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"Golden Train" by Justin Nozuka (YouTube link below) is in the key of Ab major. However he uses a Cb major chord throughout the song, which is not in the key of Ab major. It sounds good and works well for creating tension, but I want to know why it sounds good if it's not in the key. Pay special attention to the word "away" in the chorus, that is the Cb chord I'm talking about.
The progression in the chorus is Ab Cb Bbm


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Who was in Niamey, the capital of Niger, in February 1999? Jack Kelly of Irish Pennants has some questions, and we have some thoughts below.
Per the SSCI, the CIA had "reporting from 1999 which showed that an Algerian businessman, Baraka, was arranging a trip for the Iraqi Ambassador to the Vatican, Wissam al-Zahawi, to visit Niger and other African countries in early February 1999."
Now, bits of the SSCI are redacted, which just adds fuel to my fantasies, but check this, from a book published in 2000 by a London-based accountant who claimed to be a pal of A.Q.Khan, Pakistan's Father of the Islamic Bomb:
We left Dubai for Khartoum on 21 February 1999. The Education Minister of Sudan received the group and we were lodged at the State Guest House. After making a short stopover in a Nigerian city, we reached Timbuktu on 24 February 1999. After spending a couple of days, we were on our way back and our first stop was Niamey, capital of Niger. Our next stop was N'Djamena, capital of Chad, where we were accorded official protocol. Next day, we flew to Khartoum. After Dr.Khan has attended to some business, we visited the Shifa factory that was destroyed last year by the American missiles. Dr.Khan met the Sudanese President. We were back in Dubai on 28 February 1999.
Emphasis added. And was there a follow-up visit to Niamey? Why would I ask if there wasn't?
"We were again airborne for Timbuktu on 20 February 2000 (My comments: Musharraf had seized power on October 12,1999) From Dubai, we flew to Khartoum, where two Sudanese friends joined us. We reached Niamey, capital of Niger, on 22 February 2000. Our Ambassador Brig. Nisar welcomed the group and gave a dinner in honour of Dr.Khan. Brig.Nisar had also served as the Military Secretary of Nawaz Sharif. Niger has big uranium deposits. We reached Timbuktu on 24 February 2000.
What does it mean? Who knows? The CIA sent Joe Wilson to Niger in 1999 to check out some troubling reports; this report of Khan's travels came out in 2000, so presumably the CIA was aware of it in 2002.
Was Khan in Niamey? Was he there when an Iraqi delegation was there? Has this been debunked?
Oddly, there is no mention of AQ Khan in the SSCI. More fuel for the fantasists! (And I may become one).
If I were to dare to make a point, it would be this - there may well have been much more to the Niger-uranium story than we have heard so far, and the CIA may have had better reasons than we know for being suspicious of a Iraq-Niger connection. (Yes, I am waaay out on a limb there...) And the significance would be... hmm, that the CIA had reasons to be wary of a Niger-Iraq link, and that Joe Wilson is over-selling his account of his 2002 Niiger trip even more than we already thought he was (the SSCI described it as inconclusive).
Bonus Paranoia: Based on this bootleg FT excerpt, Libya had 2,600 tons of yellowcake from Niger, even though the COGEMA records and controls in which Joe Wilson put such faith showed only 1,500 tons had been shipped from Niger to Libya. Again, has this been debunked? And when did the unrecorded shipments to Libya occur? I am not clear on that point from this excerpt.

