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US: Pentagon Spends Billions to Outsource Torture
In addition to Joshua Holland's article below, five other progressive media outlets have produced articles on war profiteering in Iraq in conjunction with Robert Greenwald's documentary, Iraq for Sale. Make sure to check out these articles, and AlterNet's compendium of recent stories on the war profiteers.
The thousands of mercenary security contractors employed in the Bush administration's "War on Terror" are billed to American taxpayers, but they've handed Osama Bin Laden his greatest victories -- public relations coups that have transformed him from just another face in a crowd of radical clerics to a hero of millions in the global South (posters of Bin Laden have been spotted in largely Catholic Latin America during protests against George W. Bush).
The internet hums with viral videos of British contractors opening fire on civilian vehicles in Iraq as part of a bloody game, stories about CIA contractors killing prisoners in Afghanistan, veterans of Apartheid-era South African and Latin American death squads discovered among contractors' staffs and notoriously shady Russian arms dealers working for occupation authorities. One Special Forces operator told Amnesty International that some contractors are in it just because they "really want to kill somebody and they can do it easier there ... [not] everybody is like that, but a dangerously high element."
While most experts believe that Al Qaeda no longer has the ability to mount the kind of sophisticated attacks that brought it so much notoriety in the first place, its media operations are stronger than ever. From their caves -- or wherever they are holed up -- Bin Laden and his henchmen claim that the "War on Terror" is just a thin cover for a U.S.-led war on Islam. Rightly or wrongly, these incidents prove his point to millions of people around the world.
Osama Bin Laden's greatest victories in the crucial media war have been the series of prisoner abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay, Bagram airbase in Afghanistan and a number of detention centers across Iraq, the most infamous of which is Saddam Hussein's former torture complex at Abu Ghraib.
According to a report by Corpwatch, what ties these facilities together are the abundance of private contractors involved in their operations. The Taguba Report (PDF) named four private contractors in the Abu Ghraib scandal. Steven Stephanowicz, an investigator for CACI, a multinational with extensive government contracts (92 percent of which are in defense), encouraged MPs under his command to terrorize inmates, and "clearly knew his instructions equated to physical abuse."
Another interrogator at Abu Ghraib was John Israel, who, according to the Taguba Report, didn't even have a security clearance, and should never have been hired for an operation as sensitive as prisoner interrogation in the first place. It's not clear whether Israel worked for CACI or a competitor, Titan Corp. (a target of numerous federal investigations for its work in Iraq and elsewhere), but Titan denies it ever provided interrogators to Abu Ghraib. Another un-named private contractor at Abu Ghraib allegedly raped a teenage boy in his custody.
According to Amnesty, half of the interrogators at Abu Ghraib were private contractors -- about 30 in all. Torin Nelson was a military intelligence officer at Gitmo before becoming a CACI interrogator at Abu Ghraib. After the scandal broke, Nelson resigned and charged the military with scapegoating a handful of low-level soldiers -- the only people who have been brought to trial for the abuses -- to "divert attention away from ingrained problems in the military detention and interrogation system." He said: "The problem with outsourcing intelligence work is the limit of oversight and control by the military administrators over the independent contractors."
CACI's contract to provide interrogators for Abu Ghraib stunningly didn't require the personnel to have had any training whatsoever in military interrogation techniques. According to a report by the Army inspector general, 11 of the 31 CACI interrogators had no training in what most experts agree is one of the most difficult and sensitive areas of intelligence gathering. CACI has become a major player in the private intelligence business in recent years, but its core competence is in information technology, not the incredibly delicate process of prisoner interrogation. They filled the contract like any other order -- with warm bodies that could be listed on an invoice.
"It's insanity," former CIA agent Robert Baer told The Guardian. "These are rank amateurs, and there is no legally binding law on these guys as far as I could tell. Why did they let them in the prison?"
Abu Ghraib was a perfect storm, destined to result in torture and murder. The Department of Justice was redefining torture to be "equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure," 90 percent of U.S. troops believed they were in Iraq for "retaliation for Saddam's role in 9/11" and, according to the Army, brigade leaders "failed to supervise or provide direct oversight, to properly discipline their soldiers ... and to provide continued mission-specific training." The results were those all-too-familiar images of grinning soldiers posed next to brutalized corpses on ice, stacks of naked prisoners, hooded prisoners in "stress positions" trussed in electrical cords and all the rest. The only winners -- beside Al Qaeda recruiters -- were CACI's shareholders -- its invoices were duly processed.
Amnesty notes that contractors "neither fall under the Military Code of Justice, nor are they answerable to Iraqi law, having been specifically excluded under a decree issued by Paul Bremer, the head of the U.S.-run administration in Iraq." Theoretically, a recent law, the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, could be used to prosecute contractors, but the administration has not tried it out yet. According to the Legal Times, it's "narrowly crafted and ... may not cover some of the abuses -- and abusers -- involved in the torture of Iraqi detainees at U.S.-run prisons." It doesn't cover intelligence contractors working for the CIA.
That may be the whole point; critics have argued that one reason the United States has employed so many contractors to handle prisoners is to shield members of the military high command and their civilian leadership from culpability for war crimes or other violations of international and domestic laws.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky said that you can tell what a nation is like by the way it treats its prisoners, and by that measure the United States has not exactly been a beacon of light for the world. But what does the fact that we outsource these crimes to big, faceless transnational corporations say about us?
CACI, for California Analysis Center, Inc. (also known as Colonels and Captains), is among the top 10 information providers in the Fortune 500. The company was founded in 1962 as a computer-engineering firm, and later moved into network management for federal, state, and local governments. The company claims that, since Abu Ghraib, it no longer is in the interrogation business, but it remains a major intelligence contractor. Corporate spying has become a booming business -- it's estimated that half of the $46 billion classified intelligence budget is handled by the private sector, including everything from intelligence analysis to managing spy satellites.
To understanding how a company that started out as a dull computer business ended up implicated in torture scandals, one has to go back to the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1983, then-White House budget director David Stockman -- a dedicated supply-sider best known for his recommendation that the Department of Education reclassify ketchup as a vegetable -- issued a directive calling on government to rely only on "commercial sources to supply the products and services the government needs." Two years later, the military created the Logistics Civilian Augmentation Program, LOGCAP, to transfer its logistics functions to the private sector. But the military was slow to implement it in a significant way at first.
Following the Cold War, a convergence of ideological imperatives broke the military's resistance. With the decline of the Soviet Union, there was little reason to continue military spending at the same clip as the United States had done during the previous four decades. However, Ronald Reagan had largely rehabilitated American militarism after it had taken a public hit during Vietnam, and after the Soviets' fall, Washington's strategic class was intoxicated with American hard power.
At the same time, both parties had embraced -- to varying degrees -- a pronounced antipathy towards government, another piece of the Reagan legacy (these were the years following Walter Mondale's crushing defeat at Reagan's hands that gave rise to the Democratic Leadership Council). The goals of downsizing the military, maintaining U.S. firepower and privatizing many of its functions led to military "modernization" -- much of which meant outsourcing to the private sector.
That task, under the first George Bush, fell to then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who fought a tough battle against the military leadership to eliminate billions of dollars in pet defense projects. Cheney hired Kellogg Brown & Root -- a subsidiary of Halliburton -- to write a classified report detailing how private companies could help support the military in hot spots around the world. Not long after, the Pentagon awarded the first comprehensive five-year LOGCAP contract to none other than Kellogg Brown & Root
The 1992 election brought two of the founding members of the DLC to the White House, and the privatization of defense functions accelerated at a dizzying rate.
Al Gore was tasked with "reinventing government," and he took to it with gusto, attacking a federal government that he called "bloated, inefficient and wasteful." He headed Clinton's National Performance Review (NPR), which was charged with instituting "revolutionary" changes in the way government works and identifying jobs that the government "should simply stop doing."
Writing in the New York Times, Dan Baum explained that Cheney, who became CEO of Halliburton in 1995, got a huge lift under Clinton:
A lot of Halliburton's business depends on foreign customers getting loans from U.S. banks, which are in turn guaranteed by the government's trade-promoting Export-Import Bank. In the five years before Cheney took the helm, the Ex-Im Bank guaranteed $100 million in loans so foreign customers could buy Halliburton's services; during Cheney's five years as C.E.O., that figure jumped to $1.5 billion.
The intelligence community was a laggard, for obvious reasons. But following the attacks of Sept. 11, lawmakers were itching to pour tens of billions of new dollars into intelligence and didn't have the personnel to do it. Firms like CACI were simply at the right place at the right time. They had well-established revolving doors to the defense and intelligence communities -- the hawkish former undersecretary of state Richard Armitage once sat on CACI's board, and Barbara A McNamara, former deputy director of the NSA, continues to do so -- and they hired thousands of former intelligence officials at premium prices to fill a host of new contracts.
John Gannon, a former CIA deputy director for intelligence and now head of BAE Systems' Global Analysis Group, told journalist Sebastian Abbot that an intelligence contractor "is going to look at a government requirement, and it's going to go and find people wherever it can and get the greatest number of people at the lowest price and maximizing the profit to the business to do it." "When I was in government hiring people," he continued, "I was looking for the best possible people I could get ... [but] that is not what the private sector does." Gannon warned that these companies "are not looking to be right or looking to ensure that they are getting access to the best information and expertise; they are looking to please a customer at the lowest common denominator." It's as clear a case of ideology and cronyism trumping common sense as one could find.
- 24 Intelligence
- 176 War Profiteers Site
- 201 Executive Compensation


