural, urban and peri-urban communities and in food, agriculture and wilderness spaces, providing interdisciplinary, inquiry-based, educational opportunities for learners of all ages. From the California coast to the Driftless Area of Wisconsin to the forests of Connecticut, she has designed and delivered outdoor experiences for thousands of learners, specialized in development of emerging leaders and in promoting inclusive organizational change. Her graduate work at UC Davis in the Community and Regional Development Program focused on issues of equity in sustainable agriculture education. She earned a M.S. in community development from UC Davis and a B.A. in communications from Temple University.
Coyne is located in the ANR building in Davis in workstation 102B and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (530) 750-1394.
Hollingsworth named UCCE nutrient management and soil quality advisor
Joy Hollingsworth joined UC Cooperative Extension as a nutrient management and soil quality advisor serving Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties on April 1. She had worked as a staff research associate at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) since 2015.
As a staff research associate at KARE, Hollingsworth assisted in the management of drought and variety studies in the field, greenhouse and lab on both forage and grain sorghum. She organized trials, collected growth and development data, coordinated field activities with research station staff, supervised work crews at KARE and WSREC, and operated harvest equipment such as forage chopper and small plot combine. Prior to her work as an SRA at KARE, Hollingsworth was a junior specialist in the UC Davis Plant Science Department, conducting agronomic field trials for canola, camelina, sugarbeets and castor, including variety, salinity, irrigation and nitrogen trials located throughout California.
Hollingsworth earned a M.S. in plant science from Fresno State. Her thesis project was conducted at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center and compared overhead irrigation to subsurface drip in conservation tillage cotton. She earned a B.A. in communication from UC Davis.
Hollingsworth is based in Fresno and can be reached at (559) 241-7527 and email@example.com.
Nobua-Behrmann named UCCE urban forestry and natural resources advisor
Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann is now a UC Cooperative Extension urban forestry and natural resources advisor serving Orange and Los Angeles counties, effective March 25. Nobua-Behrmann first joined ANR in 2017 as a staff research associate in Orange County.
As a staff research associate for UCCE Orange County, Nobua-Behrmann provided management and direction to conduct a significant research and extension program focused on critical invasive pests, mainly insects, impacting urban landscapes and wildlands surrounding urbanized environments. The main focus of the program is to conduct surveys of infestations in regional parks and associated open spaces in order to develop management strategies that are efficacious and economically feasible. She also coordinated research and extension activities conducted by UC Riverside faculty and UCCE specialists on pest-related issues impacting these same environments.
She completed a doctorate and a B.S in biology from Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina and is fluent in Spanish.
Nobua-Behrmann is based at South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine and can be reached at (949) 301-9182, Ext. 1006 and firstname.lastname@example.com.
Tompkins named forestry and natural resources advisor
Ryan Tompkins joined UC Cooperative Extension as a forestry and natural resources advisor on March 18, serving Plumas, Sierra and Lassen counties. Prior to joining UCCE, Tompkins held forester positions for the past 16 years with the U.S. Forest Service, worked in the fire effects program with the National Park Service and served as associate faculty in the Environmental Studies Department at Feather River College teaching forest ecology and management.
Most recently, Tompkins served as the forest silviculturist and vegetation program manager at the Plumas National Forest, where he designed, planned and implemented landscape-scale forest restoration projects.
Tompkins earned master's and bachelor's degrees in forestry from UC Berkeley.
Based in Quincy, Tompkins can be reached at (530) 83-6125, email@example.com.
Nelson joins ANR as climate stewards initiative academic coordinator
Sarah-Mae Nelson joined ANR as the UC climate stewards initiative academic coordinator on Feb. 19. She is an educator, science communicator and climate change communication specialist who draws on her background and interest in interpretation at informal science education centers.
Prior to joining ANR, she worked for the Monterey Bay Aquarium from 2006 to 2017 in various roles, including guest experience interpreter, climate change interpretive specialist, and conservation interpreter and online community manager for ClimateInterpreter.org. A charter member of the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change and Interpretation, Nelson is part of the leadership team that trains new communicators in research-proven, climate change strategic framing communications. For her master's work, she established curriculum for an interdisciplinary Climate Change Studies minor at UC San Diego. In 2015, she was recognized by President Obama as a Champion of Change in Climate Education and Literacy.
She earned an M.S. in climate science and policy from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and a B.S. in marine biology from UC Santa Cruz.
Nelson is based in Half Moon Bay and can be reached at (408) 482-4633 and firstname.lastname@example.com.
Gross named UCCE aquaculture specialist
Jackson Gross joined UCCE on Aug. 14, as an aquaculture specialist. His current research program aims to be at the forefront of environmental and production sustainability and ecological integrity. To achieve this vision, his research is focused into three distinct, yet overlapping applied research themes: aquaculture, invasion biology and environmental/ecological toxicology. This research usually addresses data gaps and provides scientific solutions, determined through rigorous experimentation, meeting the immediate biological and engineering needs of the aquaculture industry and natural resource community. His research is historically a mix of laboratory and field experimentation. However, there are many times where the research is not exclusively one or the other, but instead, a blend where controlled laboratory experimentation is brought into the field. Other areas of interest include aquaponic production systems.
Prior to joining UCCE, Gross worked at a private engineering firm evaluating the effects of anthropogenic activity on aquatic resources.
Gross earned a Ph.D. in animal sciences (endocrine and reproductive physiology minor) at University of Wisconsin - Madison. He completed a M.S. in public health (toxicology emphasis) and a B.S. in biology (zoology emphasis) from San Diego State University.
Gross is based in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis and can be reached at 2117 Meyer Hall, (530) 752-2978 and firstname.lastname@example.com.
NAS elects Ronald and Zilberman as members
The National Academy of Sciences announced April 30 the election of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Forty percent of the newly elected members are women—the most ever elected in any one year to date.
Pamela Ronald, professor and geneticist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology and Genome Center, and David Zilberman, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of agricultural and resources economics at UC Berkeley, are among the new members.
Ronald researches genes that control disease resistance and tolerance to environmental stress in rice, one of the world's most important crops. She is known for engineering flood-tolerant rice, for which she and her colleagues received the USDA 2008 National Research Discovery Award.
Zilberman is one of the most cited scholars in agricultural, environmental and resource economics. During the 1980s, his work served as the basis for several projects on the adoption of modern irrigation technology and computers in California agriculture. These studies demonstrated that farmers adopt new technologies when it makes economic sense and that extreme events, such as droughts or high prices, can trigger changes in farming practices. During the early 1990s, his research on pesticide economics and policy made the case against policies that called to ban pesticides, and advocated instead for policies that take advantage of the vast economic benefits that pesticides generate while using incentives to protect against environmental side effects. In January, Zilberman was awarded the 2019 Wolf Prize in Agriculture in recognition of his work developing economic models for fundamental problems in agriculture, economics and policy.
Dahlquist-Willard and Pathak honored by CalCAN
Two UC Cooperative Extension scientists were recognized for their contributions to the field of agriculture and climate change at the California Climate & Agriculture Summit at UC Davis on March 5, 2019.
CalCAN presented the leadership award for agricultural professional to Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, UC Cooperative Extension small farms advisor in Fresno and Tulare counties.
