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Welcome to our forum. Feel free to post a message. Messages containing verbal attacks or threats to other people posting or to HEAL itself will be deleted immediately. If you are looking for a behavior modification industry survivor forum, please visit: http://heal-online.org/tinc?key=aOvhgoOX&start=-1&reverse=1 Thanks!
Considering the real-time nature of the message board(s), Human Earth Animal Liberation (HEAL) cannot review messages or confirm the validity of information posted. We do not actively monitor the contents of posted messages, are not responsible for any messages posted, do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of the Administrators or any entity or individual associated with HEAL. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact the Administrators immediately by email at firstname.lastname@example.com. The Website Administrators may in its discretion remove such material, but neither the removal nor the failure to do so shall result in liability to anyone. Because removal is a manual process, removal or editing particular messages may not occur immediately. Although the Administrators do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, they reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold the Website harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s).
HEAL has received numerous complaints regarding Vista RTC. And, in our own initial investigation we have found the many of the staff claim to be "counselors", but, hold no professional licenses in UT. See: www.heal-online.org/vista.htm. In addition, parents are reluctant to acknowledge having made a serious mistake after spending thousands on failed or fraudulent treatment services. And, unless the children are free to speak of their experiences without threat of being sent back to the program, the truth about what goes on at Vista or any similar program when provided by the parent who did not live at the facility and see firsthand what goes on day to day is less than credible. I would advise Jim to wait until his children are adults and revisit the discussion when fear of returning to Vista or any other civil rights violating program is quashed by time and reaching age of majority. By subjecting children to institutionalization, parents break the trust relationship with their children and cannot assume that a child toting the program line is doing anything other than guarding their own survival from all threats, including parents who make bad decisions regarding their welfare.
Thank you very much for your entirely uninformed viewpoint.
"Counselors" aren't therapists.
"Parents are reluctant to acknowledge having made a serious mistake after spending thousands on failed or fraudulent treatment services." By this logic, nothing expensive would ever by criticized by anyone. No one would, for example, sue a law school they had attended, or complain to a car manufacturer about a lemon. Oh wait ... they do?
If you say the people who are most familiar with a subject can't be counted upon to describe it accurately, then there's no way to discuss that subject.
As for the logic that fear of being sent back would make a kid lie and say good things about the program - I don't understand that at all. So: when a kid comes home from an ordinary summer camp and says, "It was pretty good; the food was decent; I learned a lot about sailing," that's a series of lies motivated by the fear of returning, and an obvious sign there was something desperately wrong with the program, right?
You don't know me. You don't know my kid. You THINK you do. Your confidence that you do does not argue for your credibility or judgment.
Vista's staff that are not licensed ARE NOT LICENSED THERAPISTS NOR COUNSELORS. Clearly, you didn't even visit the website at www.heal-online.org/vista.htm before posting your ignorant response.
Oh, wait? Do people and organizations sue abusive and fraudulent programs similar to Vista? Oh, yes they do! Do they file complaints? Oh, yes they do! Are the previous two attorney generals in Utah currently indicted for corruption and taking bribes from scamming businesses such as fraudulent residential programs operating in Utah? Oh, yes they are! And, are you showing how ignorant you are with your response! Oh, yes you are!
Vista is not a summer camp! You are comparing apples to oranges here. And, you are being unreasonable and stupid. If your family sent you to a remote location where you were tortured and told daily that your family supported the abuse you were suffering and told daily that if you ever said a bad word about the program that you would be punished for it and that you witnessed other children lose levels and experience harsh punishments as a result of telling the truth about the abuse, you would likely upon freedom not talk about the abuses out of fear of being returned to the program. You are an idiot who knows nothing of PTSD or what life is like for survivors of institutional abuse. You are an idiot and your trust between your child and you has been destroyed. Your child is welcome to come to HEAL for help suing you and the program you stupidly subjected them to, but, your ignorance and ridiculous claims make no sense. Is there unlicensed staff claiming to be therapists at Vista? Yes! Are there lawsuits against fraudulent and abusive programs? Yes! Is there corruption in Utah? Yes! So, all of your arguments have been debunked and your delusions of doing the right thing will blow up in your face sooner or later. The best thing you can do is admit your mistake now and truly try to heal your relationship with your child. But, you are probably too stupid to do that given your responses here.
"Message containing verbal attacks ... will be deleted immediately."
"You are being unreasonable and stupid ... You are an idiot ... You are an idiot ... your ignorance ... you are probably too stupid..."
Not even bothering to respond
Your reply is a reply, so you did bother to respond. The information you shared and your attacks on my credibility as well as the information I provided in my other posts were not deleted. Nor will my responses to you be deleted. Idiot and stupid are light insults at best and certainly not "attacks". Ridiculous? HEAL is not ridiculous nor is our mission to stop institutional child abuse. Just because something "offends" you doesn't make it an attack. Your use of words such as ridiculous and baseless statements about HEAL's credibility were much more "attacks" than what I said in my last reply. Yes, you are delusional. Yes, if you continue to remain blind and fail to make peace and begin building real trust with your child, I think you are an idiot, stupid, or criminal. You pick which of those three you would rather be thought of as and we'll go with that.
Yes, when a parent's ignorance places their child in a remote location (removed from home and community), he/she believes everything they are told, he/she doesn't question their contracts or even have them looked over by an attorney before signing indemnity clauses, he/she assumes that their child (like any normal and sane person) would not act to preserve his/her own freedom by following the directives to never say a bad word about their captors/former captors, he/she assumes that their child (like any normal and sane person) would not fear being returned to a remote location where deprivation of contact with the outside world is the least of the violations suffered, then that parent is stupid and worthy of being called an idiot.
I will be posting links to the complaints against Vista shortly. The complaints I will share are public information. In the meantime, I can confidently say that HEAL has received multiple reports of abuse at Vista. Including, one parent report that reads in part: " It was a nightmare at Vista. Both programs are working together to rotate kids in and out of each program more than once. In order to do that they destroy the clients relationship with parents. There was also staff having sex with clients, staff "fining" clients for whatever and pocketing money, months without a therapy session, etc. I have reported this to the licensing agent but of course there is but so much she can do about it ."
So, yeah, you've been taken for a ride based on the information we have and your child is so scared to talk to you about what Vista was really like because you are too stupid to trust with that information if your decision-making history is any indication. Children are told that the program will be monitoring their progress when they get home and that if they complain (say one bad word) about the program the program will recommend they be returned to the program. And, that is why I am writing this to you in an "angry tone". Your child may not be free to share their pain and anger, but, someone should give them a voice. And, that's what HEAL is about. I in no way threatened you. I tried to give you a serious wake up call. And, I spoke harshly, but, not in any way I would consider a verbal attack. If you can't handle that, you should have never become a parent. Teens have raging hormones that cause mood swings (so do middle-aged women by the way). And, sometimes tempers flare when intelligent individuals run into arrogant fools online. We respect free speech here. And, I made my point.
I went there. I'm 34 years old, so maybe age gives me credibility at this point. It's been 17 years since I was there, so while rounds are not fresh, its probably changed tremendously. I have 2 children of my own now and I wouldnt put them into that program unless there was no other option. I feel that they truly robbed my family in SO many ways. Not just money or time I was there, but they told me to cut ties with them and then kicked me out. I was close to 18 and 7mobths in, I wasnt progressing. I was diagnosed ADHD years later and realized they were punishing me and claiming I was acting out by forgetting small things- leaving a shampoo bottle in the shower, a hair brush, a hospital corner on the bed ruffled, leaving out a pencil at my desk- small things that truly weren't something I was in control of. I wasn't allowed to sit in furniture and had to sit on the floor, I couldnt wear shoes- even in the winter outside, and no one was allowed to speak to me. I was taken "off the team" and sat at a table alone for literally months by myself. There was no actual education when I was allowed to attend "school". I think it may have started as a place of truly wanting to help kids but when it became lucrative, things changed. That was 17 years ago so I'd imagine it just got worse in that aspect. I'd imagine the human rights of the residents probably improved, the dynamic is less brainwash-driven I mean "peer supportive" of whatever term used. Only people who converted to being mormon "progressed" while I was there, so it HAD to get better in that aspect. Frankly the place changed my life in a very negative way. I was kicked out immediately after coming home because I never trusted my parents after that place. It took over a decade for any of that to heal. Literally any boarding school would have been a better option for me. At least I would have learned calculus and not how to clean under the bottom of chairs in a meaningless fashion.
I attended this program for 3 months and was pulled. I still have nightmares and think about it every day and it's been almost a year. It's the most abusive program I've experienced, and it's not California certified because of how the staff and therapists treat the clients. The therapists are straight up mean to you, insulting you, and everyone shuns you until you give in to the brainwashing. There are punishments for doing things like cussing or not talking in group, the first line of which is being on RO for a week. RO is when you can't speak for a week and if you do it starts over. Taking over 7 minutes in the bathroom or not reporting other clients for breaking rules or saying bad things about the program results in ROOM or worse. Maybe you you drank caffeine on a visit or went out of the Line of Sight of a staff? The punishment is called "scrubs", where the staff watch you change into a pair of bright green scrubs, with matching flip flops, and you get RO punishment while having to drag your mattress to the commons area every night so staff can watch you sleep. Scrubs also means staff have to watch you shower and use the restroom. Fun. Well that program is hell and those are only a couple things. Help your friend.