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What Are You Drinking, Brian Strumke?
Checking in with drinks industry folks—booze-writers, distillers, brewers, bartenders, and winemakers—about what drinks they're excited about now.
We love Brian Strumke's effervescent and herbal Stillwater Stateside Saison. Having recently heard the news about upcoming canned beers as well as the latest in his music-inspired beer series (a black saison inspired by Small Black's "Breathless"), we checked in with Brian about how he got into beer, his brewing idols, and what's coming up next for Stillwater Artisanal Ales.
What are you drinking these days?
I really been into crisp & dry, lower ABV beers as of late, such as pilsners and low abv saisons. They are a great summer choice for their refreshing character and drinkability.
How did you get into the beer business?
After retiring from a career in electronic music back in 2004, I borrowed a homebrew kit from a friend, as I was bored and yearned to create something. After brewing my first batch, I decided that if I was going to commit all this time and energy to produce something, then it should be something completely new and unique.
So I started experimenting with different ingredients and techniques to craft beers to my own personal liking. Years later, in 2009 I was introduced to a man named Brian Ewing who had just started a import company specializing in small batch European craft beers (Twelve Percent Imports). He was very excited about the beers I was making at home and suggested I make a professional go at it and offered his assistance. So I then pulled from my experience in the music industry to create an unconventional business model. There was not enough money to build a brewhouse so I hunted around for breweries with excess capacity and rented out the time and space to produce the Stillwater Artisanal line of beers, much like I did with recording studios. So in 2010 we released the first batch of Stateside Saison. The first year we were awarded as one of the best new brewers in the world for 2011 and have maintained ranking in the top 100 since then.
Who are your beer idols? What are the breweries you really respect?
I respect any brewer that is passionate and sticks to their own vision...as far as beer idols? I would say that on a large scale people like Jim Koch really made a huge impact on the global beer scene, bringing a craft element of beer to the broad masses of consumption. Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head also forged the path for more experimental brewing which also assisted in opening the minds of consumers. Then of course there are people like Armand Debelder of Drie Fonteinen, who exudes passion in a way that shames most proclaimed 'artisans'.
What upcoming Stillwater projects are you excited about?
One of the more exciting projects for me is the launch of a line of Stillwater cans starting this August with 'Classique'. Dubbed as a 'Postmodern Beer', it's a deconstruction of the classic American light lager, brewed post-prohibition style with adjuncts such as corn and rice and heavily hopped with old school American hops like Cluster and Northern Brewer and fermented with the Stillwater magic. It's an incredibly crisp and refreshing beer that I believe will be embraced by the headiest of beer geeks and my grandfather.
What do you see in the beer scene that you're excited about these days? Where do you see craft beer going?
I am excited to see craft beer become more prevalent in the marketplace but also fear for its explosive growth. While rising popularity brings out the passionate, it also becomes a breeding ground for opportunists looking to capitalize on a current trend. We will see a lot of great products find their way to the market they will also be surrounded by lackluster counterparts.
With that said, what excites me most is the rise of the average consumer's palate for quality beer. I think the rise of the entire artisan and craft culture (food, beverage, clothing, etc.) has helped pave the way for that, and once people understand quality it's hard to revert back. I really hope to see more production of elegant beers and less excitement focused on the over the top 'extreme' beers.
What do you drink when you're not drinking beer? I am also quite a wine fan.. other then that its cold brewed iced coffee, water, and fresh fruit juices.
So many drinks, so little time. Keep in the loop with our weekly newsletter.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Thousands of minions are mourning Thursday at the news that Colonel Meow, an Internet-famous feline who recently landed a spot in the Guinness World Records, is no longer swigging scotch and plotting his world domination.
"Colonel Meow passed away yesterday evening. I will post more about the details when I've had a few days to grieve. Thank you so much for your understanding, Minions. Your love and support has meant the world to us both," his owner wrote on Facebook Thursday.
Police Dog Discovers $1.3M in Cocaine
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The Colonel – a rescue cat thought to be between 2 and 3 years old – became an Internet star last year after his owners, Anne Marie Avey and Eric Rosario, began posting photos of him online with his now-famous long hair and eerily human scowl.
Last fall, news that the Colonel's heart wasn't "doing the greatest" drew get-well wishes from supporters worldwide. His fans – lovingly called "minions" – raised more than $21,000 to pay for his medical bills (any money left over would be donated to emergency pet care, his owners said).
On Thursday, condolences poured into the Facebook page dedicated to the curmudgeonly cat, which boasts more than 347,000 fans.
"May he dominate the afterlife and submit all there to his will ..." Leela Cosgrove wrote.
A few months before the Colonel became sick, the Guinness World Records revealed some news that could bring a smile even to Colonel Meow's smug mug.
With hair as long as 9 inches, the Himalayan-Persian cross-breed landed a spot in the record book as "cat with the longest fur." He will be featured in the Guinness World Records 2014 book, according to the Guinness website.


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BlackBerry Z10 Smartphone Already Going for $1,500 on eBay
The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone won't be out for weeks, but you can already get your hands on it via eBay for about $1,500.
BlackBerry — the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) — announced the new smartphone at an event earlier this week and handed out samples to guests and members of the press in attendance. It didn't take long for the Z10, which could potentially turn around the struggling company, to pop up on eBay.
One page notes "this particular device was given to all attendees of the Jan. 30, 2013 product launch."
BlackBerry didn't tell attendees what they can or can't do with the device, which comes unlocked, according to the listing, and without a SIM card.
Four units are currently being sold on eBay, with bids starting at $800 and rising quickly. The auction for the one going for $1,500, which has eight bids so far, will end this afternoon.
Images by Mashable and via eBay, eBay


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http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/6/71637 ... ne-android
The move comes just days after Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with Dropbox to integrate the cloud storage service into Office across desktop, mobile, and the web.
You can now download Office for iPad and store all your documents on Dropbox without paying Microsoft anything at all.
Microsoft is also releasing a brand new iPhone app today, alongside a preview of Office for Android tablets, all with Dropbox integration.


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Financial fraud brings to mind names like Bernie Madoff, Raj Rajaratnam and Allen Stanford, to name a few.
They are now doing time in prison for their respective crimes. Bernie Madoffis serving a 150-year sentence for his $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Rajaratnam,found guilty of insider trading charges, was sentenced to 11 years behind bars. Stanfordreceived a 110-year sentence for his $7 billion scam.
However, these notorious cases are far from the only ones involving financial crimes. From money managers who faked their own deaths, to an investment fraud that netted millions, the scams can be just as outrageous as the more infamous cases.
Here we take a look at some of those eye-popping cases. While not every one of these Wall Street jailbirds had offices in downtown Manhattan, they all dealt in the financial world.
Click ahead to see those who have traded in their pinstripes for prison stripes.
Correction: A slide concerning Ross Mandell was removed from this presentation as he has been convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison, but is appealing and is not yet required to report to prison.
By Michelle FoxPosted 20 June 2012


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
Having been through multiple installations, different BIOS versions, nvidia driver versions, and having crossed my fingers a few too many times, I've finally had a breakthrough on the issue of getting past AVWizard.Problem I was having was as follows: AVWizard gives blank screen regardless of selected output connection (1,Q,2,M,3,4,5) and resolution (6,7,8,9,0)I went through AVWizard blind and took a look at Xorg.0.log. It was reporting "no requested modes" and reverting to "nvidia-auto-detect" 1024x768, and my display was having none of it. Even though AVWizard set the correct "1920x1080" modeline in the monitor section of xorg.conf, X server wasn't trying to use it apparently. Issue was solved by adding the following to the Screen Section:Subsection "Device"Modes "1920x1080"EndSubSection
<Q> (for HDMI)<0> (1080p)<enter><enter><right arrow> (for accept resolution, continue)<enter><down> (for UI2 no alpha)<enter><enter><enter> (for analog out)wait 3 seconds...<right> x 16 (sound 100%)<enter><enter>
Subsection "Device" Modes "1920x1080" #this might be different for you, but it should match the modeline name in the monitor sectionEndSubSection
I can understand your steps but can you be more specific about going "shh in" and modifying xorg.conf file? (exactly How?)i mean from step 2 onwards.thanks you
nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf


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Rapier Beginner's Course starting
The next course of classes, for those wishing to learn Rapier (Fencing) the SCA way, will commence on Tuesday, 16 October 2012, from 7:30 pm. This will be held at Petersham Town Hall, 107 Crystal Street, Petersham NSW AU [map].
All are welcome to attend. Those participating will be required to sign-in and non-members of the SCA will need to pay $5.00 (to comply with our public liability insurance requirements).
For more information, please contact our Captain of Rapier.


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Ebionite Christians had an early copy of the Gospel of Matthew; they did not have the two first chapters (including the virgin birth), which were added by later Christians. They strongly believed that all the Old Testament Jewish Laws had to be obeyed; including the Sabbath and circumcision for all males. As such, they considered St Paul to be the archenemy of Christianity as he taught that people did not have to obey the Law in order to be saved. Pauline Christians eradicated the Ebionites, burnt all their books (none survived), and wrote volumes and volumes against them.
"If we were to guess which group was the more austere, holy and godly, we would have to guess it was the Ebionites rather than the Pauline Christians who slaughtered, slandered and oppressed them. Unfortunately the victors get to write history, and it is Pauline Christianity that became the legacy of the Roman Empire. After the fourth century, the Ebionites were vanquished."