Dahlquist-Willard helps keep small-scale, diversified farmers in business by providing support with marketing, regulatory compliance, processing of value-added products, water and energy efficiency, and integrated pest management. She has been a driving force behind increasing access by Hmong farmers in the Fresno area to California's State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). Dahlquist-Willard has promoted the program, provided thousands of hours of one-on-one, culturally relevant support to farmers on grant applications, and assisted with project design and installation. The farmers she has supported are now benefiting from water, energy and financial savings.
"There are large environmental problems to solve in the Central Valley, and it's time for a different conversation around farming there," Dahlquist-Willard said. "I feel that there needs to be a conversation in the middle to solve problems rather than a conflict-based approach."
The leadership award for researcher was presented to Tapan Pathak, UC Cooperative Extension specialist for climate adaptation in agriculture, based at UC Merced.
Pathak is the chair of the UC Cooperative Extension Climate Change Adaptation Workgroup, which brings together scientists across the UC system to collaborate on research and extension projects related to climate change adaptation in California agriculture. Pathak is the lead author on an important and timely paper that was published in 2018 in the journal Agronomy. It synthesizes the impacts of climate change on California agriculture and offers directions for future research and implementation.
"We need more facilitated dialog with policy researchers and scientists on the science of climate change, and the implications of not taking action," Pathak said. "Given the scale of California agriculture and the pressure of climate change impacts, we need even more substantial funding for incentives for farmers and for research and tools, and we must integrate growers from the beginning of the process."
The summit, organized by CalCAN, brought together some of the state's foremost experts in agriculture — including farmers, agriculture professionals, researchers, advocates and policymakers — to grapple with the challenges of climate change and share knowledge about the opportunities facing the industry.
Mitloehner wins Borlaug CAST Communication Award
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) named UC Davis animal scientist Frank Mitloehner the 2019 Borlaug CAST Communication Award recipient. Mitloehner, a professor and UC Cooperative Extension air quality specialist in the Department of Animal Science, is the 10th recipient of this award.
"I'm honored to be selected by CAST, an organization I've long admired, and to be in the company of so many recipients who have inspired me during my career," Mitloehner said. "Being recognized with the Borlaug CAST Communication Award is not only a high honor, it's an affirmation of the importance of sharing research and academic pursuits well beyond labs, classrooms and universities."
CAST bestows the award annually to a nominated expert in the agricultural, environmental or food sectors. The nominee must show remarkable communication skills through various types of media with the purpose of advancing science in the public policy sector.
Mitloehner's nominators state he reaches beyond academia to inform experts and various members of the public around the globe about animal agriculture's influence on greenhouse gas emissions. His goal is to change societal views about the influence of animals on our climate through various channels of communication.
"His involvement as a communicator and scientist at the national and global levels has put him and his message in a strategic position to share and influence policy," said one of Mitloehner's nominators.
Numerous like-minded agencies and institutions have reached out for his guidance on timely and relevant issues regarding animal agriculture's impacts on air quality, including chairing a committee for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Since he joined UC Davis in 2002, Mitloehner has amassed more than 800 presentations focused on animal agriculture through various speaking events such as conferences and professional meetings. He has contributed to national news stories published by CNN, PBS, Newsweek, The Washington Post and other media outlets.
Mitloehner does not shy away from social media either. He began tweeting with the handle @GHGGuru in April 2018 and his Twitter account has more than 7,000 followers. In late 2018, Mitloehner launched GHG Guru Blog, a personal website with the goal of delivering the "latest, most accurate research" focused on the intersection between animal agriculture and the climate.
"Science for science's sake has no role in making our world more sustainable," Mitloehner said. "Sharing what we know — and backing it up with facts — leads to discussions and solutions," Mitloehner said.
The Borlaug CAST Communication Award is sponsored by the CropLife Foundation. CAST announced the 2019 BCCA recipient at the USDA Whitten Patio in Washington, D.C., on April 16.
The award will be presented held during a side event at the World Food Prize Symposium on Oct. 16. – UC Davis
Fung and Staskawicz elected Royal Society members
The Royal Society of London, the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, announced their newest fellows and foreign members April 16, among them two UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources faculty.
The newly-elected CNR foreign members are climate scientist Inez Fung and plant biologist Brian Staskawicz. Fung and Staskawicz are among 51 new fellows, 10 new foreign members and one new honorary member.
"Over the course of the Royal Society's vast history, it is our fellowship that has remained a constant thread and the substance from which our purpose has been realized: to use science for the benefit of humanity," said society president Venki Ramakrishnan. "This year's newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society embody this, being drawn from diverse fields of enquiry – epidemiology, geometry, climatology — at once disparate, but also aligned in their pursuit and contributions of knowledge about the world in which we live. It is with great honor that I welcome them as Fellows of the Royal Society."
The learned society dates from 1660 and today is the U.K.'s national science academy and a fellowship of some 1,600 of the world's most eminent scientists.
Fung, a professor of earth and planetary science and of environmental science, policy and management, models the processes that maintain and alter the composition of the atmosphere and, hence, the climate.
Staskawicz, a professor of plant and microbial biology and a co-director of the Innovative Genomics Institute, studies plants' innate immunity with the goal of engineering disease resistance in agricultural crops.
UCPath paychecks to start Oct. 1
The systemwide UCPath Steering Committee has decided the new launch date for UCPath at UC ANR, UC Davis and UC Davis Health will be Oct. 1, with cutover activities happening in September.
The decision for UC ANR to launch UCPath on Oct. 1 comes on the heels of a smooth transition to UCPath at UC Berkeley over the last month. UC ANR's project team continues to work closely with their counterparts at UC Berkeley and other UC locations to collect lessons learned and best practices to prepare for our transition.
"I would like to express my gratitude to our UC ANR colleagues across the state who continue to maintain UC ANR's readiness to cut over to UCPath," said Tu M. Tran, associate vice president, business operations.
The UC ANR team is using the extra time to review our readiness and focus on training and transition activities. We will continue to share information as we approach the new target go-live date.
In memoriam: Charley Hess
Charles E. "Charley" Hess, a UC Davis Medal recipient and dean emeritus of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences who never took the word "retirement" seriously, died April 13 of congestive heart failure at the age of 87.
Helene Dillard, who studied for her advanced degrees in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CA&ES, during Hess' time as dean, is now the dean herself — fully cognizant of Hess' role in the college's status as a global leader in agriculture.
"We would not be where we are today without Charley's vision and leadership," said Dillard, a plant pathologist who was appointed dean in January 2014 a few months before Hess received the UC Davis Medal, the campus's highest honor. "Charley was a wonderful colleague, an inspirational teacher, a tremendous mentor and a dear friend to our college and the people we serve."
Hess earned a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science at Rutgers University, a Master of Science degree in horticulture and plant pathology at Cornell, and a Ph.D. in horticulture, plant physiology and plant pathology, also at Cornell. He joined the Purdue faculty in 1958, then returned to Rutgers in 1966 as chair of the Department of Horticulture and Forestry. He advanced to acting dean of Rutgers' College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1971 and two years later became the founding dean of Rutgers' Cook College (today known as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences).