subset: commoncrawl


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This past August at the State University of New York, Buffalo, President Obama made a familiar offer: "major new reforms," this time in higher education, "that will shake up the current system." The New York Times described it as a plan "to shame universities into holding down prices."
Obama's remarks were overture to what will become a major campaign to transform higher education through three measures: instituting a ratings system and performance funding for federal student aid; encouraging technological innovation and competition; and mitigating student debt.
If the plan sounds familiar, it's because they've played this tune before.
Obama's college initiative borrows its mindset and policy measures largely from Race to the Top (RTTT), the 2010 federal education bill in which states competed for grants available to those that implemented several reforms: linking standardized test results with rewards and sanctions for teachers and schools, enacting Common Core academic standards, raising state charter school limits, and generally revamping huge swaths of their school systems.
Like RTTT, the plan relies on a set of neoliberal beliefs about the economic role of educational institutions and the compliant nature of those who attend and staff them. This ideology has blossomed in policy circles. Even in 2011 Bill Gates was wondering, "Is there any criteria under which state funding would favor those that have the higher graduation rates over the ones that don't?"
But as Obama seeks to bring this perks-and-penalties model into higher education, RTTT's detractors are multiplying. A devastating recent analysis by policy group Bigger, Broader Approach to Education concluded, "At a basic level, there is a disconnect between factors that drive achievement gaps and the policy tools RTTT promotes to close them."
Still, Congress is warming up for another whack at the Higher Education Act, and its current proposals seem molded from the same clay as RTTT. The combination of punitive accountability measures, fledgling technological ventures and deregulation stands poised to alter higher education as drastically it has K-12 education. Yet their affinities have yet to be teased out.
Here are six ways neoliberal education reform is creeping onto the college landscape.
1) Misdiagnosing the root problems.
While peddling the massive reforms of Race to the Top, the administration convinced America of an ailment called "failing schools." Arne Duncan warned that our students were "treading water" in international assessments. He lamented, "Too many administrators are unwilling to close failing schools." At the center of this morass were "ineffective teachers," coddled by tenure and free from all accountability.
Mismanagement and poor teaching do exist, but the performance of US students is less a function of poor schools than unprecedented poverty. Analyses of international test data show that the one-in-five American students raised in poverty depress our otherwise admirable test scores. The OECD's most recent report noted, "Socio-economic disadvantage translates more directly into poor educational performance in the United States than in other countries." The fault lines of inequality and poverty define the landscape of educational achievement.
These inequalities pervade higher education as well. A charmed sliver of the undergraduate population attends elite colleges and graduates at passable rates. Meanwhile, masses of students attend middling schools, graduate occasionally, and struggle to turn their degrees into gainful employment.
Tuition has risen at twice the rate of inflation while undergraduate instruction has become the province of adjunct professors and grad students. Student debt averaging $35,000 shackles the typical college graduate.
To be sure, something is rotten in the state of higher education. But cost is the symptom, not the disease. Obama sells his plan largely on the premise that tuition costs have risen beyond reasonable limits, so colleges need to be rapped on the knuckles to mitigate them. But why exactly have costs risen?
In his book Why Public Higher Education Should be Free, Bob Samuels identifies several culprits. State spending on education has contracted by an average 28%in the last five years. Federal tuition-based tax credits increasingly benefit the upper-middle-class. And at a fundamental level, tuition simply follows the currents of the market, with rates based on "what people are willing to pay and what similar schools are charging, rather than on their real costs." This is what Cornell professor Ronald Ehrenberg calls a "winner-take-all" higher-ed ecosystem: "an arms race of spending" to build gleaming new facilities staffed with star professors, driving costs up everywhere.
Laying out his proposal, the President implied that state cuts in higher-ed funding and too few colleges "working to figure out how do we control costs" have driven tuition up. These are hardly the only factors.
Just as in Race to the Top, the administration has taken a delicate, multivariate problem rooted in larger class structures and sheared it of any nuance. They rely instead on a business-inspired approach that seeks to replace what's human in institutions with data systems and pecuniary incentives. We're left with a few pat solutions best delivered in Obama's chuckling-huckster persona: "What we want to do is rate them on who's offering the best value so students and taxpayers get a bigger bang for their buck."
2) Pushing accountability through perks and penalties.
In 2005, a pair of MIT professors and their colleagues designed some experiments to determine how monetary incentives influence decision-making. They had participants play cognitively demanding games with rewards for top performers. In the US experiments, undergraduate guinea pigs could win a weekend's drinking allowance, about $50.
In India, the highest prize was "approximately equal to half of the mean yearly consumer expenditure in the village," about $50. The researchers found that in most tasks, "higher incentives led to worse performance." When tasks required "even rudimentary cognitive skill," larger rewards "led to poorer performance." In his book Drive Daniel Pink surmises, "Carrots and sticks can achieve precisely the opposite of their intended aims."
RTTT and its higher-ed counterpart both rely in the main on blunt perks and punishments to address the knottiest socio-cultural issues in our society. Designing safe, enriching schools with a dearth of resources, graduating millions of young people straddled with debt: these are hellishly complex endeavors.
RTTT awarded points to states that created data systems to compensate "effective" faculty, and remove "ineffective" teachers and principals, based largely on standardized testing. Schools that test poorly become candidates for "turnaround," a euphemism for liquidating staff, and in most cases, roping in a charter operator.
Test-based teacher-evaluation has so far eluded any empirical justification. Researchers with the Educational Policy Institute conclude, "There is broad agreement among statisticians, psychometricians, and economists that student test scores alone are not sufficiently reliable and valid indicators of teacher effectiveness." Multiple studies found that New York's evaluation pilot program showed "little impact on student proficiency or school environment."
Obama's college ratings initiative doesn't have standardized tests to lean on, so the president offered other guideposts: graduation rates, tuition costs, post-college earnings, number of Pell grant recipients enrolled. According to these measures, "students attending high-performing colleges could receive larger Pell Grants and more affordable student loans."
This kind of performance funding has been tried before. Tennessee has been allocating funding based on graduation rates since 1979, as the White House fact sheet noted. But while the newest iteration of Tennessee's initiative was lauded as a "game-changer," a 2011 study from Columbia's Teachers College found "the research literature does not provide firm evidence that performance funding significantly increases rates of remedial completion, retention or graduation."
3) Gaming the ratings.
There's ample evidence that these accountability measures will fall short of stated aims. But what's more, there's reason to believe they'll actively muck things up.
In a 1976 paper on the impacts of planned social change, social scientist Donald Campbell wrote,
The more any quantitative social indicator (or even some qualitative indicator) is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.
In other words, it's easier to change numbers than people. This came to be known as Campbell's Law, by now a well-worn chestnut.
When No Child Left Behind went into effect in 2001, states began dumbing downtheir standardized tests in order to dodge the fell blade of Adequate Yearly Progress. Much-touted gains made in New York under Mayor Bloomberg, inflated by depressed standards, shrunk from 86.4 percent to 61 percent when those standards were realigned. They plummeted to 26 percent when Common Core-aligned tests were introduced this year. In Washington, D.C., much-ballyhooed achievement gains turned out to be the result of officials quietly fiddling with the achievement benchmarks.
Some consequences of accountability models are less innocuous. Introducing standardized testing regimes correlates with an uptick in disability designations, since students with special needs take modified exams. For vulnerable high schoolers, exit tests increase the probability of future incarceration. In the high-accountability testing era, time spent on test preparation has ballooned while funding for music and art has withered.
If post-college earnings become an accountability metric, colleges would be incentivized to hobble humanities departments and consolidate instruction around lucrative majors like engineering and business. Small liberal arts colleges would face existential perils; already, a gubernatorial committee in Florida has advanced an idea to charge students more for degrees in the humanities.
The best way to game social indicators, of course, remains cheating. Aprofusion of historic cheating scandals erupted in the years following NCLB and RTTT, most notably the as-yet unresolved cheating debacle under Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C.
The influential college rankings in the U.S. News and World Report are distinguished by perennialreports ofmanipulation and false reporting. At least five institutions in the last year were caughtcooking their books for a ratings system that, with no direct financial levers attached, steers the winds of collegeapplications.
4) "Saving" schools by sacrificing students.
Data-driven measures can distort school systems in more insidious ways, though. If the leading indicator for colleges is graduation rate, it's likely some fudging and manipulation will result. Low-income students and students of color, who historically graduate at lower rates than their white and more affluent peers, will likely see fewer acceptance letters every spring.
In fact, exclusionary walls have already begun to rise in response to the steady diminution of state higher-ed contributions. A recent ProPublica report found that over the last two decades, "four-year state schools have been educating a shrinking portion of the nation's lowest-income students."
Pegging financial aid to graduation rates will likely exacerbate the pattern. "It's not hard for schools to lower their dropout rates," wrote the L.A. Times editorial board in response to Obama's plan. "The cheap and easy way to accomplish this is by accepting the students most likely to graduate…and lowering academic standards so that almost no one flunks."
Faithfully following performance indicators can disadvantage those in direst need. In K-12 schools closed this year in Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia, the vast majority of those affected were low-income, black and Latino students already facing unequal access to resources and decades of neglect. Only a fraction of students whose schools are shuttered end up attending better-rated ones.
Colleges that enroll the hardest-to-graduate students could be penalized for their students' demographics. Nationwide, six-year graduation rates are already low—21 percent at public institutions, 51 percent at private schools. Reasons for this are legion, with money playing a prominent role. It's well established, though, that students of color and of modest means are more likely to drop out. Punishing schools that enroll a greater share of these students, instead of providing greater supports, will compound the problem, hurting schools and students both.
Proponents of the President's plan might retort that low-income "access" to higher education is an active ingredient in the ratings. But if K-12 education reforms are any guide, colleges will seek to maximize favorable populations before pursuing equitable recruitment. RTTT awarded points to states that added charter schools, but it specified that charters must maintain enrollments "similar to local district student populations, especially relative to high-need students."
The first wish was granted: charter schools have proliferated wildly. Despite nods to inclusion, though, RTTT hasn't kept charters from enrolling disproportionately few students with special needs. A recent class-action lawsuit targeted charter schools in New Orleans over uneven enrollment and harsh discipline practices for students with disabilities. In New York, charters enroll about two-thirds the district average of students with special needs. Recent studies have found that a separate stratum of charter schools can exacerbate segregation by race and class within districts.
Given the choice between graduating high proportions of low-income students and screening out needier applicants, colleges will be tempted to pursue the latter. "It's a common phenomenon in higher education," writes ProPublica reporter Marian Wang. "Students with less money relegated to institutions with less money."
5) Privileging "value" in the university.
Obama used the word "value" eight times in his speech to convey his idea of what students ought to demand of higher education—value not in the sense of a moral disposition, but in the "Value Meal" sense. The ratings plan will "help students compare the value offered by colleges and encourage colleges to improve."
But the president disregarded the staggering number of university classes taught not by tenured, tweed-clad professors but grad students and adjuncts in second-hand cardigans. A prevailing obsession with "value" in higher education would presumably hone in on instructor quality, but unlike RTTT, the administration's new plan wastes no ink distinguishing between effective and ineffective instructors.
Teachers unions didn't immediately sense an existential threat from RTTT's emphases on evaluation and alternate routes to certification such as Teach for America. But in Tennessee, the first big winner of RTTT riches, cause for concern soon arose. Recent legislation has diminished teacher pay, eliminates incentives to pursue further degrees, and ties evaluations to test data.
Faculty advocates so far have been less credulous. But colleges are already veritable market-leaders in capitalizing on cheap labor and minimizing the experience required to be an instructor. Nationally, untenured or contingent faculty members teach a majority of courses in colleges and universities. According to the American Federation of Teachers, adjuncts teach 49 percent of all undergraduate classes. But this total doesn't include graduate students, who teach 16 to 32 percent of classes at research universities.16
Even in the hallowed halls of Harvard, 57 percent of instructors are adjuncts.
The 75 percent of university instructors who aren't tenured earn about a third of what their tenured colleagues make. So as the "proletarianization of higher education" advances, we hear stories like that of the near-destitute, 83-year-old adjunct at Duquesne who had a heart attack on the lawn in front of her decaying house. She didn't have health insurance, and her salary barely topped $10,000.
It bears mentioning that a profusion of untenured instructors may not be fantasticfor graduation rates.
No more reassuring for college instructors, adjunct and tenured alike, are the new initiative's endorsements of MOOCs, or massive open online courses. "Some of these approaches are still being developed," says Obama's plan, "and too few students are seeing their benefits." This is true. These approaches see about90% of enrolleesoverall drop out, and when compared with traditional courses, have far fewer completers. The empirical evidence for MOOCs' efficacy isscarce.
At the beginning of 2013, MOOC powerhouse Udacity teamed up with San Jose State University to deliver courses online. Udacity's CEO said it would "change the life of Californians," and touted the plan as a means to expand access, lower costs and drive innovation. The school and company divorced abruptly this July with half the students in online courses failing.
Moreover, massive online courses would denude higher education of its empathetic and interactive nature. Philosophy professors at San Jose Statepenned an open letterto this effect in response to a social justice course that was being foisted on them. "We regard such courses as a serious compromise of quality of education," they wrote, "and ironically for a social justice course, a case of social injustice."
MOOCs have their analog in fully online charter schools, darlings of Jeb Bush, which about 200,000students now "attend." These nominally educational entities are multiplying despite graduation rates hovering around 38%, achievement data scraping the bottom, and campaign-donation-driven legislative favors for e-school companies revealed on a semi-regular basis.
As regards labor, both RTTT and its successor share a gesture towards "quality" instruction that's belied by moves toward non-credentialed, inexperienced teachers and fewer, poorer labor standards.
6) No College Left Behind.
"An outcomes-based culture is rapidly developing amongst policymakers in the higher education sector," declares a 2012 report sponsored by the Gates Foundation and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, "Measuring Value-Added in Higher Education." With hardly contained delight, they add that this development "mirrors recent trends in the K-12 sector."
Like RTTT's progenitor No Child Left Behind, much of the genetic material of higher education reform is drawn from Texas. Just as the apocryphal "Texas Miracle" became the backbone of NCLB's testing and accountability model, college reforms propagated in Texas have captured the attention of reformers nationwide, with the Gates Foundation playing its usual capo-de-tutti-capi role.
The foundation also funded Compare College TX, an accountability system, and supported—in fact helped inspire—Governor Rick Perry's $10,000 degree plan. This initiative epitomizes the Republican higher-ed platform, defined by performance funding, value-added measurements and the likely curtailing of state funds.
The foundation's other forays into higher education—an accountability challenge, numerous nationalcollege completion initiatives, and a series of research paperswith consulting firm HCM Strategists made Gates "one of the strongest voices for accountability measures in higher education." Gates's $472 million in higher-ed munificence aims "to set an agenda, to help clarify an agenda and rally momentum around an agenda." That momentum has brought the agenda all the way to the President's pen.
Those who've followed K-12 reforms see the writing on the wall for higher education. The agenda is already set.
For some, however, that agenda's familial resemblance to Race to the Top and reform patriarch No Child Left Behind is cause for concern. The president of the American Association of University Professors calls it "little more than a version of the failed policy of 'No Child Left Behind' brought to higher education."
But in a sense, NCLB and RTTT are coming to higher education whether these reforms succeed or not. In a Washington Postop-ed this year, a retired high school teacher told college professors, "I want to warn you of what to expect from the students who will be arriving in your classroom." After bewailing the stultifying effects of high-stakes accountability, he concluded:
Now you are seeing the results in the students arriving at your institutions. They may be very bright. But we have not been able to prepare them for the kind of intellectual work that you have every right to expect of them. It is for this that I apologize, even as I know in my heart that there was little more I could have done. Which is one reason I am no longer in the classroom.
Education observers can discern the sound of K-12 education reform rising in the halls of higher education. The score is the same, as are the composers. And for many students now entering colleges and universities, it's the only tune they know. But it remains to be seen whether faculty and staff will perform the parts written for them.
They'll need an alternative. Admirably, Obama's college initiative takes aim at student debt, but that's more symptomatic relief. To truly remedy the system, higher education must be understood as a public good, rather than private commodity available only to those who'll pay the asking price.