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Summer Bright and Justin Bieber used to know each other...
Just Best Friends.29743414
- by evelyncollard1
- Rating:
- Published: 21 Feb 2014
- Updated: 4 Nov 2014
- Status: In Progress
Mia Davis and Justin Bieber have been best friends since they can both remember. But Justin has always secretly liked Mia, but Mia is madly inlove with Isaac Dunn who hates Justin. When Mia tells Justin he starts to get jealous very quickly...
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
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Hello, Angie:I followed your directions, and was unable to get anything other than a ding souhnd. Are you sure your directions are correct?
Alicia -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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Arbitration can be key to ensuring fair, timely dismissals
NEA's Van Roekel: "Our membership has never tolerated teacher misconduct."
WASHINGTON - January 20, 2011 -
The American Federation of Teachers recently commissioned expert litigator Kenneth R. Feinberg to propose a plan to expedite the dismissal cases of teachers charged with inappropriate, discriminatory and criminal misconduct. The following statement can be attributed to National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel:
"NEA's goal is to ensure that every student in America has access to a great public school—and that means having great teachers in our classrooms. Our membership has never tolerated teacher misconduct, and our local associations work closely with administrators and school systems to ensure that teachers who don't belong in the classroom are removed.
"This week, our colleagues at the American Federation of Teachers released a proposal to make the teacher dismissal process more fair and efficient. This proposal, developed by a litigation expert, is similar to practices that NEA affiliates have already negotiated and put into place. Since 2003, for example, Clark County, Nevada, has operated under a joint agreement that has reduced the average time for a dismissal proceeding by 75 percent. A similar solution that would replace administrative hearings with binding arbitration under tight timelines has been proposed by the New Jersey Education Association.
"We share AFT's desire to keep effective teachers in the classroom, and agree that arbitration is often the best solution to remove poor teachers from the classroom, while also ensuring fairness and due process. The AFT proposal is a step in the right direction. We look forward to greater collaboration on this issue, because when we get it right, everyone is better off—especially our students."
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional organization, representing
3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
CONTACT: Laila Hirschfeld (202) 822-7823, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Online Payment System: QuikPAY
QuikPAY allows users to make an online payment by Visa or MasterCard through the Student Information System in myTyler.
To make an online payment users must:
- Login to myTyler
- Select VCCS: Student Information System
- Select Campus Personal Information> User Preferences>JTCC from Self Service menu
- Select Student Center from Self Service menu
- Select Go to QuikPAY
- Users will be directed to a new window for QuikPAY*
*Please note: Internet Explorer is the recommended browser to access QuikPAY. You may also have to disable pop-up blockers on your computer.
Learn more about the QuikPAY system.
Learn more from our tutorial on how to make an online payment.


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Hello Friends. We have shared below all Pixwords Scenes Level 33 Answers. If something is wrong and you are having a struggle in solving the remaining levels please leave a comment below and we will reach you with the best solution to your problem.
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Dartmouth farm helps animals with special needs
By Deborah Allard,The Herald News
The alpacas, with their funny Muppet faces and curly coiffed bangs, were inquisitive when the new people walked up to meet them, our news partners at the Herald News reported.
A pony ran over, head bobbing.
Two goats trotted near, like dogs with big horns, to have a sniff and a stare.
Todd, the goose, stayed where he was with the ponies and other animals.
"He doesn't like the ducks and chickens," said Deborah Devlin, who owns Don't Forget Us Pet Us, a 14-acre farm that is home to all manner of animals that have been neglected or have some form of special needs.
Devlin runs the place with her friend, Jill Tigano. They are both mothers who enjoy raising their young children — they each have two — with the animals.
It all started in 2010, when they took in two goats, Stevie and Eli, who needed a better home. From there, well, no one knows what really happened.
"As we went along, the animals found us," Tigano said. "We started getting calls."
The two women care for a pig, Lulu, who was stepped on by her mother at birth and failed to thrive. Lulu is now 4 years old, and her weight is anyone's guess.
"She does a trick," Devlin said. "Watch."
Devlin let Lulu sniff a peppermint, and then instructed the pig to sit. Lulu quickly did as she was told and soon got her treat and a pat on the head.
A cow, called Baby, is blind, but she smelled the peppermint and came right over to Devlin.
"I'm sorry, I'll get you later," Devlin told Baby.
A pony, called Cowboy, came to the farm after suffering an eye laceration that was allowed to fester by a previous owner.
Devlin and Tigano raised money to have the eye removed. Today, Cowboy barely notices that he's lost half his vision and is friendly and well-mannered.
Jeremy, the donkey, suffered pneumonia. The women bought him at auction and gave him breathing treatments.
"We have a huge love for animals," Devlin said.
The love they share for all things furred or feathered has translated into an educational, mobile petting zoo. The women give pony parties and take the animals to different venues. In January, they visited the people of Newtown, Conn., after the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy to offer the children a day without fear. They are also beginning to get involved in pet therapy.
"We're just looking for a way to give back," Devlin said.
Devlin and Tigano run the farm with their own money, costing them $1,200 to $1,500 per month in food alone.
Devlin, who lives on the property, is up at 4 a.m. each day to care for the animals.
"I look forward to it," Devlin said. "This is my therapy, my quiet time."
That's followed by waking the kids and getting them ready for school, taking them to school, and then going to work.
Both women have full-time jobs.
The kids help out with cleaning and other farm chores like "picking up the poop."
"It teaches them responsibility," Devlin said.
Running about the farm are other animals, like chickens, ducks and, of course, barn cats. They were rescued, too.
"It's something I can't help," Devlin said. "When I'm aware of something in need, I need to step in and help. I won't sleep until I do something about it."


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Brad Pickett probably never would admit to being worried, but the statute of limitations on his nickname was probably creeping up behind him.
But then came a fight against Yves Jabouin in September in front of his home fans in England, and everyone was reminded why the bantamweight Brit goes by "One Punch."
After some early trading, Pickett (22-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) landed an uppercut that had Jabouin (16-8 MMA, 3-2 UFC) finished. The shots on the ground were merely academic.
It was Pickett's first knockout in a little more than four years, and his first under the Zuffa banner. It also earned him a "Knockout of the Night" bonus from one of his biggest fans, UFC President Dana White.
"It really was a great, great feeling," Pickett told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I've always known I hit hard, because I've dropped people in a lot of fights. But sometimes they manage to recover quickly, or I hit them hard in the head, but not in the chin. But because people don't stand with me as much, I end up getting in a wrestling match. So it was nice to be able to finish him with a single punch."
Pickett's celebration afterward was equally memorable. It meant a lot to win in England – he hadn't had his hand raised in his home country since before signing with the WEC in 2009. But especially key was the way he finished.
"You saw my little 'Gangham Style' afterward," he said. "But then, when it sunk in, I was so pumped. I was like, 'Hell yeah!' It meant a lot to have that sort of finish."
Getting two straight one-punch knockouts may be a tall order, though, and Pickett knows it.
On Saturday, he takes on former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland (19-8-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the final preliminary-card fight at UFC 155, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Their fight closes out the FX broadcast to lead into the pay-per-view, which begins at 10 p.m. ET. The Pickett-Wineland fight will begin at roughly 9:30 p.m. ET.
Pickett snapped Jabouin's three-fight win streak in September. But just like him, Wineland is coming off an impressive one-punch knockout. In June, he stopped Scott Jorgensen at UFC on FX 3 in Florida. And he did it not far from where Pickett trains at American Top Team – almost like it was some kind of a warning shot that they soon would meet, potentially with a lot at stake.
Wineland has been finished just once in the past eight years, a submission loss to Rani Yahya at WEC 40. And he's never been knocked out. His lone TKO loss was from an in-fight injury.
"He hasn't been finished in a while, but that doesn't make a difference," Pickett said. "I like to think I'm hard to put away, but Renan Barao put me away. Before that, I can't remember the last time I was put away. Sometimes, Lady Luck's on your side, and sometimes that's just the way the fight goes. We're both going to be trying to (put each other away) from the start.
"It'll lead to an exciting fight, and if it ends in a knockout, great, and if it ends in 15 minutes, you'll know it's been an exciting 15 minutes."
Pickett believes that despite both fighters being known as standouts in the standup game, their philosophies are different. And that could make a finish for either of them a tall order.
"I like to describe my sort of style as controlled chaos," Pickett said. "I like coming forward, I'm aggressive, I like throwing hard. He's more of a counter-puncher and he's very aggressive once he's got you hurt. I know what I want to do, and I know what he wants to do. I want to come forward and hit him. He wants me to come forward, miss him and then hit me. But it doesn't mean he's not going to try to take me down, or I'm not going to try to take him down."
If the fight does hit the floor, Pickett has the strength of 10 career submission victories on his side. Half of Wineland's eight losses over a pro career of nearly 10 years have come by submission.
But Pickett isn't about to overanalyze Wineland trying to predict how Saturday's fight will go.
"At the end of the day, my style is about implementing my game plan and me doing my thing," he said. "That's what I like to concentrate on a lot more. If you concentrate too much on what they're going to do, you wind up in a fight letting them do what they're going to do and you let them get a foothold."
If Pickett can implement his game plan and leave Las Vegas with a victory, it would give him three straight since a loss in his UFC debut to Barao. And it just might set up a rematch with the Brazilian interim champ, should he get past Michael McDonald in their title fight in February – which happens to be in Pickett's home city of London at UFC on FUEL TV 7.
Pickett believes whoever has his hand raised Saturday night has the inside track to a fight with the interim champ (titleholder Dominick Cruz will remain sidelined for a good portion of 2013).
"I don't like to look beyond an opponent, but I think him or me winning this fight, we're next in line, to be honest," Pickett said. "If he beats me, then he's beat two guys in the Top 10 and he's right up there. If I beat him, that means I've won three in a row with a win over a guy in the Top 10, so that puts me there."
For more on UFC 155, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.