He became the dean at UC Davis in 1975 and held the post until 1989. His faculty appointment was in the Department of Environmental Horticulture (now part of the Department of Plant Sciences).
Born into agriculture
He was a natural in the plant world, born Dec. 20, 1931, in New Jersey, into a family with a nursery business in Wayne. He could have joined the business after college, but the science bug bit him. Still, as an academic and administrator, he developed strong relationships in agriculture at all levels, from small businesses like his family's, to industry giants — and, of course, with student farmers, too, having been an enthusiastic supporter of the UC Davis Student Farm since its inception in 1977 in his second year as CA&ES dean.
The farm eventually became part of the Sustainable Agriculture Research Education Program that was established later during his tenure as dean. He also participated in the development and funding of California's Integrated Pest Management Program and the UC Davis Biotechnology Program, and he facilitated the move of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Human Nutrition Center from San Francisco to UC Davis.
He stepped down as dean, after 14 years, to accept an appointment by President George H.W. Bush to be the assistant secretary for science and education in the USDA, serving from 1989 to 1991. Prior to that, Hess had two presidential appointments to the National Science Board, the governing board of the National Science Foundation.
Hess accepts the UC Davis Medal
He was one of the principle architects of the National Research Initiative, which evolved into the competitive grants program of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Yolo County farmer Richard Rominger '49, former deputy secretary at the USDA and director of the state Department of Food and Agriculture, said: "Charley was a much loved and respected leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at UC Davis, recognized for his accomplishments and contributions to the greater world of agriculture, education and science."
Back on campus, he took an appointment as UC Davis' first director of international programs in 1992. He officially "retired" in 1994 but kept right on working in international programs until 1998. He would go on to serve as special assistant to the provost and chancellor, 2003-04; and subsequently held temporary positions as chair of the Department of Nutrition and vice chancellor of research.
He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Horticultural Science, and had been inducted into the society's Horticulture Hall of Fame. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the USDA also had honored him for distinguished service.
Hess is survived by his wife of 38 years, Eva, and their son, Peter Hess, and four children from his earlier marriage to Marie C. Lilliedoll: Mary Foster (and husband Mike Foster), Carol Hess Allan, Nancy Hess (and husband Garry Buchko) and John Hess. Other survivors include daughter-in-law Akiko Ogura; and five grandchildren, Julie (Foster) Mecca, Brian Foster, Alex Buchko, Jules Buchko and Emma Hess.
His family is planning a memorial celebration for late May. Dateline UC Davis will post an announcement when the arrangements are final.
Other contributors to this report: Diane Nelson, senior writer in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Maril Stratton, associate chancellor emerita; and Pat Bailey, retired senior public information representative.
Read the full story at https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/dean-emeritus-charley-hess-dies-87.
Workgroups, program teams and strategic initiatives review shows clarity of purpose
A major factor in job satisfaction is the extent to which people feel part of a wider supportive community. Such connections have historically been offered in UC ANR through various means, including our structural units (i.e., our 81 workgroups, 21 program teams and 5 strategic initiatives).
Healthy organizations should regularly look at their structure. Important elements of structure include how the pieces fit together and how people may better connect to more effectively implement their work. In the summer of 2018, we began a series of discussions and surveys to revisit aspects of our structure.
Thank you to the 120-plus people who provided input on our structure and suggestions regarding how we may connect.
1. Clarity of purpose:
The seeming fuzziness of the roles and goals of our workgroups (WGs), program teams (PTs) and strategic initiatives (SIs) is not as great as people may think. Many consistent findings arose across the different structural groups. A summary of our findings follows.
Workgroups (our oldest unit of structure) are the most readily understood. They represent active "communities of practice" (that can come and go) and are the primary place where people plan and implement (noting that such groups are both formal and informal).
One point of interest is that people didn't realize they could close or start workgroups as needed.
Program teams bring together people (typically from different workgroups) who are working on related but distinctly different topics to network, share and learn.
One clear observation is that PTs vary considerably in terms of the diversity of WG representation (e.g., 1 PT has 12 WGs and a few PTs have just 1 WG).
SIs are our highest form of aggregation (and currently the one that enjoys the least clarity). They function to unify, communicate and advocate as the umbrellas for the work we do. The recent addition for the SIs is the development of the focal areas and grand challenges, providing the opportunity to see the unifying focus in our efforts.
For more information about how workgroups, program teams and strategic initiatives fit together, see https://ucanr.edu/sites/StrategicInitiatives/files/295191.pdf.
2. Workgroups – Don't fix it if it ain't broken:
Of the 81 workgroups, 21 are considered very active and effective - while another 29 are somewhat active and 3 are new in 2019. The remaining 28 WGs have been inactive, as reflected by personnel or goal changes and will be officially closed (see list below). These can be easily reopened if demand arises.
The goal is for WGs to align with a single PT, which likely means realigning the PTs - see point No. 3 below. Currently some workgroups have no PT, whereas other WGs have aligned with many PTs.
3. Reformulate the topic areas for program teams:
The next step is to collect input and look at reformulating/reaffirming the PT themes. Currently, we have 21 PT themes. Some have no WGs under them. Others have many WGs under them. Some workgroups have aligned under many PTs, which creates uneven structure and at times uneven activity.
As we go forward, we encourage people to identify PT themes to 1) better represent the collective work of UC ANR, 2) create or show clearer paths for people to connect at the WG, PT and SI levels, and 3) help us refine the SI focal areas and grand challenges – providing greater clarity of our efforts and clearer SI alignment with the reformulated PT themes and WG efforts.
Opportunity for more input on PT themes
The PT discussions will include a webinar and county visits over summer.
Thank you all for your efforts and we welcome input.
Mark Bell (Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)
Strategic Initiative Leaders
HFC: Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty
SFS: Deanne Meyer and Neil McRoberts
Water: David Lewis
SNE: David Lile
Pests: Jim Farrar
Workgroups to close. Note: If there is interest and leadership, workgroups can be readily opened by this simple new workgroup request.