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Yes. Dogs and cats over 6 months of age are required to be spayed/neutered and registered with the City annually. The permit application is located here>> Animal License Permit
Here are some other license applications as well:
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Chicken Permits are required to keep up to 6 hens. Roosters are prohibited.
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Each residence is allowed 3 pets. Additional pets (up to 7) may be kept with an approved Kennel Permit.
If you have lost a pet, contact Animal Control at 913-422-7800 ext. 1579. You can also email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have found a pet, call our Dispatch at 913-596-3000. Officers will collect the animal, scan for a microchip and keep the pet safe until an owner can be located.
Secure your trash cans and eliminate any food source on your property. If the problem persists, contact a wildlife removal company.
Animal Control will only respond for sick/injured wildlife.
Call Animal Control (913) 422-7800 or after hours (913) 596-3000. There IS an ordinance for nuisance/noisy animals.


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Trump's crisis and the feeble "opposition"
The Democrats: A Critical History, considers why Democrats seem more interested in the Trump-Russia connection than opposing Trump's agenda.
, author ofSHOULD TRUMP be dumped?
You'd think that question would be a no-brainer for the Democratic Party after the 2016 election sent it packing from the White House and consigned it to minority status in both houses of Congress.
Trump's bizarre combination of outrageous provocation, blundering incompetence and brazen corruption would be ripe for the pickings for any party that truly wanted to put up a real opposition. His own Justice Department has had to appoint a special prosecutor to untangle it all.
But In These Times writer Jeff Alson spoke for a certain species of Democratic-aligned liberalism with an article in May that sent the message: Hey, not so fast.
Titled "The Impeachment Trap: Be Careful What You Wish For," Alson's piece argued that it would be bad politics for the Democrats to champion Trump's impeachment, at least before the 2018 elections--no matter what "high crimes and misdemeanors" Trump might be implicated in.
Alson's article provoked serious discussion at The Democratic Strategist, a liberal blog for party advisers that doesn't normally pay attention to articles published in radical magazines like In These Times.
Why would impeachment be a trap? Alson's article lists the "downsides": If successful, it would result in a President Pence, putting a competent conservative in office; it might revive sympathy for Trump and the Republicans; it might permanently alienate "working-class whites"--who, once again, are seen as Trump's main base of support--from the Democrats.
But most of all, according to Alson, pushing for impeachment would divert energy from what he considers the Democrats' most important task: winning the 2018 midterm elections.
Ultimately, Trump--the man who unleashed ICE's terror in immigrant communities, who tried to bar refugees from entering the U.S., who has presented a budget that would destroy countless lives--is portrayed as the "lesser evil" to Pence. Better to keep him around as an easy-to-demonize figurehead in 2018 campaign ads.
"THE IMPEACHMENT Trap" exposes everything that's wrong with the Democratic Party and its liberal enablers today. Politics is seen as a game played by elites, where the main concern for Washington Democrats should be to maneuver the Republicans into taking responsibility for impeachment.
Absent is any idea that politics might have something to do with mobilizing people to defend democratic rights or with offering an alternative to those fed up with declining living standards and a dysfunctional government that seems to only serve the rich.
The article speaks to the mindset of a Democratic establishment that is convinced it should steer clear of a fight. While the party's voting base has become more infuriated with each scandal and overstep and more eager to see Trump and his administration run out of Washington on a rail, the party's top representatives have moderated their posture.
Thus, as the New York Times reported in mid-May, "When House Democratic leaders hastily called a news conference to demonstrate their outrage at President Trump's latest dramatics, they took great pains to show they were not seeking to railroad him out of the White House."
The truth is that the Democrats would rather have Trump in office, still attempting to implement his reactionary agenda and succeeding in various ways--as long the deluge of media, congressional and criminal investigations continue to play out, with new revelations of wrongdoing driving down Trump's approval ratings, along with those of the Republicans.
The Democrats want Trump perpetually on trial, but never convicted and brought down.
In this context, the Justice Department's decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller III as special prosecutor is a bit of a problem. Mueller can conduct this investigation in the shadows over a period of years, allowing Republicans to avoid having to face a daily barrage of questions on the latest Trump scandals.
THE DEMOCRATS' "Keep Calm and Prepare Campaign Attack Ads" strategy fits with their approach to the Trump administration all along--especially the "all Russia, all the time" obsession of party leaders and their media megaphone at MSNBC.
It's impossible to know where the scrutiny of the Trump-Russia connection will end up--whether the ties are confined to sleazy business deals and indiscreet communications with Russian officials or whether there's a real conspiracy to be unraveled.
But in the meanwhile, there are all kinds of crimes in plain sight that Trump and the Republicans are responsible for, and the Democrats are ignoring them.
When Republican members of Congress aren't dodging their furious constituents at town halls or reporters on Capitol Hill, they're meeting in backrooms to plot huge tax cuts for the rich and the evisceration of all manner of programs, from student loan forgiveness to Medicaid.
Yet the Democrats haven't spent anywhere near as much energy opposing these destructive policies as they have filling the airwaves about Russia.
Plus, the Democrats' championing of the Russia revelations lets them paint their opposition to Trump as a matter of patriotism and loyalty to the state machine.
Nowhere was this more obvious then after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Only a few months ago, Comey infuriated Democrats with his decision, right before the election, to publicize new information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails. But after Trump cashiered Comey, the Democrats suddenly discovered that he was a dedicated public servant.
The press lionized Comey for his "absolute commitment to the Constitution and pursuing investigations wherever the evidence led," as one federal prosecutor told the New York Times. But as SocialistWorker.org pointed out last week:
[T]hat's never been true of the FBI, an agency launched by the anti-Communist fanatic J. Edgar Hoover primary to lead very unconstitutional witch hunts against civil rights activists, trade unionists and anyone else expressing even moderate dissent against the status quo.
In fact, that wasn't true of Comey. During the epidemic of police murders that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement, Comey not only avoided investigations of law enforcement, but complained about a bogus "Ferguson effect": a rise in crime (which turned out not to even be happening) caused by civilians trying to hold police accountable by filming them.
Trump's presidency is worthy of a constitutional crisis, but far more so because of his escalation of draconian repression, especially against immigrants and refugees, and his pandering to various forces of the far right and further right.
But if we're being honest, so was Barack Obama's presidency--not because of any of the Trumpian right's fabrications about Obama, but because he launched drone wars without congressional approval; his Treasury Department, staffed with former bankers and traders, bailed out Wall Street while ordinary people lost their homes; and the list could go on.
Equally stomach-turning is the Democrats' praise for the new special prosecutor, Robert Mueller.
Nominated by George W. Bush, Mueller took over the FBI one week before the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington. He was a central architect of the draconian war at home launched as the domestic counterpart of the Bush administration's worldwide "war on terror."
Along with the scapegoater-in-chief, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Mueller's FBI was responsible for the persecution of many thousands of Muslims and Arabs--including outrageous entrapment schemes that accounted for many of the bureau's arrests on terrorism charges.
But don't expect to hear that from Democrats who want to portray themselves as patriotic champions of the U.S. state and the status quo.
IF THAT posture seems familiar, it's because Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign built its failure of a strategy around the same appeal. She portrayed herself as the candidate who would maintain the status quo in an America that was "already great."
That strategy doomed Clinton. But to judge from their approach to the 2018 midterm elections, the Democrats haven't learned the lessons.
With the White House supplying a continuous stream of blunders and outrages that threaten to consume Trump's nominal party in the Congress, political analysts are seeing signs of a "tsunami" election that could even put the Democrats back in control of the U.S. House of Representatives after 2018.
A recent Quinnipiac Poll on voters' preferences for 2018 showed an unprecedented advantage for the Democrats over the Republicans of 54 percent to 38 percent in the "generic ballot" for Congress. And House Democrats have already raised more money for their candidates through online donations since January than they did in all of 2015.
The inconvenient truth, of course, is that the Democrats have done very little to deserve any of this other than being the "out" party in Washington. In fact, the same Quinnipiac poll that liberals are using to make the case for a 2018 Democratic tsunami shows that only about 35 percent of those surveyed approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing--about the same percentage who support Trump's handling of the presidency.
Meanwhile, a recent Gallup Poll showed that the Democrats have actually lost popularity since January, with most of the erosion coming from base supporters souring on their party's performance.
PERHAPS THIS should give Democratic-aligned strategists cause to think that the party might need to stand for something other than being responsible custodians of government against the Trump train wreck.
But the old habits and prejudices of the Democratic establishment still hang on.
For example, the party apparatus remains convinced that winning in areas where the Republicans hold office currently requires them to adapt to the reigning conservative climate, rather than seek to change it. Thus, in elections this year, the Democrats have supported anti-abortion politicians, sabotaged more progressive allies of self-identified socialist Bernie Sanders and thrown their backing to economic conservatives.
Even after the closely fought battle over control of the Democratic National Committee between defenders of Clintonite orthodoxy and supporters of more liberal policies, like those Sanders espoused in his primary run last year, the Clintonites remain firmly in control.
And for them, the Democratic Party, like America, is doing "great" already.
Despite all the acres of newsprint and hours of TV airtime devoted to analyzing the 2016 election, the Democrats still haven't come to terms with why Trump, and not Clinton, is in the White House now. If not, they claim, for Comey's October surprise or for Russian meddling to support Trump, Clinton would have won. So there can't be anything fundamentally wrong with the Democratic Party.
The real failure of Clinton and the Democrats is that they let the election get close enough--at least in some critical states--for Trump to win the presidency through the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million. To explain that, the Democrats would have to acknowledge that they lost any sense of enthusiasm among the party's traditional base, particularly in former industrial strongholds like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
But instead of questioning the party's commitment to neoliberal orthodoxy--of which Clinton was Exhibit A--it's easier for Democrats to blame Trump's election on the Russians and look forward to winning back Congress by tying the Republicans to the president's trail of scandals.
The Republicans who view Trump's corruption and incompetence as "distractions" from their real agenda of serving the rich are rightly accused of making a cynical deal with the devil.
But are the Democrats who sang "Na na, hey hey, goodbye" on the House floor after Republicans passed a bill stripping millions of their health coverage any less cynical? You'd think that Democrats would have a more serious response to the devastation the GOP health care bill portends than to celebrate their hoped-for 2018 electoral gains with a sports stadium taunt.
Millions of Americans have mobilized to oppose Trump and his agenda--from the largest day of demonstrations in U.S. history on inauguration weekend to the town hall protests against Republican plans to take away their health insurance. For those people, "Wait 'til 2018" is already too late.