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Dr. Debra Gibson (von Mandl) , D.TCM
This site provides education on treatment and preventative health using Chinese Medicine techniques.
Dr. Debra Gibson (von Mandl), Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, maintains a general practice in Vancouver specializing in pain control, gynecology, addiction control and immune and allergy disorders with an emphasis on preventative health care. She is certified in JMT, NMT, NAET, NADA, NET, CRA, KHT, Neurolink and Cranio-sacral Therapy techniques.
Practiced Techniques
Including: acupuncture, acupressure, applied kinesiology, CRA, Neurolink, NAET, NMT, NET, Korean Hand Therapy, Chinese Herbal therapy, and Homeopathy.
My philosophy
I believe in individual patient care to assess and determine the root cause of each patient's representative illness, and assist in eradicating this origin. Treatment could consist of any one or a combination of the therapies I am trained in, or you may also be referred to another health practitioner if that is what is needed to treat the root cause.
Distinguishing between a true diagnosis and a syndrome is important. A true diagnosis is where the cause of the illness has been found. A positive blood sample can confirm a streptococcus infection. This is a true diagnosis. A syndrome has no clear origin, but rather is a category that a patient falls into. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an example, where the bowel has shown irritation, but the cause is undetermined.
Constitutional cup theory
I believe that a variety of causes have led to each patient's current condition. These causes could include allergens, unresolved pathogenic infections, inability of the body to breakdown, absorb and utilize nutrients, insufficient elimination of wastes, nutrition deficiency, hormonal imbalances and emotional stress, all which add up to a body experiencing dis-ease. Traditional Chinese medicine diagnostics and principles coupled with energetic medicine or other complementary techniques are very effective methods in treating patients who have unresolved health problems.
Please contact the office to make an appointment for a private consultation and treatment.
Contact information
Dr. Debra Gibson (von Mandl), D.TCM
Suite 104 - 3077 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Animals of the Zoo: American bison WITH VIDEO
Species: American bison (Bison bison)
Sex: The Detroit Zoo is home to three bison: one bull and two cows.
Type: Mammal.
Home: Prairies of North America.
Diet: Herbivore. Favorite foods include grasses, herbs, shrubs and twigs. Members of the bovid family, bison regurgitate their food, chewing it as cud to aid digestion.
Average life span in the wild: 12-20 years.
Height: Up to six feet at the shoulder.
Weight: Up to 2,200 pounds. Bison are the heaviest land mammals in North America.
Birth: A single calf is born after a gestation period of 270-280 days. The calf is fully mature in three years. Cows and bulls usually live in separate groups and only come together in herds during the summer mating season.
Now you know: Bison, which can run up to 40 mph, have sharp, curved horns that can grow to two feet. ìThe horns are basically used for protection,î said Bob Lessnau, curator of mammals at the Detroit Zoo. ìAdults will form circles to protect calves against wolf packs. The horns are also used for jousting between males during the rutting season. The dominant males will form harem herds and have their own females.î Jousting contests are rarely dangerous.
Winterized: The bison is well suited for cold weather. Its coat is dark brown with long shaggy fur on the shoulders, neck, and front legs, especially in the winter. The bison sheds most of its fur in the summer. Hair on the forehead is thick and curly, almost black, which continues down the chin, forming a beard.
Predators: Wolves.
Protection status: Vulnerable. Millions of bison (often mistakenly called buffaloes) once roamed the North American prairies, and were an important asset for Native American tribes. In the 19th century, white settlers nearly hunted the species into extinction. They killed the bison for food, sport, and to deprive Native Americans. The bison reportedly dwindled to a few hundred before it became a protected species.
Detroit Zoo information: 248-541-5717, www.detroitzoo.org.
-- Joe Ballor, Journal Register News


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We do 3D Virtual Tours for Businesses, Real Estate & Property Management and New Builds. 360° photos are what get you on the map (the google map). We also can provide still photos and video.
Kauai Chamber of CommerceOffice Location: 4268H Rice Street Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii 96766 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1969 Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii 96766Phone: (808) 245-7363 | Fax: (808) 245-8815Email
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved.site by ChamberMaster
Click Here To View Mobile Site


text: What do you think the easiest 'real' game is to code? About how many lines of code also? And, as a computer is to system requirements, what, person is to skills needed, skills does a person need to do it. Like, ex.: you must know these things: pointers, functions, polymorphism, function overloading... blah blah. What skills must you have to do this game?


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Boys' Socks
- Category
- Price: Low to High
- Price: High to Low
- New Arrival
- Top Rated
Size & Fit
Socks are sort of a must–have. That's why we make lots of basic boys' socks for all his many plans—and all his many shoes. We've got black dress socks to wear with his mini wing tips, tall sport socks that look great with his favorite sneaks and classic white crew socks that go with just about everything else. Just buy a few pairs of each, and he's pretty much covered. (Our seven–pack of days–of–the–week socks are another great way to stock up fast.) Of course, some kids want to liven it up a little—right down to their ankles—so we've got some slightly silly socks, too: Think pairs decorated with dinosaurs, fireworks and Max the Monster. They'll just about knock his socks off.


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DFG Priority Programme "Microswimmers"
Priority Programme "Microswimmers – From Single Particle Motion to Collective Behaviour" (SPP 1726)
The Senate of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has announced the establishment of a new Priority Programme "Microswimmers – From Single Particle Motion to Collective Behaviour" (SPP 1726).
The programme is scheduled to run for six years; the present call invites proposals for the first three-year funding period.
The aim of the priority programme is to coherently combine the research activities on microswimmers in biology, biophysics, theoretical and experimental soft matter physics, and simulation sciences.
Advanced experimental techniques, new nanotechnological tools, soft-matter chemistry and physics, and novel simulation approaches promise deeper insights into the underlying physical and bio-chemical processes, and provide the tools to design and construct new artificial microswimmers.


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Posts Tagged 'EU'
The Free Trade Agenda is not about Trading Freely
The Free Trade Agenda… It's not about trade and it certainly is not free !!!
If the Free Trade Agenda is not about Trade, then what is it about?
It is all about convincing a slumbering Congress to transfer it's responsibility "to regulate trade among the states and with foreign nations" to supra-national councils (aka soviets) that are unelected, appointed bureaucrats. Once accomplished, the American people will lose the ability to influence trade policy through their elected officials and become victimized by new, ever-increasing, far-reaching global trade policies and global enforcement agents. Think the regulatory monstrosity is bad now?
This is all unlawful, mind you.
#1. If Congress is to cede power that is explicitly defined in the Constitution, how can it be accomplished by simple legislation? Would that not be considered an alteration of the Constitution and the checks and balances defined within it? Yet we have allowed NAFTA, GATT, the WTO and other similar agreements to be handled in this slick manner. Shame on us! These people should be forced to attempt these schemes through a proper amendment procedure which would be far more difficult if not impossible to accomplish. The supreme court has held as recently as 1998 "the non-delegation doctrine" in Clinton et al v. City of New York. This ruling cited J.W. Hampton Jr. & Co. v. United States (1928), an opinion of at least 80 years duration.
#2. Assuming an amendment were to open the door to this nefarious activity, isn't a trade agreement involving other foreign powers a Treaty? As such, a simple law is not suffice. This type of agreement would also need to muster two-thirds vote in the Senate as any other treaty requires.
Now it becomes obvious why the President always seeks "Fast Track" or "Trade Promotion Authority" to sneak these agreements through. Under a fast track or TPA method, the Congress is confined to an up or down vote. Debate is limited if allowed at all and no amendments may be offered. Perhaps POTUS knows that even a minor amount of scrutiny will disclose the unlawful nature of the entire process and the treasonous results of the various agreements.
#3. Is "Fast-Track" or "Trade Promotion Authority" constitutional? Not only did the supreme court uphold "the non-delegation doctrine" it also found that "The Line Item Veto", which was at the heart of this case, violated the "presentment" clauses. Doesn't "Fast Track" also violate the presentment clauses?
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the president of the United States… US Constitution – Article 1 Section 7 clause 3
The truth is, there is no legitimate means by which this type of agreement can be ratified. Trade matters belong to the whole Congress. And agreements among nations belong to the Senate & President. The President & the Senate can not do by treaty that which the entire government is denied by the Constitution itself. Treaties must be pursuant to the Authority of the Constitution. The non-delegation doctrine requires a specific amendment to allow the delegation of trade authority from the Congress to another body. The multiplicity of nations involved in trade agreements would require treaty law. Even after these hurdles would be cleared, there is some doubt as to whether or not a treaty can include non-governmental organizations and multiple nation states. The entire "Free Trade Agenda" is highly irregular.
The European Model
A truly fascinating study of the European Union's 50 year progression into a supra-national entity reveals that a European "Free Trade Agenda" was at the heart of the entire process. Rumor has it, that the TTIP, The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment partnership seeks direct economic ties between the US and the EU. Why tie our anchor to that sinking ship? The answer is… The "Free Trade Agenda" is not about free trade. The free trade agenda is a cornerstone program for the creation of a new world order. The transformation of America is indeed happening; and it is happening all too quickly!
How is it that free trade requires partnerships? The very use of the word partnership should be a telling signal to Americans that this type of legislation is more about building an International Framework for World Government than establishing "Free Trade". By the way, is there any guarantee that "free" trade is "fair" trade? A whole host of new questions can be raised once that sentiment is considered.
If you would like to investigate these issues in detail and live in the Philadelphia area, a meeting is being held on April 9, 2014. See the flyer below and pass it around. Share it with your friends and family. The future of our economy and our ability to self-govern is at stake.
Free Trade Agreements European Union Philadelphia 04-09-2014
Education Resources: Extensive Coverage by The New American Magazine
- Trans Atlantic Danger (TNA Article)
- Secretly Trading Away Our Independence (TNA Article)
- United States of Europe (TNA Prediction)
- CFR Applauds "Sovereignty Subversion" (TNA Article)
- Obama et al push EU-US Merger (TNA Article)
- Download Free Magazine Issue (Download File)
- Obama places US-EU Merger on the Front Burner (Video)
- Download Free Trade Booklet (Download)
Action Resources: You Are The Resistance !!!
- NEW: Educational Tools (pamphlets, reprints, etc) at ShopJBS.org
- Free Trade Promises & Reality (download brochure)
- Real Price of Free Trade (download brochure)
- Not-So-Free Trade (download brochure)
- Help Keep America (download brochure)
- Quick Federal Letter – Send a letter Opposing Free Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)
- Quick Federal Letter – Send a letter Opposing The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)
- Quick Federal Letter – Send a letter Opposing Transatlantic Tade & Investment Partnership (TTIP)
- Quick State Letter – Send a letter Opposing Free Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)