1. Air Quality
2. Animals in Educational Settings
3. Bioenergy
4. Body Weight and Health
5. Building Food Security
6. Conservation Biology
7. Dairy Goats
8. Ecological Restoration
9. Economics and Management in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment
10. Environmental Observation Network
11. European Pear
12. Exotic Fruit Fly
13. Garden-based Learning
14. Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
15. Mosquito Research and Extension
16. Pest Management in ANR
17. Postharvest Integrated Pest Management
18. Rangeland Watershed Program
19. Turfgrass
20. Urban Horticulture
21. Water Quality
22. Woody Biomass Utilization
23. Families with Young Children
24. Food Safety Horticultural Crops
25. Land Use
26. Linking Research & Education in Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology
27. Peppers
28. Spray Application Technology


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Two Bills and me Kathy Kale '86 14 Oct 2012 Learning from a pair of passionate Broncos and extraordinary human beings As the School of Engineering centennial comes to a close, I can't help but reflect on two engineering Broncos who made an indelible mark on their university, their school, and me personally. With a degree in mechanical engineering, Bill began a long and distinguished career at companies that included General Electric and FMC. In his spare time, he was active in his local community and at Santa Clara University. Bill served as the national president of the Alumni Association, president of the Engineering Alumni Board, and a member of the Board of Regents. He and his wife also established the William and Marijane Adams Jr. Endowed Mechanical Engineering Fund, which helps mechanical engineering students each year with financial support and research fellowships.For Bill Adams '37, senior year at Santa Clara was full of milestones. In October 1936, Bill toured the construction site of the not-yet-completed Golden Gate Bridge, compliments of George L. Sullivan, then dean of engineering. A few months later, his parents scraped up enough money to send him on the train with the Bronco football team to New Orleans. On Jan. 1, 1937, Bill witnessed Santa Clara defeating Louisiana State University 21–14 in the first of two consecutive Sugar Bowl victories. Then, at his spring commencement Bill was awarded the Nobili Medal, given to the male graduate judged outstanding in academic performance, personal character, school activities, and constructive contribution to the University. At age 95, Bill is still active on campus attending lectures, Alumni Board meetings, musical performances, and impromptu discussions with the School of Engineering dean. He visits the Donohoe Alumni House often and frequently provides me advice and opinions about the state of the University and the direction of the Alumni Association. Bronco by heart: Bill Nicholson '36. Photo by Charles Barry Then there's Wilmot "Bill" Nicholson '36. Raised on the family pear ranch in Alviso, Calif., Bill graduated from Santa Clara as a civil engineer. In 1948, he founded the W. J. Nicholson Company—a construction, management, and consulting firm that built many Silicon Valley landmarks. This company also built the Charles H. Graham Residence for Women in 1963, just two years after Santa Clara first admitted women as undergraduate students. Bill held numerous community leadership positions, including mayor of the City of Santa Clara. As a lifelong supporter of the University, he also taught for 20 years in the civil engineering department. He served on the Civil Engineering Advisory Board, Pastoral Ministries Advisory Board, Engineering Alumni Board, Board of Fellows, and the Board of Regents. In 2003, Bill and his children donated the St. Clare Garden to the University in memory of Bill's wife of 64 years, Ruth. Bill was an engineer by trade, a Bronco at heart, and a rancher by blood. He was active in agriculture throughout his long career and was herding cattle and riding horses in Montana three weeks before his death in 2007. As a marketing major who is admittedly not strong in math or science, I often marvel that two engineering majors 50 years my senior would have such a profound effect on my life. Both Bills were frequent visitors to the University and I relished every encounter. Their unwavering support for Santa Clara taught me what it means to be a Bronco for life. Their charming personalities and quick wits left everyone they met feeling enriched, uplifted, and committed to making a difference. With their words and their actions, both Bills challenged me to be a better leader, and I am truly grateful for the deep imprint both left on me—personally and professionally. Our University Mission is to educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. Bill Adams and Bill Nicholson lived this mission every day of their lives; two amazing men, two passionate Broncos, and two extraordinary human beings. I know I am a better citizen, leader, and person today because I've had the privilege of knowing these two Bills. Peace, Kathy Kale '86 Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations
Art History Majors Make History Art history graduates Lauren Stein '23, Maggie Walter '23, and Annika Singh '23 joined forces to create the first student-led art exhibit at Santa Clara's de Saisset Museum. Francesca D'Urzo '24, 13 Feb 2024 share 3 min read
Back to School SCU Alumni and senior community members are pursuing life-long education at SCU. Sarah Young '24, 13 Feb 2024 share 3 min read
Again & Again & Again Sagi Solomon '00, J.D. '03 approaches sustainable fashion by moving beyond the individual and targeting entire brands. Lauren Loftus, 13 Feb 2024 share < 1 min read
Funding Unlocked Two Bronco alums announce next-round funding for projects aimed at helping the Earth and her people. Lauren Loftus, 13 Feb 2024 share < 1 min read


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Much has been made of the hoo-hah between Ned Colletti and Matt Kemp (VSIMH has all the gory details, while MoKM and MSTI done tore Ned a new one, yessirree). And last night's first-inning misplay by Kemp, which allowed the Pirates' only two runs to score, won't help settle things — Kemp even heard some boos at Dodger Stadium, maybe for the first time in his career.
But the most troublesome issue fans are worrying about is whether Colletti's comments will be the beginning of the end of Kemp's tenure with the Dodgers. A quote from Dave Stewart, Kemp's agent, is causing the stir:
"When it comes time for Matt to arbitrate two years from now, we're going to look at that situation and do what's best for Matt," he said on The Mason and Ireland Show on 710 ESPN Los Angeles. "When it comes time for Matt to be a free agent three years from now, we're going to look at that situation in the same way as I would with Chad Billingsley, my other client on that ballclub.
Look carefully at that quote. It's something Stewart would still say if the Dodgers were 22-0 instead of 8-14 right now. An agent is always going to "do what's best" for his clients. If Kemp ends up leaving the Dodgers, it won't be because of sore feelings. It'll be because another team will have offered him more money.
Kemp is just about my favorite Dodger right now, and hopefully he'll transcend this nonsense. But if he bails on us, blame Frank McCourt for not having enough money to keep him. Matt Kemp is a big boy — Ned Colletti's words will never hurt him.
photo by Allen J. Schaben/LA Times


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Iridescent Amber Apothecary Vase
Contemporary Handmade
In pre-Hispanic times, Mexican glassware was derived from volcanic, or obsidian, glass. The Spanish introduced clear handblown glass in Mexico during the 16th century. The first handblown glass industry arose in Puebla, before expanding into nearby states. This St. Frank piece was made in a remote town in the neighboring state of Hidalgo, where the entire community works in a family-owned factory established thirty years ago. Each piece is created through a collaborative process where it is handed from one maestro to the next until the piece is finished.
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[UPDATE 12-ago-2011]
Version 3.0: Added PID file (thanks to Sylvain) && PID file management (no more multiple starts of the daemon by mistake)
Version 2.1: 'Going to perfection' version (NO NEED TO CHANGE PMS.sh script, read instructions below)
Version 2.0: Completely reworked the way the script work (logging is now possible) - You need also to update the PMS.sh script (included)
Version 1.3: Added 2 variables in the script to run the daemon with the preferred credentials and moved the PID file to PMS_HOME
Version 1.2: Fixed a bug that prevented PMS.conf to be read by the init script
Version 1.1: Removed 'reload' option and added 'status' option (issuing a status option tells you if PS3 Media Server is running or not)
I made myself this init script for Debian/Ubuntu based systems to use PS3 media server as a system service.
I followed strict ubuntu policies to create this script and it's working quite well.
IF YOU are using any older version, replace PMS.sh with the original bundled version of PS3MediaServer!!!!
Currently I'm using it on my Natty 11.04 server and it's working like a charm.
The logs are located in /var/log/pms and have a monthly file scheme.
[*]Unzip the script and put it in /etc/init.d
[*]Edit the script PMS_HOME variable and write your path to PS3 Media Server (in my case /opt/pms).