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I have previously been writing psychology manuscripts according to the standards of the American Psychological Association (APA, version 5) using the excellent apa class, with apacite managing my references.
However, there have been many changes to this standard with the release of the new version of APA's formatting requirements (now in version 6) a year ago. Neither of the packages apa nor apacite have been updated in light of these changes to the APA requirements, and I have not been able to determine if such work is in progress and whether it is possible to contribute to such work (although I have no programming skills myself).
So, does anyone use LaTeX to write papers in APA 6th, and if so, have you got any recommendations or packages that make this work easier?


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Calligrapher, illustrator and most of all talented graphic designer, Letman is responsible for the impressive mural painting in Louis Vuitton's pop-up store "L'Aventure", located 22 avenue Montaigne in Paris.
Created in collaboration with multi-faceted editor Tyler Brulé, this unprecedented space highlights Louis Vuitton's expert authority on travel. To accompany the modern globetrotters this store offers exclusive products, but also a number of unique services. This includes Personalisation (special orders, Mon Monogram service, painting or hot stamping), the Art of Packing or repair and after-sales support by our expert craftsmen.
Choose a destination, pick up your luggage and start your adventure with us.
L'Aventure will be open until 31st December.


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Ukraine International launches onboard meals sales on domestic flights
Effective February 14, 2020, Ukraine International provides passengers of domestic flights with an opportunity to purchase meals – beverages and snacks – aboard. Previously, travelers within Ukraine could take advantage of the Pre-Ordered Meals service only.
Ukraine International offers passengers traveling between Kyiv and Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi a wide selection of sweet and salty snacks, sandwiches, alcoholic and soft drinks, as well as assorted tea and coffee.
"We fully understand each of our passengers may have individual requests, so we do our utmost to extend our service menu, – noted Khrystyna Gankevych, UIA Director Service and Innovations. – It holds for gastro preferences as well. During the flight, some prefer to enjoy a cup of strong coffee, the others to have a bite, while some feel the need for a classic hot lunch. Since we are a customer-focused carrier, we aim at providing our guests with the widest possible variety of options."


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Slow suicide is the term I've used for years to describe those individuals who are incredibly unhappy in their own lives, in their own skin, and do things to destroy that life, to destroy that skin. Whatever the race or culture of that person is immaterial; it doesn't matter if they are famous and wealthy, or unknown and poor. What matters is the source of their pain, and the ways they've chosen to deal with that pain. Or not.
I have often wondered if Whitney Houston was ever happy – as a world-class singer, as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother. She is gone now, her death a sad and jolting concluding scene to a long-running drama that we witnessed – at times, with tremendous pride and at times, with alarming discomfort – because she was by far the most gifted and the most visible singer of her generation, of the past 25 years. And because she battled various forms of drug addiction on an Olympian stage, and was in a wild and notoriously dysfunctional and abusive marriage with R&B singer Bobby Brown for 15 years.
My heart aches for Whitney Houston, even if many of us, through the years, could see such a moment coming. There was too much photographic evidence of her fluctuating weight, of her caramel-brown face drenched in sweat when not performing. But when you die in a Beverly Hills hotel room, at age 48, alone, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, discovered by your bodyguard, after 170m records sold, too-many-to-count Grammy, Billboard, and Emmy awards, and the biggest US single of all time ("I Will Always Love You"), we have to wonder, if we are sincere with ourselves: did we collectively participate in the slow and catastrophic plunge of Whitney Houston?
For sure, the social media networks are abuzz with genuine tributes to her, from celebrities, from those who actually knew her, from profoundly heart-broken fans. But I also think about how Whitney Houston had declined from American musical royalty to the oft-ridiculed and washed-up singer and drug fiend. There were interventions by her mother, the gospel singer Cissy Houston, and others. But there were also shameful, high-voltage spotlights, like her awkward interview with Diane Sawyer where she declared, when asked about her alleged drug use, "crack is wack." We also cannot forget Bobby Brown's car crash of a TV show, "Being Bobby Brown", which felt like we were watching a buffoonish caricature of love and marriage.
Yet, we absorbed these moments anyhow, because in this age of reality television, celebrity confessionals, YouTube and TMZ, the tribulations of mega-stars like Whitney Houston not only provide raw amusement for us, but allow us to mask in cowardly fashion our own sins and failings while mocking these clearly flawed human beings. That, indeed, is the great conundrum of the entertainment industry. On the one hand, it affords opportunities to be whatever we want to be, and more. On the flip side, the industry is a space where far too many individuals never fully grow up or evolve, never fully find out who they really are beneath the hype and hysteria.
For example, Houston was dogged for years by rumors of lesbianism because of her extremely close relationship with then-best friend Robyn Crawford (after Houston's marriage to Brown, Crawford mysteriously faded from view, and I do wonder what she has to say about Whitney's death), and even of an alleged affair with Tom Cruise's "Top Gun" co-star Kelly McGillis. Who knows what is legit and what is fairy tale, but what if part of Houston's drug dependency and acting out had to do with her living a make-believe existence crafted by others, simply to protect her image and superstardom? What if some of those nearest to her participated in a kind of collusion because they knew that homophobia in America would derail their breadwinner named Whitney Houston? Or because they were homophobic themselves?Continue reading on The Guardian
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing email@example.com
Click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be


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by Turnstone
It's a great way to add a whiteboard to any space with a mobile design and a simple way to divide space. The Groupwork Mobile Easel comes in markerboard on one side and tackboard on the other, markerboard on both sides, or tackboard on both sides.
- Integrated flip-chart pegs along top
- Center tray holds pencil trays for markers, erasers and push pins
- Bottom tray provides extra storage for easil pads or equipment
- Four hard, dual-wheel casters provide easy mobility


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Q. Why the move?
A. I thought it was time for a new look, and WordPress had some template options that Blogger doesn't. Plus, my custom Blogger template wouldn't allow for some of the new features in blogging.
Q. What's the new template?
A. It's called The Journalist. I think it's easier to read than this one, especially with body text. I hope you will let me know what you think of it and how I can improve it.
Q. What happens to all of the old posts and comments?
A. They are all there at the new address. Nothing was lost; even the images made the transition. It was remarkably easy to import them.
Q. Will you delete your blog here?
A. No, not for now. At some point I may delete it, but not for a while.
Q. Will the focus of the blog change as part of the move?
A. No, it has the same name, and it will still be about editing. I made, however, some subtle changes to the description to reflect journalism's move to online media.
Q. I linked to your blog from mine. Do I have to do anything?
A. I'd appreciate it if you would update links, bookmarks, etc. Here's the new address: editdesk.wordpress.com
Thanks to all who read, comment and link here. I appreciate how this blog's audience has grown since it began in June 2006. I hope you will join the conversation at the new address. See you there.