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Exclusive interview with Gordon Brown
Murdoch deal with Dow looks done
Sen. Ted Stevens under investigation
Meltdown at Northwest Airlines
Tiny Louisiana town torn by racial strife
Urban farmers take 'home grown' to heart
Monday, July 30
Chief Justice suffers seizure
FDA panel says Avandia should stay on market
A change of course from across the pond?
Is corruption undermining Iraq effort?
Bush hopes arms deal will end Iraq crisis
Remembering Tom Snyder, 1936-2007
Battling the 'worst weed'
Family takes on a whole new meaning
Links & Extras
'Untouchable' corruption in Iraqi agencies
Avandia should stay on market, FDA says
— Are you concerned about safety?
— Reports of diabetes drug's side effects triple
— FDA to ask panel if Avandia should be pulled
— Older, cheaper diabetes drugs good as new
Remembering Tom Snyder, 1936-2007
— Snyder discusses meeting KISS
— Snyder on 'The Colorcast'
— Snyder interviews Alfred Hitchcock
Fighting a swamp thing in Texas
— Learn more about the 'worst weed'
Sunday, July 29
Bush meets with new British prime minister
Iraqis unite in celebrating soccer victory
Last week's Wall Street drop
Tour de France ends with trail of scandal
Stranded Palestinians allowed home to Gaza
Communities crack down on dangerous dogs
Cuba 's beat goes on
Hold up! What's behind the rash of robberies?
Inside the 'Nightly' mailbag
Saturday, July 28
General worries about withdrawal
Mountain gorillas bring prosperity
Home invasion has residents on edge
Chase coverage turns deadly
Cheney gets his battery changed
Poor pine for boost in food stamps
Clinton tries the feminine touch
Controversial Mideast arms deal
Friday, July 27
Missing children billboards go mobile
Another rough ride on Wall Street
Does NASA have a drinking problem?
Attorney General Gonzales still embattled
Ahhh... refreshing tap water!
Was Pat Tillman murdered?
Bank robberies on the rise
Inside the 'Nightly' mailbag
Links & Extras
NASA let drunk astronauts fly
News choppers crash; 4 dead
Aquafina to tell water's source -- tap
Bank robberies on the rise, FBI says | Blog
From Thursday's broadcast: Cat seemingly predicts impending death
Thursday, July 26
What's up with the financial and housing markets?
Democrats go head-to-head with Bush
Town told immigration laws overstepped
Congress investigates human trafficking claims
Professional athletes are setting no example
Soldier goes to war after winning big battle
Miami's housing bubble pops painfully
Cat seemingly predicts impending death
Wednesday, July 25
Items in carry-on bags raise alarms
A call for better care for military personnel
Are your friends making you fat?
Democratic frontrunners get tough
Number of Hispanic evangelicals growing
Links & Extras
Are terrorists rehearsing a U.S. airline attack?
— TSA government advisory (PDF)
— Are terrorists rehearsing a U.S. attack?
Existing home sales keep falling
— Discuss: Has the housing market hit bottom?
— Home loan demand drops to 5-month low Your best friend could be making you fat
— Read the full study
— Vote: Does your best friend make you fat?
— 75 percent of Americans overweight by 2015
— No love handles now? Give it a few years
— 'Fat tax' could save thousands of lives each year
Southern Europe bakes in second heat wave
— Photos: Region swelters through heat, fires
Our series 'Faith in America'
— A new effort to get men to church
— Americans share their faith in Mexico
Tuesday, July 24
Troops to stay in Iraq through '09?
Are terrorists rehearsing a U.S. attack?
Katrina doctor cleared of murder charges
Detroit's hurry-up effort to go green
Experienced surgeons count in prostate surgery
A new effort to get men to church
40 years after the Detroit riots
Links & Extras
Prostate surgery — pick an experienced surgeon
— Read the full study
Are terrorists rehearsing a U.S. airline attack?
TSA government advisory (PDF)
Detroit going green — too little too late?
— GM seeks green jolt with green Volt
— Newsweek: Can GM's electric car go the distance?
40 years after Detroit riots
— Blog: Return to Motown
Monday, July 23
Central Britain swamped by floods
Has company bilked taxpayers in Katrina cleanup?
Urgent warning issued by FDA
Do soft drinks increase heart disease risk?
Testing an alternative to nursing home care
No more bullfighting in Spain?
Americans share their faith in Mexico
Links & Extras
Flooding wreaks havoc in Britain
— Study: Rain changes largely due to humans
— Floods fit into global warming scenarios
— Check weather and forecasts around the world
Ex-FEMA chief profiteering on Katrina?
— Read the complete NBC report
— Statement from Gov. Blanco
— Company responds to NBC questions
Company recalls 90 products due to botulism poisoning
Do softdrinks increase heart disease risk?
— Read the study abstract
Bullfighting: Deadly dance of artistry or cruelty?
Sunday, July 22
U.S. remains vigilant in fight against al-Qaida
U.S. and Iran slated to meet over Iraq
What's next for the U.S. economy?
Palestinian shelter provides hope and home for women
Remembering Tammy Faye Messner
Storm of criticism descends upon BBC
Re-building the Army, one tire at a time
Saturday, July 21
Polyps found during president's exam
Debates continue over war and terror threat
A war with no borders
Active duty troop families speak out
Referee betting charges rock NBA
Can America fix its aging infrastructure?
Congress aids in passport backlog
It was a magic moment for Potter fans everywhere
Friday, July 20
Can Musharraf survive trouble in Pakistan?
What does Pakistan unrest mean for the world?
What is the future of the war in Iraq?
Bush signs executive order on torture
Thriving, not just surviving, after cancer
This version of Harry Potter is Making a Difference
Links & Extras
Pakistan court reinstates suspended judge
— Latest headlines from Southeast Asia
More young people surviving cancer
— Survivor guide from Children's Oncology Group
— PlanetCancer.org
— Latest cancer news from MSNBC.com
Harry Potter debuts in Braille
— Blog: A touch of reading
— National Braille Press Web site
— The latest Harry Potter news
Thursday, July 19
War weary Gates sobs through speech
U.S. general woos politicians
Man accused of trying to sell nuclear secrets
Dow closes above 14,000 for first time
N.Y. blast raises doubts about aging infrastructure
Civilians buy military-style 'black rifles'
FEMA still using toxic trailers
Proposal unites symbiotic border towns
Links & Extras
Remembering Gen. Downing
— Brian Williams: The General
— Video memorial
— Your remembrances
— Photos from the field
— Jack Jacobs remembers Downing
— Washington Post article on Downing's death
Wednesday, July 18
Runway was concern before Brazil crash
Dem's all-night war vote effort falls short
Were Iran captives forced to 'confess'?
Breaches and leaks precede book release
Study: Genetic basis for restless leg syndrome
Love of pets fuels big business
Remembering Gen. Wayne Downing
Links & Extras
Senate Republicans defeat Iraq withdrawal bill
— How many U.S. troops will remain in Iraq?
— More troops in Iraq is an option, general says
— Lawyer: Marine saw Haditha threats as real
Harry Potter distributor releases book early
— Harry Potter didn't affect literacy
— Duchess of York tests your Potter skills
— Latest 'Potter' film does big box office
— Your thoughts: Will Harry die in final book
Restless leg syndrome
— Few had heard of syndrome before TV ads
— No rest for the weary
American pet owners pay the price for health care
— Latest news on pet health
— Nutrition tips for pets
— Summer safety tips for pets
— Symptom solver
Tuesday, July 17
Another day, another record for Wall Street
U.S. security report highlights strengthening al-Qaida
Can al-Qaida members be rehabilitated?
Understaffed FDA fails to check all imported food
Extra servings of veggies fail to prevent cancer
Has Obama's campaign reached a plateau?
Immigrants take classes to learn U.S. accent
Links & Extras
Report: Al-Qaida eyes Iraq ties for U.S. attack
— Interactive: The new war on terror
— National Intelligence Estimate report (PDF)
— What the blogosphere is saying about the NIE
Dow tops 14,000 for first time
— Your thoughts: Will Dow end year above 14,000?
Study: Extra veggies fail to curb breast cancer risk
— Read the complete study
— Helpful cancer links
— Interactive: Meals that heal
Immigrants try to get rid of their accents
— Accent Reduction Institute
Monday, July 16
Landmark settlement in L.A. church sex scandal
Japan rocked by powerful earthquake
Does the U.S. have confidence in Iraq's Maliki?
Drought creates major concerns in California
Vitter makes public apology
Did 9/11 create a culture of secrecy?
Hospital installs electronic check-in kiosks
Sunday, July 15
Bush remains firm on Iraq
al-Maliki: Iraq able to secure country
Another deadly day in Pakistan
L.A. Archdiocese under pressure
Harry Potter didn't affect literacy
China's field of dreams
Beckhams: Coming to America
Saturday, July 14
Pressure increases to change the course
Iraq: Future looks dreary without American troops
U.K.: More must be done to fight terrorists
Paying tribute to Lady Bird
Changing immigration laws in Va.
Seeking soldiers – a military mission
A new side of Richard Nixon
Spreading the wealth
Friday, July 13
A year of over-the-counter 'morning after' pill
Adolescent birth rate at all-time low
Ambushed U.S. troops kill six Iraqi police
Clinton pulls out all stops
Nation facing shortage of police recruits
Suspicion for Muslim-American doctors?
Is John McCain's campaign out of gas?
Thursday, July 12
Reality check on al-Qaida threat
Bush defends war strategy after mixed report
California hit hard with foreclosures
Lady Bird Johnson, First 'green' Lady
Moms struggle between family and career
Wife honors fallen husband by joining Army
BBC apologizes to Queen Elizabeth II
Wednesday, July 11
Remembering Lady Bird Johnson
Was the pizza-bomb victim in on it?
Are safety stats being manipulated by air traffic officials?
A risky proposition in Iraq
Chertoff explains 'gut feeling' comment
Lady Bird's legacy
Tuesday, July 10
Bush refuses to listen to calls for change
Former U.S. surgeon general speaks out
Does the U.S. doubt Pakistan's Musharraf?
Lycopene letdown?
Young Iraqi refugees forced into prostitution
Has your office gone green?
Bonds won't be first record-breaker booed
Monday, July 9
Is President Bush's Iraq policy at a tipping point?
Pressure builds on the Bush administration
Wildfires continue to threaten Western U.S.
Soaring heat creates power problems out east
War unites two women in unlikely fashion
Will the Boeing 787 redefine air travel?
Warming threatens Great Barrier Reef
Sunday, July 8
Wildfires surge
Heat advisories say to stay cool and conserve
Airlines lining up for Boeing's new 787
More Republicans want Bush to change Iraq course
New Orleans gets help from a new kind of pioneer
Pitching America's pastime in Israel
Retired health care pros go from boredom to charity
Saturday, July 7
Killer heat grips Western states
Landscape of terror changing in Iraq
Terror threat in U.K., elsewhere remains high
British Muslims becoming radicalized
A musical call to arms
Did your cancer risk just increase?
Immigration fast-track slows for thousands
Triple sevens have couples feeling lucky
A glimpse into the world of the new rich
Friday, July 6
U.S. connection discovered in U.K. terror plot
Missile fired at plane of Pakistan's president
Officials dismiss threat against Goldman Sachs
Heat wave continues to grip Western U.S.
A storm brews at the National Hurricane Center
U.S. faces dangerous shortage of nurses
Woman leaves Wall Street to teach convicts
A glimpse into the world of the new rich
Thursday, July 5
Air travel delays on the rise
Dangerous heat wave grips Western U.S.
U.S. troops linked to Iraqi prisoner deaths
Study shows women, men equally chatty
Surge in U.S. citizenship applications
Car sharing saves more than just money
Wednesday, July 4
New details in U.K. terror plots
Celebrating the birth of our nation
Bush's holiday plea for patience
Fourth of July in Baghdad
Celebrating on the frontlines of Afghanistan
Freed journalist recounts ordeal
Supporting the troops
A playground for all children
Tuesday, July 3
Doctors' trail of terror
President Bush refuses to rule out Libby pardon
What will be President Bush's legacy?
Meeting al-Qaida's terrorists-in-waiting
Fireworks in a tinderbox this Fourth of July
Americans leave vacation days unused
School uses computers to reboot rural town
Monday, July 2
Bush commutes Libby sentence
Terror cell of made up mostly of doctors
No specific al-Qaida threats against U.S.
A look inside al-Qaida
Obesity linked to stress and junk food
Obama sets fund-raising record
Walgreens reaps benefits of 'disabled' workforce
Sunday, July 1
New details on U.K. terror suspects
Fifth suspect arrested in U.K. terror plot
U.S. 'comfortable' with tightened security
Can Bush warm relations with Putin?
Flooding continues in Texas, Oklahoma