Thank you for your review. We are on the brink of sending our 15 yr old son (currently at Second nature}to Vista. After reading your review we cannot do that. You have mentioned in the last line of your review that there are other ways to handle the problem. I'm wondering if you are willing to talk to me on the phone? My son can't come home at the moment and I can elaborate upon it if and when we talk.
Our child is at Blue Fire and is having a great experience. We are now considering the next step. The therapist at Blue Fire says he needs more work in a controlled environment. Your last sentence stated that there are many options to help these kids. Could you elaborate on this please? Call me on my cell please. 817-715-1131. Christopher
Thank you so much.
I received a phone call and an email this evening from a person currently working at Vista, as a therapist. She directed my attention to this post from a former teacher, and intimated that the company was going to pursue litigation with me as a result of the post from the former employee. I have chosen to address this post now as a result. The truth is that I agree with the post content, and saw a number of things similar to this behavior pattern from the administration and many of the therapists. There is nothing illegal about full discloser of these issues. I want it to be known that the material in the post, while cutting to the company, is in fact true from my own personal experience. I would be happy to expound upon anything that would be needed to clear any confusion on the issue. I do agree with the post, in suggesting that anyone considering treatment at Vista, would find better options elsewhere. if you have any questions I can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Professor Swede Larsom, BFA, MHA, Phd.
Everything you said is completely untrue. I went there. I experienced it. You were just the creepy weirdass yoga instructor. They are in no way abusive or unfair. When you witness the situations that cause students to have to wear all green and have a staff member with them at all times, it is because they threaten to hurt or kill themselves or others, or actually physically attack somebody or try to hurt themselves. It only lasts a couple days until their personal therapist is confident that they will no longer want to do whatever the original action was. If our parents want to communicate with us, they are always allowed to do so if it is important, we just can't spend all our time on the phone, and there are a lot of people trying to use the phone. Overall, Vista changed my life, I don't know where the fuck I would be without it, but any asshole like this guy shitting on it is just salty because HE fucked up and got fired. Obviously kids will hate it while there and maybe even exaggerate or even lie about how horrible it is, but if they actually work on themselves and use the program instead of just acting like a little bitch and trying to be tough all the time, they will get NOWHERE. But it is a good place that has really helped a lot of people get their lives on track.
Dear "Past Vista Attendant",
Thank you for posting on our forum. Here is what you wrote:
"Everything you said is completely untrue. I went there. I experienced it. You were just the creepy weirdass yoga instructor. They are in no way abusive or unfair. When you witness the situations that cause students to have to wear all green and have a staff member with them at all times, it is because they threaten to hurt or kill themselves or others, or actually physically attack somebody or try to hurt themselves. It only lasts a couple days until their personal therapist is confident that they will no longer want to do whatever the original action was. If our parents want to communicate with us, they are always allowed to do so if it is important, we just can't spend all our time on the phone, and there are a lot of people trying to use the phone. Overall, Vista changed my life, I don't know where the fuck I would be without it, but any asshole like this guy shitting on it is just salty because HE fucked up and got fired. Obviously kids will hate it while there and maybe even exaggerate or even lie about how horrible it is, but if they actually work on themselves and use the program instead of just acting like a little bitch and trying to be tough all the time, they will get NOWHERE. But it is a good place that has really helped a lot of people get their lives on track."
The first issue is that you do not identify who the "you" is in the first sentence. One might assume you are speaking about Swede Larson, but many people responded to Larson and it is unclear whether you are disclaiming all reports posted by Swede and other posters or solely disclaiming statements made by Swede. If Vista offered a proper education, your argument and writing style would reflect that and it does not.
Secondly, assuming you are speaking about Swede Larson, he identified himself as Swede Larson. If you are speaking about Swede Larson specifically in regards to his former employment by Vista, then you acknowledge that his statement of his name and identity are not "untrue" thereby negating your initial statement that "everything you [assuming you means Larson]said is completely untrue. You acknowledge that Larson both worked for the program while you were there and that his name is Swede Larson. Therefore, your entire opening premise regarding everything said by Larson being completely untrue is itself untrue and injures your credibility. This is something you should consider when writing similar responses or online comments.
Thirdly, HEAL has 122 pages of police calls and complaints involving Vista. Source: http://www.heal-online.org/vistapolicecalls.pdf HEAL has also received multiple complaints about this facility from parents and former attendees. Degrading and humiliating behavior modification is ineffective and harmful. In addition, here are the top 5 reasons no child or youth, including you should ever be subjected to segregated congregate care:
a. Segregated care is unconstitutional and a civil rights violation. It is only permissible if a person is unable to survive independent of an institutional environment. For more on this, watch the HEAL Report at https://youtu.be/C4NzhZc4P0A. Or, see: http://www.ada.gov/olmstead/ which includes in part: "United States v. Florida – 1:12-cv-60460 – (S.D. Fla.) – On April 7, 2016, the United States filed an Opposition to the State of Florida's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. In the Motion, the State had asked the Court to rule, on a variety of grounds, that the United States could not recover damages for unnecessarily institutionalized children to whom the State had been deliberately indifferent."
b. Institutionalization is always dehumanizing and coercive. Institutionalization always harms the institutionalized and deprives them of protected civil rights. Dr. David Straker, Psychiatry Professor at Columbia University's School of Medicine (Ivy League) explains this in detail at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/sociology/articles/institutionalization.htm. "Many institutions, from prisons to monasteries to asylums, deliberately want to control and manage their inmates such that they conform and do not cause problems. Even in less harsh environments, many of the institutionalization methods may be found, albeit in more moderated form (although the psychological effect can be equally devastating)." (See website linked in this paragraph for more info.)
c. Institutionalization is not in the best interest of children. Institutions are not ever better for a child than living with a loving family. Source: http://www.unicef.org/cambodia/12681_23295.html
d. Reform schools, residential treatment programs, and other segregated congregate care settings have been shown to be ineffective and harmful. Best source on this currently is: https://www.acgov.org/probation/documents/EndoftheReformSchoolbyVinny.doc
e. Boarding Schools, even the "good ones", result in a form of social death, isolation, and cause both anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is clearly not in the best interest of the youth subjected to those environments. Sources: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/08/boarding-school-syndrome-joy-schaverien-review and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/11662001/The-truth-about-boarding-school-syndrome.html
So, while I personally appreciate that you feel Vista helped you, I do not respect your criticism as written here for many reasons. People who have reported abuse and questionable therapeutic practices employed by Vista are being honest and making statements that are reasonably based on the facts. It is fine if you want to tell the world Vista helped you. HEAL has no problem with that and I have no problem with that. The issue here is that you really have no business calling other people liars because you disagree with them, especially when there is ample evidence supporting their claims and concerns about Vista.
Since you did not identify yourself, one may assume you are an industry troll or staffer of Vista trying to defend your employer from justified criticism. At least Swede Larson and myself have the courage of our convictions to identify ourselves when posting and permit for reasonable investigation of our claims and positions. You do not offer readers the same level of credibility and therefore have fatally injured your own statements as a result.
I encourage you to write Vista a letter or testimonial for them to post on their site. You could then post the link here so we can see your testimony in support of the program. I would suggest you at least identify yourself by first name or first and last initials and give Vista permission to post that along with info about when you attended so that visitors to Vista's website can verify whether or not it is even possible that you ever were enrolled in the program or if anything you have to say checks out. Credible firsthand accounts, positive or negative, require individuals identify themselves and provide facts that are verifiable through independent inquiry. For example, your initials and the dates you attended would provide Swede Larson, myself, and others information from which they could cross reference and/or question others who were enrolled at Vista at the same time to see if there was anyone with the initials you provide in attendance at the time you claimed to attend. And, even if it does match someone enrolled, if we then track the only person with those initials down to verify your statements (positive or negative, here or on the Vista site)and ask if they are the person posting here and they deny it, the statement will lose any remaining vestige of legitimacy and credibility. But, if it did check out, then it would strengthen your comment and help validate your statements.
Based on my knowledge and experience, Vista is a segregated congregate care facility and holding anyone in such a facility without a court order is a violation of their due process rights regardless of whether or not they have reached the age of majority. Therefore, unless you were court ordered, I believe on the basis of false imprisonment and due process violations alone, that you were abused and your rights were violated. And, that is true for anyone enrolled in any such program without proper due process of law.
In conclusion, I find your statement to lack credibility and to be based on ignorance of the law and ignorance of proper therapeutic procedures. I find your language unnecessarily vulgar and antagonistic. And, you truly sound like a troll or someone who is suffering Stockholm Syndrome.
I wish you the best,
Angela Smith
HEAL Coordinator
You said, "GCU doesn't even offer a PhD in "Cognitive Psychology" -- Here is link for you to do just that......https://www.gcu.edu/college-of-doctoral-studies/online-phd-programs.php
Notice that there are four PhD degrees listed in Psychology, the second of which is a degree in cognitive psychology.
You have been given ample opportunity to identify yourself, but you choose not to, I am an open book and my claims are clear. I am happy to offer anyone any information they wish regarding anything I have said my email is firstname.lastname@example.com
Allow those here to "VET" the source that is so very critical of me, who are you and why should we listen to your negative rhetoric?
I cannot comment on Brain Works, I don't work there and am not involved with that program in any way. I never claimed to have a license to practice mental health, and am in fact not even remotely interested. The PhD program is in Psychology and if you'll notice from your own post that it is focused on cognition and instruction, that is cognitive psychology.