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BillboardIn its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. |
Common terms and phrases
album Argo artists ASCAP Atlantic Records Auto Barry McGuire Beatles Bill Billboard blue-eyed soul bulk vending Byrd Capitol cartridge catalog cent chart Chicago classical club coin COIN MACHINE Columbia Records Corp country music dealers Decca deejay Delivers BIG SOUND director Discotheque disk distributor ELECTRA Delivers BIG Entire audio system equipment excites fluorescent colors exclusive Seeburg Disco featuring film firm Flip HOLLYWOOD industry jazz juke box Kapp label last week lease Liberty's Libraries for dancing London Love LP's machine manager matched to bring ment Mercury Nashville operators Orch orchestra ords phonograph play president promotion quality of exclusive radio stations Ramsey Lewis RCA Victor release Righteous Brothers royalty Seeburg Singer single songs stereo singles stereo speak studio system is matched talent tape theque Libraries tion tour United vending Vic Dana vice-president Wurlitzer York


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How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
Homemade vanilla extract takes just two ingredients — vanilla beans and alcohol — and you can be as straightforward or creative as you like. Though it does take a bit of patience as you wait for the alcohol to extract the flavor from the beans, the delicious results are well worth it.
What Vanilla Beans to Use?
You can use any vanilla beans, bearing in mind that different varieties and grades will have unique properties.
Bourbon or Madagascar vanilla has the classic, robust flavor that one typically associates with vanilla. Tahitian vanilla is subtly fruity and floral, while Mexican vanilla tends to be smooth and spicy. Create a single origin vanilla extract or invent your own blend — it's up to you!
Although Grade A or gourmet/prime vanilla beans are superior for cooking, in this case Grade B or extract grade vanilla beans are ideal because they have a lower moisture content. Feel free to use whatever you have, though.
A note on pricing and sourcing: Vanilla beans can get expensive. While it's possible to find inexpensive vanilla beans in bulk from places like eBay, I also like to buy Fair Trade vanilla whenever possible. Mountain Rose Herbs is a good source for organic and Fair Trade vanilla beans.
What Alcohol to Use?
Vodka has the most neutral flavor, but you can also use bourbon, brandy, or rum to create unique extracts.
There's no need to use a top-shelf or high-proof alcohol when making vanilla extract. An inexpensive 40% (80 proof) alcohol will work just fine. (Commercial vanilla extracts are typically 35% or 70 proof alcohol.) I prefer using a mid-tier alcohol, not bottom of the barrel but not too expensive, either.
How Long to Infuse?
Let the vanilla beans infuse for at least one month and even a couple of months for a stronger flavor. You can also use more beans to speed up the process. If giving this as a gift before the infusion is complete, tell your recipient to let it mature for a number of weeks. Vanilla extract is kind of like wine in that the flavor will become more complex over time.
Sources for Vanilla Beans and Bottling Supplies
- Vanilla Beans from Mountain Rose Herbs
- Clear Straight Jars (for infusing) from Specialty Bottle
- Clear Tincture Jars (for bottling) from Specialty Bottle
- Corked Jars (for bottling) from Specialty Bottle
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Nutritional Info
- 3 to 5
vanilla beans
- 8 ounces
alcohol such as vodka, bourbon, brandy, or rum
Cutting board and knife
Clean jar or bottle
New bottle(s) for packaging (optional)
Small funnel (optional)
Coffee filter (optional)
Split the vanilla beans: Split each vanilla bean in half lengthwise. If you like, you can leave an inch connected at the end of the bean for an attractive presentation. You can also chop the beans into smaller pieces if necessary to fit in your jar or bottle.
Place the vanilla beans in a jar and cover with alcohol: Place the vanilla beans in a clean jar or bottle. Cover them with alcohol, making sure they are completely submerged. Cover the jar or bottle and give it a good shake.
Infuse for at least one month: Store the jar or bottle of vanilla beans in a cool, dark place for at least one month, shaking it from time to time. Taste the extract and let it infuse longer if you want a stronger flavor.
Strain it if you like: You may wish to remove the vanilla pods and decant the extract into a pretty bottle. The little flecks of seeds can be a nice touch, but if you want a clear extract you can strain them out using a coffee filter.
Or leave the pods in the extract: You can also leave the beans in the alcohol and top off the bottle as you use the extract. Eventually all the flavor will be extracted from the original vanilla beans, so you can periodically add fresh beans as well as leftover pods that you've scraped for other recipes.
Recipe Notes
General Rule of Thumb: Use 3 to 5 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol and multiply accordingly if making more extract.
Uses for spent pods. You can also make good use of the spent vanilla pods by drying them and then making vanilla sugar or flavored salt.
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By CORRESPONDENT
Paul McGinley has accepted an invitation from the Tournament Committee of The European Tour to become Captain of The European Team in The 2014 Ryder Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland from September 26 – 28, 2014.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 16, 1966, McGinley becomes the first Irishman to captain a Ryder Cup Team against the United States. He will be the 24th different golfer to lead the European (formerly Great Britain and Ireland) Team.
McGinley, a four time winner on The European Tour, made three consecutive, and victorious, Ryder Cup appearances from 2002 – 2006 and will always be remembered as the man who holed the winning putt during his first appearance at the Belfry 11 years ago.
McGinley succeeds José María Olazábal with the aim of retaining the Ryder Cup following the Spaniard's brilliant stewardship of Europe's 'Miracle at Medinah'. The 46 year old was a Vice-Captain to Olazábal in Chicago last year, the same role he fulfilled for Colin Montgomerie's victorious 2010 Team at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.
Having suffered defeat to Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk alongside Padraig Harrington in his first Ryder Cup match during day one at the Belfry, McGinley came back to secure a vital half alongside Darren Clarke against Furyk and Scott Hoch in the Saturday afternoon fourballs.
One down with two to play against Furyk in the Sunday singles, McGinley was looking an unlikely hero standing on the 17th tee but a brilliant birdie four squared the match just as Welshman Phillip Price put the seal on a magnificent 3 and 2 victory over Phil Mickelson to take the European Team's points total to 14 with three matches left on the course.
Europe needed a half point to ensure Sam Torrance's Team could regain the trophy that had been so dramatically lost at Brookline three years earlier.
Both men produced wayward approaches to the par four 18th, with Furyk finding the greenside bunker and McGinley the left rough. The Irishman chipped on to ten feet before Furyk almost spoiled the party by nearly holing his bunker shot. But when the American's ball came to rest above ground, McGinley's moment had arrived.
The rest, as they say, is history and moments after making his putt, McGinley found himself swamped by his Captain and team-mates as the celebrations began.
While no Ryder Cup experience can substitute holing the winning putt, McGinley's finest performance in the team event actually came two years later, during Europe's record-breaking 18 ½ – 9 ½ victory at Oakland Hills.
The Irishman was undefeated in three matches in Detroit, partnering Luke Donald to a half point against Chris Riley and Stewart Cink on the first day before he and Harrington beat Davis Love III and Tiger Woods with a 4 and 3 win in the Saturday foursomes. He then put the seal on a tremendous week with an outstanding 3 and 2 singles victory over Cink to finish the week undefeated.
McGinley's captaincy credentials are there for all to see. Not only has he played a crucial vice-captaincy role in Europe's last two Ryder Cup wins, he has also been Captain of two winning Great Britain and Ireland Teams in the Vivendi Seve Trophy, defeating Continental Europe in both 2009 and 2011.
At The Gleneagles Hotel, McGinley will look to continue Europe's phenomenal recent record which shows them to have won seven of the last nine biennial contests with the USA. Since the change from a Great Britain and Ireland Team to that of Continental Europe in 1979, Europe have won nine and tied one of the 17 matches contested.
Europe's victories were achieved under the captaincies of Tony Jacklin (1985, 1987), Bernard Gallacher (1995), Seve Ballesteros (1997), Sam Torrance (2002), Bernhard Langer (2004), Ian Woosnam (2006), Colin Montgomerie (2010) and Olazábal (2012), while Jacklin presided over the halved match in 1989.
Richard Hills, Europe's Ryder Cup Director, said: "We are delighted that Paul has accepted the invitation of the Tournament Committee to take up the role as Captain for 2014. Having played in three Ryder Cups and holed the winning putt at the Belfry in 2002, Paul has an innate understanding of every attribute required to be a successful Captain.
"Paul's meticulous nature and his passion for the strategic aspects of the Captain's role have been evident for many years, through his role as a Ryder Cup Vice-Captain and as Captain of the Great Britain and Ireland Team in the Vivendi Seve Trophy. We already know that he will leave no stone unturned in his quest to retain The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September 2014." nike air max soldes nike air max soldes


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Content-type: text/html
ckpath [-Q] [-W width] [-a | l] [-b | c | f | y] [-n [o | z] ] [-rtwx] [-d default] [-h help] [-e error] [-p prompt] [ -k pid [-s signal]]
/usr/sadm/bin/errpath [-W width] [-a | l] [-b | c | f | y] [-n [o | z] ] [-rtwx] [-e error]
/usr/sadm/bin/helppath [-W width] [-a | l] [-b | c | f | y] [-n [o | z] ] [-rtwx] [-h help]
/usr/sadm/bin/valpath [-a | l] [-b | c | f | y] [-n [o | z] ] [-rtwx] input
The ckpath utility prompts a user and validates the response. It defines, among other things, a prompt message whose response should be a pathname, text for help and error messages, and a default value (which is returned if the user responds with a <RETURN>).
The pathname must obey the criteria specified by the first group of options. If no criteria is defined, the pathname must be for a normal file that does not yet exist. If neither -a (absolute) or -l (relative) is given, then either is assumed to be valid.
All messages are limited in length to 79 characters and are formatted automatically. Tabs and newlines are removed after a single white space character in a message definition, but spaces are not removed. When a tilde is placed at the beginning or end of a message definition, the default text is inserted at that point, allowing both custom text and the default text to be displayed.
If the prompt, help or error message is not defined, the default message (as defined under EXAMPLES) is displayed.
Three visual tool modules are linked to the ckpath command. They are errpath (which formats and displays an error message on the standard output), helppath (which formats and displays a help message on the standard output), and valpath (which validates a response). These modules should be used in conjunction with Framed Access Command Environment (FACE) objects. In this instance, the FACE object defines the prompt.
The following options are supported:
-a Pathname must be an absolute path.
-b Pathname must be a block special file.
-c Pathname must be a character special file.
-d default Defines the default value as default. The default is not validated and so does not have to meet any criteria.
-e error Defines the error message as error.
-f Pathname must be a regular file.
-h help Defines the help message as help.
-k pid Specifies that process ID pid is to be sent a signal if the user chooses to quit.
-l Pathname must be a relative path.
-n Pathname must not exist (must be new).
-o Pathname must exist (must be old).
-p prompt Defines the prompt message as prompt.
-Q Specifies that quit is not allowed as a valid response.
-r Pathname must be readable.
-s signal Specifies that the process ID pid defined with the -k option is to be sent signal signal when quit is chosen. If no signal is specified, SIGTERM is used.
-t Pathname must be creatable (touchable). Pathname will be created if it does not already exist.
-w Pathname must be writable.
-W width Specify that prompt, help and error messages be formatted to a line length of width.
-x Pathname must be executable.
-y Pathname must be a directory.
-z Pathname must have a file having a size greater than zero bytes.
The following operand is supported:
input Input to be verified against validation options.
The text of the default messages for ckpath depends upon the criteria options that have been used.
Example 1: Default prompt
An example default prompt for ckpath (using the -a option) is:
example% ckpath -a Enter an absolute pathname [?,q]
Example 2: Default error message
An example default error message (using the -a option) is:
example% /usr/sadm/bin/errpath -a ERROR: A pathname is a filename, optionally preceded by parent directories. The pathname you enter: - must begin with a slash (/)
Example 3: Default help message
An example default help message (using the -a option) is:
example% /usr/sadm/bin/helppath -a A pathname is a filename, optionally preceded by parent directories. The pathname you enter: - must begin with a slash (/)
Example 4: The quit option
When the quit option is chosen (and allowed), q is returned along with the return code 3. Quit input gets a trailing newline.
Example 5: Using the valpath module
The valpath module will produce a usage message on stderr. It returns 0 for success and non-zero for failure.
example% /usr/sadm/bin/valpath usage: valpath [-[a|l][b|c|f|y][n|[o|z]]rtwx] input . . .
The following exit values are returned:
0 Successful execution.
1 EOF on input, or negative width on -W option, or usage error.
2 Mutually exclusive options.
3 User termination (quit).
4 Mutually exclusive options.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
Availability | SUNWcsu |
face(1), signal.h(3HEAD), attributes(5)