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Hello, Welcome to
Douglas Bader
in Ipswich
• We have clear signage in place, including floor markings, social distancing signage & directional signage. The entrance & exit will be separated to limit any crossover
• We have fitted extra hand sanitiser stations throughout the pub
• We will have a reduced capacity allowance inside & outside to adhere with social distancing of 1 metre
• Perspex screens will be fitted around the tills to protect employees.
• Cash option will be available but you are encouraged to use contactless where possible
• We will be operating with a smaller menu so the kitchen can by one team member, and all our food menus are single use and disposed of after every use
• Staff will be wiping all touch surfaces thoroughly and regularly
• The toilets will be inspected every 30 minutes & all touch surfaces will be sanitised. The toilet doors will be propped open to minimise contact points
NHS Test and Trace
To comply with the Government's guidelines, you will be asked to provide your contact details each time you visit our pub. This will assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme and help to contain the spread of COVID-19. We will only share your contact details with NHS Test and Trace if required. We will not share or use your details for any other purpose and your details will be securely deleted after 21 days. Star Pubs & Bars Limited is the data controller and for more information on how we process your personal data, please visit our Privacy Policy in the footer below.
We have something for everyone, we are running a slightly reduced menu at present, but we still have plenty of pubs favourites on offer. The Douglas Bader is a great pub with stylish and comfortable surroundings to catch up with friends for a mid-week drink, or enjoy free Wi-Fi over a coffee. Our spacious beer garden offers a fantastic dog friendly retreat come rain or shine, there's plenty of occasions to come down and enjoy your great local pub.
Douglas Bader, The Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3SL
Call Us
01473 625394