Again my book is an attempt to help parents avoid spending egregious amounts of money on programs that don't work. As many emails show, no one has to read my book to get my consultation...... I talk with may freely about what I know of the programs.
You keep talking about being a fraud and scamming people, what am I gaining from this other than helping. Or is it the $13 charge for a book I worked on that a couple of people didn't like on Amazon.com?
As for the PhD, I have the transcripts that show I have finished the program and achieved nearly perfect scores. That is why we (a large group of students) are fighting the school, they didn't confer the degree that we earned.
You also said, "I am on the side of the vulnerable people you attempt to dupe. Most people on this forum have anonymous user names anyway"-What anonymous user names did I use and where?
You continue to inject straw men to dodge the facts. While the irony of your claims to protect vulnerable people from fraud and unethical behavior – all while using fraud and unethical means yourself – is clearly lost on you, I hope this situation highlights the importance of vetting the claims of people, vendors -- and even facilities -- who offer consultation, products, or other services.
Address the facts. You defend the value of your coursework in your posts here, but elsewhere, you tell quite a different story:
Dear past Vista attendant,
I was you. I was a headstrong teenager who post-Vista thoroughly believed and constantly affirmed that Vista saved my life. Like you, I experienced extreme Stockholm like effects. You are conditioned (through tactics that research correlates to overall harm across a multitude of areas rather than any type of positive outcomes) to believe that if you ever have any negative thoughts or feelings about Vista, it is somehow your fault. The seeds of self-blame are sewn so deep that they become ingrained into who you are, or who you think you are. One day you will realize what happened to you and the effect it has had on your life, and the effects it will continue to have on your future. One day you will know that it wasn't your fault.
For years I managed to run from it mentally, I believed it helped, because I had to. I mean it would be gut-wrenching to allow yourself to understand that two years of your life (extremely precious years in regards to the span of human development, but I digress) were stolen by people who claim to be helping, yet they do the very opposite. I internalized everything, because I was made to believe that my problems and my struggles must somehow be the result of some mistake that I had made at some completely unidentifiable, yet clearly significant point. You can only run for so long before it comes crashing down on you. I am not the only one of my fellow survivors with a diagnosis of PTSD. I am not the only one who self destructed completely after Vista. I am one of the very, very few who made it out and was able to piece together my life and make something from it. Although I am successful, I still struggle, the severity of the PTSD is okay sometimes and sometimes its bad and daily life becomes very difficult.
What needs to be understood is that at its very core, Vista is a business, and that's the bottom line. To ensure the $12k monthly checks (that's per child) they need to produce results. And how do you produce results to please the wallets (I mean the parents)? You grossly misuse your education in the psychology field to devise and implement behavioral modification techniques that quickly produce the desired effect. Checketts is a con-artitst, and a genuine disgrace to the profession as a whole.
Give it some time, you will be back. And there will be people to support you.
I mean I was there a long time ago and that was not the case. They dressed up girls as prostitute and made then wear "how much" signs, made a girl push a shipping cart around to be a metaphor that she would be a homeless lady one day..etc...
So I have read a number of reviews
My experience with my daughter was outstanding
My wife and I travelled 500 miles interviewing RTC's over the course of a week. We hired consultants who made suggestions. However we felt it necessary to see all facilities available to us. To be honest it wasn't really close. Vista was the first place we visited and the other 5 were a far 2nd. We knew our daughter was ready since she just completed 100 days in the wilderness program which by the way was the best decision we made. She completed Jr and Sr year at Vista with a little less than a 4.0. She currently attends University of Utah and doing extremely well
The staff at Vista have much to do with this
Feel free to reach out to me if you need to find out more of our experience with the very painful process we went through in getting help for our daughter
Bob Linekin
For the protection of those who Swede Larson has asked to contact him personally regarding his "research," please be aware:
Swede Larson (aka DrSwede / Professor Swede Larson PhD / Dr. Harland Larson PhD / Dr. Swede Larson / Da Swede Larson / Harland Larson / Professor Swede Larson of Fortis College / Harland Larson PHD (ABT)) does not have a psychology degree of any kind and has been posing as a psychologist with a PhD, as having expertise in psychology, and as head of a research team, among other fraudulent claims, in order to sell a book on Amazon
He has been scrubbing the internet of these claims since his fraud was exposed in other internet locations, like this disability support forum where he attempts to sell his "research" (details and links):
As always, vulnerable groups should exercise caution and vet the credentials and claims of those they interact with on the internet.
Unfortunately this transcript only shows that Mr. Larson took courses in Grand Canyon University's online PhD program, not that he earned a PhD. GCU does not offer a PhD that leads to licensure as a psychologist.
This does show that Mr. Larson has been falsely claiming to have a PhD for quite some time. Check the dates on the coursework. On this forum alone -- as far back as November 2015 -- he was representing himself as a PhD with "a team of Psychologists and neural scientists:"
Mr. Larson does not appear confused about his degree elsewhere on the internet, now that he is organizing litigation against GCU for the lack of one:
(see comments posted by Da Swede Larson -- 4 months ago:)
"Fraud and Deception are occurring, the staff and faculty I worked with hugely mismanaged my dissertation journey, leaving me with huge debt, no degree, and even if I had finished the degree, it was not what they outlined at the beginning in my paperwork... meaning the degree would not have been useful in securing employment as a psychologist...[...]"
***Please use caution when interacting with people requesting information on the internet and vet sources. This is especially important in groups and forums that serve vulnerable populations.
Currently you recognize we have the most effective hack roblox rips off website around, and also you recognize that this roblox hack functions.
I have thought a lot about concerned's response and ad hominem attack on my character and credentials. I have made no secret about my fight with the University I attended. I did indeed complete the substantial school work as outlined in the admissions paper work at that school to gain a PhD. Not only did I complete the work, all of it, I also did so with nearly perfect scores.I am happy to share those credentials with anyone interested.
Now, "Concerned" calls for us to vet our sources but offers no clear indication of who this person is. To be honest, he sounds like one of the two owners of Vista, the CEO.... Matt Checketts.
None the less the truth of the matter is in fact that my credentials are not in question or even relevant here. The abusive ad hominem attack disregards my argument altogether and simple attacks my person.
Let us get to the crux of the matter, Vista and many other RTC's in Utah are breaking with human right, and what is ethically permissible. They are doing this on the ground as outlined by Angela, and sanctioned by the government in Utah. One doesn't need any degree to see what that the behavior of these social workers is uninformed and abusive. The number of comments that I have from past clients who have undergone this treatment, is telling. I have decided to move forward with the publication of those stories. This will bring to light that since Maia Szalavitz wrote "Hep at Any Cost" little to nothing has changed in the RTC's in Utah.
To the person who had the negative experience & said that the teachers weren't licensed in CA, are you speaking to the Vista rtc in Magna, Utah or the Vista program in California?
I attended Vista in the late 90's. The place was horrific. They practice "shock therapy" ,as well as, isolation. They would put kids on "RO" in which we weren't allowed to speak, embarrass us, scream in our faces for hours, and generally belittle and bully us into compliance. Please do not send your child there to be verbally abused and mentally tortured!! My mind has literally blocked out so much of what happened to me there and in the wilderness program I went too. All I remember is small flashes of what went on, which leads me to believe it was REALLY BAD there!! Like this website says, be sure you can have steady contact with your child, and be able to see th3m very frequently!!
It was more arounderstanding 12 years ago, so 2004 ish...
Thank you for your post, these are precisely the types of posts that will help protect potential future clients from garnering negative life experiences from those claiming to offer treatment for psychological hardship/infirmity.
Dr. Swede
When I was there bathroom breaks were limited to two to four minutes, this place was hell. It was literally the worst experience of my life. I finished my nine month stay there ten years ago. I am a successful well adjusted adult now and have a great relationship with my parents. So no lasting damage for me but I would definitely recommend anyone considering this as an option to make a better choice
Is this in any way related to the old "Vista" program that pre-dated the "AmeriCorps" program? Those are government youth activities that seem also to include a lot of schools, houses, etc.
They were foisted on the public as some kind of domestic "Peace Corps" but they are very shadowy programs, especially Vista. I've met some strange characters who came out of those programs.
I don't want to go off-topic, but I am curious about the name "Vista" in this context.
HEAL has received the police complaint record regarding Vista RTC in Utah. Reported calls include rape, assault, domestic violence, child neglect, and life-threatening environmental conditions. You can download the police calls now at http://www.heal-online.org/vistapolicecalls.pdf.
Can't download the police calls..
The police calls file is over 280MB in size. Are you using a phone or a computer to download? If a phone, you likely don't have enough memory to download that large of a document. You will need to download it from a computer. I'm currently downloading it from http://www.heal-online.org/vistapolicecalls.pdf right now and it is taking some time due to the size of the file. But, it does download when using a system with enough memory.
Says its no longer available or the link isn't valid.
I pulled it up just fine..... make sure you are using a computer: I bet it won't come up on a phone.
I realize this is late to the discussion, however this is the only place on the internet that I have found which deals specifically with this treatment center. To preface, I think it's important to note that I'm currently actively avoiding divulging any personal information for the fear of backlash or being sent back. I think that speaks volumes about the environment.
I have concluded through my experiences that this, like many treatment centers, is a scam. Most of the people who leave relapse, as I've observed by checking up on dozens of people through social media and finding few, few people who seemed to be doing well.
Those who were doing well seem to be motivated by the fear of going back or the fear of being sent elsewhere. I believe that "success" through threats is inappropriate and ineffective.