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Bungy Clubs Around The World
If you are a newcomer to the entertainment of bungy jumping besides wish to treasure trove others who share your likeminded interests, or if you're a veteran jersey who considers this sport to epitomize one of your main passions, you may be interested hold connecting with bungy clubs further their members. As the popularity of this merriment has become worldwide, so rest assured the clubs which cater to bungy jumping enthusiasts!
In the United States, know stuff are currently twenty-five states which credit their own listed bungy clubs. This is over impressive due to a sport which has only been in wisdom in its present form for the keep up two decades. Some of these states boast more than single club; California has the most, located in Sacramento, El Segundo, Alameda, further Los Gatos. Canada presently lists five, located in British Columbia, Alberta, Ottawa, and two access Ontario. If you are truly disconcerted about this sport, checking into these bungy jumping clubs is a eminent path to make your experiences plane better.
If you wish to do a bit of traveling to join leverage with bungy jumping clubs, you can stem to Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, or Ecuador. Whether your interest in bungy clubs is now the jumping itself or interacting screen other members, these clubs reputation Central America and South America will give you both benefits since really as broadening your horizons in very contradistinct geographical locales.
In the United Kingdom, many of the inimitable bungy clubs are affiliated shelter the British Elastic Rope Sports Association direction Oxford, England. Endorsement by this Association assures you that the clubs have met besides maintain specific standards, including the Code of mild decree. In true involved harbour any of these clubs, you will know that your safety is their primary concern. It is central to note that bungy jumping clubs in the United Kingdom are not foremost to reproduce affiliated with the Association, and discrete those who are desideratum adhere to their standards. consequently if you wish to become manifold veil bungy jumping clubs repercussion the United Kingdom, it is a good idea to treasure out beforehand if the club you are interested in has been approved by the British varied Rope Sports Association.
In addendum to those located in the United Kingdom, twenty-four particular countries in Europe guide bungy jumping clubs, due to altogether as fourteen clubs in other locations. If traveling will be a part of your bungy jumping experiences, becoming involved in the bungy jumping clubs in the areas you will hike will indeed add to your enjoyment. In selecting outmost destinations predominance which to engage in your hobby, you charge go beyond the sport to the other diverting of gorgeous part in a new culture, sampling its cuisine, learning a new language, and, better all, having the opportunity to settle to know many other kin who increase your relate in bungy jumping. You may corral a club win to your let on home, or you obligatoriness make corporeal an even fresh distinctive regenerate by finding one to your liking on the opposite plane of the globe!
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text:
Let's be honest - insurance can be confusing. The fine print, legal jargon, and mountains of paperwork are enough to make anyone's eyes glaze over. But protecting your assets is too important to go it alone.
This is where we come in. As experienced insurance agents, we take the hassle out of insurance so you can focus on what matters most. Our job is to be your guide - cutting through the confusion to find the right coverage at the best price.
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text:
It is the responsibility of all bidders to check the City of Elgin Bids Posting web page for any addenda to solicitations for which they intend to bid. Potential bidders are advised to check the "Addendum Date" field on the bid posting page of solicitations they intend to bid upon to ensure that they have the most recent solicitation files.
Related documents may not be available for all closed bids.


text:
Almost every IT help desk organization wants to customize the Help Desk /Service Desk system for their own requirements and VERY few systems are specially designed for this option. Web+Center is open source web based help desk software that can be used "out-of-the-box" or easily customized to fit your unique organizational processes. Download our free white paper, The 90% Solution, to learn more.
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Web+Center is designed to run onsite on a MS Windows server or in the cloud and Internet. Even cloud hosted versions are your own unique customized instance. All browser-based devices, including PCs, Macs, smart phones and tablets are supported. Try it now. No registration required.
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Web+Center is solid and industry tested with 100,000+ installations worldwide with many 10+years users. Check out our user reviews on Software Review Site G2. Web+Center offers mobile and tablet based interfaces for both customers and techs, with self-service, knowledge base, asset/facilities management, contact manager, reservation system and more.
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text:
Fundamentals of Neuroscience/Electrical Currents
Type classification: this is a lesson resource. |
Subject classification: this is a science resource. |
Basic Properties of Electrical Currents edit
AIMS edit
- To Introduce the electron
- To Introduce the idea of Electron Shells
- To Introduce the idea of charge of an Atom
- To Introduce the idea of Ions as charged Atoms
- To Introduce the idea of Amperage as Current
- To introduce the idea of Ions moving in a particular direction as an Ion Current
- To introduce the idea of Voltage as EMF
- To introduce the idea of Capacitance
Lesson edit
Although Electricity in its many forms is an interesting subject, in its own right, the idea of this course is to give you enough of an understanding of how Electricity works in the Neuron to be able to make sense out of more advanced training opportunities. As such we aren't going to get into the advanced uses of electricity, or electronics, instead we will cover the basics, and then veer off from the normal approach to electricity to introduce concepts needed to understand how electricity works in neurons.
The Electron edit
At the heart of electricity and electronics, and even neural potentials, lies at least theoretically a sub-atomic particle called an electron. The electron is negatively charged, and orbits the nucleus of the atom at about the speed of light. It is held in place by the electro-weak force, which is in turn caused by charge attraction between the light electron and the heavier protons that with neutrons make up the nucleus of the atom. It is thought that electricity happens when electrons break free of the atom they are normally part of, and wander among other atoms in the same cluster.
Atomic Charge edit
Since electrons can wander away from their original atoms, and get picked up by other atoms, the atoms that have more electrons than normal are considered to be negatively charged, and the atoms that have fewer electrons than normal are considered to be positively charged. Since electricity flows in the direction of lowest potential, Atoms that are negatively charged, will discharge their electrons to atoms that are positively charged, if the intervening atoms allow the transfer of electrons. We say that the electrons flow from the Negative charge to the positive charge, possibly since the original theory was that electricity was some sort of fluid.
Ionic Charge edit
We call an atom that is carrying a charge, whether it is negative or positive an Ion. In chemical systems based on water, many ions are created by the nature of water which levers apart many common chemicals into their component ions. If the external shell of the atom, called the Valence Shell, has an odd number of electrons, the ion usually has a negative charge, and if it has an even number of electrons the ion usually has a positive charge. It is possible in some cases to strip off two valence electrons, in which case you end up with a double positively charged ion.
Electric Transfer from Ion to Ion edit
The Ability to allow a charge of electricity to travel from one location to another depends on the resistance of the intervening atoms to having their electrons stolen, and replaced. The looser the electro-weak forces holding onto the electrons, the less resistance to flow is found, and thus the greater the potential flow given a particular pool of electrons on one side of the system, and the pool of positively charged ions on the other. Electrical Charge is measured in Coulombs, where [1]
- 1 Coulomb = 6.25 * 1018 electrons.
- The charge of a single electron is 1.6 * 10-19 Coulombs.
- 1 AMP is the amount of current flowing when 1 Coulomb per second passes a particular point in one second.
Ion Currents edit
Since Current is measured in Coulombs per second passing a point, it doesn't really matter whether the electrons are moving or the ions are moving. In fact it is the nature of electronics that we can postulate a flow counter to the flow of electrons that indicates the electrical force pushing the ions. We use this in welding by forcing metal ions to jump from a rod that consists of an electrical conductor surrounded by flux, to another piece of metal thus joining or building up the metal where it lands. In Neurons we often have to measure ionic currents where a specific ion is being transferred across the membrane, and thus affecting the charge stored in the neuron.
Electrical Transfer from High to Low Potential edit
In order for an electron to move from one atom to another, it requires an electro-motive force, to push it against the resistance of the intervening atoms. This force, measured in Volts, is the amount of energy symbolized by E needed to move an amount of charge symbolized by Q.
One Volt is defined as the amount of potential difference between two points when one joule of energy is used to move one Coulomb of charge from the one point to the other. A joule is the amount of energy needed to move an object one meter against an opposing force of one newton (0.225 lb.)
Given either Amperage and Voltage, voltage and resistance, or Amperage and resistance, you can calculate the third of these three factors, using the formula which is called Ohms law.
Charge Separation across a Dielectric edit
When resistance is high enough, electrons cannot flow across the resistant material, however they are still repulsed by each other by the electro-weak force, so when a resistance that is large enough to stop electron flow is found, the electrons tend to gather on one side of the material and the positive ions tend to gather on the other, until the voltage generated across the material exceeds it's dielectric constant, and a current begins to flow. We call this tendency for high resistance to result in a charge separation, capacitance. We call the highly resistive material a Dielectric, and the charge capacity of the capacitor is directly related to the plate size on each side of the dielectric.
Capacitors are measured in Farads (F) and 1F = 1 Coulomb / 1 Volt
The Cellular Membrane as a Capacitor edit
By transferring ions across the Cellular membrane which is made of highly resistive materials, the net effect is that of turning the membrane into the dielectric of a capacitor. As ionic currents add to or subtract from the charge building up inside the neuron, the ions line up along the cell membrane attracted to the opposite charged ions on the other side of the membrane. If an ion is moving away from its own type of charge, the capacitance of the membrane acts to speed it on its way, if it can find a pore, or ion channel to flow through. However to move towards it's own type of charge, energy must be spent in the form of voltage to pass the current across the membrane. Thus ion channels that pump ions against the charge gradient of the membrane capacitance must burn energy usually in the form of ATP.
As the charge builds up the Potential between the inside of the membrane and the outside of the membrane increases until it reaches the dielectric constant of the membrane, at which point the membrane depolarizes. Usually resulting in the firing of the cell. Thus understanding capacitance is important to understanding the nature of the cell membrane and how it impacts the firing of Neurons.
Assignment edit
- ↑ Principles of Electric Circuits 2nd Edition, Thomas L. Floyd, (1985,1981) Charles E. Merrill Pub. (Bell and Howell) Columbus Ohio, ISBN 0-675-20402-X