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In April 2011, I welcomed a baby into my arms, at home, with the help of a Certified Professional Midwife (well, to be precise, there were two CPMs plus my friend/photographer, aunt, cousin and a mixture of other children). I had insurance at the time, which I was told would cover midwife services. Since she is a legal provider, it seemed like a fun idea to try to get her fees reimbursed. Yeah, I was totally naive and thought it would be simple.
We began with her attempting to bill them. I'm not going to detail her efforts, as they are hers and not mine. I do know that after months of back-and-forth with Cigna, we were both incredibly frustrated. It seemed like the best course of action was to pursue a different avenue….she would give me the invoice for her entire fee and I would attempt to get reimbursed (I paid her fees up front).
I've lost the original paperwork, but I know that we switched to me trying to get reimbursement in September-ish. Her efforts had all been denied, for various reasons. Here is the breakdown of how it's played out so far:
10/22/11 ~ Spoke with Arianna
*Maternity Care Global Bill was denied because of missing procedure codes, each visit needed a procedure code. This resulted in an interesting conversation about codes, who has access to them and so on. When I prodded about what type of code was needed, she assured me that all providers know what codes to use. When I prodded about how they knew that, she informed me that every provider is given a book with codes when they get a license. When I asked about providers who don't get licenses, she balked and said there really was no reason for me to be concerned with codes, to know where they come from or to have anything to do with them.
*Initial visit on 9/22/10 not covered due to non-coverage at the time. I let her know I'll check the validity of that and call back. Turned out that my enrollment, which we were told by both employer and insurance company would start from the day of marriage, did not start until 9/28/10.
10/28/11 ~ Spoke with Erica
*Suggests that because of coverage date issue I resubmit the claim with the 9/22 visit removed. New bill has starting date of 11/3/10, put a procedure code next to each visit
*Submit claim with "Corrected Claim" written across the top, keep proof of original submission date
11/2/11 ~ Corrected Claim Form faxed into Cigna
11/19/11 ~ Spoke with Carol
*Claim has been denied.
*Discover $200 bill, denied on several occasions and filed by midwife originally, is still floating around. Ask for that to be ignored, denied again or whatever.
*She sends back claim, with a confirmation #6463
(Here's where it gets tricky for a few weeks. When filing for reimbursement, always, ALWAYS verify which claim you are speaking about. If you get a confirmation number, as I did, use that number to track where your claim is. This is like an ID tag for your claim.)
12/2/11 ~ Spoke with Ryan
*Claim denied because of timely filing. I informed him that I was calling in reference to the corrected claim, which had a proper date on it and could not have been denied on that basis. He said they were going off the original claim (with the wrong date).
*Corrected claim resubmitted, confirmation #6924
(Again, see where my mistake is? I didn't check to make sure we were discussing the correct claim. I thought it was enough to say the amount of the bill, the date, etc., but it was NOT enough.)
12/7/11 ~ Spoke with Jackelyn
*My midwife received a notice about her (we thought) denied $200 bill. This was the bill that I had asked to be taken out of circulation (even though it shouldn't have been anyway, since it had been denied several times) twice now! In addition, the implication of the notice she received was that if she were to sign it and "accept" a reduced rate of $130, that would be all the payment made for the pregnancy! She informs me that somehow this bill was opened back up in November, something that NO ONE ELSE has mentioned. I ask her to close that out, again.
*She tells me that the corrected claim will be denied because it wasn't filed in time. I try to explain the dating issues, but I get exasperated and finally just say "thanks" before hanging up.
12/17/11 ~ Spoke with Joyce
*Corrected claim was closed at my request. WHAT?!?!?!
*Turns out the confirmation #6463 was for the $200 bill being sent back (on 11/19/11), instead of the $2500 corrected claim being sent back. This entire time I have been running around in a circle over a bill I thought was gone!
*My midwife also received another request, this time for her SSN, which is on the corrected claim. Joyce tells me to ignore this, it is from the $200 bill that was supposed to be closed.
*Corrected Claim for $2500 with initial visit date of 11/3/10 sent back AGAIN. I verify that all the information is correct, that she is indeed sending the corrected claim for $2500 and NOT the bill for $200. I ask her to read to me exactly what she sees on her screen. It seems right, I am given a confirmation #4737
1/6/12 ~ Spoke with James
*He informs me of all the mistakes, he will make sure everything is correct, he will call me if there are any problems. I politely tell him all the other people have said that, too and they were all liars. He gives me "his guarantee". I get a confirmation #187
1/15/12 ~ Spoke with Jessica
*She verifies that "they" (the jerks who are doing everything to keep me from my money) are working on the corrected claim.
1/17/12 ~ Spoke with Pat
*She tells me that the corrected claim has been sent to James for follow-up information on 1/11/12. She asks if he's called me yet and I say no, but I just called two days ago and no one informed me of that status. She says he'll call me and I ask when, to which she replies "today". ARGH!
*James calls and says he got the message that I had some follow-up information for him. WTF? I tell him that Pat told me my corrected claim had been sent to him to call me for that very reason. He laughs and says that she misread the notes, my corrected claim is still in processing. He reminds me that he said he would call if he needed something and I chuckle while letting him know that my new tactic is to call every other day to check. He laughs and says that sounds like a good idea.
Stay tuned for the (hopefully) happy ending of this drama….


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Here's my '94 K75S a couple of days after buying it in Roanoke, VA this July. The picture was taken during my detour to the Tail of Dragon before heading home to Nova Scotia via the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.
The most fun you can have with your clothes on!
Sweet ride Marilyn ... Welcome and enjoy
R and R
Mike Sweger
Charlottesville, Virginia | 2004 K1200GT & 2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure
"In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth. ~ Buddah
That seat is called the Solo Seat and it sits lower than the stock ones for those of us vertically challenged....not as low as a 'low' seat but very close and without having to chop the under-seat tool box out and remove the side panels! Like a lot of BMW stock seats it's not overly comfy but a sheepskin pad and/or bicycle shorts help.
That July trip back was so great I had to do it again ..... just got back on Friday from a 4700 mile trip to MO, KY, TN, VA etc, etc. The fall colors were awesome and so was the trip even if the weather didn't really cooperate much!
The most fun you can have with your clothes on!
Here are my K bikes. I bought the '94 LT last summer out of Florida with 23K on it and rode it home 1300 miles. It now has over 36K on it. I just bought the '96 RS about 3 weeks ago with only 25K. What can I say, I am hooked.
'04 R1150GSA, '96 K1100RS SE, '94 K1100LT, '84 Honda VF700 Interceptor
Unfortunately just sold it (to make room for a new one!
Jason Gelling
2005 R1200RT - Piedmont Red
2002 K1200RS - Pacific Blue<SOLD>
After 19yrs riding airheads, I sold my GS/PD to become a K Dude . A 1985 K100/EML sidecar rig is now in the shed. I love my new (to me) rig. It has all the sidecar modifications I wanted and it handles like a dream.
My current K-bike, a 2001 K1200RS
And it's stable-mate, my 2000 Guzzi V11
To be honest, neither of them stand up to my old K75 - I wish I still had her!
Goldstar Park in downtown Wetumpka, AL
No, sadly I wadded the first one up with 90+ K on the clock. Completely my fault ( young dumb and invincible) 45 mph decreasing radius curve at 80 mph with a worn rear tire and a shock that needed to be replaced. Long story. The Instrument cluster and license plate along with the custom painted side cover now live in a shadow box to remind me how quickly things can go bad.
A year or so ago I bought a '95 K75RTP from Engle Motors in Kansas City, which had come from the Lawrence, Kansas police department. This week, Phil Marvin rode over from El Paso on his K75RTP which he bought from a gentleman in Missouri who said it had come from a department somewhere in Kansas.
Wondering ... I asked Phil what his VIN was. He went out and looked. Well, they are close kin with adjacent serial numbers - last 7: 6229744 and 6229745.
Phil has the "old" bike, built one earlier than mine. Mine is on the left; Phil's is on the right. Both had mileage in the low teens when we got them.
NOTE: I think Lawrence had 3 or 4 of these. If you have one of the other one or two I'd like to know.
Paul Glaves - "Big Bend", Texas U.S.A
"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russell
Are the saddlebags stock to the RTP? Anything different inside the bags, such as dividers or clips?
Which rear compartment is stock, I am guessing the other guys (mainly looking at the black platform on the top of yours, also what about the mulitple colored reflectors (or lights?) on the back of yours. Just curious if the differences were after the PD sold them or not.
87 K75S, bought new, now sold
07 K1200GT Bought new, now traded in


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"When I came here, I knew I could go to college here, but I also knew I would have to work to pay for classes. It was expected that I do that," said Munoz.
After working, attending classes and immersing herself in undergraduate research projects, the next phase of Munoz's education will not carry quite the financial burden. Munoz, department of Earth and atmospheric sciences and UH Honors College graduate, recently earned fellowships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and the Merage Foundation for the American Dream.
The prestigious awards total more than $110,000 in stipends and cost-of-education support over the next three years. Munoz will begin her master's degree in geology at UH in the fall. The GRFP fellowships, which provide $30,000 of support each year for three years, are awarded to outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in NSF-supported disciplines. The American Dream Fellows are nominated by the foundation's 22 partner universities and awarded on factors including academic record, leadership and their potential to make an important contribution to America. Only 10 American Dream Fellowships are awarded across the country each year. Fellows are granted $10,000 a year for two years.
Both fellowships will allow Munoz to dedicate her time to graduate research in geology, something the former business and Spanish major knew little about until she took a required science class early in her career at UH.
"I took geology with professor Michael Murphy from the department of Earth and atmospheric sciences." said Munoz. "He was a great professor, and he got me hooked into geology. I started liking it and decided to change my major."
Her interest in issues related to global warming led to the topic of her senior honors thesis, which took her to the Antarctic Peninsula. Munoz spent two months conducting research on sediment deposition and the biologic communities to analyze how glaciers are retreating in the Antarctic Peninsula. Under the mentorship of professor Julia Wellner, research assistant professor, Munoz will further that research as a graduate student. She will bring together geography and biology to look into how the sediment and the fauna in the Antarctic fjords are related, if at all.
"I am exceptionally proud of Yuribia's recent accomplishments, but not all that surprised either," said Prof. Wellner. "The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship really is a a ticket into almost any graduate program in the country. The fact that Yuribia is choosing to stay at UH for her graduate work is a testament to how much our university has to offer."
According to Yuribia, she "is living the American dream, it's fantastic. I have found amazing people at the university, and it's incredible how much help you can get. You just have to ask."
Munoz's pursuit of education that began with that long trip back in 2000 is far from over. Following the master's program, she plans to get her doctoral degree and continue in the field of research. As for her mother and sisters, they "are amazed. My mom is very happy."


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Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands, group of about 100 small islands, West Indies, E of Puerto Rico. The islands are divided politically between the United States and Great Britain. Although constituting the westernmost part of the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands form a geological unit with Puerto Rico and the Greater Antilles; they are of volcanic origin overlaid with limestone. The islands are subject to sometimes severe hurricanes between August and October—in 2017 St. Thomas and especially St. John as well as the British Virgin Islands suffered significant damage from Hurricane Irma, as did St. Croix from Hurricane Maria—and suffer from light earthquakes. The water supply is almost completely dependent on rainfall and is preserved in cisterns; some water also comes from desalinization plants. The tropical climate, with its cooling northeast trade winds, and the picturesque quality of the islands, enhanced by their Old World architecture, have encouraged a large tourist trade. The population is predominantly of African descent and the main religion is Protestantism. English and some Spanish and Creole are spoken. The islands were first visited by Europeans when Columbus landed on St. Croix in 1493.
Sections in this article:
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Caribbean Political Geography


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After reading about the US soldier who shot up Afghanistan civilians, I couldn't help noticing an irony. There is all this clamor to try this guy quickly and execute him, never mind his having suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Yet this Major Hasan, who shot up Fort Hood while screaming Allah akbar, still hasn't stood trial, and they are still debating whether he was insane, even with the clear evidence regarding his motive: slay as many infidels as possible.
So, we have a guy in a war zone who cracks, and he must be executed immediately. But this Muslim psychiatrist who was stateside in a nice safe office all day murders 13, wounds 29 of our own guys, and they try to argue the poor lad suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome, from listening to real soldiers who had actual battle experience.
Two and a half years later, they still haven't tried him.