Please don't misunderstand - Vista is not hell. I have met people (staff and clients) I admire and care about there, and I have felt joy/felt connected in that environment. Still, I believe that the program is fundamentally ineffective.
I would like to hear people's thoughts on this (if anyone is still around this forum) who have shared/witnessed this experience and to see if my observations hold any validity. I can also go further into the hierarchy of the milieu, the imbalance of control, and examples of my own experiences. I can also share positives about the facility as well. \
Thank you for reading.
This program helped saved my son's life. He has been clean and sober for 2+ years. They are not abusive and CBT works if people embrace it. Statistics and our experince prove that!
Unfortunately this post was not written by me, but it does indeed tell a clear story; that story coincides with many that attended Vista, as well as other RTC's in Utah.
Again, we get no chance to "VET" the source of this anonymous post. Do us the favor of researching who you are please, and allow us to make a decision regarding your arguments, which incidentally regard themselves toward the individual rather than the argument being made.
I will state it again for everyone to hear, Vista Treatment center does indeed Visit many terrible and inhuman practice upon the students there. While few find help, many find disappointment, fear, demoralization, inconsistency, and even direct abuse. Those that survive these places do so despite the practices there, not because of them.
Again, as I have said several times here and else where, I offer no services to anyone online or in person as a psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker..... what I do offer is my knowledge of the program in question. I am interested in giving folks more knowledge to protect them from scams like Vista, or other types of programs that are not. My work is an attempt to arm parents with knowledge that will protect them, and their poor children, from these places and their abusive programs. I am not the first or the only person to make claim against this practice of "help at any cost" and I surely won't be the past.
It seems that the only thing you can focus on is my problems associated with the PhD program I completed.... and the abusive ad hominem attacks on my person, and the claim that I am preying on vulnerable people, though I don't know how.... I offer my claims against these programs freely to anyone that has emailed me. I have protected hundreds of poor teens that might be duped by the people at Vista!
Also that you will not allow anyone to get a sense of you, who you are, and where you come from..... you are merely a critic of my attempt to help! I do apologize that you have taken offense, I only want to protect our poor kids from experiencing the emotional hardship of encountering programs that put abuse in the guise of treatment. This was the reason I attended Grand Canyon University in the first place.
jesus ******* christ i would absolutely never put my name on here just because of the kind of verbal attacks taking place right now... "concerned" ... more like concerning. honestly it doesn't matter to me who "concerned" is or what they are claiming. it could be will smith trolling this forum and it doesn't even matter because regardless of who it is it's a good example of how the therapists and directors acted just overtly taking consequences or accusations way too far and being far too brashly stubborn to consider where to draw the line. as for me i sincerely don't give a **** about swedes credentials or anything he's "claiming" i just know that i trusted him more than 95% of the staff there most of whom just go through their shift ignoring the verbal abuse as if that's just how people normally treat each other. there was a stark superiority complex existing among most staff members and i only care that i feel like i just found someone who i can reach out to about my experience even if this post is several years old.
i would disprove of any program that uses shock and break therapy. consequently the abuse of power running this place is honestly sickening. i swear to god i would discourage any parent from sending their kid here. i do not think that under any circumstance, that these troubled children—most of whom are struggling with things like trauma and abuse and depression and shattered self-esteem— deserve the level and incessant nature of this programs blatant disrespect towards clients. i ******* cringe at the thought of these people actually making money off of this and it's good amount— especially adjusted for how cheap it is to live in utah.
so did this place get me to control my behavior? yes. was it conditioned into me by a tyrannical authority using fear tactics and cruel punishments? yes. would i ever endorse or recommend this program to someone based on my experience? hell to the ******* no. y'all got me ****ed up it's been four years since i graduating and i still have nightmares about being stuck there. i can't stop picking apart every single action i make and how i deserve the trauma i endure and if i dig deep enough why i'm responsible for my suffering. this program completely broke down my dignity and self-respect and discouraged us from speaking up about unjust practices. if you criticize the program you are punished. if you say anything negative about the programs practices on a phone call the staff will cut the line and you'd probably get dropped a level or some bs. i saw a client defend two others who he felt were being punished for prejudiced reasons and he was shamed by all the therapists in group and put on idk. you get dropped to RO if you accidentally stub your toe and a curse slips out, meanwhile the staff and therapists can cuss at you and say whatever cruel and degrading thing they want to us and everyone witnessing is scared to say anything because they'll get torn apart even harder. and strange how it seems like the staff members who question or oppose the tyranny end up mysteriously without employment.
still i think the power hunger pulsing through this place is disturbingly predictable. take the idea of the stanford prison experiment, turn the prison guards into psychologists and replace the prisoners with misbehavioral teenagers. i don't know what else people would expect in all honestly they are making thousands of dollars per day by simply treating clients like they are a case file with endless psychoanalytic possibility while constantly disregarding their feelings as irrational, what would stop them? they did not treat us like people and i would genuinely question the ones who say they would treat their own kids like this. it scares me that places like this exist and can have such disregard for an individuals needs. not sure how you can get a psychology degree and then just ignore things like the basic humanistic principles of maslows heirarchy. i did not feel safe physically and DEFINITELY not safe emotionally as the majority of these experiences were simply dehumanizing and lots of practices made me feel worse about myself than i could have even imagined before this kind of environment. there was no sense of trust with therapists who possessed a very offensive tact. how would this elicit any form of healing? i don't want to think about this place anymore but the memories and associated feelings are frequent and intrusive and the actual cognitive and affective changes that resulted in me from this environment stem from fear and feeling perpetually powerless and defenseless and stripped of my right to think my own thoughts. i strongly disagree with vistas practices and i believe it's not a healthy place for anyone to be. i'm not sure how to have any impact on regulations regarding programs like this. i just want their nasty ass facility shut down. not that this post needs anything more just thought i'd sp
I would love to hear your thoughts, if I have not already!!!! firstname.lastname@example.com I promise to keep your information anonymous, and to make sure that the public see's what you have to say along side the hundreds of others I have spoken with over the last few years!
Don't let "concerned" bully your thoughts, those thoughts may save the life of someone who would have attended Vista, before they heard what you had to say!
Now you will get anagram solver online and solve the word game ..
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Hi, my name is Paloma, and I am a survivor of Vista RTC located in Magna Utah. I am writing this now as a 23 year old, married with a child, and expecting another one next month. The life I lead today is uncomplicated, but that was not always the case. I was a "troubled teen" and had started drugs- my parents sent me to wilderness and Vista RTC as a way for me to get help. Only help is not what I got. The moment I was forcibly put on a plane by a company called "Crisis Interventions", my life was changed forever. Here I am all these years later , just so ****ed up over what happened to me. There's so much that went on I can't even begin to tell it all today but I will outline some of the abuse I endured.
- I was not allowed to speak for weeks and weeks at a time. This is a punishment called RO (also known as re orientation) where you are not allowed to speak with any of the other kids. If you get caught talking to the other kids, they will also be put on RO. Being a young teenager and not being able to speak for weeks on end would drive me crazy. It was the worst thing they could do- take away your voice. I fought for a long time , tried to engage in small acts of defiance, but after not being allowed to speak for about 3 months I gave up and submitted. You should see my journals and how ****ed up they are. I literally prayed for anyone to come save me but no one did.
- if you try and leave they will strip you down, put you in bright pink scrubs and put you on something called "10 foot" it means you have to be 10 feet away from all the other kids at all times, no speaking and no eye contact. If you are caught looking at a 10 foot you will be dropped to RO. You can speak with your fingers only (1 I believe is bathroom , 2 is emergency, and I forgot what 3 is) oh and a staff member has to be within arms length of you at all times, to watch you ****, shower , dress, everything- for weeks , sometimes even months. My mind blanks out about some parts of vista. Another punishment they use is isolation rooms. I never recall being put into isolation but weirdly enough I have letters from staff reminiscing about how when I tried to leave and was put in the isolation rooms. It was in my graduation letter where this was mentioned- as if this would have been a fond memory or something. I remember the staff member made a joke like "all the fun times we had while you were in isolation" but honestly so much happened that I tried to block out I'm honestly not surprised.
- the way they abuse you the most is with therapy. They make you have 2 hour groups every day. These are INTENSE groups where they force you to feel sad or ashamed about things you don't feel sad/ashamed about. They make you recount your sexual traumas even if you aren't ready. They literally force you to cry about situations you aren't sad about. If your not "beleiveable" enough , they have the group rip you to shreds and say they "aren't connecting". If people "aren't connecting" then you can't go up levels which extends your stay. I tried fighting and being my authentic self for a while until I realized I would literally never go home unless I played their game. You literally have to go into group and give an Oscar award winning performance, tears , snot the whole nine- about something you literally don't even feel that way about. I would be "crying" reliving all these sexual traumas that happened to me that I really felt different emotions about , but be forced to only be sad and cry. I would literally be so focused on whether I was believed or not that I got nothing out of the "therapy" whatsoever , except for more trauma.
They train the group of girls to be like a pack of dogs, constantly berating the newer people and constantly telling other girls they "aren't connecting" in group. This is called "holding others accountable" and it gives you extra brownie points and is necessary if you ever want to walk out that door. The girls will snitch on you for the most minute things just so they can get moved to the next level. I remember after FINALLY making it to a higher level, being dropped to RO because a girl snitched on me for sharing a spoon with my friend. We were eating a banana (separate ones) and using a spoon to put peanut butter on said banana. I was dropped to RO and not allowed to speak for weeks because of that. I'm guessing that because they were super Mormon that they think sharing utensils is like lesbianism or something- I really don't know. They had a ton of these rules and everything we did was regulated down to the minutes we could shower.