[*]Edit the PMS_USER and PMS_GROUP variables in the script to the user and group you want to use to launch the PS3 Media Server
[*]Make the script executable with command: "sudo chmod a+x PS3Mediaserver"
[*]If you want to autostart the PS3MediaServer on boot type "sudo update-rc.d PS3MediaServer defaults 90"
Enjoy it.NEW VERSION 3.0 AVAILABLE. PLEASE DONATE


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Alexander C. Sonnenwirth Papers
- Collection
- 1963-1984
The files in this collection have been arranged into three organizational series: professional meetings, personal correspondence, and laboratory notebooks and lectures. The Sonnenwirth Papers are comprised of files that were recovered from his office at the Microbiology Laboratory of Jewish Hospital. The original file order and folder titles have been maintained. Note that Series 1 (Professional Meetings), which relates to Sonnenwirth's activities in various professional associations, comprises a significant portion of this collection. The approximate dates of the contents are indicated in the container listing, which follows.
Sonnenwirth, Alexander C.


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Net::CIDR - Manipulate IPv4/IPv6 netblocks in CIDR notation |
Net::CIDR - Manipulate IPv4/IPv6 netblocks in CIDR notation
use Net::CIDR;
use Net::CIDR ':all';
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::range2cidr("126.96.36.199-22.214.171.124", "10.0.0.0-10.3.255.255")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # 184.108.40.206/16 # 10.0.0.0/14
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::range2cidr( "dead:beef::-dead:beef:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff")) . "\n";
# # Output from above: # # dead:beef::/32
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::range2cidr("220.127.116.11-126.96.36.199")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # 126.96.36.199/24 # 126.96.36.199/24
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::cidr2range("184.108.40.206/16")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # 188.8.131.52-188.8.131.52
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::cidr2range("dead::beef::/46")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # dead:beef::-dead:beef:3:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff
@list=("220.127.116.11/24"); @list=Net::CIDR::cidradd("126.96.36.199-184.108.40.206", @list);
print join("\n", @list) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # 188.8.131.52/23
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::cidr2octets("126.96.36.199/22")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # 192.68.0 # 192.68.1 # 192.68.2 # 192.68.3
print join("\n", Net::CIDR::cidr2octets("dead::beef::/46")) . "\n"; # # Output from above: # # dead:beef:0000 # dead:beef:0001 # dead:beef:0002 # dead:beef:0003
@list=("220.127.116.11/24"); print Net::CIDR::cidrlookup("18.104.22.168", @list); # # Output from above: # # 1
@list = Net::CIDR::addr2cidr("126.96.36.199"); print join("\n", @list); # # Output from above: # # 188.8.131.52/32 # 184.108.40.206/31 # 184.108.40.206/30 # 22.214.171.124/29 # 18.104.22.168/28 # 188.8.131.52/27 # 184.108.40.206/26 # 184.108.40.206/25 # 18.104.22.168/24 # 22.214.171.124/23 # [and so on]
print Net::CIDR::addrandmask2cidr("188.8.131.52", "255.255.255.248")."\n"; # # Output from above: # # 126.96.36.199/29
The Net::CIDR package contains functions that manipulate lists of IP netblocks expressed in CIDR notation. The Net::CIDR functions handle both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Each element in the @range_list is a string ``start-finish'', where
``start'' is the first IP address and ``finish'' is the last IP address.
converts each range into an equivalent CIDR netblock.
It returns a list of netblocks except in the case where it is given
only one parameter and is called in scalar context.
For example:
The result is a one-element array, with $a[0] being ``22.214.171.124/16''.
processes each ``start-finish'' element in @range_list separately.
But if invoked like so:
The result is a scalar ``126.96.36.199/16''.
Where each element cannot be expressed as a single CIDR netblock
will generate as many CIDR netblocks as are necessary to cover
the full range of IP addresses. Example:
The result is a two element array: (``188.8.131.52/24'',``126.96.36.199/24'');
@a=Net::CIDR::range2cidr( "d08c:43::-d08c:43:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff");
The result is an one element array: (``d08c:43::/32'') that reflects this IPv6 netblock in CIDR notation.
does not merge adjacent or overlapping netblocks in
The cidr2range()
functions converts a netblock list in CIDR notation
to a list of ``start-finish'' IP address ranges:
@a=Net::CIDR::cidr2range("10.0.0.0/14", "18.104.22.168/24");
The result is a two-element array: (``10.0.0.0-10.3.255.255'', ``18.104.22.168-220.127.116.11'').
The result is a one-element array: (``d08c:43::-d08c:43:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff'').
does not merge adjacent or overlapping netblocks in
The addr2cidr function takes an IP address and returns a list of all the CIDR netblocks it might belong to:
The result is a thirtythree-element array: ('184.108.40.206/32', '220.127.116.11/31', '18.104.22.168/30', '184.108.40.206/29', [and so on]) consisting of all the possible subnets containing this address from 0.0.0.0/0 to address/32.
Any addresses supplied to addr2range after the first will be ignored. It works similarly for IPv6 addresses, returning a list of one hundred and twenty nine elements.
The addrandmask2cidr function takes an IP address and a netmask, and returns the CIDR range whose size fits the netmask and which contains the address. It is an error to supply one parameter in IPv4-ish format and the other in IPv6-ish format, and it is an error to supply a netmask which does not consist solely of 1 bits followed by 0 bits. For example, '255.255.248.192' is an invalid netmask, as is '255.255.255.32' because both contain 0 bits in between 1 bits.
Technically speaking both of those *are* valid netmasks, but a) you'd have to be insane to use them, and b) there's no corresponding CIDR range.
takes @cidr_list and returns a list of leading octets
representing those netblocks. Example:
@octet_list=Net::CIDR::cidr2octets("10.0.0.0/14", "220.127.116.11/24");
The result is the following five-element array: (``10.0'', ``10.1'', ``10.2'', ``10.3'', ``192.68.0'').
For IPv6 addresses, the hexadecimal words in the resulting list are zero-padded:
The result is a four-element array: (``0000:0000:0000:0000:dead:beef:0000'', ``0000:0000:0000:0000:dead:beef:0001'', ``0000:0000:0000:0000:dead:beef:0002'', ``0000:0000:0000:0000:dead:beef:0003''). Prefixes of IPv6 CIDR blocks should be even multiples of 16 bits, otherwise they can potentially expand out to a 32,768-element array, each!
The cidradd()
functions allows a CIDR list to be built one CIDR netblock
at a time, merging adjacent and overlapping ranges.
$block is a single netblock, expressed as either ``start-finish'', or
@cidr_list=Net::CIDR::range2cidr("220.127.116.11-188.8.131.52"); @cidr_list=Net::CIDR::cidradd("10.0.0.0/8", @cidr_list); @cidr_list=Net::CIDR::cidradd("220.127.116.11-220.127.116.11", @cidr_list); The result is a two-element array: ("10.0.0.0/8", "22.214.171.124/23"). IPv6 addresses are handled in an analogous fashion.
Search for $ip in @cidr_list. $ip can be a single IP address, or a
netblock in CIDR or start-finish notation.
returns 1 if $ip overlaps any netblock in @cidr_list, 0 if not.
Validate whether $ip is a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address. Returns its argument or undef. Spaces are removed, and IPv6 hexadecimal address are converted to lowercase.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Always use validate()
before doing anything with untrusted input.
``slightly'' invalid input will work (extraneous whitespace
is generally OK),
but the functions will croak if you're totally off the wall.