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Sunday, June 24, 2012
This blog has moved!
Well, it's the end of an era for me as I say a fond farewell to blogspot. It's been a wonderfully exciting few years and blogspot has been marvellous, but it's time for me to step up a gear with my online presence by migrating to a super professional-looking website (I hope!) which has my blog integrated into it.
Please head on over to www.writesofluid.com where you'll find my new blog.
I'm also finishing with my two separate websites, www.michellegoode.com and www.writesofluid.co.uk; both addresses will direct to the new website! The aim is not to have a confusing online presence but to have one clean but comprehensive website where my portfolio, writing resources and my blog can all live happily together (awww!).
If you can't yet see the redirection for www.michellegoode.com or www.writesofluid.co.uk it's probably because I've only just set them up. Hopefully all will soon be running smoothly!
I hope to see you all over there - don't forget to add my new blog address to your feeds! The feed address is: http://www.writesofluid.com/feed/
- Michelle
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Chapter XX.—Concerning Maximus, who succeeded Macarius in the See of Jerusalem.
About this time Mark, 1175 who had succeeded Silvester, and who had held the episcopal sway during a short period, died, and Julius was raised to the see of Rome. Maximus succeeded Macarius in the bishopric of Jerusalem. 1176 It is said that Macarius had ordained him bishop over the church of Diospolis, but that the members of the church of Jerusalem insisted upon his remaining among them. For since he was a confessor, and otherwise excellent, he was secretly chosen beforehand in the approbation of the people for their bishopric, after that Macarius should die. The dread of offending the people and exciting an insurrection led to the election of another bishop over Diospolis, and Maximus remained in Jerusalem, and exercised the priestly functions conjointly with Macarius; and after the death of this latter, he governed that church. It is, however, well known to those who are accurately acquainted with these circumstances, that Macarius concurred with the people in their desire to retain Maximus; for it is said that he regretted the ordination of Maximus, and thought that he ought necessarily to have been reserved for his own succession on account of his holding right views concerning God and his confession, which had so endeared him to the people. He likewise feared that, at his death, the adherents of Eusebius and Patrophilus, who had embraced Arianism, would take that opportunity to place one of their own views in his see; for even while Macarius was living, they had attempted to introduce some innovations, but since they were to be separated from him, they on this account kept quiet.
Marcus is not mentioned by Soc. or Theodoret, only by the Latins. The order is correct, whereas in i. 17 Julius is mistakenly made to do duty for Silvester.
271:1176This whole chapter is from an unknown source, and shows familiarity with Palestinian history.
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Roundup (current series)
Friday, 26 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Current Filming:
Filming commenced this week on episode 7 (2013 #2), written by Neil Cross and directed by Farren Blackburn, who announced on Sunday: "Once more unto the breach! Start filming Neil Cross's latest Doctor Who ep tomorrow. Gonna be a ride!!!" Filming is due to continue until the 6th November on the episode, which appears to be set in the early 1980s - though no guest stars have been announced for this episode so far. Filming kicked off in Newport on Monday, with eagle-eyed viewers possibly recognising the Gaer estate from Torchwood: Children of Earth back in 2009; another old haunt from previous stories was the nearby St. Woolos Cemetery, which was used on Tuesday. Blackburn commented: "Several coffees a day keeps the Doctor at play. Boy you need energy to direct this show!!! « BTW the Doc is looking cooler than EVER!!! « When I say The Doc is looking cooler than EVER!! I mean what he's wearing!!! Just wait and see!!! «"The bulk of episode six (2012 #1) by Steven Moffat has been completed, with a high-profile shoot in London taking place last week incorporating motorcycle antics on the South Bank and around Westminster streets, plus scenes in the shadow of the Shard near to London Bridge. Some pickups also took place on Wednesday back in Cardiff, with director Colm McCarthy wryly commenting: "Five cameras on a corner of a street in Cardiff shooting Dr Who for an hour. Nobody has noticed yet. Too late Whovians! We're out of here."
Thursday evening saw filming by Barry Pump House with director Saul Metzstein present - this seems likely to have been pickups for the Mark Gatiss story (2013 #6) that stars Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling - though the scene in question features another character, familiar to regular viewers... Main filming back at the BBC Studios during the day was briefly interrupted to celebrate Matt Smith's birthday (he'll be 30 on Sunday) - the cake surprise is available to watch via the BBC's Doctor Who website.
Neil Gaiman's script (2012 #7) has its readthrough next week, with the writer saying: "in case you are wondering: I'm really a bit nervous: the table read of my episode of Doctor Who is next week. Think good thoughts at us. I'll try and post some photographs afterwards. Oh, and for the curious, the episode will be called ███ ████ ████████ . Only with letters instead of Ascii Blocks. Unless we change the title again before it's broadcast. Which might well happen, actually. I mean, it was originally called █ █████████ ██ ██████." [Neil Gaiman's Journal, 25 Oct 2012]
Ashley Walters (who guest-stars in the fifth episode next year) spoke about his co-stars from his recent stint filming for the series: "You can't beat being in Doctor Who - it's something I've grown up with my whole life and working with Matt Smith was amazing. He's a really, really good actor and just being a part of that huge BBC franchise was an incredible thing. And Jenna Louise Coleman is really good at what she does - it seems like she's enjoying her job and I loved working with her." [Radio Times, 22 Oct 2012]
The Radio Times also reports that the fifth episode is intriguingly entitled Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS - however, episode titles won't be finalised until closer to transmission (for example this year's The Power of Three was originally entitled Cubed).
London MCM Expo: Q&A:
Matt Smith and Caroline Skinner participated in a Q&A at the London MCM Expo taking place at the Excel Centre in order to promote The Series 7 Part 1 boxed set, and answered a variety of questions about the series both shown and still to be broadcast. The session was streamed live, and will be made available to watch on YouTube next week.Into the Future: re-occuring roles:
Steven Moffat has re-iterated that Amy won't be back for the 50th Anniversary, in spite of recent media speculation: "Amy and Rory won't be back. At the very beginning, when I was talking to Karen, I said, 'Let's make it a proper ending'. Heaven knows if they will appear in some flashback – I have no plans – but the story of Amy and Rory is over." [Mirror, The Sun, 15 Oct 2012]If he were to return, John Simm would like to take the Master in a different direction: "I'd love to have another take on him, to be a bit quieter. Russell T Davies had a specific idea of what he wanted him to be like. So I just had to do exactly what he wanted me to, and he wanted a giggling lunatic. There's a new writer now, and I'm sure his take on him would be different so I'd be interested to have a look at it. I'd like to take the Master to a very, very dark place." [Radio Times, 23 Oct 2012]
Matt Smith confirmed at the MCM Expo in answer to a question that he'd expect that - should the Master ever return - he'd expect it to be played by John Simm! Both he and Caroline Skinner indicated that Alex Kingston would also be back as River Song (though not exactly when!).
Former Doctor Who lead writer Russell T Davies wants to be surprised by next year: "I think I'd be like the ghost at the feast, what would I do – turn up and make the tea? I have asked current boss Steven Moffat not to tell me what they are planning." [What's on TV, 24 Oct 2012]
Into the Future: alternative Doctors?
Actor Stephen Mangan wants to add his name to the list of Doctors: "I'd love to be Doctor Who – who wouldn't, it's a great part, it's very exciting, I think the Doctor Whos we've had recently have been phenomenal and I'm glad I wasn't the one who had to follow David Tennant because he was extraordinary." [Radio Times, 12 Oct 2012]Comedian Russ Noble wouldn't ignore it either: "I think anyone would cancel anything to be [The Doctor]! The weird thing about Doctor Who is, I think there isn't a human being on the planet who would say no to Doctor Who. But the only downside of that is you'd have to live in Cardiff!" [Den of Geek, 22 Oct 2012]
Into the Future: location, location location!
After the more 'exotic' locations visited for the first part of the series, Caroline Fisher said that they sadly weren't travelling that far from Cardiff Bay for the current batch of stories being recorded. However, when asked by the audience the the London MCM Expo about the possibility of filming in places like Louisiana in the United States, or in Australia (as championed by MP George Christensen) she didn't rule either out in the future.Having recently stirred the hornet's nest over Australian filming himself, Matt Smith throws a few more locations into the mix: "I also think you could make quite a fun episode in Iceland or South America, or you could go to Peru. I'd like to film something in those places. The Pyramids would be fun, too, but I'd rather go to Peru." [BANG Showbiz, 18 Oct 2012]