They made us feel ashamed and terrible about ourselves at all time.
I was not allowed to see my parents for months at a time.
All out phone called were monitored and if we started asking for help they would hang up. (Like we literally had someone next to us while we got our phone call there to listen and hang up if you


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Firefighters battled scores of wildfires raging across southeast Australia on Tuesday as authorities evacuated national parks and warned that blistering temperatures and high winds had led to "catastrophic" conditions in some areas.
No deaths had been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find around 100 residents who have been missing since a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying around 90 homes. On Tuesday, police said no bodies were found during preliminary checks of the ruined houses.
"We are shaping up for one of the worst fire danger days on record," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. "You don't get conditions worse than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option."
Catastrophic threat level is the most severe rating applicable.
Wildfires have razed 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday. In New South Wales, the country's most populous state, the fires had burned through more than 26,000 hectares (64,000 acres) of land.
More than 130 fires were blazing across New South Wales, though only a few dozen houses were under threat by early evening. One fire was threatening about 30 homes near the small town of Cooma, south of the capital of Canberra. Cooma-Monaro shire mayor Dean Lynch told Australia's Sky News some residents had evacuated to the nearby town of Nimmitabel.
Strong winds were hampering efforts to bring the fires under control. Wind gusts more than 100 kilometers an hour (62 miles per hour) were recorded in some parts of the state.
All state forests and national parks were closed as a precaution and total fire bans were in place with temperatures surpassing 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas.
One volunteer firefighter suffered severe burns to his hands and face while fighting a grass fire near Gundaroo village, about 220 kilometers (138 miles) southwest of Sydney, on Monday. He was flown to a hospital in Sydney for treatment.
Fitzsimmons , the fire commissioner, said the firefighter's condition had improved on Tuesday, and he should be released from the hospital in the next few days.
Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria state killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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A desperate Trill tries to steal the Dax symbiont.
- "Station log, stardate 47182.1. DS9 has been temporarily evacuated due to a violent plasma disruption. Until the disturbance ends, we'll be forced to maintain the station with a skeleton crew."
At a time when Deep Space 9 is all but empty, an unjoined Trill named Verad and his crew (a pair of Klingon mercenaries T'Kar, Yeto and former prostitute Mareel) overpower the crew of the station. The Trill, Verad, applied to be "joined" and was rejected; now he wants the Dax symbiont. Forcing Odo into a container and taking the rest of the crew hostage, he forces Bashir to transfer the symbiont into his body, which will kill Jadzia within hours.
Bashir has Yeto act as a nurse as he tries to save Jadzia's life. Meanwhile, Sisko tries to coax his old friend (Verad now has the memories of both Jadzia and Curzon Dax) into setting things right, but he realizes Verad intends to let Jadzia die. Verad's lover begins to realize how much Verad has changed since the symbiont was transferred and he became Verad Dax, and begins to think the transfer may have been a bad idea. However, she continues to remain loyal to him.
Quark, who is responsible for Verad and his crew boarding the station, pretends to be injured so Bashir can knock one of the Klingons out. He then cracks the lock on the container Odo is in. Once Verad realizes what has happened, he heads for his ship and takes Kira as a hostage.
By the time Verad reaches his ship, Odo has released the docking clamps, leaving him stranded. Kira and Odo overpower T'Kar who is holding her but in the confusion Verad slips away, heading for a runabout. In the mean time his lover has realized that the man she loves truly is gone and has decided to help Sisko. Sisko meets Verad at the airlock to the runabout and the two have a stand off. Believing that Sisko will not shoot his old friend, Verad begins to walk away, but Sisko shoots him, declaring, "Don't call me Benjamin." The Dax symbiont is transferred back to Jadzia, while Verad is clearly shaken up about losing Dax. As he lies in the infirmary in shock and sorrow, he is comforted by Mareel.
Memorable quotes
"He couldn't find a cup of water if you dropped him in a lake but, even if he is an idiot, he's still my brother."
- - Quark
"I've struck the sails and battened the hatches, so to speak."
- - Bashir
"The Empire is governed by doddering fools and frightened old women who aren't worthy of the name "Klingon.""
- - T'Kar
"It's such a pleasure doing business with Klingons."
- - Quark
"Either you help me, or you and your friends will die."
- - Verad to Bashir
"Thank you, Doctor. I feel better already."
- - Quark, after Bashir sedates Yeto
"It's a gift."
- - Quark, after unlocking Odo's container
"She let herself be slaughtered like a mindless t'gla. If she wanted to live, she should have fought back."
- - Yeto, to Bashir
"Don't call me Benjamin."
- - Sisko, to Verad
Background information
Story and script
- Robert Hewitt Wolfe says that this show was created because the producers wanted to convey to the audience the idea that not every single Trill was joined, that it was actually extremely difficult to get a symbiont. This, in turn, offered a commentary on the Jadzia character insofar as she was someone who did become joined. [1]. The third season episode "Equilibrium" expands on the highly selective and exclusive process of joining. It is explained that if the widespread compatibility of most Trill with symbionts was known, violent attempts at joining such as Verad's would be far more common.
- The symbiont seen in this episode is significantly different from that seen in TNG: "The Host". As makeup supervisor Michael Westmore explains, the original design was based upon a caterpillar with an octopus' head, but for its second appearance in DS9 (the first was in the pilot "Emissary"), the design was "streamlined." (Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season Two, DS9 Season 2 DVD, Special Features)
- On the scene featuring the Trill symbiont, David Livingston commented, "We didn't want it to look cheesy. It was always a problem showing it. It's that whole idea of Alien; you don't really want to see it too much because the audience is either going to be repulsed by it or say it's too hokey. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages)
- During filming, Tim Russ accidentally punched Patricia Tallman (who was doubling Nana Visitor) in the face during a fight sequence. Tallman noted that "everyone on the set freaked out, but I said, 'No, don't stop! That was really good - it looked very authentic!' So we finished the fight there and then." (Star Trek Monthly issue 52)
- Ira Steven Behr commented "Glover was great, but so was Megan Gallagher. I thought she was just wonderful. It was one of my favorite shows of the season. I love the stuff with Verad becoming Dax and the scene with him and Sisko where he's suddenly his friend. It was very interesting material and well played. Les Landau did a wonderful job with that show". (The Deep Space Log Book: A Second Season Companion, p 21)
- Robert Hewitt Wolfe commented "I'm really pleased with ["Invasive Procedures"]. John Glover as Verad turned in a tour de force performance. Avery, as usual, was great. Les Landau gave it excellent direction. It was neat to do this kind of film noir study of our characters. It was especially good for Bashir, who shows he's not only a competent doctor, but he's tough, too. He stands up to the Klingon, then, later. The episode showed a part of Bashir that we hadn't seen before". ("Robert Hewitt Wolfe - writer/story editor", The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine Vol. 5, p. 62-63)
- Michael Piller commented "I've been extremely pleased with the growth of Terry's performance. I thought she was very touching in this episode, and the ensemble really worked together very well. John Glover was terrific. We basically took our cue from shows like The Petrified Forest and Key Largo." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages)
- This is one of Terry Farrell's favorite episodes because she believes it is very important in terms of differentiating between the host (Jadzia) and the symbiont (Dax); "I approached the scenes in the Infirmary with the idea that Jadzia is scared, that she feels helpless. She cares very deeply for everyone on the station and is afraid for them. That's why she's willing to say 'Fine, I'll give my life for everybody, and you can have Dax.' But that had been while the strength of Dax was inside of her, telling her that everything was going to be okay. Once the worm is gone, she's only twenty-eight years old, and it's like, 'Wait, I haven't lived that much life yet'." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
- When asked after leaving Star Trek: Deep Space Nine who her favorite guest was, Terry Farrell commented "John Glover, absolutely. He was Verad in "Invasive Procedures", the guy who stole my Dax symbiont. He's such a great actor and I was so psyched that he did our show. He said somewhere that he liked working with me, and I was so excited and flattered to hear that". ("Farrell's Fate", Star Trek Monthly, issue 43)
- Armin Shimerman dislikes this episode because he feels that Quark commits an unforgivable crime yet receives no punishment. According to Shimerman "I worry when Quark doesn't get punished for really sizable crimes. It makes the character less important since his acts trigger no consequences, and it makes Odo look a little foolish, in that he's the law keeper and he can't get this little troll punished." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
- Megan Gallagher commented that "Invasive Procedures" had "a good back story. I loved working with John Glover. The whole cast was great. Nana (Visitor) and I had a cool fight scene to do. She has a theater background and I have a theater background. I'd studied stage fighting and combat and all of that. So that was fun, going into your tool box and using something you paid a lot of money to learn how to do". [2]
- This is the second episode in a row after "The Siege" wherein most of the crew is evacuated from the station, while Quark is left behind and Rom receives passage.
- Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) does not appear in this episode.
- Tim Russ makes his second Star Trek appearance in this episode. The first was in TNG's "Starship Mine". His next appearance outside Star Trek: Voyager was as a Lieutenant aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek Generations. He returned to DS9 to play the mirror version of Tuvok in "Through the Looking Glass", the following year.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 12, 5 April 1994.