Sam Varshavchik <email@example.com>
With some contributions from David Cantrell <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Net::CIDR - Manipulate IPv4/IPv6 netblocks in CIDR notation |


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Challenging a Council's housing list policy (R (TW) and R (Gullu) v London Borough of Hillingdon)
Hillingdon Council's housing rules said that a person must have lived in the area for at least ten years before they could apply for a house. The council refused two people, a refugee who had been given permission to stay in the UK and an Irish Traveller, on these grounds. We saw this as discriminatory and we intervened in their cases in the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal.
Challenging the 'two-child limit' rule (R (on the application of SC and CB and their children) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)
The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 provides that child tax credit and its replacement universal credit will not be payable to any 3rd or subsequent children in a family born after 6th April 2017 (subject to some exceptions). This is known as the 'two child rule'.
SC and CB each had a baby after 6th April 2017 and do not receive any tax credits for those children.


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Be prepared to shift your expectations. Anything can happen in March: single digits, a ton of snow, wind. Name it, and be ready. I won't turn the heat on in the greenhouse until the first week in April. In the meantime, all the starts are under lights in the guest room. Good thing there aren't any guests.
With that in mind I moved my tomatoes, artichokes, lettuce and Brussels sprouts to larger pots this morning. They just may need to spend more time in these confines than anticipated, and I do so want them to be comfortable. This is yet another good reason to buy your starts from any one of the wonderful nurseries we are graced with. These folks know what they are doing and, at this very moment, are getting plants ready for you to just buy and put into the ground when the time is upon us.
But, for those of us who just can't resist starting our own, the gauntlet has been thrown. The challenge will be met. And we will be ever so happy every single moment of starting our gardens in February and March. Personally I love every single moment of this process.
If you have never tried leeks from seed, get going, they are just wonderful. They love Homer just as much as garlic and artichokes do. Oh, and celery. It is almost shocking how well celery does here. But it needs a head start so get some seed started now.
I learned a hard lesson last season, (actually, many hard lessons but I shan't digress) I need to diversify. I have been a faithful adherent of Packman broccoli for years and then I was wooed by Arcadia. The first season I tried just four Arcadia and they were just so magnificent. Last year I planted them exclusively. They were a bust. Goodness. So this year I have some of each plus Purple Peacock broccoli. Why not? I have never heard of it. But it just may be a winner. A welcome addition to a variation on a theme. No more mono cropping for me. Same with Brussels sprouts. Two different kinds this season.
By the way, we have been eating Brussels sprouts out of the garden all winter. We just go get what we need for a meal. That has been interesting for me. I loathe leaving anything in the garden. I need it be all neat, tidy, ready to go in anticipation of spring. The sight of those stalks out there just rocks my sense of order. But I have persevered and been rewarded. Of course, this has been an exceptional winter. No winter to speak of really and that has helped things like leaving Brussels sprouts in the garden to fend for themselves.
I know there are those who wouldn't even think of harvesting Brussels sprouts or even carrots or other root crops. They have taken measures to keep these crops in the ground. Not me. I want them at the ready. I do not want to go out in the dark and dig around for dinner. There, I said it. To each his own. It's like weeding: some of us do and some of us don't.
• • •
I get concerned that there are too many of you out there who are overthinking gardening.
For example: A friend who purports to be a faithful reader of this column just revealed to me that he is now pollinating his tomatoes with his electric toothbrush. He was so proud of himself. He found a shortcut from using a paintbrush and going bloom to bloom. I could have throttled him. NO and NO. All we need do, once there are blossoms, is shake the plant. That's it, just shake. It takes a nano second. And the whole plant is pollinated. Every single bloom. You will get tomatoes galore. You will be giving them away. Please people, just SHAKE the plant. I think I have mentioned this at least a thousand times in the last 21 years.
Here's another one: An eager gardener asked me about lunar planting. She wanted a definitive answer on the success or failure of this method. She wanted me to steer her to a scientific study on the credibility of this method. What?? She should have asked about biodynamic gardening while she was at it. It is all wonderful if it makes your heart sing. If these methods grow gorgeous food for you, by all means use them. But they are ages old. They are intuitive like all gardening is. When is the best time to plant out your seedlings? After the last full moon in May because … I don't know, just because. Because that's what I always do and it gives me reassurance that I am doing my best for these tender seedlings that I started in the guest room in February and March against all odds.
People have been gardening for eons, without books (tomes have been written on compost, why?), without studies. Just garden. Just do it. You will make a harvest. It might be too many peas or enough lettuce for a village but, hey, you are gardening. You will get the hang of it probably sooner rather than later.
Note: Get yourself on the Sustainable Homer and Homer Garden Club e-newsletters. They are packed with information.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick is a longtime Homer gardener.


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A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma, it may not feel safe.
That's an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma-informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco, CA-based Wu Yee Children's Services at San Francisco's Women's Building, listen attentively.
Kurtz leads them into a description of how a child's young brain functions, how young children – regardless of whether they have experienced trauma or not — live in their reptile brain.
"What's the job of the reptile brain?" she asks.
"Survival" comes a response. "Yes, it's fight, flight or freeze," she says.
With guidance from adults, she explains, children's immature brains develop neurons that build bridges to the rational part of the brain. The rational, executive part of the brain, she continues, is a place of calm, where we can plan, solve problems, and imagine how someone else interacting with us is feeling.
But if a child is in a state of terror, explains Kurtz, all bets are off. In that state, a child can't hear what you're saying or express herself in words, Kurtz says.
"What's the strategy to calm a reptile brain?" she asks.
"It depends on the child…one idea is holding the child," offers a teacher.
"Reassure the child," suggests another teacher.
"Bring them to the current time," another chimes in.
ACEs comes from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study), groundbreaking research that looked at how 10 types of childhood trauma affect long-term health. They include physical, emotional and sexual abuse; physical and emotional neglect; living with a family member who's addicted to alcohol or other substances, or who's depressed or has other mental illnesses; experiencing parental divorce or separation; having a family member who's incarcerated, and witnessing a mother being abused.
Subsequent ACE surveys include racism, witnessing violence outside the home, bullying, losing a parent to deportation, living in an unsafe neighborhood, and involvement with the foster care system. Other types of childhood adversity can also include being homeless, living in a war zone, being an immigrant, moving many times, witnessing a sibling being abused, witnessing a father or other caregiver or extended family member being abused, involvement with the criminal justice system and attending a school that enforces a zero-tolerance discipline policy. (Learn more about the five parts of ACEs science.)
The impetus for the workshops was an awareness that many children in San Francisco, including many served by WuYee, are experiencing trauma and adversity, according to Wu Yee Associate Program Director in Child Development Kimberly Jones. The organization serves 648 children in 12 locations across the city, according to its 2015/2016 annual report.
Some teachers reported having difficulty managing challenging behaviors among somof the children, and wanted to learn new skills to better help them.
A deeper look into the histories of those children revealed that many were living in communities heavily affected by violence and trauma. "A highly anxious child, a child that's hard to calm down may have been up all night listening to gunshots," says Jones, as an example of what a child in their preschool might be facing.
Among the takeaways from Kurtz's earlier training was that staff learned more about trauma caused by domestic violence, intergenerational trauma, and historical sources of trauma, such as "the impact of racism, its lingering effect in how it impacts people," Jones says.