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With the lousy season that the Senators are having – they're equally close to the last Eastern Conference playoff spot and the worst record in the NHL – try saying with a straight face that a shootout was a desirable outcome Tuesday.
On the other hand, Ottawa was 0-6 in games that go beyond three periods. And with Jonas Hiller stopping nearly everything the Senators sent his way, the Ducks could say they planned it this way all along.
Bobby Ryan scored on the Ducks' second shootout attempt, and Hiller stoned all three Ottawa shooters, to kick off the Ducks' four-game road trip with a 2-1 win. Hiller also made 39 saves in a 65-minute game that saw Ottawa outshoot Anaheim 40-27.
Corey Perry scored the Ducks' lone goal in regulation, his team-leading 24th of the season, at 14:30 of the first period. Perry was in the process of falling backwards when he somehow lifted a shot over the pads of goalie Brian Elliott (26 saves).
Milan Michalek created the Sens' lone goal when he drew the attention of the Ducks' defense into the middle of the slot, then somehow – from his rear end – put a backhand shot on Hiller. Mike Fisher snuck behind a distracted Ducks defense to poke the rebound past Hiller at 18:19 of the second period.
Elliott held up his end of the goalie duel in the third period, stoning Matt Beleskey on a breakaway for one of 12 saves to set the stage for overtime.
In the shootout, Elliott wilted at the forehand wrister of Ryan and Hiller stopped Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Henrik Karlsson to preserve the win. The Ducks have won eight of their last 10 with games in Toronto, Montreal and Columbus looming before the All-Star break.
A few more notes:
Continue reading "Ducks 2, Senators 1, SO." »


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Ever since Sandy devastated parts of the Jersey shore last October, officials have planned for a new system of protective sand dunes along the entirety of the 127-mile coast.
And also since the day of the storm, some homeowners have refused to sign easements giving federal and state officials permission to do the work.
Their stated reasons have been fears that boardwalks, bathrooms, snack stands or amusement rides might be built nearby.
On Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie rejected those claims in his bluntest, most off-color terms yet.
At a town hall meeting on Long Beach Island, the governor said their true objection is losing their oceanfront views.
"I have no interest in taking your property," Christie said. "I have no interest in building anything other than a dune. I don't want to build a road, I don't want to build a shower, I don't want to build a hut. Any knucklehead neighbor of yours that says: 'Oh, Christie comes in, there's going to be showers, a bathroom, a hot dog stand.
"Let me use a word," Christie said, urging parents of the handful of children in the room to cover their ears.
"Bull----!" he roared, using the full version of BS. "That's what it is! They don't want their views blocked."
Christie ticked off the devastation caused by the storm, including about 360,000 homes or apartments destroyed, and about $37 billion in damage.
"We are not going through that again so you can sit on the first floor rather than the second floor and see the ocean," he said.
The issue is flaring up in many coastal towns, including Mantoloking, the hardest-hit community by Sandy, where every one of the 521 homes was damaged and more than 200 were destroyed. About three of 129 oceanfront homeowners are refusing to sign easements, and the borough recently hired a lawyer to institute eminent domain condemnation proceedings against holdouts. Under eminent domain, private property can be taken for a public purpose after compensation is paid. The easements only cover narrow strips of sand needed for the dunes.
Mantoloking officials threatened to publicly reveal the names of holdouts — something Christie also threatened to do Tuesday on a statewide level.
The Republican governor noted that a bit north on Long beach Island, homeowners in Harvey Cedars held out and were awarded as much as $360,000 in compensation by a court for the loss of their oceanfront views. Christie called the elderly couple who won the award "knuckleheads" and railed against "the money they're trying to take." Several other homeowners in Harvey Cedars also won monetary awards from a court.
The case is expected to be heard by New Jersey's Supreme Court this fall, and state lawmakers are considering a law that would force judges to consider the public benefits of protective dunes when calculating the monetary value of lost ocean views.
Private homeowner associations in Toms River have also voiced strong opposition to dune easements.
Christie said the dune system is largely funded, and will be built — with or without the consent of holdouts.
"I want to make it very clear to you that we are building these dunes, whether you consent or not," he said.
Tuesday's event came a little more than six months after the storm pounded the shore. Towns with robust dune systems experienced much less damage than those that didn't have them.
The federal government on Monday approved the state's plan to spend $1.83 billion in grants to help homeowners and businesses get back on their feet.


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By Maya Rhodan
Washington Correspondent
When Rep. Gwen Moore [D-Wisc.] stood near President Obama last Thursday as he signed the Violence Against Women Act into law, as a rape survivor, she knew the benefit of the legislation as well as well as anyone in the room.
"I am so pleased to join President Obama and so many of my colleagues for this historic signing," she said. "The reauthorization of VAWA has been a long time coming, but the majority of Congress finally came together and did the right thing on behalf of women across this country. This legislation will help all women – including Native, LGBT and immigrant women – come out of the shadows of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking."
President Obama signed the reauthorized bill last week after Congress united and voted to expand the law to offer protection to women in lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and Native American communities. While holding on to the original provisions, including those in place to protect immigrant women from deportation when they report abuse, the expanded law now provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, regardless of sexual orientation.
Rep. Moore, members of advocate groups, survivors of abuse, politicians, and supporters cheered as the president signed the bill into law at the Department of the Interior.
"This is a day for the advocates, a day for survivors. This is your victory," the president said at the ceremony. "This victory shows that when the American people make their voices heard, Washington listens."
Attorney General Eric Holder, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who helped draft the original bill, were also on stage with Obama.
Every minute in America, 24 people become victims of stalking, rape, or violence by an intimate partner, resulting in about 12 million people becoming victims every year. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 23.6 percent of women report being victims of intimate partner violence.
"One of the greatest sins that can be committed is an abuse of power and the ultimate abuse of power is for someone bigger and stronger to raise their hand to strike someone else," said Vice President Joe Biden, who drafted the original Violence Against Women Act in 1994.
Since then, reported incidents have been on the decline. Between 1993 and 2010, the rate of intimate partner violence decreased by 67 percent, according to the White House fact sheet.
President Bill Clinton first signed the Violence Against Women Act into law in 1994. The act provides federal funds and support to organizations that serve victims of domestic violence and rape.
The law has improved how victims of rape and domestic violence are treated under the law and strengthened penalties on rapists and sexual offenders. Since the law was first passed reports of domestic violence have increased by nearly 50 percent, and a 35 percent decrease in the rate of intimate partner homicide.
According to the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women, 45 percent of LGBT victims are turned away from domestic violence shelters and 55 percent of those who sought protection orders were denied.
"This is a country where everybody should be able to pursue their own measure of happiness and live their lives free from fear no matter who you are, no matter who you love," President Obama said. "That's what today's about."
The expanded Violence Against Women Act will also allow tribal courts to prosecute non-Natives who are perpetrators of sexual violence. Although non-Indians commit 75 percent of abuse of Native women, non-Indians could not be prosecuted by tribal courts and often were not prosecuted at all. The rate of domestic violence among Native American women is nearly 40 percent.
"The passage of the Violence Against Women Act gives tribes badly needed tools to combat the epidemic of violence and abuse in Indian Country that has been enabled by inadequate judicial and legal authority," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) one of the only Native Americans in Congress, in a statement on the act. "Like all legislation, the bill is not perfect… when it comes to tribal issues, however, the legislation gets it right."
Native American women are also killed at a rate 10 times the national average, while one in three women in tribal communities are raped in their lifetime according to the Indian Law Resource Center. Three in five will be assaulted.
The reauthorized law also addresses violence among teens and young adults, which has seen a spike in the past decade. According to the teen dating advocacy group Break the Cycle, young women, ages 16-24, experience dating violence at a rate that is almost triple the national average.
In the new law, schools, youth organizations and domestic violence groups will receive support to better target young adults. Colleges and universities will also be required to provide information, support, and resources on dating, sexual and domestic violence to students.
The bill also expands housing assistance for abused women. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
This is the first time since the law has been passed that reauthorization was met with some resistance, this time over the inclusion of women in the LGBT community.
In the end, the House passed the legislation by a margin of 286-138 and the Senate by a vote of 68-31, with one Senator not voting.
"Back when Joe wrote this law, domestic abuse was too often seen as a private matter, best hidden behind closed doors. Victims too often stayed silent," President Obama said. "But one of the great legacies of this law is that it didn't just change the rules, it changed our culture."