- As part of the DS9 Season 2 DVD collection.
Links and references
Main cast
- Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Sisko
- Rene Auberjonois as Constable Odo
- Siddig El Fadil as Doctor Julian Bashir
- Terry Farrell as Lieutenant Jadzia Dax
- Colm Meaney as Chief Miles O'Brien
- Armin Shimerman as Quark
- Nana Visitor as Major Kira Nerys
Guest stars
- John Glover as Verad
- Megan Gallagher as Mareel
- Tim Russ as T'Kar
- Steven Rankin as Yeto
Uncredited stunt doubles
- George Colucci as stunt double for Armin Shimerman
- Irving E. Lewis as stunt double for Tim Russ
- Patricia Tallman as stunt double for Nana Visitor
- Spice Williams-Crosby as stunt double for Megan Gallagher
- Unknown stunt performer as stunt double for Colm Meaney
Andorian redbat; auricular lobe; Bajoran wormhole; Bolarus IX; Cardassians; Cliffs of Bole; contusion; Dax symbiont; Dax, Curzon; Dax, Tobin; Dax, Verad; Delgorian locking mechanism; delta-wave inducer; docking ring; Ekina; endorphin; Federation; Ferengi; Gamma Quadrant; Kela; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Kustanovich; latinum; Livingston, USS; malleus; Orinoco, USS; Pelios Station; Promenade; Quark's; runabout; runabout pad; security grid; Senarian egg broth, skeleton crew; spitting; Treaty of Alliance
External links
- "Invasive Procedures" at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- "Invasive Procedures" at Wikipedia
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Robert Bulterman never counted on PACE to save his business. The 46-year-old electrician and solar technician, like a lot of green-collar workers, had admittedly held high hopes that the Property Assessed Clean Energy Program would infuse the overcrowded sustainable-energy industry with a slew of much-needed jobs. But to count on it doing so, he says, would have been "just plain stupid." As it turns out, Bulterman's skepticism was well-founded.
"When I heard PACE got put on hold, I just thought, 'I knew it,'" he says from the driver's seat of his white Chevy Cheyenne utility truck en route to one of the few solar jobs he was able to land in the ruthless Central Coast solar market. "When it takes off—if it takes off—I think it could quadruple my business, and there would be enough to go around. But I'm not going to assume that'll happen."
"PACE" is a general term used for a host of different alternative-energy financing schemes that evolved from a program pioneered in Berkeley in 2008 and which are now being replicated in 22 states nationwide. Indeed, the programs are so promising that the Obama administration has committed $150 million in stimulus money to help them get off the ground.
Under a PACE program, a homeowner who wants to buy green technology like solar panels but can't qualify for a bank loan for the $15,000 to $30,000 needed for a typical system can receive funding from a local municipality. The homeowner then pays back the money, with interest, over a 20-plus-year time frame through property taxes. The plan, which attaches a tax lien on the property itself instead of loan debt on the individual, seemed the perfect way to get everyone—regardless of home equity or credit—on the path toward green energy use.
In Sonoma County, like the 13 other counties in California that were looking to participate, the program had been approved by local leaders and was just about to start accepting applications when word came down in early July that the effort would be put on indefinite hold. On July 27, Sonoma County sued to protect the right to operate its program.
The reason for the hang-up was that government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with their regulatory body, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), backed out of supporting the program over concerns that the tax liens would take precedence over the mortgage loans in the event of foreclosure—in short, that a homeowner who defaulted on a home loan would technically have to pay off his PACE lien before paying off his mortgage. The result? Freaked-out lenders. The companies have since vowed not to grant any loans for properties that participate in PACE.
"PACE loans are unlike routine tax assessments and pose unusual and difficult risk-management challenges for lenders, servicers and mortgage securities investors," reads a statement released July 6 by the FHFA. "[These] programs present significant safety and soundness concerns that must be addressed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks."
Because Fannie and Freddie collectively own or guarantee roughly half of all U.S. mortgages, their participation was crucial to the programs' success. Since the dust-up, gubernatorial candidate and California Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed suit—in addition to the county of Sonoma —against the mortgage corporations and the FHFA, with Brown saying that "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac received enormous federal bailouts, but now they're throwing up impermeable barriers to bank lending that creates jobs, stimulates the economy and boosts clean energy."
The heart of the legal argument that now awaits lies in whether the PACE tax liens are legally considered loans, as Fannie and Freddie contend, or assessments, as Brown and the various participating counties insist they are.
"These programs involve assessments, not loans, and there are decades of law that define assessments," says Liz Yager, program manager for the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP), the only program in California to keep running despite the threats from Fannie, Freddie and FHFA. "Every time someone calls it a 'loan' it's misleading."
There is a love-hate relationship between green technology installers and local PACE programs. On one hand, the promise of government cash and tax rebates for buying expensive retrofits like solar panels has been key in bringing in business for workers like Bulterman, and PACE would no doubt have been the biggest draw yet.
On the other hand, however, that same potential gravy train has also brought an influx of prospecting workers—some strictly solar-specialized, others from a host of trades like roofers, carpenters, electricians and general contractors—that has overcrowded the local green job market, and, as one installer says, made it "cutthroat beyond belief." As word of PACE spread, installers and wholesalers fought the impression that it would be a "silver bullet" for customers who have been content to wait to go solar until the sweetest deal comes along.
"People are always waiting for the next big deal for solar, even though a lot of them could get good loans by just going to the bank. Plus, they wouldn't have to pay the 7, 8 or 9 percent interest that [PACE] programs quote," says Peter Putt of Suns Up Solar, based in Santa Cruz. "There are so many players in the solar market that just because there's another avenue for financing doesn't mean the little guys are going to all of a sudden be making a bunch of money."
Even in Sonoma County, where the PACE program is still running, the number of solar jobs available is less than the myriad workers on hand to do them. Yager says, however, that despite the rocky start, support for the plan remains strong, and that Sonoma County is happy to stand up to big mortgage companies that are looking to ruin the party.
"Our board of supervisors decided to keep the lights on and stand up for SCEIP," she says. "There is a huge grassroots movement around this. We're confident there will be a resolution."
In the meantime, Bulterman says he'll keep competing with the 10 to 15 other solar installers who bid on the same jobs he does, and that he'll "take whatever work I can get." Back in his truck, the electrician takes a phone call from a fellow installer whom he hires whenever he needs the extra help.
"Hey, Robin. Yeah, things are slow. You know how it is," he says. "If I manage to get some more work somehow, though, I'll have some for you."
Turning toward me, he continues: "There you go. That's one more guy that could be working if PACE went through."


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ALBANY, N.Y. - New York lawmakers have agreed on the first and toughest gun control laws in the nation.
The landmark legislation is a crackdown on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and includes measures to keep the mentally ill from guns. The bipartisan effort was fueled by the Newton, Conn., tragedy that took the lives of 20 first graders and six educators.
Bronx Democrat Sen. Jeffrey Klein says "This is not about taking anyone's rights away. It's about a safe society."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made gun control a centerpiece to his progressive agenda in his State of the State address last week.
The measure passed the state Senate 43-18 late Monday and the Assembly plans to take the issue up on Tuesday. It is expected to pass easily.


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Brow Perfector
As low as $33.00
In stock
Formulated with 100% natural plant extracts and bamboo stem-derived fibres to tint and volumise the brows while providing lasting nourishment. ... Read more
Key IngredientsView all
Our ingredients promise
We guarantee our products are free of the following ingredients
- No petrochemicals, synthetic substances or mineral oils
- No ingredients of animal origin
- No talc or bismuth oxychloride
- No parabens (Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben,Isobutylparaben and Propylparaben)
- No harmful fillers
- No genetically modified ingredients
- No fragrances or colour components of non -organic or synthetic origin
- No anti -microbial agents produced from non -organic sources
- No chelating agents based on EDTA and its salts
- No fatty chain source material of petrochemical origin
- No sulphonation, ethoxylation or propoxylation
- No alkyl sulphates (eg. sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium coco sulphate,ammonium lauryl sulphate)
- No alkyl ether sulphates (eg. sodium laureth sulphate, ammonium laureth sulphate)
- No polyethylene glycol (PEGS)
- No polysorbates (eg. polysorbate 20)
- No ethanolamides (eg. cocamide DEA, cocamide MEA)
- No chemically synthesized sunscreens
- No potentially harmful preservatives such as parabens and sodium benzoate
- No gluten or lactose
We ensure all of the cosmetics and personal care products made by our company will meet the standards and deadlines set by the European Union Directive 76/768/EEC to be free of chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.
Write your own review


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Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
Finalist Los Angeles Times Book Prize & the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Named one of the Best Books of 2006 by the New York Times Book Review, NPR's Fresh Air, Washington Post, Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, & American Heritage Magazine
To purchase the book or find out more about how to purchase it, click on the book cover to the left.
"Applegate…rescues Beecher from popular obscurity in this illuminating and thorough book….For readers seeking the roots of the popular religion and popular culture of our own time, Applegate's resurrection of … Beecher is an excellent place to begin."—John Meacham, Washington Post
"Applegate…tells this grand story with aplomb, intelligence and a sure feel for historical context….By illuminating Beecher's position in history, Applegate has produced a biography worthy of its subject."— Michael Kazin, New York Times Book Review
"A wonderful portrait of a charismatic preacher with a deeply flawed private life, this biography vividly conveys the color and contradictions of 19th century America. With a sure grasp of history, penetrating insights into religion, and many marvelous turns of phrase, Applegate brings to life a time that uncannily prefigures our own."