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Wrong-number call helps Ohio woman in emergency
An Ohio woman called the wrong number when she was experiencing a medical attack but still found help a couple of time zones away.
Seventy-year-old Loretta Smith felt her right side go numb and fell to the floor at her home in Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) Falls last weekend.
She tells multiple news outlets she was able to grab the phone with her left hand and thought she was calling her son. Instead, she was one digit off and reached a man in the Denver area who was originally from northeast Ohio and had kept the same number after he moved.
Smith told 28-year-old Kenny Crater that she thought she was having a stroke, and he called 911 on her behalf. She says Crater saved her life.


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Illinois' leading Democrats on Monday pushed for more gun control in the wake of last week's school shootings in Connecticut, but gun-owner rights groups criticized the move as politicizing a national tragedy and said they were prepared to fight in Washington and Springfield.
U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, the state's senior senator and the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, called for congressional hearings aimed at finding constitutional limits to Second Amendment rights while Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel re-emphasized their long-standing call to ban semi-automatic, assault-style weapons at the state and federal level.
The efforts by the three Democrats, motivated by Friday's shootings in Newtown, Conn., that included the deaths of 20 schoolchildren, came against a backdrop of a federal appeals court ruling opening the way for concealed possession of firearms in public in Illinois.
"It's time that we as a city have an assault weapons ban, it's time that we as a state have an assault weapons ban, and it's time that we as a country have an assault weapons ban," Emanuel said at a Chicago Police Department graduation and promotion ceremony. "And I would hope the leadership in Congress now will have a vote of conscience. It is time to have that vote."
Quinn, at a separate appearance, said he hoped the scope of the tragedy would motivate state lawmakers to act by early next month on a state ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Lawmakers recently rejected Quinn's attempt to use his amendatory veto power to rewrite a bill to impose such a ban.
Officials for the Illinois State Rifle Association sent an email to their members accusing Quinn and Emanuel of being among the "political opportunists who have swooped down on Newtown like a flock of vultures hungry to devour the 2nd Amendment."
"The echoes of the sirens had hardly faded when Quinn and other gun-control extremists hit the airwaves calling for the passage of legislation that would effectively abolish the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution," the group said. "Law-abiding gun owners have grown used to being blamed for the misdeeds of others and we're equally used to mounting effective defenses against those who would deny us our rights."
The call to action by Emanuel and Quinn came as another home-state Democrat, President Barack Obama, appeared to be taking a more cautious approach on the gun issue. A day after Obama pledged to use the power of his office to prevent gun violence, the White House did not provide any details on an approach, and spokesman Jay Carney said it was a "complex problem that requires a complex solution."
Durbin, a prominent Obama campaign surrogate who introduced the president as the party's nominee at the last two presidential conventions, has long supported additional gun control laws. But he also appeared to follow the lead of the president and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said the chamber "will engage in a meaningful and thoughtful debate about how to change laws and culture that allow violence to grow."
On the Senate floor Monday, Durbin asked gun control opponents and gun rights supporters to try to find common ground.
"What will it take for a majority of Americans to speak out for sensible firearms policy in our nation?" Durbin asked. "It will take more than the shootings on streets in Chicago, East St. Louis and cities across the country. And sadly, it will take more than 26 victims, including 20 children, in a Connecticut grade school."
Durbin said the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights will hold hearings on the Second Amendment and gun control early next year. Durbin is chairman of the subcommittee.
A federal ban on assault weapons — which prohibited 19 specific types of military-style semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines — expired in 2004 under the Republican White House of President George W. Bush and a GOP-controlled Congress after 10 years. Emanuel has repeatedly touted his work as a top aide to President Bill Clinton in enacting the ban.
Like Durbin, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy connected the Connecticut tragedy to the steady drumbeat of gun violence in America's cities.
"Any major city in this country is experiencing ongoing gun violence," McCarthy said. "It's these issues like this that all of the sudden explode and the gun debate starts and at the end of the day, nobody does anything about it. ... It would be nice if we see some action this time, and it would probably at least be some sort of way to try to make sense of a tragedy moving forward."
In Illinois, Quinn has called repeatedly for a state ban on semi-automatic weapons, most recently last week when the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was unconstitutional for Illinois to ban comprehensively the carrying of firearms outside the home. The appeals court gave the state until June to try to craft new gun regulations.
Illinois is the only state in the nation to prohibit the concealed carrying of weapons in public.
In late July, when Quinn sought to write his own assault weapons ban onto another bill, it followed another mass killing — a shooting spree at a movie theater in Colorado that left a dozen dead and 50 people injured.
On Monday, the Democratic governor said he had reached out to legislative leaders as well as supporters of a ban on semi-automatic firearms and urged them to act quickly.
"This is the moment to do it," Quinn said.
"All of us who are parents, watching those grieving parents losing their children, their precious children, we've got to make sure that they did not die in vain. And one way to keep faith with those victims of that massacre on Friday is for Illinois, the heart of the heartland, to ban assault weapons," he said.
Lawmakers are scheduled to return into their lame-duck session shortly after the New Year, and Quinn already has called upon them to act on a number of high-profile issues, including gay marriage and public employee pension reform. A Quinn aide said the governor also is studying the possibility of pushing a gun measure after new legislators are sworn in Jan. 9, when more Democrats will take office.
The ban Quinn previously sought would have prohibited the sale, delivery, manufacture and possession of AR-15-style assault rifles, a civilian version of the military's M-16. A variant of that firearm was used in the Connecticut shooting, authorities said.
But the state rifle association, a lobbying group that holds great sway over Downstate Republican and Democratic lawmakers, urged gun owners to contact their state legislators "and deliver the message that lawful firearm owners will not play the role of scapegoat."
"As we have said many times before, gun control is a disease and you are the cure," the group told its members. "We're about to face an epidemic of attempted gun grabs. Be prepared and arm yourself with the resolve to uphold that which so many brave men and women have died to defend."
Tribune reporter Monique Garcia contributed.


text: Top level support is what makes ROOT a success. We do our utmost to solve any issues as soon as possible. To make this task as efficient as possible for us follow these few simple rules. In case you think you have found a bug, please first search the forum and roottalk digests to see if the issue has already been discussed. If not then please file a bug report.


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Have it your way
Flexibility. It's what defines the Volvo FM. The chassis layout gives you endless configuration possibilities. Extra fuel tanks can be added, equipment rearranged and the chassis prepared for a wide range of superstructures. So whatever work you do, we can build a Volvo FM that's perfect for the job.


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Fighting COVID relies on us all. Please give what you can to meet the surging needs for our elderly, homeless and families during this health crisis.
Substance Use Disorders
Helping people emerge from addiction
"Thank you. You did not give up on me."
The cost of substance use disorders is estimated at more than $400 billion a year in lost wages, property loss through crime and medical costs - not to mention the emotional toll it takes on families and loved ones. We work to prevent and eliminate substance use disorders through residential and outpatient services, from prevention to treatment to long-term support.
"The Healing Families program has really saved my life. I took individual therapy and was able to work through everything I had been through. I took parenting classes, substance abuse classes and grief counseling, and now I'm part of a family coach program, preparing me to leave here."Anita, Indianapolis, IN
Prevention, Treatment and Support
Substance use disorders affect family life, the economy and public safety. Research has established that prevention and treatment can work, but there is a gap between what is known about prevention and treatment and what is generally done. There is no such gap at Volunteers of America. Volunteers of America is a leader in the field and offers a continuum of supportive services and residential treatment options to assist adolescents, adults and their families to experience life without addiction and to become contributing members of their community.
Individuals who are actively abusing drugs and alcohol must be given a safe place to "detox." This is most often a safe nonmedical environment for withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. Following detox, a certified drug and alcohol professional uses pretreatment techniques and completes a comprehensive assessment to determine ongoing treatment needs. Referrals to treatment or follow-up services are provided.
Intensive Outpatient Services
Individuals with addictions need to be able to access a wide variety of treatment models to meet the unique of their addictions. One such treatment alternative approach is intensive outpatient treatment. Individuals engaged in this type of treatment have been assessed to be able to engage in up to daily five-day per week treatment program and remain living in a community setting. Day, evening and weekend programs are often available to address the need for individuals to maintain employment, vocational training or schooling during the in-patient phases of treatment. These center-based programs serve a variety of populations including, women who are parenting children, persons with HIV/AIDS, parolees who are at risk, or who have already violated parole.
Residential Treatment
Volunteers of America has long served populations with co-occurring disorders of substance use and mental illness. High-quality inpatient drug and alcohol treatment services are provided for both adults and youth referred by the criminal justice system.
Assisting Mothers with Substance Abuse Issues
Volunteers of America has long recognized the need to develop gender-specific models of treatment for women parenting children. Children are often wounded and are in need of intensive therapy type services to overcome the trauma and chaos that is most often involved in the parent's substance use. Volunteers of America assists women to break the cycle of addiction while at the same time learning to become better parents. Children are also considered in the treatment process and are given specialized materials to assist them in living healthy lives.
- Other Services
- Mental Health
- Veterans and their Families