Another adverse childhood experience that was clearly affecting some of the children they serve is homelessness. Three percent of the 648 families who have children in the organization's preschool are homeless, according to the most recent annual report, a figure that Jones says may not accurately reflect the actual toll. Some families who have lost housing may have moved in with relatives, "but there's lot of shame with that, so it's underreported," she says.
To help children ensnared in such turmoil, Kurtz reviews some strategies about how to defuse a child who has been triggered into "fight, flight or freeze" mode. In the midst of a trigger, she explains, the world is dangerous, the child sees you "as a lion or a monster." They can't see you or hear you. Words don't work.
"How do they express themselves?" she queries.
"They cry."
"They shake," says another teacher.
"They hit."
If they're hitting, Kurtz says, "It is a sign they need to expel energy."
Then Kurtz pivots to some ways to pull the preschoolers back to safety. It's all about bringing them into the present moment. The teachers call out strategies to draw the child from the time warp of trauma to a designated safe space in the room: Have them throw a ball inside a box or crumple up paper and throw it in the trash. Kurtz ticks off other calming activities: Have them walk with you in nature, run, cry, squeeze Play Dough, color.
To be able to lead a child away from a moment of terror, however, Kurtz reminds the teachers, is easier and more effective if the adults are actively managing stress in their own lives. In the second training session, Kurtz helped guide WuYee staff through exercises to recognize their own experiences with trauma and what triggers stress for them. Those participating were asked to identify what activities rejuvenate them, and were taught how to shift "self-talk" — the internal chatter that we all have in our heads in reaction to the world outside — from negative to affirming and kind.
The tools provided in the self-care session really struck a chord for Merced Rocha, a lead teacher at Wu Yee's New Generation Center in Visitation Valley. "I lost my daughter to cancer 5 years ago," says Rocha. She says she would give 100 percent in the classroom, "but when I'd go home, I'd shut down. The training helped me acknowledge my own emotions, and think about how I feel and take care of myself before I go to work." That self-care plan included walking around a nearby lake, an activity she had stopped altogether when her daughter died.
After reviewing the previous sessions, Kurtz walks participants through a series of exercises to help them develop plans tailored to the needs of children who have experienced trauma. A handout asks them to identify what triggers a child, where the trigger occurs and how to interact with the child based on whether she's in fight, flight or freeze mode.
To highlight how expressing feelings may feel dangerous for a triggered child, for example, Kurtz recounted to the WuYee staff how she knew instinctively as a child that to stay safe and keep her brothers safe, they couldn't show any emotions.
ACEs science, she says in subsequent emails, "was foundational in my personal transformation." It also sparked her interest in sharing what she learned with others. "When you heal yourself," notes Kurtz, "you want to share the hope for others and carry a torch as a change agent." (Got Your ACE Score?)
Kurtz and her coworkers at WestEd have trained preschool teachers and other groups working with children from infants to 8-years-old all over California, including in Bay Area counties and Sacramento, Tehama, Kern, Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. What's included in trainings varies based on need, as does the cost, which Kurtz stresses they strive to make affordable and cost-effective. The Packard Foundation funded trainings that her group provided in Oakland.
Following the training — which included around 65 WuYee staff members, including lead teachers, managers, mental health consultants and coaches — Jones says they'll survey the participants to see what they've learned and figure out the next steps.
The bottom line for much of the trauma training is finding ways for children to feel safe. It's an endeavor, counsels Kurtz, that will likely take time.
"If a child pushes me away, I have to show that I'm safe, and won't reject him. Over time, it will build resiliency: 'There's an adult who makes me feel safe' (the child will think). But," she says, "it won't happen quickly."
If you're interested in learning more about how individuals and communities are integrating trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science, consider joining our companion social network, ACEs Connection.
For more information about WestEd's trauma informed practices training, see the attached flyer, which includes contact information for Julie Kurtz.TIP_Flyer_Final_10_23_17
Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resiliency in preschoolers was originally published @ ACEs Too High and has been syndicated with permission.
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An enormous cache of explosive material turned up this week in Gao, one of the northern Malian cities retaken by French and Malian troops. There are varying reports on its complexity and size, but the Associated Press reports the French military pulled about 1,700 pounds of explosive material out of a single building.
Although Islamist fighters first withdrew from Gao without heavy fighting more than two weeks ago, they came back in waves last weekend. Last Friday, a suicide bomber set off a device at a security checkpoint. A second suicide bomber detonated a device on Saturday, wounding a Malian soldier. Then on Sunday, Islamist militants coordinated a surprise attack on Gao, sailing up to city docks in wooden boats and assaulting police headquarters. The battle lasted for several hours, says Reuters, and three civilians and three attackers were killed.
Troops are still searching house-to-house for more explosive devices, says the BBC, which reports Gao residents are fearful and many won't go outside. The development could pose a problem for France, which wants to pull its troops out of Mali next month and hand over military responsibility to Mali and other African nations.
Given the weekend attack on Gao, are the Islamist militants vanquished? Probably not, suggests McClatchy reporter Alan Boswell. He finds "the strongest evidence yet that the quick advance by French troops against al Qaida-linked Islamist militants was less a military rout than an orderly and strategic withdrawal into terrain far more suitable for a gritty, drawn-out insurgency campaign."
"In other words, their retreat from northern Mali isn't game over, but game on."
Boswell describes how carefully militants appeared to pull out of towns they'd held: a convoy of vehicle drove out of the town of Diabaly one at a time, without headlights, over 12 hours. This way they weren't likely to attract much attention from French warplanes. Boswell suggests that in this manner, thousands of militants may have evaded French detection.
And where are the retreating militants going?
Foreign Policy Magazine warns the Islamist rebels may migrate east, to Niger. That country's political problems are "highly volatile", and an influx of militants from Mali could swell dissident groups there. That, in turn, spells future problems for France, which FP notes, gets three quarters of its energy from Nigerien-mined uranium.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
It wasn't by choice. Nevertheless, tax director Laurie Beaudet erased her auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, from a list of possible vendors for a tax project she planned to outsource. "It's not the end of the world, but we did have to change our thinking about who to put out bids to," recalls Beaudet, director of tax for metals processor and distributor Ryerson Inc.
Last year, Beaudet decided to outsource a FAS 109 (Accounting for Income Taxes) project to an outside firm, mainly because of a staffing-related issue. Although her six-person staff (including three tax managers) had the expertise, they didn't have the time to focus on the matter; it would take a senior tax manager two to three months to complete, she estimated.
Usually, Beaudet would have included PwC on her request-for-proposal list because of the firm's expertise and insider-like knowledge of Ryerson and the metals industry. But final auditor-independence rules issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and awaiting approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission, will likely ban auditors from performing certain tax work for their clients. Beaudet thus wants to fill her list for such projects with other firms.
Because PwC's scope of work for Ryerson was limited by the new rules, Beaudet "was forced to build a new network" of specialists that could take on tax tasks that were either too time-consuming for the in-house staff or that required specialized knowledge that the staff didn't have.
The limits put on PwC and other audit firms stem from Section 103 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which directs the PCAOB to forge auditor-independence rules for registered public accounting firms. Those rules, which have been newly issued by the board, essentially fortify independence strictures for auditors and expand existing SEC rules, notes George Victor, the partner in charge of quality control at the Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP accounting firm.