"At last, Henry Ward Beecher receives the comprehensive treatment he is due, in this perceptive, engaging and balanced study."
"Henry Ward Beecher was a phenomenon: the scion of an amazing family, the most renowned American preacher of his day, an anti-slavery stalwart—and the main protagonist in one of the most sensational sex scandals of the Victorian era. If you thought that the personalities and machinations surrounding the Clinton impeachment scandal were interesting, you will find the Beecher exposé riveting. More important, Debby Applegate has vividly brought Beecher and his entire era to life, in all of their piety, idealism, pomposity, and pride."
"The title is not misleading. Thoroughly researched, passionately written, and richly detailed, this book is the biography of America's greatest nineteenth-century preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. Through Applegate's discerning eye, the moral strengths and sexual vulnerabilities of the 'most famous man in America' come clearly into view. In the process, Applegate tells the larger story of nineteenth-century America's religious transition from a Puritan and theocratic past to a 'modern' liberal orthodoxy premised on happiness, love, and the banishment of original sin. Applegate's biography is must reading for serious nonfiction readers of American religion, politics, and culture in Victorian America."
– Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University, author of Upon the Altar of the Nation: A Moral History of the Civil War


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I totally agree. It feels like they were rushing to end the movie or something. She starts bleeding... he figures out her intentions, and then BAM, "get out of here!!! LEAVE ME!!!" I also understand his reasoning, but the method sucked.ganmo wrote:i am ok with the death scene because it was in the game too, so no point to change it. what i'm not ok with is how it was performed, the way Xiaoyao constantly told Ling'er to rest was very cold hearted i think. He could've given Ling'er a reason why she should instead for constantly say 'Go Ling'er, go I don't need you anymore!' (sorry it was the way i felt Xiaoyao really meant when i watched the ending).Maybe it is the actor, or maybe the storywrite lacked emotion when he/she wrote the lines.
I think the most touching scene of the ending, was actually between Ah Nu and Tang Yu. There was A LOT more emotion in their sequence.
All in all though, a FANTASTIC series.


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New 'Facebook Terms and Policies Hub' Answers Your Policy Questions
Facebook, infamous for its changing policies and confusion among users about what they're getting themselves into when they use the world's largest social network, has finally aggregated all its terms and policies under the same roof.
That roof — Facebook.com/policies — contains, in the words of Facebook, "Everything you need to know, all in one place." The Facebook Terms and Policies Hub, as it's called, is clear and easy to navigate, with headlined links and sub-headlines. However, all of these links actually lead to a lot of information.
Clicking on the three big links — Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Data Use Policy and Community Standards — leads you to details about privacy, account security and how your information is shared. It also links to information about Facebook's position on just about everything controversial on the Internet, and by extension, on Facebook. Violence, bullying, hate speech, nudity and intellectual property are just a few of the issues on which Facebook has a firm stance.
The policies portal also has links regarding ads and sponsored stories, credits, pages, platform payment terms, promotions and branding resources.
A spokesperson for Facebook released the following statement regarding the new hub:
"This week, we began rolling out the Facebook Terms and Policies Hub, a central resource for all of our policies. Our hope is that this new resource will make our policies more transparent and accessible for the people who use Facebook by offering easy access to answers to specific policy questions ranging from platform to ads to content."
With the range of policy questions aggregated under the Facebook policies hub, it's a reminder of just how expansive the world's largest social network is — and how important it is for users to keep up with Facebook as it continues to expand. Facebook privacy has always been a contentious issue among users, but the inclusion of topics like sponsored stories and page information under the same "policies" roof emphasizes something important: There are many different sides of Facebook. It's not just a social network — it's a business.
Are you satisfied with Facebook's new terms and policies hub? Sound off in the comments.


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Montel Williams: He's Back!
Hey, empathetic bald man Montel Williams is "getting his own national radio show through a multi-year deal with Air America Radio," which is kinda like Maury Povich getting a "national" column in Steppin Out.
Ha, joking, Air America! We're just saying it's maybe not the biggest thing Montel has ever done...
For 17 years, Williams was host and executive producer of The Montel Williams Show, one of the longest running daytime Talk shows in TV. He is currently launching a multimedia business based on his "Living Well with Montel" brand. He's also published eight best-selling books.
Bonus benefit: there is once again at least one black person working in the media. That was quick! USA! [Mediaweek]


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J.P. Morgan Staring at Record $11 Billion Settlement
J.P. Morgan Chase is in discussions to settle probes related to mortgage-backed securities for $11 billion. WSJ's Devlin Barrett says the amount being discussed would include $7 billion cash and $4 billion in relief to consumers.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... justice is in talks for what could be the single largest one company settlement they ever struck ... a a potential deal with J P Morgan Chase and company ... for as much as eleven billion dollars ... although we're told is the negotiations the discussions are so fluid ... at the numbers could change drastically ... as they continue to talk ... what's happened has been a pretty intense forty eight hours of discussions ... one when JPMorgan offered three billion dollars were told to try and resolve ... one of the investigations of its ... residential mortgage backed securities this is the stuff that led to the ... crisis the financial crisis ... in two thousandseven in a ... and the Attorney General ... Eric holder were told rejected that figure ... and it's what you seen since is essentially forty eight hours of intensifying discussions ... with huge sums of money ... eleven billion dollar number that that we're hearing now ... would consist of about seven billion in various sorts of fines and penalties and four billion in what's been described as ... some sort of relief program for consumers ... not really clear how that would work and I don't know that there's even gotten to the mechanics of that ... and what they're talking about would represent ... the largest kind of settlement ... I like this that that just Partners overreached ... by day we were told ... that it is also fall apart these are essentially conversations ... the numbers are huge issues are very complex and it all fall apart ... if it does fall apart we expect the just are to file a lawsuit against J P Morgan very soon ... and they're going to try to resolve this were told by next week ... but it's still very unclear and a lot could change between now and tomorrow we're now and next Monday ...


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Rangers cling to 8th place after win over Florida
Recommended Video:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Rick Nash had a goal and assist in the first period, and Ryan Callahan had a pair of assists as the New York Rangers hung on to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Derick Brassard and Nash both scored power-play goals, with help from Callahan in the first, and Mats Zuccarello found the net for the second straight game to give the playoff-hopeful Rangers their sixth win in nine games (6-2-1).
Zuccarello scored in the second period and then added his second of the night with 4:49 left in the game when he tipped the puck in after Brad Richards raced it up ice and fed in front. Brassard made it 5-1 just 1:24 later with his second of the game, with an assist from Nash, and Richards pushed the lead to five goals with 1:24 remaining.
New York had a lackluster 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday that allowed Winnipeg to get even in points in the tight Eastern race. The Rangers (22-17-4) have five games left.
Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves for his 20th win of the season. Even in this lockout-shortened, 48-game season, Lundqvist reached 20 wins for the eighth straight time.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the second period for Florida (13-24-6), which has an NHL-low 32 points. Scott Clemmensen stopped 24 shots, but the Panthers lost their fourth in a row and for the fifth time in six games.
The Rangers found their offense by taking advantage of the NHL's worst penalty-killing unit in the first period. New York had been 0-for-14 with the advantage in its previous four games, but connected on its first two tries to grab an early 2-0 lead.
Brassard got it started at 3:05 after Callahan had a shot blocked by Clemmensen. Nash got the puck behind the net and found Brassard in front with a pass, leading to a goal from the doorstep. It was Brassard's ninth goal of the season and second in eight games since he came to the Rangers on the day of the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nash, a former Blue Jackets star now in his first season with New York, netted his 18th goal at 9:10 with a blistering wrist shot from the right circle off the rush after Callahan passed the puck across to him during another power play.
It is the fourth time this season the Rangers scored more than one goal on their power play that came in ranked 20th in the NHL and produced only 20 goals in the previous 42 games.
On the flip side, the Panthers came in having killed only 73.5 of their short-handed situations this season. Florida improved in the second period, turning aside both New York advantages.
However, with the teams at even strength, Zuccarello pushed the Rangers' lead to 3-1 at 16:34 with a backhanded shot from right in front after Ryan Clowe skated back and forth behind the net before getting the puck to him.
Huberdeau had gotten the Panthers within 2-1 with 4:43 left in the first when he used a brilliant skating move to get around Zuccarello in the Rangers end and beat Lundqvist with a shot for his 14th of the season.
NOTES: The Rangers were without C Brian Boyle, who injured his right leg on Tuesday. He is expected to miss games at Buffalo on Saturday and home against New Jersey on Sunday, too. ... Callahan, who played in his 400th NHL game, received the team's Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award for the fourth time in five years. He and Adam Graves (five) are the only four-time winners. ... The Rangers agreed to terms with undrafted free agent forward Michael Kantor. ... Florida recalled D Alex Petrovic from San Antonio of the AHL and he made his NHL debut. ... The Panthers have used 37 players this season. ... The Rangers are 24-6-3 in their last 33 games against Southeast Division opponents, including an 9-3-1 this season. ... New York has earned at least one point in 89 consecutive games when leading after the second period, dating to the 2009-10 season. The Rangers are 83-0-6 in that span, including 13-0 this season


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Difference between revisions of "Simulation of Urban MObility - Wiki"
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* [[FAQ]] - frequently asked questions
* [[FAQ]] - frequently asked questions
* [[Tutorials]] - first steps in Sumo
* [[Tutorials]] - first steps in Sumo
* [[Glossary]] - Sumo terms and abbreviations explained
* [[Glossary]] - Sumo terms and abbreviations explained
Revision as of 13:31, 21 October 2008
Welcome to SUMOWiki
This Wiki contains information about the Sumo (Simulation for Urban MObility) simulation framework. "Simulation of Urban MObility" (SUMO) is an open source, highly portable, microscopic road traffic simulation package designed to handle large road networks. It is mainly developed by employees of the Institute of Transportation Systems at the German Aerospace Center.
Here you can get answers to frequently asked questions or follow Tutorials. Furthermore this Wiki serves as communication platform for the Sumo developers and last but not least as a project reference concerning projects and publications in connection with Sumo.
The content of this Wiki is freely editable according to the wiki style. That means, whenever You find a solution to a problem mentioned on the mailing lists, feel free to add an article to this Wiki or an entry to the frequently asked questions. Here is a short help on editing articles.
Please do not ask questions inside the Wiki. Use the mailing lists for that purpose. If you want to report a bug, please use the Sourceforge BugTracker.
SUMO was started as an open source project in year 2000. The idea was to support the traffic research community with a common platform to test and compare models of vehicle behaviour, traffic light optimisation, routing etc.
The package contains the following applications:
- command-line simulation (SUMO)
- simulation with a graphical user interface (GUI); Screenshots
- network builder/converter (NETCONVERT)
- network builder/generator (NETGEN)
- OD-matrix to trip definitions converter (OD2TRIPS)
- a router using a dynamic user assignement approach (DUAROUTER)
- a router using junction ratio descriptions (JTRROUTER)
- a router using induction loop measures (DFROUTER)
- a polygon importer (POLYCONVERT)
The car movement model is a microscopic, space-continuous and time-discrete car-following model developed by Stefan Krauß (see Krauss1998_1, Krauss1998_2). The traffic assignment is made using the DUA-approach by Christian Gawron (see Gawron1998_1).
SUMO is licensed under the GPL.
From the begin on the following design principles were followed: the software has to be as portable and as fast as possible. The first is reached by usage of the standard C++ - functions only, the second by using Krauß' fast car-following model for the computation of vehicle movements.
Other limitations such as the memory usage are not considered that much, although a simulation of large areas shall be possible on normal desktop computers.
Release 0.9.10 (latest stable), from 16.09.2008:
- Precompiled, runnable binaries for MS Windows: sumo-winbin-0.9.10.zip, ~6.6MB
- Source code tar-ball: sumo-src-0.9.10.tar.gz, ~3.8MB
Other packages can be obtained from the Downloads section.
- FAQ - frequently asked questions
- InstallBinary - How to use the binary Windows distribution
- Tutorials - first steps in Sumo
- Glossary - Sumo terms and abbreviations explained
- ChangeLog - information about the changes between subsequent releases
- DataDefinitions - more documentation about data formats (in work)
- AdditionalTools - some additional applications that ease the work
- FreeNetworks - some information about sources of networks and how to parse them
- Additional Documentation
- Persian SUMO tutorial on version 0.9.8; thanks to Omid Mohajerani
- Persian tutorial on "Vehicular Adhoc Network Simulation With NS2, SUMO And MOVE"; thanks to Omid Mohajerani
- Contact - how to get in touch with other sumo users and developers
- DeveloperDocumentation - additional documentation for developers (building, modules, etc.)
Project reference
- Projects - this contains references to all projects using Sumo, if you start a new one, please add a line (and possibly a link) there
- Publications - a list of publications either referring to Sumo or referred by Sumo (e.g. in the user documentation), if you publish something please add a link
- Links - related projects and other pages of interest
- Diplom- und Studienarbeiten - proposals for diploma and other theses (in German)
Related to C2C
- TraCI: A Framework for Coupling Road Traffic and Network Simulators
- TraceExporter - Transforms SUMO-netstate dumps into ns2-trace files (home: http://www.auto-nomos.de)
- TraNS - Traffic and Network Simulation environment for design, implementation and realistic evaluation of VANET applications. It is based on TraCI (home: http://trans.epfl.ch)
- RapidGenerationOfRealisticSimulationForVANET - Connection between SUMO and ns2 (home: http://lens1.csie.ncku.edu.tw/MOVE/index.htm)
- Veins - Connection between SUMO and OMNeT++ (home: http://www7.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/veins/)
Related to online calibration
- iTranSIM - extension of SUMO by online-calibration using induction loop data by Tino Morenz
Related to other topics
- eWorld - an application that allows to convert and enrich roads networks; interaction is done via the TraCI-protocol (home: http://eworld.sourceforge.net/)


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The Great Whales map illustrates the migration and range of the six species of great whales including the Fin, Humpback, Sperm, Gray, Bowhead, and Right. Published in December 1976 with two articles on whales and the Whales of the World poster, this map contains information about how commercial whaling has decimated the populations of these magnificent mammals and the actions being taken to protect them.
Coverage Area: World


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Airbus A350 is Wednesday's star at Paris Air Show
LE BOURGET, France (AP) - Airbus raked in orders Wednesday for its new A350, announcing 59 sales of the wide-body jet that flew for the first time last week.
Singapore Airlines ordered 30 A350-900s, with an option to buy another 20 of the 900s or the larger 1000 model. The airline had already ordered 20 of the A350.
Air France-KLM also put in an order for 25 A350 jets, saying the plane will be central to its plan to expand long-haul flights after years of struggling against discount carriers in Europe.
Airbus also announced that SriLankan Airlines, the country's national carrier, would buy four A350s and six slightly smaller A330 jets.
Wednesday's announcements at the Paris Air Show represent a vote of confidence in the A350, which Airbus is hoping will help it catch up to Boeing's popular 787 and 777 in the lucrative field of long-haul wide-body jets. The A350, which typically seats 314 passengers, has a list price of $287.7 million; the A330, which doesn't fly as far as the A350, has a list price of $239.4 million.
The A350 makes extensive use of lightweight carbon fiber, at a time when fuel costs are a major concern. Potential customers at the air show haven't been able to see the plane at Le Bourget - the plane is not yet cleared for flight there. First deliveries of the plane are expected in mid-2014.
The SriLankan Airlines' deal is worth around $2.8 billion at list prices, while Singapore Airline's firm order is worth $8.6 billion at list prices.
The Air France deal is worth around $7.2 billion at list prices but customers can negotiate steep discounts. It's a major investment for the airline, which has posted operating losses over the past couple of years.
The purchase fits in with Air France-KLMs hope to shift away from the cutthroat short-haul market. "This year is a pivotal year for their recovery plan," said Robin Byde, an analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.
Discount carriers, who have successfully competed in both the United States and Europe against more established airlines, also made their mark at the air show.
Boeing on Wednesday finalized an order for 175 of its popular short-haul 737s with Irish low-cost airline Ryanair. The purchase would be valued at $15.6 billion at list prices, but Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has said he's getting a steep discount - although less than the 53 percent markdown on a prior order.
Boeing also announced orders for a total of 33 of its new generation 737-MAX 8 jets, extending the popularity of the fuel-efficient aircraft. The 737-MAX 8 planes have a list price of $100.5 million.
Aircraft leasing company CIT Aerospace, which placed an order for 30 on Wednesday, is responsible for a fleet of 350 aircraft, including 128 Boeing jets, according to the company. Travel Service, an airline based in Eastern Europe, ordered three.
Smaller jet purchases have made up the bulk of the orders this year as airlines renew their fleets or expand into new markets, notably in Asia and Latin America.
The 737 carries between 150 and 200 passengers and is Boeing's most popular model. First deliveries of the MAX are expected in 2017.


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Call for volunteer ICT position
Offers of a volunteer/part-time internship position in Farafina Institute e.V.
Farafina Institute was founded as an NGO in 2012 by a group of African and European scholars, to conduct opinion polls, focus group discussions, research, and implement projects mainly in and on Africa. As a research institute, the main programme areas we work in include governance and Africa leadership, environment and energy, education and health, development cooperation, justice and human rights, agriculture and food security, economy and finance, and regional integration and migration. We also do consultancy work in these programme areas. For more information on the Institute, please visit our website, www.farafina-institute.org.
Call for volunteer ICT position Farafina Institute seeks an assistant for its ICT Department.
The Assistant for ICT will be expected to assist and report directly to the Director for ICT of the Institute. He or she will carry out mainly technical maintenance duties of the Institute's website, and assist in creating data bases of the Institute. Other tasks may also be assigned to him or her by the Director for ICT and other members of the Board of Directors of the institute. The Assistant for ICT will be required to communicate and consult on regular basis, by whichever means practicable, with the Director for ICT and other members of the Institute where necessary. However, he or she will be free to work from home.
- Knowledge of Joomla! 2.x as administrator
- Practical experience with the Internet (World Wide Web, Social networks, online communication) as end-user
- Basic knowledge of relational database design and SQL-language.
The candidate will acquire knowledge and experience in:
- Internet content management
- Online-Marketing
- Database design.
He or she would be awarded a certificate of volunteer engagement or internship, at the end of the service.
Please note that when accepted, the Assistant will NOT earn a wage nor monthly salary, except if the Institute conducts or implements projects, then he or she may be paid allowances according to the amount of money available to the Institute.
Application process
Application is open up until it is filled.