He explains that four of the PCAOB's auditor-independence rules relate specifically to tax services:
• Rule 3524, which mandates audit committee pre-approval before an auditor works on certain non-audit jobs. Those jobs include tax services that aren't prohibited outright under Sarbox's scope-of-service provision, Section 201.
• Rule 3521, which bans auditors from providing tax-planning services — including the development of tax shelters — on a contingent-fee or commission basis. The thinking is that a conflict of interest can arise if auditors' fees are based on a percentage of tax savings.
• Rule 3522, which bars auditors from providing services related to "aggressive tax transactions." Those are defined as schemes that are "more likely than not" to be disallowed by the Internal Revenue Service because their only purpose is tax avoidance.
• Rule 3523, which forbids audit firms from providing tax services to CFOs, CEOs, or other client-company officers who have roles in financial-reporting oversight.
Further, Sarbox 201 speaks directly to audit firms, banning them from engaging in, among other non-audit services, bookkeeping for audit clients. Generally, the section bars a company's auditors from performing any tax accounting work done under FAS 109 (the standard covering income tax accounting).
Boon Town
In practice, the PCAOB's new rules have moved some companies to switch from their Big Four auditors to other accountancies for non-audit work; the rules have also spawned a cottage industry comprised of boutique tax firms. For instance, Beaudet outsourced her FAS 109 project to Capital J Advisors, a specialized tax firm based in Chicago. According to Beaudet, the firm was "a very cost-effective way to get expertise."
She notes that Capital J's hourly rate exceeded those of public accounting firms, which would have likely dispatched lower-level accountants to the task. But Beaudet was looking for a higher-level tax expert for her project, and the Capital J rate was lower than what a full partner at a Big Four would have charged. "These aren't the guys you hire to sit around and do tax returns," says Beaudet. (Under the new rules, auditors can still prepare corporate tax returns for clients.)
The rise of new boutiques has also prompted the migration of Big Four partners to these smaller firms. Beaudet, a former KPMG tax accountant, explains that the corporate tax community is relatively small and close-knit. Increasingly, the corporate-tax-accounting community has been abuzz with tales of tax partners from public accountancies that have left to start their own specialty firms. Some of the accountant-entrepreneurs have felt constrained by rules that wouldn't allow them to focus on challenging tax work, she says.
Indeed, Capital J is one example. Co-founder John Walsh is a former Ernst & Young tax consultant, while his brother and co-founder James Walsh was a consultant with Arthur Andersen's audit and investment banking divisions.
A side effect of the PCAOB rules is that increasing numbers of high-net-worth individuals have been seeking tax help from midsized public accounting firms like Holtz Rubenstein. That's because CEOs, CFOs, and other wealthy corporate officers that previously hired their company's auditor for personal income tax work are barred from employing those auditors under the new regulations.
As tax deadlines approach, the companies most likely to outsource projects are those with relatively small tax departments that have complex tax issues to sort out. That includes companies like Ryerson that do business across state and international borders or have thorny FAS 109 issues.
Other tax issues that may require expert intervention include those involving purchase-accounting (stemming from acquisitions) and LIFO accounting, which focuses on inventory valuation for tax purposes. (The LIFO, or "last in first out," methodology uses the most recent items purchased to establish a benchmark cost of the same items over a particular period of time.)
One challenge for a company switching to a new tax specialist is that the firm lacks an auditor's experience with that specific client, Beaudet says. Hiring new outsourcers thus requires more staff time to get the newcomer up to speed. In a perfect world, she says she'd prefer simply to use the bidding process to "get the best person for the best price," and eliminate the worry about whether the person is an auditor for her company.
In the larger scheme, however, she thinks that the process of finding new tax advisors has been "very positive." While eliminated the possibility of conflicts of interest, it enabled her to build a network of specialists.
Indeed, the tax director says she had no troubles in finding vendors during her search. "We're big enough that we are on [tax firms'] target lists. In other words, tax specialists empowered by the new PCAOB rules are courting companies like Ryerson, as well as the other way around.


text:
It has been a long time since our last blog post, and we are aware that many of you want to know desperately what has happened to Enkin since then. The past months have been a busy and exciting time for us. Today, we are happy to break the silence and tell you the whole story from the beginning, finally answering the questions many of you have asked us.
In 2007, the two of us were graduate students of computational visualistics in Koblenz, Germany. We both went to Japan to spend a semester at Osaka University, doing research in robotics. During our time there, we heard about the Android Developer Challenge. Android, an open source platform for mobile devices, had just been announced and the Challenge aimed to motivate developers to create great applications for the upcoming Android-powered phones. Having some extra time on our hands, we decided to give it a try and develop a useful application. In the beginning, we had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into. We didn't even know what kind of application it should be.
Soon we discovered that the Android SDK offers access to a number of powerful technologies available on the latest smartphones: fast 3D graphics, the camera, GPS, orientation sensors, always-on internet, and a big touch screen. It was clear that there is great potential in combining all of these in the palm of your hand. In our conversations, a promising concept emerged, which we described as bridging the gap between maps and reality. The idea was to make navigation a lot easier by displaying information on top of the live camera image instead of leaving it up to the user to connect reality and the information on a map. Where the view was blocked, one could virtually hover up in the air and get an overview of the surroundings using a 3D landscape textured with satellite images.
We started coding, but there was one big problem: with no actual Android devices available at the time, all development was forced to be based on emulators running on our laptops. The emulator had no camera, no sensors, and no GPS. Without real input, there was no way to properly test the user experience of our application. So we bought a webcam, a digital compass, and a GPS receiver, and we developed a program that could send live video, sensor data, and the current location to the emulator in real time. Development could continue and our application began to take shape. We were well aware, however, that this solution might fail in the judging process of the Challenge, where the judges wouldn't have access to our little contraption of laptop, camera, GPS receiver, and digital compass. We decided to shoot and publish a short video demonstrating what the application could do and explaining how we extended the emulator. We submitted our application, which we were calling Enkin at that time (from the Japanese 遠近: perspective, near and far), and hoped for the best.
Publishing the demo video had another effect: it went viral, and within a few weeks we had hundreds of thousands of people watching it and telling us how excited they were about our project. We caught the attention of many, including Google. They expressed interest in acquiring the technology and having us join them to continue working on the project using the great resources available at Google. We said yes, moved to California, and this is where we are today. Did we mention that we hadn't won anything in the Challenge? It didn't matter much anymore.
We think that Google, with all its infrastructure and its innovative and playful culture, is exactly the right place for us to further pursue our ideas, which you know as Enkin.


text: This Emily bag was designed in a medium-size format by Emily Ratajkowski to be an indispensable item at your side day or night. This exclusive, limited-edition model is made in Italy with embossed croco-effect calfskin leather to give your outfits a truly sophisticated touch. Its refined lines are highlighted by the two gusseted pockets, as well as the front pocket and graphic rear pocket. An adjustable, detachable strap allows you to wear the bag over your shoulder or cross-body, while a curved handle makes for a truly elegant hand-held option. 16,5 cm – 27,5 cm – 8 cm